~ in honor of my Grandmother, Alvina ~
The oldest Bristlecone Pine Tree (pinus longaeva) is over 5000 years old, making it the oldest living specimen in the world! These resilient beings survive at very high elevations, in extreme temperatures, harsh conditions and with very little water or soil.
In the Fall of 2016, my 98 year old, Maternal Grandmother passed from her human form. Almost immediately, I thought of the Bristlecones. My Grandmother was very similar in character to these magnificent trees. She was tough, a straight shooter and could thrive with very little. She was, “salt of the Earth”. I had remembered coming across these rare Bristlecones years before, up on our Mountain, on some random wander off the beaten path. I was enchanted by their silvery, smooth wood and how they seemed to be shaped by the wind. “I must find them again! I must find Gramma’s Tree!” After three unsuccessful solo hunts, my husband, son and I decided we would search together one last time before the snow moved in for the Winter.
We hiked waaaay up into the Inner Basin, and just about when were ready to turn around, we saw them. There they were, up in the tree-line, their gnarled silhouettes plastered against the thin blue sky. We scrambled up the steep, volcanic scree to get a closer look. Among the 30 trees or so, there was one in particular that was undoubtedly “Gramma’s Tree”. It had a voluptuous, goddess figure and seemed to be dancing. (Gramma danced into her early 90’s!) I studied the tree and took pictures, which later I used to help create this painting. It was a great outing, made extra special by sharing it with family. Gramma lives on inside of us and in our hearts, but somehow it is comforting to know that we can always go back and visit her tree.
And now, sitting here, in February of 2017, contemplating the state of the world, the state of our country, and the terribly awful characters that are in leadership positions, I wonder, will these trees even survive this next generation?! Of course they will, (or maybe they won’t). Here’s a story for you, and for the kiddos too….try to read it like a Dr. Seuss story!
When the oldest tree was just a wee little seed, a Great Pyramid was being built in a land called Giza. That was nearly 5000 years ago- WHOA! What an extraordinarily long life for this old Bristlecone. When the seed became a sprout, the Yellow Emperor took power and the Egyptians invented the 365 day calendar. 500 years gone by and the tree is really growing and the comet, Hale Bopp could be seen in the night sky glowing. It’s now 2000 BC and the Druids have built Stonehenge and glass tools and paved roads were just a few of the new inventions. Soon to follow would be the first Alphabetic writing, but for the poor Wooly Mammoth, there would never be another sighting. In Meso-America emerged a people called the Maya and Tutankhamen became King of Egypt at only the age of nine! Then, along the River Nile a baby was found in the reeds. He grew up to be Moses who freed the Israelites and parted the Red Seas.
It’s now 1000 BC, should we check in with our tree? She’s only 2000 years old and there is much history yet to be seen. In 750 BC was the the official founding of Rome and 200 years later, Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha was born. The world population has now reached over a 100 million! And in Athens, the Parthenon was built for the goddess of strength and wisdom. In this century lived the fathers of Philosophy and fate. It was Socrates who taught Plato who taught Aristotle who taught Alexander the Great. Then over in China they began building the Great Wall and after just 200 years it was already 4,000 miles long! It is now the year Zero and in a lonely desert you could see, 3 wise men making their way towards the land of the holy. Over the next 300 years began the spread of Christianity and then lived the legend King Aurther, the prophet Muhammed and Pope Constantine. The Fall of the Roman Empire is now absolute and official, because of invading barbarians and an Emperor who was uncivil.
It’s now 1000 AD and maybe our tree is starting to feel old? But, it’s just getting exciting, there’s so much left to be told! Some historians say this time was the darkest of the Dark Ages with the Great Earthquake of Syria and erupting volcanoes in Asia. Old Orabi becomes settled and the Hopi still live there! They can grow corn with no water and with only a song and a prayer. In 1200 AD, Eurasia is taken by Genghis Kahn and a new religion has spread, Muslims call it, Islam. In Europe, the Black Plague wiped out over a third of the population! Then Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for freeing France from English domination. Shortly there after Christopher Columbus sailed to the “New World”. He enslaved the Indians, brought with him disease and many more horrors untold. Meanwhile back in Europe, the Renaissance was just getting going. With a new way of thinking came a new way of knowing. There were great works of art by Michelangelo and DaVinci, new discoveries in math, science and astronomy. Though no one believed him, Galileo had found, that the Earth orbits the Sun and not the other way around! William Shakespeare wrote plays of both comedy and tragedy then Issac Newton discovered the impactful laws of gravity. Back in the “New World”, Sir Walter Raleigh started 13 colonies, these pioneers were trying to live free from British taxes, laws and policies.
Now how is our tree doing? It’s 1776, and the United States just signed the Declaration of Independence! She must be getting tired but her strength is now essential, from here on out human growth is only exponential. This is the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, there was steam power, and textiles and the first chemical pollution. Darwin publishes, The Origin of Species, it’s about evolution in biological communities. 1865 ended the Civil War and slavery. We thank Abraham Lincoln for his courage and his bravery. Our Lady Liberty came to rest with beauty and bravado while John Wesley Powell explored the wild, unknown Colorado. In Germany, the modern car was invented by Benz and wouldn’t be long now before there were bombs dropping out of airplanes. 1900 starts off with the First World War, so many had wondered, “what are we even fighting for?” Only 30 years later the world is at it again, but this time to defeat a very viscous man. This man was Hitler and during his reign, he killed over 11 million Jews just because they looked different from him.
Next is the age of the baby boomers, brand new cars and TV’s, plastic wrap, computer chips and the polio vaccine. With the 1960’s came the Vietnam War, the Berlin Wall and Apartheid. Many protested against this unjust and fought for civil rights. They marched for peace, wrote songs about love, and great leaders were created. There was Martin Luther King and JFK but they were sadly assassinated. There was a trip to the moon and then video games, fiber optics followed by microwaves, then came the first cell phone and Apple Computer, we had floppy disks, and even Storm Troopers. Ronald Regan was elected and the Berlin Wall demoted, Mt. Saint Helen’s erupted and the Challenger exploded. With George Bush in office comes the Persian Gulf War, GMO’S, the internet and the comet, Hale-Bopp once more.
It’s Y2K now and how is our tree feeling? With the world population at 7 and a half BILLION?!? The 911 attacks brought the World Trade Centers down. Yep, it started another war over oil in foreign ground. There was Hurricane Katrina and the worst Tsunami yet- it hit Thailand and Indonesia leaving a quarter million dead. Economics are a disaster and there is an energy crisis too and 90% of the world’s money lies in the hands of a greedy few. The terrorist attacks are too many to name and there’s this thing called cyber hacking now, where someone can actually steal your identity and drain your bank account. The natural disasters are just off the charts, I wonder if its somehow related, to the number of people disrespecting our Earth, it seems there is nothing left sacred. We have deforestation, globalization and political polarization, the x generation, age of information and reality simulation. We have viruses, cancers, and too much plastic in our seas, we have mandatory insurance, finance charges and late payment fees.
Here the world spins on in 2017. So many are too busy to even notice, they’re addicted to their screens. It tells them what to like, what to read and who should be their friend, the advertisements and data overload, OH! will it never end!? Politics are a mess, now more than ever, the divisiveness and deceitfulness are getting worse instead of better. So what are we to do besides make calls and write letters? I hang my head and sigh and my heart sinks deep inside and then I remember the Old Trees and all they have survived. We are in the middle of the movie, just at one point in time. What the future will bring is still left undecided. We do have the power to change the trajectory of our fate, it is up to each and every one of us to take action and motivate. We can take only what we need, be kind and lead by example and realize we are all connected on a very fundamental level. What these trees have seen, the story doesn’t end here, what part will you play, will you love or will you fear?
Matted, signed and numbered archival prints available: 20×30, 16×24 or 11×17 inches