Beneath the Trees

The morning woods were utterly new. A strong yellow light pooled beneath the trees; my shadow appeared and vanished on the path, since a third of the trees I walked under were still bare, a third spread a luminous haze wherever they grew, and another third blocked the sun with new, whole leaves. ~ Annie Dillar

Can you guess that what this post is about, you clever people? Of course you can. So there's not much of an introduction required, is there? Let's go look at some trees.

The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

This interesting cluster of trunks was found along the the northern shore of Chemong Lake, leading up to the causeway which crosses over the lake and into Bridgenorth, just northwest of Peterborough

All our wisdom is stored in the trees. ~ Santosh Kalwar

The sad remains of a felled soldier in one of our parks.

If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason. ~ Jack Handy

Here's a closer look at its beautiful texture.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the blue sky, is by no means waste of time.

~ John Lubbock

A friend and I took a walk around town, one beautiful late summer day and we sat for a while near the waters of Little Lake.

But down deep, at the molecular heart of life we're essentially identical to trees. ~ Carl Sagan

The tree ahead of us was leaning ever so elegantly toward the water.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. ~ Nelson Henderson

Elsewhere, this gentleman sat himself beneath the shade of the trees so that he could enjoy the company and sweetness of ducks - and a couple of gulls.

Plant trees. They give us two of the most crucial elements for our survival: oxygen and books.

~ Whitney Brown

Same park, different day and a little bit closer to the water and to nightfall.

Trees indeed have hearts. ~ Henry David Thoreau

They say you're not supposed to shoot directly into the sun. But who are "they," anyway?

Let's take our hearts for a walk in the woods and listen to the magic whispers of old trees. ~ Unknown

This photo is actually from five years ago. It resurfaced when I was looking for something else and I thought it would want to join all of the other trees in this post.

Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky. ~ Kahlil Gibran

As the sun made its way ever closer to the horizon, the scene brought a photographer into view. Along with the trees, he made an interesting silhouette against the gold of Little Lake

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

So come and have a seat with me among the trees, and we can watch the sun go down. There will Be more photos to take tomorrow, and I'll share those with you another day.

Among Trees

I am at home among trees.

~J.R.R. Tolkien

Spring is such an enchanting season. The sun is warm. The grass is green. Flowers are blooming. And the trees have both blossoms and leaves. Let's visit some of those trees, shall we?

In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings,

Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.

~ Jimmy Page, Robert Plant

This wonderful view of the Otonabee River is just a few minutes on foot from my place. At the time of this photo, its trees were just beginning to fill out with that lovely early verdant hue which I often refer to as "virgin green." It's a short-lived period of time, but when that early or late-day sunshine hits the leaves, the colourful sight is magical.

A tree is beautiful, but what's more, it has a right to life; like water, the sun and the stars, it is essential. Life on earth is inconceivable without trees.

~ Anton Chekhov

See what I mean? We were getting close to sundown one evening, last week. There were a large number of photographers out by Little Lake and I soon learned that a camera club had selected this location for their outing. They chose a good place and time as lots was happening in and around the waters but that will appear in another post.

In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful.

~ Alice Walker

Back in April, I headed back to my old haunts in Mississauga for a few days. While visiting with my past neighbours Caroline and Lloyd, we took a walk around the lake which yielded so many of my photo subjects back in the day. This tree has always been a favourite of mine. Over the years it has changed considerably as it has lost its branches but it still provides shelter for small creatures. Many a bird have dined on insects from its bark.

And see the peaceful trees extend

their myriad leaves in leisured dance-

they bear the weight of sky and cloud

upon the fountain of their veins.

~ Kathleen Raine

Another favourite is the weeping willow which towers over the dock. It lost a lot of its branches in an ice storm a couple of winters back but it persists as a beautiful landmark on Lake Wabukayne. It was a hazy day and the sun was having difficulty breaking through.

If what I say resonates with you, it is merely because we are both branches on the same tree.

~ W. B. Yeats

The newly-emerging leaves framed the hazy sun quite nicely.

On pavements and the bark of trees I have found whole worlds.

~ Mark Tobey

One last tree from that walk. This squirrels had begun shredding the bark when I lived here. They have clearly made good work of it since I've been gone. I imagine that the bark makes for good nesting material.

I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do.

~ Willa Cather

Back in Peterborough, a few weeks ago, this flash of red caught my eye from a distance. I can't say that I've ever noticed the Christmas bow up in the tree before, and now that the tree is in full leaf, it's unlikely that I will again.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

~ Albert Einstein

Although the bright bow caught my eye, the soft colours of new life caught my breath.

Trees are as close to immortality as the rest of us ever come.

~ Karen Joy Fowler

A couple of weeks back, I saw this guy inching his way along a less-than-sturdy branch which reaches out over the water and directly above some large, jagged rocks. I could hear the branch creaking with his every movement and my heart mimicked his progression by edging its way toward my throat.

All our wisdom is stored in the trees.

~ Santosh Kalwar

Thankfully, he decided to abandon his mission.

To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.

~ Richard Mabey

But then his buddy took up the cause. He didn't get quite as far as the other guy before he realized it was too risky. What was their quest?

The story of the tree is written on every leaf.

~ Marty Rubin

All I could see was this but they said that there was also a forty dollar fishing lure toward the end of the branch which would have never held their weight. I'm glad they determined that their safety was worth more than the lure.

Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.

~ Kahlil Gibran

So many blossoms in bloom. The colours are both soft and vibrant. What season could possibly beat spring for beauty? Well, maybe summer. Perhaps autumn. Nah.. let's just enjoy the spring.

"Listen to the trees talking in their sleep," she whispered, as he lifted her to the ground. "What nice dreams they must have!"

~ L.M. Montgomery

The brief blushing blossoms of the striking magnolia tree.

A tree against the sky possesses the same interest, the same character, the same expression as the figure of a human.

~ Georges Rouault

No matter how early or late our spring season begins, the lilacs always manage to be in full bloom on May 21st. I have noted this every year since 1988 on the approaching occasion of my late in-laws, June and Ken's golden anniversary. June fondly recalled how there were freshly cut lilacs on the tables at her wedding on that date, fifty years earlier. They thought we were just going out to dinner to celebrate that night but we threw a surprise party in their honour at our home. I made sure there were plenty of lilacs from our tree on the table. To this day, I think of them when those lilacs are in bloom.

When the time has come, every leaf turns to face the sun!

~ Akilnathan Logeswaran

These are the russet leaves of the red maple trees as they make their first appearance in spring. The foliage will show off its true scarlet brilliance in autumn. These backlit beauties were wind-dancing for me in the early evening.

More photos coming up before too long.

The Company of Trees

If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees. 

~Hal Borland

I ended my last post with a photo of a tree. That's as good a segue as any to present you with some more images of these majestic beings in whole or in part.

A tree is an incomprehensible mystery. ~ Jim Woodring

I tricked myself with this image. When I first viewed it after uploading, I could not remember snapping the shot. I thought by the background, that it was situated along the lakeshore (Lake Ontario) on an overcast day. I did not recall having been there recently.

On pavements and the bark of trees I have found whole worlds. ~Mark Tobey

On second glance, or rather, upon seeing this photo, I realized that the tree was much closer to home. It sits on the boulevard just in front of my neighbour's home. I was enjoying how the sun cast its glow upon the bark.

A stricken tree, a living thing, so beautiful, so dignified, so admirable in its potential longevity, is, next to man, perhaps the most touching of wounded objects. ~Edna Ferber

This one illustrated the indomitable spirit and strength of nature. I'll spare you the view of the rest of this maple tree. The parks people determined that in its half dead state, it was a good idea to remove its limbs lest they fall upon folks enjoying a walk on the nearby path. There's a large orange X on the side of its bark, presumably to mark it as a victim of the next round of felling. I hope they've done all they have wanted to do and will leave the trunk intact. This tree plays host to insects, birds and squirrels and it's one of the spots where I occasionally leave peanuts in winter. Despite the extreme cutting, this "dead" tree still spouted a new sprig of leaves this spring. Gotta love that.

Except during the nine months before he draws his first breath, no man manages his affairs as well as a tree does. ~George Bernard Shaw

These trees line the lovely property which belongs to one of Frank's brothers. We were there at the end of May for a family celebration.

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. ~Martin Luther

Red maple keys glowing in the hazy sunshine of early morning.

Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit. ~Khalil Gibran

Here's a closer look at them. They could almost be flowers.

All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man... the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports. ~Chief Seattle

Late day sunshine, glittering through the maple leaves.

I think that I shall never see a billboard lovely as a tree. 
Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I'll never see a tree at all. ~Ogden Nash

A lovely sunset seen high above the tree tops.

I looked up my family tree and found out I was the sap. ~Rodney Dangerfield

This beauty stands near the pond in my park. Behind it is a busy parkway but it appears so peaceful in the quiet of the night.

 Thanks for joining me. There'll be more to see in a few days.

Think of a Tree

Think of a tree. When you think of a tree, you tend to think of a distinctly defined object; and on a certain level, it is. But when you look more closely at the tree, you will see that ultimately it has no independent existence. When you contemplate it, you will find that it dissolves into an extremely subtle net of relationships that stretches across the universe. The rain that falls on its leaves, the wind that sways it, the soil that nourishes and sustains it, all the seasons and the weather, moonlight and starlight and sunlight - all form part of this tree. As you begin to think about the tree more and more, you will discover that everything in the universe helps to make the tree what it is, that it cannot at any moment be isolated from anything else, and that at every moment its nature is subtly changing. ~ Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

On this day while walking, I paid particular notice to the trees. Come join me, please so that you can see them too.

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard. ~ Standing Bear

This was the sight that greeted me at the end of my driveway, one sunny morning. The pavement was still wet from an overnight drizzle but the sun was pouring its light onto the street from behind a small, bare-limbed tree.

You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet. ~ Hal Borland

This little cutie caught my attention by making all sorts of murmuring noises. I stopped to chat with him for a bit.

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. ~ William Shakespeare

I often notice a solitary oak or maple leaf which has become caught up in this fence but today, I was happy to see this pair wrapped up in a warm, oaky embrace.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~ Albert Einstein

A fuzzy branch seems to be budding. It was every bit as soft to the touch as it appears.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~ Lao Tzu

This pine tree stands at the end of the walkway which leads into the park. Even its dead lower limbs have a beauty to them in the right light.

“Listen to the trees talking in their sleep,' she whispered, as he lifted her to the ground. 'What nice dreams they must have!” ~ L.M. Montgomery

There's still some life in these multi-coloured leaves. This image was taken just one week ago.

“All our wisdom is stored in the trees.” ~ Santosh Kalwar

A simple bare branch. I liked its spotty markings.

Thanks for joining me on another one of my walks. You're the best company.

A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit. ~ Elton Trueblood