Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Angel Oak

One of the things I love about Charleston is the beautiful open-air Rainbow Market.  Each night we were there, we spent some time walking around and talking to the various artists and learning about what inspired them.  We met a VW mechanic that made awesome sculptures out of VW parts--we bought one, because we are VW enthusiasts!  We also met photographers and talked aperture settings and f-stops...and one of them pointed us to the Angel Oak, just outside Charleston.  A great photo opportunity.  And, of course, for Jason, a life's passion.

Jason has seen the Sequoias in Northern California, but I never have.  This Angel Oak gave me a glimpse of what that must be like.  You really feel such awe and respect in something so HUGE.  It is surreal.
Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

There are different reports on how old the tree is.  Some say it is hundreds of years old or even 1500 years old.Jason fantasized about moving to South Carolina and being the arborist to care for this magnificent tree.According to the people working in the park, this live oak is less than one hundred years old.Jason said the conditions may just ALL BE ABSOLUTE optimum for it to grow like this in the same amount of time that another tree grew to 1/100 of the size.

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina
Although Jason studies trees and is in the business of caring for them and he definitely feels that dead limbs should be taken down for safety reasons, he is also an advocate of leaving them alone to do their own natural thing.  To see this tree twist and turn the way it wanted brought such splendor to my husband's face!  he walked around in sheer awe for at least a half hour before snapping his first photo of it!
Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak...it's hard to appreciate how big it is in a photo unless you get a frame of reference


Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina; there are placards reminding people not to climb on the tree ;-)

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina

Angel Oak Park, South Carolina