two old gum trees - one dead, one living - standing side by side, as they've done so for years. romantics may like to think of it as the old couple, one of whom has passed away and the other standing faithfully by - but the truth is that they may have just grown too close together from the day they first sprouted as young eucalypts and one stole the other's water and nutrients from nearby soils, such as nitrogen. or most likely of all, one tree, unrelated to the other, just happened to be ringbarked more successfully by cattle in the field. and there are cattle in these fields, not sheep as you would expect around here. i know, i was surprised too! either way, what a beautiful night star gazing, out near darby's falls observatory - with absolutely no lights around to spoil the night sky.
