The Grandmother Tree

The Grandmother Tree is just my name for her...I don't know if anyone else calls her by that name.

I don't know what made her trunk so gnarled and twisty.

So fantastical... 

...and so beautiful.

Fertile ground for an imagination like mine.

When I look at her, I am reminded of Tolkien's Ents, a race of trees that could walk and talk.  I've never seen her walk, but I've heard her talk...on quiet summer afternoons, on bright autumn days, in rain storms and snow storms, on days filled with the hopefulness of spring.

I took these photos in 2007, with a little Olympus camera.  The Grandmother Tree is still there, and she still looks much the same. 

Linking with Through My Lens

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On the Wild Side

I found a little wild rose blooming in a sunny spot in the forest today.   Stepping out of the shade of thick pines and cedars and finding something like this is pure magic to me...forest magic and earth magic working together to create a gift.  A visual gift for me but, when fall arrives, the rosehips will be a gift of food for the animals and birds.

Forest Magic

 

'Humboldt Lily' is the actual name of this flower, but they always remind me of the treasure of some fabulous Faery Queen, especially when I come across one deep in the woods like this one.  As I pushed aside thick cedar branches, I saw this lily dancing in the breeze, looking as though it was placed there on purpose as a lantern to brighten up the green shadows and lend some sparkles to the water.  I could swear I saw a glow coming from it when, a little way down the narrow path that only I and the forest animals use, I turned to look back at it.  A bit of forest magic on a mundane day...