I Thought the Pine Cones Were Acorns for 4 Months

So I've been mistaking pine cones for acorns for months!

I didn't grow up somewhere where either of the tree grows, and my first impression of pine cones is the really large one my friend picked up on the 9,000 feet Mt. San Jacinto near Palm Springs, CA (an easy drive from La Jolla).

And then there's this company doing vectordb called Pinecone. A very popular one.

Then I came to Raleigh and and it's THE city of oax. So oak -> acorn -> cute squirrels, I thought.

So I thought the familiar thing I saw under the trees must be acorns!

Boy was I wrong. I remember acorns only from Ice Age, and I thought the difference between acorn and the things I saw could be explained by how hydrated the acorns were. Haha. Our brains are amazing, aren't they?

I only realized this mistake when I was wandering inside ncleg and I noticed the state tree is pine trees, not oaks! And the thing on the picture is a pine cone. Oh god. Glad I know it now!