TREES - LA RIOJA

A walk in the forest at Ribavellosa in La Rioja.  

Hayas or beech trees are in the aspen family.

 Their leaves blanket the forest floor with intense color.

 Fourth photo down is a castaña, chestnut. 

The bottom photo, the trunk with the unusual bark, unknown.

Drawing With Trees

Drawing with trees, parts of trees.
Drawing the trees with themselves, drawing and dying, dying, dried out.
Seed pods make a line into the winter, into winter trees.
I watch as leaves fall for the third and final time.
Sending me into the dark days and nights.

POLLARDING SYCAMORES

This is the "pollarding season" in northern Spain. Sycamore trees, or plátanos in Spanish,
are being pruned in small towns and cities for the winter.  What a bizarre appearance these trees take on without their summer leaves and to be here to watch that transformation is visually fascinating. The top photo, pollarding by hand, is in La Guardia, Alava in the Basque Country. Contrast that with the mechanical production taking place on all sides of Parque Espolon in Logroño, La Rioja.

Before I left the States I read a book titled Roads to Santiago - A Modern Day Pilgrimage Through Spain by Cees Nooteboom. I decided to find it in the library here in Spanish and re-read the parts about the places we have visited recently. What he mentions about my town, Logroño, is directly about the sycamores and now I see exactly what he means -

"It was almost nightfall when I arrived at Huesca, a slate-colored sky hung over a park of tormented
  and misshapen sycamores, the strangest trees in winter. You see them everywhere, in Burgos,
  Logroño, San Sebastián, armies naked and unmoving, lined up as if for battle, marching into your
  dreams at night." (our translation)

For more information on pollarding trees go to http://joyofgardens.com/?p=556

Four Views from Logroño, Spain

 First day: view from my kitchen window at Breton de los Herreros, 48

Painting along the Ebro River across the bridge on Calle de Sagasta 

 Second day: view from the other kitchen window

View from La Guardia: the peak in the distance is  El Leon Dormido (the sleeping lion)
in the Cantabrian Mountains

Discovering my new environs, speaking Spanish and getting to know my new city. I started painting from indoors and slowly worked my way onto the bus to La Guardia, a town full of Bodegas, wineries and places to enjoy that great Rioja wine. This seems to be what drives this place, and the food of course. And the beautiful old architecture.
My new Spanish friend Jose Luís laughed when I said this place is so historic.
Then I went to Burgos where he is from and saw what old can look like.
The great cathedral in this town was home to the King and Queen for over 300 years.