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Sunset Tourism
This is stand of loblolly pines that grows in the constructed wetland next to the Tree Museum. It was taken by Bob, of Bill and Bob--the twins that like to drink beer on BMC Brewing's south patio. Last winter I spent some time in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, where they have built an entire economy around sunsets (and surfing). Each night the beach fills up with a thousand people who make the trip to watch the sunset on the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps sunset tourism should begin at home
lyleestill9
Nov 191 min read


Chestnut Carnival 2025
The week before Chestnut Carnival is sort of like "chestnut playtime." Here comes a chestnut Macaroon--best cookie I've ever eaten--the maker wondering about getting space at the Plant. Meadow knocked out these chestnut cookies--along with a remarkable Castagnaccio. Redtail Grains in Mebane is bringing out a new pancake mix, based on 25% chestnut flour from Route 9 Cooperative in Ohio. BMC Brewing has stockpiled a chestnut brown ale for the occasion. At Fair Game Beverag
lyleestill9
Nov 132 min read


Hickory Elixir
2025 looks like a mast year for hickory nuts. I used to make hickory "milk" from nuts that fell in Scott's yard. His tree has been swallowed whole by English Ivy. When it succumbed the neighborhood lost its most prolific hickory source. I don't have a good source for hickory nuts--the hickories at my place are in the woods and when the harvest is on I always lose out to wildlife. Best to have a yard, or a driveway where you can spot the fruit when it drops. George has a tre
lyleestill9
Oct 282 min read


First Pecans
When I moved to Chatham in 1990, the land I bought came with a farmhouse they threw in for free. One day when the sellers and I were out...
lyleestill9
Oct 72 min read


Keowee Paintbrush
In 2010 the Town of Pittsboro opened Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park adjacent to Powell Place. It was the brain child of Paul Horne, then...
lyleestill9
Oct 71 min read


Pittsboro Pedestrian Coalition
Last Thursday night 31 people showed up at the Fair Game Wheelhouse for a second "edition" of Greenway Conversations. Earlier that day...
lyleestill9
Sep 292 min read


First Plantings
It doesn't look like much right now--but I think this is huge. It's a yellowwood tree ( Cladrastis kentukea ) planted by Chatham County...
lyleestill9
Sep 231 min read


Nature and the Mind
I just finished Marc Berman's wonderful new book, Nature and the Mind . Although he appears to be a scientist first, and an author...
lyleestill9
Sep 151 min read


The Vega Brothers
Enrique Vega (1952-2018) once operated a thriving metal studio on the other side of Jordan Lake. He was the founder of the ArtMetal...
lyleestill9
Sep 142 min read


Greenway Conversations Revisited
I plucked this image off Next Door. Two things struck me about the post: The writer calculated the number of acres of hardwoods that...
lyleestill9
Sep 62 min read


Public Input Opportunity
This just in from Josh, Chair of the Pittsboro Parks and Recreation Advisory Board:
lyleestill9
Sep 41 min read


Leaning In
Over at the Guild, an apartment complex in Chatham Park behind the Hampton Inn, rises Theresa Arico's larger than life mosaic entitled...
lyleestill9
Aug 311 min read


What's the Move?
I dragged my maps down to West End restaurant last Wednesday and had a fantastic meeting with a couple of dozen greenway/tree...
lyleestill9
Aug 302 min read


Venus Fly Trap
Taylor Hobbs is a renowned local architect. When he was serving on the board of the Chatham Arts Council in 2017 he commissioned this...
lyleestill9
Aug 261 min read


Wind Song
The other day I noticed a new sculpture in town. Right across from the Courthouse, in front of Al's new Cactus Cowgirl Plant Shop. I...
lyleestill9
Aug 221 min read


Losing Our Northwood
It appears my last blog entry about Greenway Conversations hit a nerve. In general the Tree Museum Blog enjoys about 150 readers. That...
lyleestill9
Aug 201 min read


Greenway Conversations
There’s a new park going in next to the Plant. It will cover both our southern and western edges. It’s the result of a deal the Town...
lyleestill9
Aug 92 min read


Mulch Ado About Nothing?
Most of what I have learned about mulching has come from the guidance of Leaf and Limb . In his book, Wasteland to Wonder , Basil Camus...
lyleestill9
Jul 61 min read


Piedmont Prairie
I first heard the term "Piedmont Prairie" from Matthew Arnsberger , the landscape designer out of Carrboro. We built one together in...
lyleestill9
Jun 282 min read


Eradication and the Neighbors
Eradication and the Neighbors My invasive plant eradication effort in the neighborhood ebbs and flows. When I am in a flow state, I...
lyleestill9
Jun 142 min read
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