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Shown with the Prickly Pear Cactus, the majestic Saguaro Cactus grow in only a small portion of the SW United States. They grow at an exceptionally slow rate. The first arm of a Saguaro typically appears when the cactus is between 50 and 70 years old though it may be closer to 100 years in places where precipitation is very low. Saguaros may live as long as 200 years and are considered mature at about age 125. The photo was taken in 2016.

The genesis of the name “PVminer Pixs” starts with the region where I was born and raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It was known as the Panther Valley. After graduating college with a degree in geology, I became the 4th generation coal “Miner” at an anthracite mine near my hometown. Although my career resulted in moving west to other coalfields and in ultimately changing career paths to leadership roles in the electric utility industry, my roots and how my interest in photography developed was not forgotten. I remember my father having two cameras, which he carried to each family gathering and vacation. As a pre-teen, he took black and white photos with a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera. During my teenage years, he used an Argus...