Friday, May 27, 2016

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?

otonabee river
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.





camera club
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.





my tree
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.






hazy sun and dock willow
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.





hazy sun and willow
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.





stripped by squirrels
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.





bow3
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.





new growth
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.





tree - first try
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.





tree - no go
All our wisdom is stored in the trees.
~ Santosh Kalwar
Thankfully, he decided to abandon his mission.





tree - second try
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?





tree -  lure cure

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.






in bloom
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.





magnolias
"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.





lilacs
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.





red maple evening sun
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.

35 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

my crappy connection is again up to no good. i saw about 3 1/2 photos here. still, i can feel the beauty even if i can't see it. :)

Ruth Hiebert said...

WOW! This post was filled to the brim with wonderful beauty.So many of these pictures are the kind I would try to take.You di a great job of capturing the beauty of spring.

Red said...

The first green of spring trees is also a favorite of mine. I like your story within a story about the guys climbing the tree.

Linda said...

Great tree photos! I love trees.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Just love the flowering trees too :)

Andy said...

As always I enjoyed every photo. Keep on clicking.

Marie Smith said...

Such a beautiful post on one of my favourite things! Loved all the photos! Well done!

thecrazysheeplady said...

Love the willow shots!

DJan said...

I always enjoy your pictures and look forward to them with anticipation when I see your latest post appear in my feed. Again you have captured the spring for me! :-)

Linda said...

Beautiful collection of photos, as always. I particularly like the tree stripped of bark by the squirrels.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

This is a wonderful series, with the opening shot being a perfect beginning. The beautiful blossoms against the brilliant blue sky are wonderful, as are the magnolia blossoms. I'm glad the boys abandoned their quest, although it would have been hard to walk away from the expensive lure.

William Kendall said...

Some beautiful and moody shots. Lilacs here appear around the same time, and can last into early June. I'm hoping they're still around next weekend, as that's Doors Open here, and one spot I'm going to had them as well last year.

Cloudia said...

Such pleasure to see and to read! Thanks for the quotes I stole. Ah, the lure of the lure.... you share your uniqueness in mundane things. Brava!

ellen abbott said...

trees are sentient, the lungs of the planet. they communicate with each other and often times what seems like a grove is really one organism. lovely pictures Hilary.

messymimi said...

It's nice to know you can count on the lilacs! Your world is full of beautiful things, i'm glad you share them.

Karen said...

I love visits "home" through your photography. Thank You Hilary

Barb said...

What could be more lovely than the trees in springtime? Here in Breckenridge the aspen leaves will soon be lime green - but not yet! Lilacs are some of my favorites - they bloom such a short while but give off such heady scent. The willows are so graceful - both branches and leaves. The maple is just gorgeous. You've shown some beauties in your post on spring trees. Enjoy the rest of your spring before it becomes summer.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Many lovely shots. I love a cloudyscape...the red maple against that sky was beautiful too.

Cheers

Rita said...

Wow! I feel like we had a full day of wandering and observing...and holding our breath! Loved this post!! :)

joeh said...

I can't imagine a $40 lure especially one attached to a 39 cent float, but either way, not worth breaking your neck.

Barbara said...

I love seeing what you've captured in your camera. Beautiful photos, as always. I'm glad you visited that old tree!

Leah J. Utas said...

Very peaceful pics, Hilary.

Dan said...

Your photos never disappoint... in fact they inspire. I especially love the last one.

Jenn Jilks said...

You have a keen eye, and a way with words!
I can't tell you how many lures I found where we used to swim by the lake. It really used to upset me. The fishermen really didn't care.
Wonderful photo, my friend!

Anvilcloud said...

You have some delightful photos here of a very delightful time of year.

Mage said...

Marvelous as usual. I'm especially moved by the closeup of the magnolia blossoms, the new growth tree in front of the dead tree, and the unicyclist. Boy, she is a winner too.

Lady Fi said...

Love the twisted bark of the tree and those red maple leaves.

Mandy said...

Absolutely gorgeous post! I do like it when you combine quotes and images - especially when I recognise the author / artist / poet.

yaya said...

Every season has it's beauty and I find I'm always looking to the trees to judge the beginning and end of the seasons. Our lilacs bloom a bit earlier in late April or early May. We had snow in April and I was afraid we'd lose some this year but all was good! I'm glad those boys didn't pursue the elusive lure. Maybe they should spend more money on fishing lessons than lures so they don't lose another one in a tree! Have a good week!

Daryl said...

they should have used their brains rather than their 'brawn' and tried to lasso it down

Karen said...

I just read in the Examiner that the fountain is broken. Sad news. Hope they get it running this year.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Beautiful. Gotta love spring. Fine medicine for lifting the spirit. I so miss the lilacs. Can't grow them where I now live, and I miss their scent. I love those maple leaves.

photowannabe said...

Oh Hilary! Each of your photos is a gem in its self.
Stunning...the magnolias, the hazy day weeping willow....the crazy dare devils....
I can't wait to see more.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Lots and lots of pretty views..except those sillies trying to climb the tree..I probably would have told them to get down before they hurt themselves. (And they probably would have told me to mind my own business!. LOL! )

Linda said...

Aren't lilacs beautiful and fragrant? They bloom here in mid-April and are gone far too soon. Mom loved those, too. We have a couple in our yard. Most that you see are lavender but some years ago we had a white one in my parents' yard.