
I don't know why but I've always been drawn to landscapes that feature large, old solitary trees. The gnarlier the better as it makes them more interesting than saplings that are basically sticks with a few branches. I think that their appearance of strength is a visual simile to old age and the character that humans exhibit as we age. I like to think that I'm gaining inner strength as my body ages. I''m reminded of my wonderful Mother right now. At the ripe old age of 94 she was examining her reflection in the bathroom mirror and made this wonderful observation, "I don't feel different on the inside, but the outside hasn't kept up very well has it?". I too feel the same at 61 inside as I did at 21...only hopefully a little wiser. A tree is the same tree it was in the beginning as it is at the end of it's life cycle...just looks different on the outside. So there we go, I guess I'm really a tree! Till we meet again tomorrow, who knows what I'll come up with!