Photo by: slworking2 License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The Angel Oak Tree in Charleston, South Carolina caught my eye when I was looking through pictures of oak trees. Thirty-two years ago, at Texas A&M University, I met Bob and we started dating. When he decided to propose, he took me to The Century Tree on campus. It was one of the first trees planted on the campus and it holds a special place in my heart and the hearts of Aggies everywhere. It is said that if a marriage proposal takes place under the tree, it will last forever. We’re 27 years into forever!
I decided to add the sound of a mockingbird to my picture for a couple of different reasons. The mockingbird is the state bird of Texas and Florida. Also, Texas A&M’s campus has lots of trees throughout and therefore there are always birds singing and flying around campus. Mockingbirds are among the many you see each day and this audio clip makes me feel like I’m back on campus.
Being a Native Texan and a Texas Aggie hold a special place in my heart. I also enjoy traveling and spending time out in nature. Through this blog, I am bringing together some of the things that make me who I am and bring to mind the love of my life, Bob.
As someone who has visited Charleston and usually try and seek out different nature landmarks, I was surprised that I have not heard of this one. My initial reaction was awe in the sheer size of the tree and the number of branches formed from the main base. I will also be on the lookout for mockingbirds now that I was reminded what they sound like.
The image and audio viewed separately demonstrate individual natural beauty, but when combined, the audio brings the image to life. I can picture hearing the birds all throughout the branches. As you also described, this tree supports life for so many animals and hopefully marriages around the world.
Another audio choice that could create an interesting meaning is rainfall. I could visualize this tree as also protection from the elements for humans and animals alike. The only technical suggestion for improvement involves the picture’s resolution. The tree is fortunately large, and you can understand what is being shown. However, I am missing the finer details in the image such as the leaves or the people below. This would even further demonstrate the size of this tree. Otherwise, excellent job!
Your story is beautiful. I think that the audio enhances that story and brings the reader to the day of the proposal.
Another way you could have gone with this post would have been to use the audio to illustrate how your life has been since the proposal. If you have kids, there could be taxi sounds. If you have fur babies, you could have used those sounds. Or if you are silly, you could use the sound of a “Beep, Beep” illustrating how post-proposal you have had to manage sharing a bathroom.
Overall, I love how you managed to bring together the two state birds to show meaning with the audio.