~a remarkable tree~

~ one of Virginia's oldest and largest white oaks (Quercus alba)~

~~~~~

 Today as I left my father's home I couldn't resist pulling off, and capturing this wonderful oak in the snow - I've photographed this tree before as I was leaving Earlysville and my parent's home.  I didn't leave early - and I stopped in southern Virginia and had lunch with one of my mom's sisters.  She and her family have farmed for years and years, and I left their home with the largest head of cabbage that I have ever seen, a bag filled with collards (and they promised me that it was just 'one' collard) and two heads of brocolli.  There son is taking over the farm now - and I spent some time with him, discussing new 'crops' and ways they could diversify.  They feed my hidden (or not so hidden) desire to be a farmer.

(I-95 was simply delightful today - as delightful as I-95 can be on the Sunday after Christmas.)

~~~~~

Recently I saw over at The Queen of Seaford a great video on Virginia trees - and tonight seems an appropriate time to say thank you to Janet for bringing this video to my attention - and to share it with you.  It was the result of a Virginia Tech effort, 'The Remarkable Trees of Virginia Project' - I bet the book is quite beautiful.  Enjoy! 

 

Comments

[Janet]

Hi Pam, thanks for the plug! The book is wonderful!! If asked what I want for my birthday this is what I am going to tell my family. (birthday is coming up pretty quickly!)
Thanks for sharing this wonderful tree, the image of it in the snow is really great.

[Joan]

Oh, oh! I just got a program that pans the pictures like that. Let's do "Trees of the Lowcountry". That is lovely.

[compostinmyshoe]

I love seeing the bones this time of year! Great tree.......

[Les]

I got the book this summer for my birthday. We were in the middle of our return trip from Colorado and were staying in the very depresssed and depressing Independence Mo. I had resolved that I would be lucky if the day was merely mediocre, until I unwrapped that book.

I was saddend to read about your dad's Christmas day. This is such a hard road to travel, we went through it with my grandmother. Enjoy the good minutes when you can and try not to dwell on the bad.

FYI, It was good seeing your snow pictures.

[Layanee]

Thank you for that slide show. It was a beautiful way to start the morning, coffee in hand.

[Pam]

Janet, I was thrilled to see this youtube video on your site - I hadn't seen it before. And isn't the white oak just beautiful? I'm so glad folks fought to protect it.

Compost, it's a pretty one, that's for sure. We should do a trees of the lowcountry!

Layanee, what a perfect thing to look at first thing in the morning! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Pam]

Joan - it would be fun to do one for the lowcountry - I don't think such a thing exists!

[jodi (bloomingwriter)]

I thought I had seen that tree before, Pam! Good to see it continuing to stand and thrive. Also good that the highway drive wasn't too bad. With all the weird weather, I wondered how you'd fare on your way home again.