Deforestation

A week ago this was a magnificent little forest. So, I’m wondering, what’s the morality difference between clear cutting the Amazon forest for agricultural development and clear cutting Alabama forests for commercial development?

Are Alabama forests less of a carbon sink than the forests of the Amazon? Why will clear cutting Alabama forests not contribute to climate change, but clear cutting in the Amazon will? Do Alabama forests not produce oxygen for the planets creatures to breath? I’m also wondering about the impact the loss of wildlife habitat will have on the forest’s creatures: birds, squirrels, deer, armadillos, rabbits, etc.

Sunset Through the Pines

Late Morning, Gulf State Park, Alabama

The Forest in my Backyard

End of the Season

This sunset photo looking skyward at a lone tree is a bit of a cliché, but still, filled with symbolism for the end of the year 2020. We can all hope for a sunrise on a New Year promising an end to the pandemic, a burgeoning economy, healthcare for everyone and reasonably priced education that every student can afford without sustaining overwhelmingly burdensome debt.

Bromeliads on a Live Oak Twig

Longleaf Pine Forest

Hurricane Sally added new curves and diagonals to the Longleaf Pine Forest.

Hurricane Sally Aftermath

Trees all over Baldwin County took a horrific hit. At Centennial Park in downtown Foley many of the majestic trees were destroyed.

An old Oak.

Debris from the Copper Kettle Tea Bar in downtown Foley, AL

A picket fence destroyed in the community of Josephine, AL.

A dock, water slide and other debris pushed into the backyard of a home on Perdido Bay at Bass Point, AL.

Debris of all kinds line the streets at Bass Point near the edge of Perdido Bay.

Household debris at the side of the road in Bass Point.

A twin masted sailboat washed ashore in the surge on Perdido Bay at Bass Point, AL.

Overturned power boat on Perdido Bay at Bass Point, AL.

Utility crews from Illinois work to restore power to residents in Josephine, AL.

Summer Colors in the Forest

River in the Root

October Light

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Light in October is different than in June or February. The trees, the fence, the little trailer; they all plead, beg…like me…to hold on to the warmth even after the sun goes down. There’s no need for begging in June – the warmth will hold on. In February, there’s just no point in begging. But in October, in the deep south, leaves are still mostly green, the light is warm in every sense, but after the sun drops below the horizon…

Shadows on the Shades

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Oak leaf shadows cast onto window shades by the early morning sun. A light breeze created a fantastic shadow dance throughout the morning.

Summer Fades

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The quality of light is changing, the air smells a little bit like autumn. Hardwoods are still in full-leaf, but they’re getting ready for the changing season. It’s difficult to put a finger on precise changes, but they are coming. Nature’s aromas are different, the air feels different, the light isn’t quite so crisp.

 

Light in the Deep, Dark Forest

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An Old Oak Tree, the Vine and a Fence

Daylight Shades of Midnight

Where long strands of Spanish Moss drape a Live Oak forest in the deep south. It’s where water moccasins and alligators target prey, and generations upon generations of Cajun families raised their children and taught them to capture delicious seafood in nearby shallow bays and inlets.

Prairie Dusk

Summer’s Gone

Wildflowers have mostly gone to seed and the brilliant, lush greens of summer have given way to the dusty, drab greens and browns of early autumn. How did this happen so quickly? June was just yesterday – wasn’t it?

Some of My Favorite Places

My favorite place is wherever I am…or, most often, someplace else.

Regardless, those places always include green trees, water, moderately warm temperatures, and frequently – adult beverages.

My brother, Charlie, proprietor of Victor Alexander Winery, Bainbridge Island, WA

Lake Michigan shore near Montague, MI

Northwest Plains and Mountains

Sunset at Orange Beach, Alabama

Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen, Texas

Wharf and Ferris Wheel at Seattle, Washington.

Twig Pot

My first wood-lathe project – a twig pot turned from a Ruby Red Grapefruit log in the wood shop at Snow to Sun RV Resort in Weslaco, Texas. It was finished with a coat of boiled linseed oil and three coats of polyuerethane. Anyone want to buy a unique piece of art, signed by the artist, for, oh say, $1,000,000.00?