Lens-Artists PC: Queen light and Miss Tree

Light is queen but this is Miss Tree 2021. Father and I met her a week ago near Betnava Castle. Unlike photographers this tree cannot move and yet has been catching the best light for 250 years, experts estimate.

At first it sounded like another human folly to me, proclaiming a tree the winner of anything, but later I saw that on this year’s Earth Day locals from Maribor, Slovenian second city, had been asked to send in photos of their favourite trees and this sycamore (or plane, or platana, as we say) scored all available points from the jury of botanists.

When we chose Betnava Castle to visit (here is my Thursday Doors post from there), we had no knowledge of the existence of this tree, but as we were about to leave since the castle is not open to visitors, not one but two kind walkers asked us if we had seen their tree. We hadn’t, and now we simply had to.

A short lovely wooded path was leading to it across a pretty bridge and the light was seeping through, as it does.

I was glad to see that nobody had dressed up the tree or anything like that, only a wooden medal of sorts with Maribor coat-of-arms is proclaiming it Miss dreves 2021 (Miss Tree 2021).

This sycamore has been around for 250 years, they say. I’m sure the glory won’t go to its head now. But no matter how old it is, it knows perfectly well that it’s the light who is the queen, for trees as much as for photographers.

This episode has reminded me of what a friend who had visited Jamaica told me years ago. She is tall and white as that tree bark. As she was strolling among the natives, they kept calling after her: “Miss World! Miss World!”

And why so many similar photos, one might wonder. As I choose them, I wish to create the feeling of being there. I click as I blink, with wild abandon, and then I wish to share it all with you who weren’t there. After all, it’s the least I can do.

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  Betnava Castle. We were about to leave when we were told about the tree.

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  The first tree we saw. It wasn’t it.

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  My Druid father and familiar.

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  Let’s fallow them into the woods.

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  I miss this play of light among trees.

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  For feathery friends.

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  Here we go!

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  This one looks like the one!

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  Miss Tree 2021.

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  The band used to play from a little platform where these three branches meet.

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  For some reason my camera didn’t reach there.

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  Hello, light. Thank you for the nourishment.

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  This is a good place to be.

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  To put things into perspective. My father isn’t small.

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  I think I wished to be up there.

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  My camera did the climbing for me.

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  And the light greeted me.

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  Goodbye, sycamore. I’m glad we returned for you.

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  This used to be the castle park.

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  Back towards the bridge and the castle.

For Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, hosted by Tina at Travels and Trifles: It’s All About the Light

This day in my blogging history

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  2015: DEDICATION

  “You gave me Christopher Robin, and then
  You breathed new life in Pooh.
  Whatever of each has left my pen
  Goes homing back to you.
  My book is ready, and comes to greet
  The mother it longs to see —
  It would be my present to you, my sweet,
  If it weren’t your gift to me.“

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  2015: Discovering tuscanicious Croatian Istria

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  2016: Children of the Corn playground

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  2018: Trieste – All similarities accidental