|
more articles like this
The Old Snag
updated: Sep 03, 2011, 1:40 PM
By David Powdrell
So here's the deal...Do you ever set out to do one thing, change directions along the way, then end up discovering something completely unrelated but no less fascinating? I seem to walk that path on a regular basis.
Case in point: I got up at O-dark-thirty yesterday morning to shoot some photos of the huge New Zealand swell that has been slamming the Southern California coast. With camera gear in the backpack, I started my pre-dawn hike, excited to get some surfing shots for my Carpinteria amigos.
But no....the swell direction was wrong. As day broke, I couldn't find a sole in the water. Drat.
While hiking home, however, I stumbled on this great old snag tree enshrined in fog. Anyone that runs or strolls the beautiful Carpinteria bluffs will recognize it. I've seen local artists paint it and foreign tourists like to stand next to it and take photographs.
It ain't necessarily pretty, but people are drawn to the old dead tree.
As I researched a little bit about the role of snags, I learned that besides being interesting to look at, every part of a snag serves a purpose. Birds, bats, squirrels and raccoons make nests in the hollow cavities, the tree attracts insects, lichen and mosses creating a smorgasbord for wandering wildlife, the craggy branches serve as ideal lookout points for raptors, its nooks and crannies are a great place to store away food for the squirrels, and when it eventually hits the ground it'll provide lots of rich nutrients to the soil.
Attached are a few photos of the old Carpinteria snag; some from a slightly abstract viewpoint.
Time now to climb into the car to find that elusive big swell, or find something else completely unrelated along the way. Isn't life magical?
Send this picture as a postcard
# # # #
Send this picture as a postcard
# # # #
Send this picture as a postcard
# # # #
Send this picture as a postcard
# # # #
Send this picture as a postcard
# # # #
7 comments on this article. Read/Add
# # # #
|
