Quantum Mechanics and Other Topics

I am not a quantum physicist. Nor, do I ever claim to be one. But, it is a topic that has interested me since my college days and during the course of time since, actually, I have begun to understand a tiny bit (pardon that pun) of the Theory.  Not until I read an article in Quanta Magazine did it hit me just how much interest that I had in the topic and how the very laws of Quantum Mechanics have changed my life, my world, my total thinking. That is a heavy statement. It is, without reservation, true.

Yesterday, was another one of those  dark, gloomy and dingy days that I use to shoot textures and backgrounds. I don't do as much of those as I should. But somehow, I do manage to squeeze in four or five days every six months to do just that. Usually, those days fall into the dreary bin.

A few weeks back, I ran across a dumping pile for old trees and logs  that had been removed from somewhere else. A tree is good for two textures--the grain from the cut and the bark. Both make interesting backgrounds for graphic artist and web designers. Some are even becoming a focal point for the cutting-edge interior designers. So, the thinking was that if I could make one stop and get two separate backgrounds, the cost per mile would drop against any future sale.

When I got to the site, I was somewhat relieved to see them all still there. I parked the car and got out, camera in hand. As I approached the favorite piece that I had half-way chosen to be the best of the lot for texture shots, it was obvious that someone else had chosen it as well, as a pile of fresh sawdust lay on the ground and a fresh face cut was obvious that a slice had been taken away already.
Actually, the person who had come and gone with the cut, had aided me more than they knew.

When, I had the shots that I wanted, I walked over to the car and went into the little wood wine box that I carry little props and tools in for the tripod. Don't you see the entanglements and tensor networks going on here? It's quantum physics at work people!  Quantum entanglements--the glue that holds things together, including those tensor networks of the universe. They are all working together. That's why there are 1,000 parts on an Airbus A-380 that are made with a digital 3-D printer. Think glue baby, think glue! 

Now, think about how many years this tree was alive and of the history that passed over it; below it; through it, or within it. Time and Space. That tree is time and space. Somewhere in another dimension, that sawdust on the ground is still on that tree trunk. That's what Dr. Stephen Hawkins believes. Who am I to disagree?

54-inches side-to-side cut

The lesser diameter trunks and limbs

Cremation of the Big Oaks at White Rock

It is sad to report that another of the big old oaks at White Rock came down in a storm this past week.  This one was about 31-inches in circumference. There were three others that sustained severe damage to large limbs in the same area in an around Preservation Grove. Ironically, last fall, there had been a planting of many new trees by Friends of the Lake in the Grove area.

This past winter, I had started to photograph the old and mighty trees that have so much character and grow around the nine miles that circumnavigate White Rock's shores via  roads and accompanying trails. There are about thirty of particular interest that have received many lightening strikes over the years; lost limbs during storms or were felled by some type of disease or infestation. It has long been my opinion that the big old oaks that have so much character are part of the overall character of the lake itself.  Many lake-goers simply see them as trees and nothing more. I hear all the time," it is where I go to bike" or "I run there".  I'd like to say, "no you only pass through, you don't notice anything else about the jewel of the Dallas Park System" but I don't. I keep quiet. For me that's difficult!!

The past couple of years, there has been some new home construction at the lake. One modern with solar power, one classic revival , one country-style, one mixture of modern and old. There is one that jumped out at me on a rather steep hillside  blends into the trees so well that had not the glass picked up a reflection, I wound not have know it was there. On the east side of the lake last year, several homes were gutted and remodeled  in this type of architecture. I counted four new homes under construction that are at the completed foundation level of building.  So, while the planting of the new trees at Preservation Grove will grow and age with these new homes, it is difficult to see the mighty trees that grow at White Rock go away one-by-one; being cremated in someone's fire place.

Note the thickness of the bark covering.

Two more big oaks are seen in the background along with the new plantings from last fall.