Spanish Trees

Turns out there are palm trees in Spain. Which may not seem odd to many of you, but for some reason, I had never even considered this possibility, and so it took me by surprise. Especially when I was walking through the very narrow streets of Old Town Barcelona and came upon a palm tree there, just hanging out in a sunny corner, hugging the charming buildings where the cobblestone alleyway opened up just a little bit wider than too-narrow-for-a-car. I'm telling you. It was strange. And delightful. I think because I grew up in Central New York—and to this day have never been to Florida—that I still have this perception of Palm Trees as exotic and other-worldly and endlessly fascinating (as can also be noted here). And this is why I took too many photos of palm trees on my recent visit to Barcelona and Bilbao.

Here is the aforementioned tree, happy in it's cosy surroundings:


And a few more palm trees scattered around this beautiful city:




Peeking above the buildings! So great. And because I wanted to bring them home with me, here are a few more that made me smile. For your enjoyment, as well. The final tree (below) lives in the mountain town of Bilbao, and was enjoyed with a glass of red wine, of course.

Tribute to a Magical Winter

And by "magical," I mean long, cold, bitter, miserable, blah. But it has come to my attention that it is now mid-March, and this means that spring is just around the corner (right??). So here's a look back at a couple picturesque "tree" moments from this endless winter. The above photo was taken out my kitchen window on a particularly pixie-land-fairytale sort of morning. (Also, introducing my Hipstamatic obsession).




I went snowboarding in Vermont (above), and spent a good deal of the time at the top of the mountain, just looking around like a kid in a candy store. Seriously. I think these trees were plucked right off a german gingerbread house. I couldn't get enough!!







And always, I adore the beauty of trees against the backdrop of my beloved Brooklyn or Manhattan. How many blizzards did we have this year? I don't even remember. But the trees were perfect.

Also, a warm, exciting welcome to all my new friends and followers! I've had so many new visitors and comments over the past 6 months, and it makes me so happy that Trees, if you please can bring delight to others. And of course, my dedicated old friends who have been waiting with baited breath (yeah right) for a new post. This is for you.

xoxoxo.

Ultimate Field Guide to the Trees of the Big Apple

For a tree-lover and blogger-of-trees, I certainly don't know many scientific tree facts, nor do I know how to identify most trees. Thus, I picked up "New York City Trees, A Field Guide for the Metropolitan Area" at the Brooklyn Book Festival in September. I'm super excited about it. The cover promises "How to identify trees;" "Best places to see trees;" "Official NYC Great Trees;" and "Ten tree walks." I can't wait to walk all ten.

In other news: the Christmas tree lady arrived this week with her trees from Canada, and has parked herself, as usual, in front of the neighborhood Key Food. I love walking slowly by and breathing in the piney-wonderful air. It's holiday season!

Paris, Je t'adore!

Oh! My dear friends. I've just returned from a vacation with my friend Emily to the oh-so-enchanting city of Paris! It really is as wonderful as in the movies and your dreams. Here is a look at how the Parisians do "les arbres."

These pretty smooth trees with the funny hanging fuzz balls are everywhere:




And I do believe I've correctly identified them as "London Plane" trees - a close relative - if not a hybrid – of the American Sycamore and the "Oriental Plane."

Next, Some beautiful October leaves at the Jardin du Luxembourg:



The best place for tree sightings, however, was at the immensely beautiful and breathtakingly extravagant Palace of Versailles. In the gardens there were rows of citrus trees, "Dr. Seuss-like" clipped (topiary) trees (which should be considered "tree art," I think), "square" trees, tall graceful trees, and many more. (I don't know why the French are so obsessed with geometric trees. It's dreadfully unnatural, but fascinating, nonetheless). All were living amidst sculptures and fountains. Glorious! I could spend a week there! Indulge:

A look back

A final taste of some trees from this past spring. Next...moving into delicious autumn! I get chills just thinking about it.

Tree Museum! And other tree works by Katie Holten

Terrific discovery of the day: A "Tree Museum" that is also a public art project!! How incredibly perfect. So, of course, sometime between now and October 12th I'll be heading up to the Bronx to listen to the trees. And then I'll share my discoveries.

Here's what I know. The Tree Museum is a public art project by artist Katie Holten, who seems to be at least as enamored with trees and art as I am. Perhaps more so. Her work ranges from drawings to installation art to public projects involving living plants. Her work addresses the themes of "permanence, disappearance and environment" and she is interested in "how people make sense of and cope with their surroundings" (see LMAKprojects).

Here are some examples of her works that involve trees, of course:


New York Trees I


Trees of the U.S.A. III


Paths of Desire


Ghost Forest

A tree falls in Brooklyn

It's a sad day on my block. Some stupid beer truck backed into one of the beloved trees across the street, knocking off a huge tree-sized branch and chunk of the tree. Leaves and branches fell all over, stopping traffic, and then some work men arrived with chain saws to finish the job. Now it is a soggy, sawdusty stump. Though, if you ask George, who works at Mailboxes on 5th (which is the shop the tree used to live in front of) it wasn't the beer truck's fault. The truck has been backing up in that exact location for years and years. But the heavy rain made the branch sag, which made the tree lean, which made the branch sag even lower.

George knows these things. Blame it on the rain.

Actually, I've recently realized that an even more beloved tree is gone. The one that used to live more directly across the street. It must have happened the day my building may-or-may-not-have-been hit by lightning. We heard/felt an extremely loud boom at the same time we saw a flash...and the next thing we knew, we saw branches in the street. I just realized the tree is completely gone. This one makes me even sadder. It was just out front of Happy Cleaners. So pretty. Fluffy white in the spring. We had just one lovely spring together. I'm hoping these trees have become mulch and will help other urban trees to survive and flourish. Here are some photos to mourn our loss. (Pink arrows indicate our fallen friends.)

Fluffy Trees!

If you've been following my blog since the beginning, you may know that I have sort of a "thing" for fluffy, flowery trees. But, I mean, really. Who doesn't? I love them. SO...imagine my excitement when I discovered that I actually live on a street of flowering trees! They're right outside my door! This is my first spring in this neighborhood (indeed, in this city) and here I am. Right in the midst of a delightful "white way of delight." (anyone get that reference?) What a perfect city street to call home. Would anyone like to come visit?

I went away for the weekend. And came back. And here they are. Bursting with flowery life. LOVE IT. I think if I knew more about trees, I might have known these were the flowering sort, and then I may not have been quite as surprised when they bloomed. But. I like it this way. Ignorance is bliss.

PS. More flowery fluffy tree posts to come...