Perfect weather. Perfect trees. Upstate New York in the fall is so idyllic. It won't be long before the cold gray weather rolls in and takes hold for 5 or 6 months...but these fleeting autumn days before the winter are scrumptious. My weekend home was a bit too soon for peak colors...but it was glorious, nonetheless. And always with these picturesque trees and this crisp weather comes cider, cheese, donuts, apples, grapes, and everything "harvest." I just can't get enough.

A walk in the garden

By popular demand, a peek at some of the better local trees. These were not, in fact, taken at the park, as requested, but rather at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which is delightfully walking distance from my home, and to which my mom bought me a membership for my birthday. Wonderful!

This is just a taste of the arboreal splendor to come (ie: I'll be out there again at some point with my camera and more time). By the way, can I just mention that I'm so excited that autumn is upon us! it's just the most perfect time of year for trees.

Oh, and if you simply MUST see a shot or two of trees in The Park, you'll have to make due with this poor quality photo (taken on my phone) of a glorious late afternoon moment:


Cheers!

like a whisper

Ack! It is high time for some tree art.
These are some fine-art photos that I stumbled upon. They are so quiet. So spacious. This is the work of Lou Raizin, an "emerging artist" according to VERVE Gallery and I don't know much else about Lou.

Enjoy!

my new home, and the new neighborhood trees

I live in Brooklyn now. The trees aren't so plentiful as before, but they are still just as interesting and varied. There so many wonderful places to explore and I've just begun to get to know the city trees around me. The trees pictured above are my new local friends. I don't live in one of those charming brownstones, but all I need to do is walk out the door and turn a corner, and the side streets are filled with these charming views. Walking these new streets fills me with amazement. This is where I live now. Mostly, it's impossible not to notice each tree's surroundings here. You don't see any lonely trees or forests. But the trees have wonderful backdrops of ornate churches or interesting buildings. Some are oddly placed so that they poke through the sidewalks along a busy street of shops and cafes.

My impression is that most of the trees around here are just a little confused. They don't seem terribly unhappy...this isn't, after all, the most enticing place for a tree to live...but they just seem a little unsure of how they're supposed to be living here in this big city with very little grass and too many people. Some of them seem particularly awkward...but most are just trying to be graceful the best they can, living between a pile of garbage bags and a fire hydrant...growing out of their little open square in the sidewalk.

The more I think about it, the sadder it seems. But really, like I said...maybe they aren't all that unhappy. Like a baby animal born in a zoo. They don't know life any differently. It's sad and it's not. And the joy they bring others!

So. I still like them, and I'm sure glad they live here in the city with me.

Trees at Duke Gardens through the eye of a cell phone

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Dear friends, I'm in Brooklyn now! So far, it's everything I hoped it would be. And trees do, in fact, grow here. Upon my departure, a very thoughtful friend gave me the most appropriate novel I can imagine, considering my current circumstance. I've been meaning to read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith for some time, and this seems the most perfect season of life to dive into it. Also, speaking of appropriate tree books, another friend just gave me the perfect book about trees, entitled simply, "The Tree," by Colin Tudge. "A Natural History of What Trees Are, How They Live, and Why They Matter." So perfect! As if I need a book to tell me why they matter.

Facts and info straight from that book to come...Hopefully this will make me a more knowledgeable tree blogger and person.

Hurray for Brooklyn! Hurray for trees! Many, many thanks to my friends who think of me when they see books about trees, and for these perfect gifts. You guys are great.

Japanese Garden

I never meant to turn this into a "tree-photo-blog" but I suppose that's what it's become, as of late. To carry on the theme just a bit longer, let me share with you some of the photos from my trip to the Fort Worth (Texas!) Japanese Garden this past weekend. It was a hot, wonderful, nostalgia-filled, relaxing weekend of nuptials. Old friends and new family. BBQ and Tex-Mex. And one of my favorite-people-in-the-whole-world on the happiest day of his life. Anyway. Back to the trees.

chasing lightning

Didn't work, but the effect was kinda cool.

interesting tree bark of the day

mimosa, anyone?

How great is this tree? It's Dr. Seuss-inspired (my favorite kind!) When I first saw one, it was located curiously close to a delicious local sushi restaurant, so I decided it must be Asian. Then, I began to see them along the road as I was driving to work, and realized that was a stupid assumption. I was trying to imagine how I could have never noticed these wonderful pink powder-puff fluffs growing on these local trees, and decided to do a little research. What is it? Where is it from?
Turns out, it IS Asian!! or, to be more precise, it is native to both Asia and the Middle East. It's called a Mimosa or silk tree. And birds, bees, butterflies and hummingbirds like it.
I have ALSO discovered that this is an "invasive tree" and many folks are up-in-arms about people who plant it in this part of the world. Apparently it re-seeds quite easily and can be a bit of a pain. But I can't imagine anything quite as charming as an overabundance of pink powder-puff-fluff trees - even if they ARE invasive.
My photos are all rather close-up because I didn't like the surroundings...but there's an entire pool devoted to the Mimosa at Flickr, and a couple better overviews here and here.

Heard a Who today...

...living on a speck on this little fluffy thing. in Whoville.


Also, went to the JC Raulston Arboretum.
It was really great until a thunderstorm came up and we ran for cover and then lightning struck something and the power went out in the education center. Kevin likened it to Jurassic Park, for some reason. Something to do with the "fossil" leaves in the stone wall of the building and the fact that the power went out and...I don't know...let all the dinosaurs loose?
Whatever.
It was a good day's fun.
Please excuse my inexcusable lapse in posting.