SCORCHING SUNLIGHT (July 14, 2008)
There are seven chestnut trees on the hotel terrace. They are nearly a century old. Three of them are more exposed to the scorching sunlight than others. One of them is almost leafless by now. The remaining leaves are shriveled already, and they will be gone in less than a month. Some of the branches are so dry that there is a danger they will break off in the next storm. After several more years of funny weather, the whole tree may be in danger. That tree gone, the trees behind it will be much more exposed to the scorching sunlight. In a decade or so, the chestnut trees on the hotel terrace may be gone forever together with the splendid shade and the soothing rustle they provide during the summer months. Climate change? What climate change?