It's pure coincidence that the beginning of my project coincided with the formation of the Coldengham Preservation and Historical Society. When I attended my first meeting I thought it was a long established organization firmly entrenched in all things Colden but it turns out they're putting together the bits and pieces of information much as I am. Of course, I started from zero and they possess lots of facts that I'm busy gathering but I'm hoping I also contribute and being part of the process is part of the fun. So with the help of my fellow Society members, I gather my clues and see what I can find. This week, having been given a beautiful hand drawn map and meticulously marked satellite downloads, I went looking for trees. For six months I've been finding and guessing at the ages of trees all over the Coldengham area, looking for specimens that may have existed during the lifetime of Jane. The hand drawn map enabled me to take a few walks in Stewart State Forest on a cold, gray day but failed to produce any of the promised trees. This failure of navigation has led to an invitation to go searching with the map maker "during the January thaw." I'm looking forward to the day. The satellite images brought me to this incredible sycamore that without a doubt, lived at the time of Jane. In fact it's so old I would imagine it was a mature tree when she wandered this area. I've included a portrait of the sycamore, shown here with my fellow tree enthusiast Natalie providing scale.
