Sundays In My City...Trees

Remember when I posted about going to my local Visitors Center and loading up on a bunch of brochures?  My intent was to gather ideas for the 52s, and send my nephew in Scotland some fun stuff to look at about the Northwest.

Yesterday whilst cleaning out a pile of magazines and other paraphernalia like catalogs and junk mail, I decided to pare down the brochures and just keep the ones I'm truly interested in doing/seeing.

I came across one that I didn't remember picking up, though being a long-time tree hugger, it would make sense that I did.  It's about the Heritage Trees that are found all over state.  There are 45 of these amazing trees, picked for their importance in national, state or regional history.  It would be totally cool to find and photograph all of them, but for my immediate purpose, I was struck by the one in my very own town called the Courthouse Elm.

It was planted at the County Courthouse over one hundred years ago, and now dwarfs the large and imposing marble-columned facade of the courthouse.  I have driven past this place numerous times, but for some reason, I never took the time to actually look.

This morning, after walking the dogs, I drove by, was briefly stunned at my blindness--it covers more than half of the building!--then I parked the car and took this shot...

I think it will be even more spectacular when all the leaves are out.  In the brochure photo you can't see the courthouse through the foliage.

Just because it's Sunday--and I've been reading a very good book this weekend that has totally captured my time so I haven't been on the computer--I want to share a few of my favorite photos from around my house and city...

Lost Limb

  Sun and Snow

 

Sunrise through Birch

 

I have such an affinity for trees.  I love to touch them, smell the bark, talk to the old ones.  Maybe in a past life I was Johnny Appleseed?  Or a wood sprite?  That would be cool...

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I haven't posted a Sundays In My City lately, so this is my homage to the beauty of trees in my area.