Monday, June 23, 2008

Henry Ford in the jungle

On my trip to Belterra a few days ago, I made a stop to collect some Brazilian cedar (Cedrela odorata) seeds from that very high tree in the middle of the image, the one without leaves. It was loaded with pods, but none had fallen. I thought the tree might be dead, since our cedar trees at Bosque Santa Lucia have been in full dress since the rainy season started. A local employee came out of a neighboring building to say hello. He had visited our Bosque a few years ago as part of a course he was taking in Santarem. He told me that the tree was very much alive, but the seed pods hadn't started to fall. The neat white house in the background is referred to as "House Number one." It was build exclusively for Henry Ford, who had planned a visit to his rubber tree plantations in the Amazon. Unfortunately, the trip was canceled because of the death of his son and the industrial magnate never scheduled another visit. As a matter of fact, Henry Ford never once set foot in the Amazon.

1 comment:

Sandpiper (Lin) said...

An interesting story. What a beautiful place! I wouldn't mind living there.