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In this week’s Memories of Casa de Campo post Carol Burke who lived in and loved Casa de Campo for many years talks with passion about the beautiful trees of Casa de Campo using anecdotes about her daily life.
And this our life exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.~ William Shakespeare – As You Like It Act II. Scene I.
Trees are often thought of as background props in our everyday life. They’re there for birds to nest, and are picturesque accessories in our gardens. But sometimes one develops a deep love for a particular tree.
One of my favorite trees was not in my garden. It was a lonely and lovely little lemon tree growing on the Teeth of the Dog, perched on a small cliff overlooking the sea. I thought of her as the “mother” tree. She produced dozens of lemons which fell to a ledge below.
I remember scrambling down a little path from the lemon tree to search among the boulders and tall grasses for these especially delicious, almost sweet, lemons.
There were always more than enough to fill a small basket to take home. After juicing the lemons I would plant some of the seeds in flower pots, and new trees sprouted. I gave the young trees to Casa de Campo friends.
One day I went to visit the lemon tree and someone had cut her down. That was a sad tree day.
In many places, the grounds of Casa de Campo were thickly covered with trees. When I lived in the Cajuiles neighborhood I wanted to walk directly to the sea, but there was a thick grove of trees between my garden and my destination.
I asked Amado, the gardener, to make a path through the woods. He made a rock-bordered path all the way to the next road. It was very pleasant to walk through a Casa de Campo woods on this well-made path.
After crossing the airport runway, my walk continued onto the Teeth of the Dog. There were many people besides golfers on the Dog. There were artists and photographers, gardeners and walkers. The well-known Dominican artist, Jorge Silvestre, could generally be found there painting pictures of trees.
Trees which grow at the edge of the sea usually remain small and wind-swept.
On my walks in Casa de Campo I always encountered Cashew trees and Sea Grape trees. The sea grape tree provides food for hungry wayfarers.
Cashew tree
Sea grape tree
Across from the Casa de Campo airport runway, the tree shadows make fantastic shapes on the road.
At Minitas beach I remember an elegant buffet brunch served beneath a variety of beautiful shade trees.
El Pescador trees
View from El Pescador
Some of the trees in Casa have strange shapes or awesome pointy bumps on their trunks,
Fantastic Cajuiles Tree
Awesome pointy tree trunk
while others, such as the Mother-of-Chocolate tree, are full of fragrant flowers.
One time the wind blew down half of a tree into our driveway and the Bomberos arrived with axes to clear the way. That caused a neighborhood spectacle. Everyone came to watch and talk.
Trees in the garden also provide a refuge for lost kitty cats such as this big orange tom cat who was hiding from the neighbor’s dog.
What a wonderful article! Thank you Carol!