I love looking at you, hundred-year-old tree, loaded with shoots and boughs as though you were a stripling. Teach me the secret of growing old like you, open to life, to youth, to dreams, as somebody aware that youth and age are merely steps towards eternity. – Hélder Câmara
Trees. I talk and write a lot about our amazing historic district here in Tarboro. But a huge part of what makes this part of the town special is the presence of so many historic trees. Many of the specimens have been around long enough they could tell some stories.
Calvary Episcopal Church, of course, boasts an extensive arboretum, as does Old Town Cemetery at Howard Memorial Presbyterian and also the expansive Town Common. Then the live oaks on both Saint David Street and Church Street provide an extensive canopy straddling both the sidewalk and the road.
I am tempted to – and I might well do it – devote a few days this summer to taking photographs of nothing but Tarboro’s trees. They seem to complement the historic homes perfectly and as if by design.
Rebekah and I have always been committed to planting more trees. Every home we have ever owned – this is the fifth – features trees we have planted in honor and memory of people we love. River-birch in Pensacola, Sago palms and elm trees in Brandon, then the most beautiful collection of Japanese maples in Wake Forest.
Here in Tarboro we have already added a lovely Japanese maple and a marvelous Chinese fringe tree that harbors spectacular potential. We pray, one day, that we will see them both come to maturity.
Plus Mr. Max:
My final “Photo Friday” image this week features Mr. Max. If only because he is such a photogenic pup.
I am not sure if dogs officially smile, but Max offers a lot of persuasive evidence that maybe they do.
Regardless, Max is a happy boy. He is also a fan of Tarboro’s trees and does his best to make sure he waters each and every one personally and at every opportunity.
At twelve years of age, now, our walks involve more sniffing than aerobic activity. We make our way south as far as the river, and north just a block beyond the common.
But regardless of how far we go, we both appreciate Tarboro’s collection of beautiful and ancient trees.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:3)