C is for Canary Island Pines, the most amazing conifers

When I first saw them in 2008, I thought there was something unusual about the Canary Island pine trees, but when we were told the amazing truth about them I realized why some were such strange shapes. Here, on the island of La Palma (Isla de la Palma), a tourist might expect palm trees to be the star performers, but these seemingly-scraggly pines with the spreading needles and the warped branches, are the true stars. Their trunks have extremely thick bark, which doesn't burn when fire rips through the forest. Later, when the fire has gone and the rains come, something wonderful happens. Through the cracks in its thick bark, the Canary Island Pine grows new branches, as we can see here in the last photo. I wish these wonderful pines could grow in Canada, because all my life I've seen the damage forest fires have done in my home province of British Columbia. It takes many, many years for evergreen forests to re-grow after a fire, but not in the Canary Islands!

I found this letter C (right) in a cloud in Hawaii last month.

(Photos by Kay Davies)




Posted for the meme that's in alphabetical order, week after week:
ABC Wednesday

To see how others see the C, please CLICK
HERE!

T is for Thor Heyerdahl's work on on Tenerife

These photos were taken on the island of Tenerife

during our Barcelona-Canary Islands cruise with Royal Caribbean, in 2008.

In 1991 Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002) studied the Pyramids of Güímar on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, and declared that they were not random stone heaps but actual pyramids. He believed that he discovered their special astronomical orientation, claiming that the ancient people who built them were most likely sun worshipers due to the alignment of the pyramids. Heyerdahl advanced a theory according to which the Canaries had been bases of ancient shipping between America and the Mediterranean.

Heyerdahl's expeditions were spectacular and caught the public imagination. Although much of his work remains unaccepted within the scientific community, Heyerdahl increased public interest in ancient history and anthropology. He also showed that long distance ocean voyages were possible with ancient designs. As such, he was a major practitioner of experimental archaeology. He introduced readers of all ages to the fields of archaeology and ethnology. (Information from Wikipedia)

Photos by Richard Schear and Kay Davies

Posted for the meme ABC Wednesday

To find out what other bloggers from around the world have done with the letter T, please click

HERE

Scenes as I've seen 'em

above, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China

above, rainy day in Alaska

above, taken from a panga in the Galapagos Islands

above, in the Galapagos Islands

above, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico's Baja Peninsula

above, in Costa Rica

above, in Tenerife, Canary Islands

above, marine iguanas inland, Galapagos Islands

above, the jungle, Costa Rica

above, Galapagos Islands

above, specially bred sled dogs, and Dick, in Whitehorse, Yukon

Almost invariably, when we travel, Dick sees the scenery and I see Dick's back. Never content to walk beside me, seldom remembering to offer me his arm or his hand, my big, strong, healthy husband is usually walking some steps ahead of me: sometimes a few steps, sometimes a great many steps. So I'm working on a chapter for An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel entitled: "The back of Dick's back"!