TREE SPIRITS

While enjoying the island, many tourists run across our Tree Spirits carved into the great oaks.  No, the trees aren't harmed. He carves on places where the bark has already come off, either struck by lightning or dangerous/diseased  limbs chopped off. The sculptor, Keith Jennings, is from North Carolina and has a FaceBook page:

https://www.facebook.com/St.SimonsTreeSpirits/

While walking the other morning, my guy came upon him carving a new Spirit at Mallery Park.

It took several days to finish but it looks neat!

And here is a mermaid near the visitors' center. I bet this one took several weeks to finish!

The Tree Spirits are pleasant surprises for walkers and bicyclists. We haven't seen all of them but there are more to be found!

COURTHOUSE OAKS

A few weeks back, I blogged about a wedding at the old courthouse. The bridal couple were beautiful and so was the setting beneath all the great oaks.

A few days ago, part of a tree on the grounds fell and they had to take down the rest. And it seems another one is coming down, too. This will make six in the past six years that have been lost in this vicinity. If the county doesn't start taking care of them, they'll lose the one thing that distinguishes them from thousands of other courthouses throughout the country.


Here are some pix I took earlier this week. First one is the stump. See my shadow as I hold up my camera to take the shot?

Here's a better view of the stump. It's about five-six feet wide.

Here's the stump from a few yards away. The courthouse is to the left, in the background.

Here's a longer view of the empty place on the lawn. It's in the middle, behind the tiny tree.

 And this is the tree that's doomed. They say it can't be saved so down it will come. Sigh.

I think I must have been a druid in a previous life, so upsetting to me is this sad affair.