Trees........

“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.” ― Alice Walker I love trees - all kinds of trees - all shapes of trees. I'm constantly noticing trees while we are out and am sure the friends get so tired of me saying, "look at that tree - isn't it beautiful?" Yesterday was a gorgeous day - hot sun, cool breeze - what a joy to be outside. I had to take a picture of this pretty tree. I took tons of them Sunday on the way home - they lined the exit I took to get a cup coffee and the ramp to get back on the highway. They are one of the first trees to blossom in our area and are used a lot for new housing developments because they take root quickly and look pretty. The downsides to them are if you have a lot of them together all blooming at the same time, you get a very sweet odor that almost smells like rotting flesh. I know - nice picture isn't it? They also are prone to attacks by insects and disease and will split for no visible reason. We had them at our offices in Durham and Raleigh and lost one of them in Durham. The worst part about the ones in Raleigh was there were so many of them which meant the odor became hard to get through for about a week AND the birds ate berries from them and then you know what happened to our cars - oh yeah - stuff would eat the paint off your car. Today started out pretty cool and windy but the sun came out for a very nice afternoon. A dear friend had all of us over for lunch and it was delicious. It was also a nice treat to all be together for a home-cooked meal. I took a picture of a Crepe Myrtle that had been pruned with an old bird nest still in it. This was one of my Mom's favorite trees which automatically makes it one of mine. I know this is going to be pretty when it blooms which should be soon now. We were working in a new development and I noticed this old building right on top of a small creek. I also love old buildings lost in the woods. Who built this building and what was it used for? Since they are building another huge development where they cut down all the trees except for the few around water or marshlands, you have to assume this was one of the outbuildings used by the farmers who used to work this land. It is too little to cure tobacco in but could have been used to store equipment in I guess. Then you look at the huge houses that are popping up all around it - most of them in this area on slab foundations with a few little Bradford Pear trees planted in the tiny little front yards. It wouldn't make your heart twinge if you thought new history was being made in these houses but so many of them are lived in only a short period of time before the owners find out they can't really afford to own after all or they live there long enough to build up equity so they can "trade up" as they call it. This building could very well still be standing when the newer houses start showing their poor workmanship and shoddy building materials. Everyone wants new, new, new.