The neighbors two houses down have a huge agave plant in their front yard. It has been there for about 40 years. It is also known as a century plant, because it blooms once in its lifetime. It takes so much energy to put up a stalk this size that it saps all the life out of the plant, and after it blooms, the plant dies.
We have always admired this agave because it is so huge. This is a shot of the remarkable stalk that is growing out of the middle of the plant. To get a sense of scale, note the power line at the right of the frame – it is at least as tall as the power line now, and still has more to grow.
It’s an amazing thing to witness. I’m sure the bloom will be a sight to see.
All of a sudden I have a craving for asparagus 🙂
Sheila365 
I always think of asparagus when I see these. The flower is strange…not really pretty, but unique, like all desert flowers, I think. Sad it dies after all that work.