Jenny,
Great job. Thanks much. It is interesting to watch use of these advanced computer media forms take root and grow to the benefit of the ENTS message. The possibilities appear endless for the artistically inclined. Thank goodness, you and others in ENTS possess the requisite skills. I certainly don't. I'm forever indebted to my dear wife Monica for the ENTS concerts she has given in the past and is now starting to plan for this coming January. I got a kick out of your use of the tall white ash's name "Sweet Thing" in the T rout Brook Ramble . Of course, the name Sweet Thing reflects a bit of forest merriment, but there is a quasi-serious side to such names. It makes a statement about who were are, or at least some of us (the unabashedly obsessed ones). I remember being with a group I was leading in Mohawk Trail State Forest a number of years ago. We were at the Totem Lookout peering out across the Trout Book cove. The surrounding scenery is inspiring there and I could see that the others were gazing at the distant ridges while I was intensely staring down into the cove. Looking across the cove and down to the base of Hawks Mountain, I suddenly and loudly exclaimed, "Hey, there's Big Bertha!". A lady attending the walk stared down into the cove in the direction I was looking. She studied the terrain and strained to pick up what I had spotted. After a short while she stated flatly that she couldn't see anyone way down there and asked if I could please point out Big Bertha. to her. I said, "Sure". When I then explained that Big Bertha was a gorgeous, gargantuan white pine, she nearly fell of the ledge laughing. She wasn't making fun of me, or even the tree's name. She was enjoying the sheer audacity and boldness of freely naming a tree and giving it a kind of persona. If we name a tree, isn't it supposed to be for a politician or a military general? Upon reflection, I think the name fit with who she perceived me. The name sent a signal to the group that it was okay to have fun with the trees, to relate to them as individuals on many different levels. Upon hearing about Big Bertha and seeing the distant top of a tree that could hardly be made out at such a distance, the mood of the group instantly became lighter and remained that way for the rest of the trip. Big Bertha had an instant fan club. The lesson was not lost on me. Alas, Big Bertha has since passed over into big tree Heaven, Valhalla, or wherever the spirits of great trees goes. Hey, there's an idea for the first ENTS play. Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: "Edward Frank" <[email protected]> To: "ENTS Google" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 7:39:10 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [ENTS] Trout Brook Ramble ENTS, The Trout Brook Ramble slideshow compiled by Jennifer Dudley is available on Vimeo. If some of you had problems viewing it earlier, it works fine now. Please check it out. I want to thank Jennifer for compiling the clip and the other podcasts and narrations. http://www.vimeo.com/7630642 Ed Frank Check out my new Blog: http://nature-web-network.blogspot.com/ (and click on some of the ads) -- Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -- Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected]
