Cork Oak

Portrait of a tree, so to say. I saw this mighty cork oak when I was taking a walk in the countryside near Leiria with my girlfriend, who grew up there. It was actually on the occasion of her introducing me to her mom, which was a delightful and very Portuguese experience: The lunch consisted of a chicken she had butchered herself, served with homemade bread, potatoes from the garden, and wine from grandpa. A lovely welcome to a very typical rural Portuguese home! So it fits quite well to commemorate the date with a painting of an equally classic Portuguese rural tree, the cork oak. Its gnarly, solid branches with all the little ferns and mosses growing on them, and its tough, spikey leaves remind me of the character of the people here, they're equally sturdy and unshakeable, and the way they stick to their traditions, building the cultural substrate layer by layer, while being so hospitable at the same time - it just seems to fit, it's a very oaky culture :)