Sunday, October 24, 2010

Our Trees, young and old



Meine Allee ist aufgewachsen



It wasn't so long ago when these 100 trees were little saplings which arrived in bundles of twentyfive





By the lake






The old Chinese Elm, a place for Summer picnics






New Summit Ash, for clothelines to stretch between






We designed our house to fit within the space of 2 old trees, not the other way around






Three old trees stood here.  One was hit by lightning, the other was blown over by the wind and the last tree died of a broken heart.  In their honor we planted three new trees.

All photos taken with a Kodak Easy Share DX7590


Trees
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a Tree.

            Joyce Kilmer

Gina




24 comments:

  1. Your trees are glorious in all of their fall colors! Thoughtful of you to build your house between the trees instead of cutting them down. I wish more people payed homage to the tree. Just came off of a 2 week campaign to save the pristine oak woodland that surrounds my home. You would think a city like Santa Barbara would be more enlightened. Enjoy your beautiful tress and vistas.

    ~jermaine

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  2. I've only ever planted an olive tree, I know I'd be sorry to leave trees behind once we more (if ever ...).

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  3. Dear Jermaine, would love to know more about your 2 week campaign to save your oak woodlands.
    One wall of an old farmhoue stood on our property. We had to tear it down but all of the more than 100-year old trees we were able to save.

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  4. Dear Francesca, I would love to plant and would plant an olive tree but our winters are too cold and too long. I am so glad that our homesteaders planted so many trees on our property, almost 100 years ago. That is why we are planting trees.

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  5. Dear Gina, you continue to amaze me with your unique and spectacular property! Truly there is nothing like it in the world. I love your allee and your reverence for the old trees that were on your property. Being surrounded by trees myself, I appreciate every single one. Future generations will greatly appreciate what you have created there. xo – g

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  6. Loved this post -- and the unique way you see the world. That last tree with the broken heart just had me. My husband just introduced me to a song by Rush called The Trees. The maples and oaks were fighting over the sunlight until man came along and made their fight obsolete (they were chopped down). Sad and yet so true. We once worked in a house where they built it around the tree...you walked in and there was the tree in the foyer...incredible. Wish I had taken pics. Glad you preserved yours as well. Have a wonderful day, dear Gina.

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  7. Dear Georgianna, We are both very lucky to have so many trees on our properties. I think this little verse says it all: When in trouble, hug a tree.

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  8. Dear Regina, Robert Redford, at his Sundance Restaurant, has a very old and huge tree growing right through the middle of the Dining Room. I don't know if it is still there.
    Thank you for your very special comment.

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  9. Oh, thank you for sharing photos of the beautiful trees in your countryside! I love the long row of them along the drive. And how precious to design the location of your house to make sure that you didn't disturb the old trees on your property. I think the photo of the new trio at the end of your post is my favorite. The young ones are replacing the old ones who have passed on. It looks like a beautiful spot for them to grow and thrive. Thank you for including that poem too. I think of it often. It was recited to me by my dad when I was a child. I think I have always had a special fondness for trees as a result. Beautiful job on the challenge, sweetie!

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    1. Hello Donna, Thank you for your visit. Our newly planted and young trees are doing well. They are growing so close to the water's edge that they are getting plenty of water. Trees are like that, they need a lot of water to get them established.
      I also love this poem. What a nice memory for you to have. Everything that is good about a tree is mentioned in that particular poem.

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  10. Beautiful pictures!! I love that you kept the trees and built your house around them! Thanks for sharing,,,visiting from the Photo Challenge today.

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    1. Hello Dawna, We were lucky in that the old trees were positioned just right. It takes so long for a good tree to get established that it was imperative that we keep all of our trees. Thank you for your visit and thank you also for leaving a comment.

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  11. I love the beautiful poem and your fabulous photos. The colors in the first one are perfect for Fall! Hugs, Diane

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    1. Thank you Diane. It is also one of my favorite poems. I love the part about the bird nest in the tree. I am so pleased that you also like my photographs. Thank you for stopping by.

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  12. All your trees are just stunning. I love every photo. Great job.

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    1. thank you bj. We are so lucky to have all of our trees. So many of them are quite old but even those that we planted, when we built our house, look as if they have been there for a very long time. Thank you for your visit and thank you also for your lovely compliment.

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  13. Nice tree photos! I love that you saved the trees when you built your house, and the three trees story just grabs at one's heartstrings! I'm glad you planted three new trees in that space. :)

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    1. Hello Jackie, I can't imagine building a house and not planting trees. We had a few old trees and they needed some attention but we are so glad that we have each and every one of them. Thank you for your visit and thank you for leaving a comment.

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  14. Gina dear, as always I'm sighing over the beauty surrounding your property and perhaps now, dressed for autumn, your trees are at their glorious peak of perfection - amazing! All the pics are wonderful, the last one perhaps my favorite because the story of the three trees is so special. did you actually plant the allee? Are they poplars? SO beautiful - and so European looking of course!
    Thanks as always for sharing the loveliness of Utah. Thanks also for the info on hips!! You are always such an inspiration.
    Hugs - Mary

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    1. Dear Mary, Yes, we did plant all 100 trees. They are a Lombard poplar. I wanted cypress (as in Italy) but knew that they would tolerate our climate. Unfortunately, our Allee will have to be replanted soon. Poplars, even Theves Poplars have a limited life span.
      I am so sorry to hear of your health problems. I have noticed that I should not sit in front of the computer for too long or I end up being very uncomfortable. I wish you a speedy recovery. ox, Gina

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  15. It would have been a long wait for the trees along the driveway to mature, but so worth it - they are lovely. I had to smile at the last of the 3 old trees dying of a broken heart. The first thing we did when we purchased the subdivision house we're in was to plant trees and for 3 we spent more money so that they would be bigger (5-7 years) than saplings.

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    1. Hello Judith, We planted our Poplars 20 years ago. Poplars grow very fast and most of them are magnificent. However, we have noticed a decline and we are losing some of them. We probably should have planted a row of Linden trees...but then they don't have the shape I want.
      It was money well spent when you decided to purchase larger trees. Such is the challenge of gardening.

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  16. Belas fotos! Um privilegio morar perto de tantas belezas! Parabéns!
    Um abraço!
    Beautiful photos! A privilege to live near so many beauties! Congratulations!
    Hugs!

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    1. Hello Eglea, How nice of you to stop by for a visit. You are right, it is a privilege to live where I do.

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