Thought to be near 1000 years old, this massive Live Oak overlooks an old rice field impoundment at Middleton Place. Imagine what it has witnessed.

A sundial placed near the massive tree marks time in a different way.

Thought to be near 1000 years old, this massive Live Oak overlooks an old rice field impoundment at Middleton Place. Imagine what it has witnessed.
A sundial placed near the massive tree marks time in a different way.
The idea that a thousand years went by without someone trying to hurt the tree is truly amazing. Living proof that humans can show restraint when they choose to. What a beautiful witness.
I stand as witness
humans choosing self-restraint —
a thousand years pass.
If only they could tell a few stories
Love this dual marking of time, or is it triple? .. if the water over the edge actually flows then it’s like “as time goes by” 😀
Yes it is triple, Liz! There is moving water that ebbs and flows.
There are actually two bodies of water in the picture. The more obvious water is a pond. If you zoom in you can see there is a dike at the back side of the pond and a narrow strip of the Ashley River is visible just beyond that. The pond was man-made along the edge of the river, which is tidal, to grow rice. Enslaved people provided the labor, all witnessed by this tree.
I love old trees, and do wonder what they’ve seen and heard in all their years.
Yes, and how particular ones have survived storms and human intervention!