Nikki’s Photography

Autumn storm near Taos, New Mexico. Wildflowers: Bird’s Beak 

I recently watched a very interesting documentary about the perilous state of our planet, and things we can do to affect the course of necessary change. Narrated by Leonardo Dicaprio I highly recommend seeing this film,  The 11th Hour 

Thanks to individuals rallying together and signing the petition, we are reassured that small efforts can and do make a difference on this planet. The land surrounding the Angel Oak is no longer in jeopardy. http://www.savetheangeloak.org/

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Originally posted September 11, 2008

This set of photos honors the efforts of a petition to halt construction on John’s Island, South Carolina that would encroach on an area of land boasting an Oak tree estimated to be between 1,400 and 1,500 years old.
Charleston, SC is proud of its heritage and respected for its commitment to preserving history in the area, so residents hope that plans will not proceed to cut down nearby trees and forest in favor of land development. Charleston, SC is proud of its heritage and respected for its commitment to preserving history in the area, and on the Angel Oak petition website, even if you don’t sign (but please do), you will still be able to read pages of interesting comments and pleas from residents who have fond memories of climbing the immense branches as children, and whose children now do the same; how a nearby elementary school carries its’ name, and exclamations by tourists who have visited the area specifically to see the Angel Oak.

This summer my husband and I drove through South Carolina and took a short detour to John’s Island. We drove through wicked rains at the edge of Tropical storm Faye, so when we arrived at Angel Oak park no one else was there. The tree trunk and lower branches are so immense, they have been propped up with stakes and heavy cables here and there, which is a little intrusive but obviously necessary. Growth is spread outward more than upward, occupying an enormous space at least 150 feet wide.

It occurred to me that this tree has lived through one serious chunk of history, and wondered what was happening on our planet when The Angel Oak was knee-high to an acorn? 1400 years ago it was the year 608 A.D., Common Era. Almost everything we are familiar with; our collective modern identity has been shaped by many of the events and people who lived and died since the Angel Tree established its first roots in the earth.

Angel Oak’s parent-tree was undoubtedly alive for centuries before and during the year 476 A.D. when the last of the Roman emperors died, bringing about the Fall of Rome. Around the 7th Century A.D. an acorn falls from one of the magnificent Oaks on the southeastern shores of a land only known to the indigenous peoples; a land we now refer to as North America. The acorn sprouts along with many others…but this one will outlive the rest, seasoning hurricanes, wars, and countless generations of playful children climbing it’s branches; it sprouts in conjunction with the collapse of Teotihuacan, one of the major cities in Mesoamerica with widespread influence in central Mexico. The Toltec civilization was unheard of, and would not flourish for another 500 years (1100-1521). Aztecs did not seize power until the 13th century.

When this tree was 300 years old during 901 A.D., the Vikings discovered Greenland. In 1066 William the Conqueror and the Norman troops conquered England altering the English culture forever by bringing French rule and rivalry with France until the The French Revolution occuring from 1789 – 1799. Circa 1100 A.D. the famous Buddhist temple, Angkor Wat in Cambodia is constructed to house the Hindu faith. Around 1275 A.D. Marco Polo, the Venetian explorer and trader visits China via the The Silk Road, returning to Europe with new foods and goods from the Orient which impact modern culture, medicine and dietary habits today.

The Black Death devastates Europe around 1348 A.D., while the 740 year old Angel Oak thrives. Columbus and other adventurers would not claim to discover America for another 144 years (C. 1592). Leonardo da Vinci, a man light-years ahead of his time in the field of science and medicine through his various studies. By the time he would paint the Mona Lisa and Michelangelo would paint the Sistine Chapel, the Angel Oak has lived for 900 years. The Tree continues growth beyond the life of Galileo, father of modern Astronomy, and through the life of Shakespeare, who established some of the most famous English literature in our era (c. 1564 – 1616).

Year 1776 – Angel Oak is 1,166 years old when the U.S. breaks free from British rule and establishes the first Independence Day In 1895, and by the time the Angel Oak had already survived for 1,287 winters Sigmund Freud would bring modern medicine and humanity into a new open-minded age by announcing his theories of dream psychoanalysis and studies of the human psyche.

The First World War between 1914-1918 was followed by WWII, 1939 -45/51.
According to after the Category 5 Hurricane Hugo hit the coast of in 1989, Governor Carroll Campbell is reported to say that the storm destroyed enough timber in South Carolina to frame a home for every family in the state of West Virginia. All those trees and forests obliterated, yet The Angel Oak survived. It has since healed injuries inflicted by Hurricane Hugo.

The petition page has so many interesting comments left by those who signed the petition.

Eight thirteen p.m. That’s the time it was when I last saw the Giant Sequoias, hopefully not for the last time. It was dark but there was still enough light left to take the last chance for one more photo.

Sky was the vivid blue that lasts only for a few moments before the last effects of sun disappear. It was the kind of blue where you check around and can’t distinguish any green from the next on the sillhouettes against it…so you’re sure it’s definitely dark… but wondering how could such a dark color be glowing so brightly? That blue is going to be the star, and have stars, in one of my next paintings.

I still haven’t posted photos taken on Vancouver Island during July, but here are some of them. Arbutus trees, first photo, only grow in the Pacific Northwest, particularly on Salt Spring Island, B.C. and in parts of China, nowhere else in the world. They are a popular carve-your-name-in-the-trunk tree because the bark heals into a soft clear scar. A few trees on the island have been abused like this. Still, they couldn’t take the beautiful away!

Groups of three and four Fluted Swallowtails spiraled in and out of the sunlight as I walked down the mountain road on Salt Spring Island. I tried very hard to photograph them dancing around like that – so pretty – but their flight pattern was too rapid and unpredictable. Got lots of blurs if you wanna see ‘em! Fortunately one settled on a fir tree.

For the next two weeks I’ll be stopping to photograph every interesting tree between here and the Giant Redwoods then back. I’m so thrilled to go see them. My pal Chris says Pray for Peace, and that’s what I think of every time I see the fourth photo here.

Nag’s Head, North Carolina August 25th: This little crab measuring about 2 inches across had two legs missing but was still managing across the hills and vallies of footsteps in the sand. My guess is that a bird must have snatched it up then dropped it, retaining two of the legs for lunch. Shortly after this encounter it finally started digging a hole, offering much more protection than a footprint..

Storm in Calgary, Alberta

I have yet to see a tornado in Texas since we moved there, yet here is the first one I’ve ever seen, about to touch down in Airdrie, near Calgary Alberta  while we’re on holidays.

Watching it form is surreal, and though it’s not far away I don’t feel in any danger. It formed a perfect funnel then I watched it pull back again, spawning a skinny long string-like tornado, then dissolve.

The associated clouds are ominous and dark in contrast to the sunny neighborhood where I’m standing. I learned later this afternoon that the tornado touched down in a farmer’s feild for a few moments.

Stony Swamp trail near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada