The Old Cottonwood, Like 2020, Is Almost Gone

Dead Cottonwood Tree on December 30, 2020,© Barbara Radisavljevic

This cottonwood tree In Larry Moore Park was showing signs of ill health when I moved here and first photographed it in December 2004. At the time most of the green part of it was mistletoe hanging from the branches. It did still have a few branches with leaves, but not many. You can see the tree's history from 2004 to 2017 here. Now even the mistletoe has given up on it. 

Soon this tree will be history, just as 2020 will be. The sun is setting on this year in a few hours. 

Sunset from Charolais RiverTrail on December 28, 2020,© Barbara Radisavljevic

Let's hope 2021 will be happier than this one has been, but that is in God's hands. I hope the pandemic will be over and we will have more, not less, freedom to move and do business again as usual. 

Is This the Last Photo of This Tree I Will Be Able to Take? © Barbara Radisavljevic, 12/30/2020

Happy New Year!

How Blue Is The Sky?

The Sky Turns Every Shade of Blue

Dying Cottonwood Tree at Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

City Daily Photo Bloggers are answering the challenge this month to show what the color blue represents to them. The first thing that comes to mind for me is the sky. It's always above me, I see it every day, and it's been every shade of blue I can imagine. For any regular reader of this blog, it's no secret I'm a sky watcher. The sky is what I photograph most often.

In the photo above we see a light blue transitioning into a darker blue. It provides a contrasting background to show off the dying cottonwood tree at Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles.

A Deeper Blue

Blue Sky Over My Rose Garden, © B. Radisavljevic

I often photograph the sky in from my own yard -- especially as sundown approaches. I took this shot from the rose garden in my backyard. I'm guessing I took it in late afternoon. I liked the way the clouds were making a horseshoe around that patch of sky.

The photo below was taken before a rainstorm. I also took this one in my backyard. It was taken after our late afternoon meal on a November day. The blues are lighter with tinges of gray in places. I consider clouds part of the sky.

Sky Just Before a Rainstorm, © B. Radisavljevic

I took this next shot while walking the Charolais Corridor Trail at Dusk. Together the clouds and sky provide many shades of blue.

Charolais Corridor Trail at Dusk in May, © B. Radisavljevic

Blue Sky in My Zazzle Wall Art

 Morro Rock, Fishing Boats and the Embarcadero Canvas Print Poster: Tree against cloudy blue sky. Poster

Birds Love the Sky

I find it hard to catch birds in flight. They are usually too quick for me. Here's one I did catch in a very blue sky.

Bird in Sky Over Paso Robles Wine Country, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a crow I caught in flight.

See the full story behind this photo. © B. Radisavljevic

Usually I can catch birds high in a tree or on a wire. The shade of blue is a bit lighter in this photo of the bird at the top of this oak tree.

Bird at Top of Oak Tree, © B. Radisavljevic

This one is on a high wire.

Bird on High Wire, © B. Radisavljevic

Kites Also Belong in the Sky

The sky was very blue when we found this family flying a stunt kite at Moonstone Beach. I'd never seen a dual-string kite before and loved watching this.





I hope you've enjoyed our sky trek. There are more views of the blue sky in these related posts. Enjoy!

See how other City Daily Photo bloggers posted to this theme. 


Related Posts

Sky Journal with Day of Sporadic Showers: This past post shows everything from deep blues to grayish blues in the sky.

Down by the Station and Welcome Sunshine: This shows how the sky changed from late morning until sundown in several spaced shots on the day after a rainstorm. Lots of deep blue in these shots.

Old Wives' Tale Disproved: Have you bought into this folklore?

Will This Tree Survive?

A Cottonwood Tree with a History at Larry Moore Park

I have been observing this particular cottonwood tree since about 2004 as I pass it on my walks through Larry Moore Park in Paso Robles It's shape is so unique you can't miss it. It stands alone near where the trails in the park intersect. This is how it looked on October 14, 2017. I will now share the photos I've been taking through the years for comparison.

As you can see, the tree is in bad shape. See how much bark is gone? Very few branches are still alive, if any. Every storm breaks off more branches. It looks as though this year the city may finally be taking better care of the tree.

A Pictorial History of the Cottonwood Tree

This is my first photo after my mom moved near the park and I started walking there. I was still using a camera that left a lot to be desired. You can see that even back then park maintenance was inferior. Most of the tree is dead, and most of what's green is mistletoe.

My First Photo of the Cottonwood, August 9, 2004

My pictorial history has a gap between 2004 and 2010 when I got the computer I use now. It seems a lot of photo history has vanished. But we will pick it up again in 2010. I have put the dates on the photos for easy comparison.  I'm not sure when the picnic table was put under the tree. I think I may see it through the branches on the right.

By March 2011 there is definitely a picnic table and the branch covering it in the 2010 photo no longer has leaves, even though it's March. It's very likely the leafy branch suffered storm damage. Or all the leaves died over winter and are just beginning to come back. The branch at the top right appears to be beginning to get leaves. The bright green is mistletoe.

It's now January, 2012. The shot below looks north toward the trail that goes east to west through the park near the river. You can see the trail and the back of the sign that faces the trail -- the same sign you see in the picture above that faces in the opposite direction.

Below is a cropped version of the photo above for a closer look. It's hard to tell if I'm seeing the top of an intact picnic table on the left. Again, the green is all mistletoe.

By December 2013 vandals have carried off the top of the picnic table leaving only the supports. It appears there are some leaves on the tree.

It's now August 3, 2014. The tree is happily in leafy foliage again,  though the mistletoe is still bothering it. The picnic table is gone, and it appears some of the dead branches have also been carted off. Perhaps the homeless who were living in the riverbed took it to use for firewood.

It's now October 2014. There are some remnants of the picnic table. The leaves have turned brown and the mistletoe has taken over again, but even it is beginning to die, especially at the top.

Here's a closer look. You can see the spot where a branch broke off.

2015

It appears I did not get many walks in the park in 2016. We had to make a lot of day trips that year that took us out of town.  The closest I can get to 2016 is this photo taken on January 9, 2017 between rain storms.

I end this history of the cottonwood tree this month, on October 14, 2017. I'm hoping this tree will last a few more years. I hope you've enjoyed the journey.

Is there a tree you have watched closely over several years?