California Oak Trees: What is There to Say?

There are things in life that are difficult to convey in words. Some things that are hard to describe are simple yet also profound. The other day, CBS Sunday Morning featured an unexpected subject, which I think fits this description: Oak trees in California.

Oak trees are ubiquitous in many parts of California (as well as other places, like Live Oak trees in Texas). Oak trees are a source of acorns for food, habitat for birds and other animals, they can make great shade trees, they provide wood for fuel and cooking flavorful barbecue, and much more.

They are also a subtle source of inspiration even when you do not consciously know they are inspiring. In the past few years I have become more aware of oak trees. And this awareness is difficult to put into words. They are no longer just a tree, but I see them as an integral part of the environment that I didn’t used to notice.

They are also a source of endless artistic contemplation and creation. The oaks of California have shown up in photographs of California (and other places) and paintings of California Impressionist artists like Franz Bischoff, Edgar Payne, William Wendt and others.

Additionally, in terms of folklore, oak trees high up on the crests of hills in the Central Coast may be the “Dark Watchers” that you see in certain hours and seasons when the light is just right.

Yet, like so much of life, it isn’t about explaining or intellectualizing or categorizing the oaks. Like the CBS segment above, you just experience it and take it in. The oaks have been around in the California landscape for thousands of years. They are an everyday part of life, whether one notices them or not. But they are always there and ready to be seen and considered.