embrace

The man shoots at every possible spot he finds picturable. Spot, or scene, or situation, or place, or thing, animal, or human being, all alone or in groups or all of the above in simultaneity. Digital cameras allow for such spasmodic incontinence. Now he pauses to listen to the Russian guide, who in a strong Slavic accent turns the attention of the flock of tourists to the nearby ginkgo. It was there already when they arrived. It has been steadily growing there since the day the local authorities kindly invited Goethe to plant it. The man's interest in the maidenhair tree suddenly stirs. It is no longer an ordinary ginkgo as the dozens of unremarkable trees in Weimar. It's the one the great Goethe planted. He slips out the crowd without anybody noticing, convinced that that quality alone makes the tree worth a picture.

 

[Mind you, the trees in this image are not ginkgos but "floss silk trees". The scientific term is Ceiba speciosa or Chorisia speciosa, and the local common name here in Spain is palo borracho, which literally means drunken tree. Weird. :) ]

 

Done