The California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) was especially popular with developers and landscapers in my area during the 1950s and 1960s, and they can still be spotted thriving in some unexpected places even now. Not too surprising, since they typically live from 80 to 250 years, or even longer. It was hard to miss this lone pair growing along the shore of Folsom Lake at Rattlesnake Bar, and I can’t help wondering how much change they have seen in their surroundings over the years.