tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23836512156063356572024-02-19T00:09:43.895-08:00PHILLY TREESSkylines and treelines...The Philadelphia UnderStoryAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-42593344285591658152014-05-16T19:39:00.000-07:002014-05-20T19:57:23.315-07:00HANGING UP THE HAT<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
in Philadelphia, there are trees and then there are trees.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
this particular day, I was hunting for the first kind of tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
goes by the name of <i>mountain laurel.</i> It’ll never be the biggest tree in the
woods. It’ll never be the kind of tree
that shows up on the nightly news but I’ve been on the lookout for mountain
laurel for weeks now.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ve
been trying to catch its flowering, which I’ve heard is spectacular.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
already knew where they were growing.
They were up there, off the trail…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfw-LA_ydfMdyd0QL5HczmTi2X8kOOn5It1OqTbGkmuXt1-MKECkVjwByoEfImYYCXbKAmkqE2c_6oWHaAme0BLTpGL46LYEkP_GQrviMP29OypQIhD5JIne_sXbuPMDB3jW1QE-D0Ew/s1600/IMG_0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfw-LA_ydfMdyd0QL5HczmTi2X8kOOn5It1OqTbGkmuXt1-MKECkVjwByoEfImYYCXbKAmkqE2c_6oWHaAme0BLTpGL46LYEkP_GQrviMP29OypQIhD5JIne_sXbuPMDB3jW1QE-D0Ew/s1600/IMG_0673.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…typical
of the mountain laurel, sprouting up on a steep and rocky hillside called a <i>ravine</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
French for a <i>violent rush of water</i>
and it describes the type of land that makes the shape of a <i>vee</i>,<i>
</i>the landscape that forms around a narrow valley cut deep with a running
stream.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5ZuUTR-G0rx3aIIthO2jalaDMQ0oGcGJKGzcZEnKJBTz_6eZprsCqj3EQ2lRFX_uCJMmgi-AhfqHrDzP-aSX3NbGUnDOoxO7Csdjf8yDm4NW-H6Hlj_UOt0JKwJ6bqGCi6KwjksAK80/s1600/IMG_0696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5ZuUTR-G0rx3aIIthO2jalaDMQ0oGcGJKGzcZEnKJBTz_6eZprsCqj3EQ2lRFX_uCJMmgi-AhfqHrDzP-aSX3NbGUnDOoxO7Csdjf8yDm4NW-H6Hlj_UOt0JKwJ6bqGCi6KwjksAK80/s1600/IMG_0696.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
exactly where I was, on a trail called the Ravine Loop.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Away
from the path, up the sharp banks of the stream?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
mountain laurel country.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
why they’re so hard to find. They’re off
the trail.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They’re
way up here…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE8qE3Aee6rBbTHVDd1w54cSCv9d3WnjqetiJ8IkPS_cd8DUjGCb5kRkrfY0arKLnTdM-bEa98NGdtxqDl-abc7FkpGzfKvgoHaTELsqTja7Pr7CLFU8P65PKmWAoCAdydcg6jcBgjxY/s1600/IMG_0694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE8qE3Aee6rBbTHVDd1w54cSCv9d3WnjqetiJ8IkPS_cd8DUjGCb5kRkrfY0arKLnTdM-bEa98NGdtxqDl-abc7FkpGzfKvgoHaTELsqTja7Pr7CLFU8P65PKmWAoCAdydcg6jcBgjxY/s1600/IMG_0694.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…growing
on the pitched and slanted shores of the Ravine Loop.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
hard to get up here, rough going and slippery with rotting compost. I had to keep my eyes to the ground and so I
noticed the small leaves popping out of the woodland carpet.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
are the other kinds of trees. Big trees.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here’s
a chestnut oak…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXsh6iLS6Fu46p4rL6SbtWW1_Fzb-U3V0UQ87si_mRpFw6o67-3icLEt8w6vZKh1l5RgmJH6nXZhHxshR2y_vHzlzyz38lVQ3jEp6H2lb1nC13Us-vWljR44Yzg5oxK58sC9-ZDYQ-v8/s1600/IMG_1142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXsh6iLS6Fu46p4rL6SbtWW1_Fzb-U3V0UQ87si_mRpFw6o67-3icLEt8w6vZKh1l5RgmJH6nXZhHxshR2y_vHzlzyz38lVQ3jEp6H2lb1nC13Us-vWljR44Yzg5oxK58sC9-ZDYQ-v8/s1600/IMG_1142.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
here’s a tulip poplar.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmTw_Z8k-K8X1mlNt-LxytvzRYcAUhfqP1yG-1fRfRxZo2zyARee3FEXvLpb5cSEPyvb8BkkBzlzTAaiYK7oeb5fYnZawpKrd5DUJFwKIWriGAYWtiCyKNPsjPZvMVPyde27jtr7rRig/s1600/IMG_1135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmTw_Z8k-K8X1mlNt-LxytvzRYcAUhfqP1yG-1fRfRxZo2zyARee3FEXvLpb5cSEPyvb8BkkBzlzTAaiYK7oeb5fYnZawpKrd5DUJFwKIWriGAYWtiCyKNPsjPZvMVPyde27jtr7rRig/s1600/IMG_1135.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
big trees, they are a-coming. Some of
them are already staking out their claim.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Once
they take over, they can choke out whole fields of sunshine, drowning out the
understory with their high green canopy.
They don’t leave much room for the smaller trees like the dogwood and
the redbud, the crabapple and the hawthorn.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
of course, my prey for this afternoon…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03Li1iDtQ5wyvXXVDTWAlu0AycgyvQgxAjxzl9iPyuKb5guNkPgXip4oOA_ElvTLmRLJqOODJUMX2_iANQM27VORXHImpiX3Zd7z2Cr_5MjsPyyhWmklBnWRFYICr8btjohOHoUkwgUU/s1600/IMG_0680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03Li1iDtQ5wyvXXVDTWAlu0AycgyvQgxAjxzl9iPyuKb5guNkPgXip4oOA_ElvTLmRLJqOODJUMX2_iANQM27VORXHImpiX3Zd7z2Cr_5MjsPyyhWmklBnWRFYICr8btjohOHoUkwgUU/s1600/IMG_0680.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
mountain laurel…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPSTiwO2s1RMrQcIOfax_9WfPFCArA_gVn5oba2Z8stiT9U_HZjRQPt3ibIfhasW0PrU6JVmGaEuGGyxXRmJzFZlW_BZvIX_NAE7yv5jHi8wfs7gjC4uieD8lIvA0fDn4Gh_6pLsS6fk/s1600/IMG_1128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvPSTiwO2s1RMrQcIOfax_9WfPFCArA_gVn5oba2Z8stiT9U_HZjRQPt3ibIfhasW0PrU6JVmGaEuGGyxXRmJzFZlW_BZvIX_NAE7yv5jHi8wfs7gjC4uieD8lIvA0fDn4Gh_6pLsS6fk/s1600/IMG_1128.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that
small tree with the dark evergreen leaves and the crooked trunk.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its
bark has a very stringy and shaggy texture, like an old frayed rope that’s been
too many days out to sea.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7uwLTTgfxJPUCPjNN7Q-x7fqfN0jICF-huhrzERiw0gn8mG-CTTXZvfSgfFxNpMAeBDWVWZPif4hvSqKh9JJ6aqfElTItpDmdLsrX_3aSjngJJFVHfCcgxN6sEvJgbHbsZfhbbsdQL4/s1600/IMG_0672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-7uwLTTgfxJPUCPjNN7Q-x7fqfN0jICF-huhrzERiw0gn8mG-CTTXZvfSgfFxNpMAeBDWVWZPif4hvSqKh9JJ6aqfElTItpDmdLsrX_3aSjngJJFVHfCcgxN6sEvJgbHbsZfhbbsdQL4/s1600/IMG_0672.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its
flower would be a real boon to my blog.
For starters, it’s the state flower of Pennsylvania…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVJxDLyHuu7q9M309tUO1l3YqVYx6DhuOMr7ozyYjA3Ww-zr92t020G0xoJM2qbwa9gFetblbsuApu8VUqB5rDOLjDfVMaj2ZdwMu2ISyJ1eLwdZCT86NVZEeEQJsQpJnmdf1U9oUJLY/s1600/93205.262374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVJxDLyHuu7q9M309tUO1l3YqVYx6DhuOMr7ozyYjA3Ww-zr92t020G0xoJM2qbwa9gFetblbsuApu8VUqB5rDOLjDfVMaj2ZdwMu2ISyJ1eLwdZCT86NVZEeEQJsQpJnmdf1U9oUJLY/s1600/93205.262374.jpg" height="402" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…usually
depicted next to our state bird, the ruffled grouse.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Their
flowers grow in groups of twelve or more, they say, at the terminal ends of the
branches, upright above the leathery leaves.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">From
what I’ve seen in the field guides, the flowers are bright and showy,
resembling little cups. Something found
in a child’s tea party. They’re white or
pink and each flower has ten long pistils, purple at the tips, that clamp down
on the petals and push the flower open.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even
more remarkable, they’re supposed to be a very action-packed bloom.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>They are
spring-loaded, </i>wrote
John Eastman in his field guide for forests and thickets, <i>and they actively bombard an alighting insect with pollen.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>You can test
this mechanism yourself with a pin or grass blade. The slightest touch…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7tLWhqSvJ5sA6tF4LAFL-PGABv0ZGevB_nsacV7cPrmVLUNAZVISVIz8x57GdhJTh7tm-_aHBeaMlbqB-WskhCpt5EhO4hHsb8uU4xp61R4yzv5EqyDxfwLrxHhA9WM-8qq0q2rPJDA/s1600/IMG_1438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7tLWhqSvJ5sA6tF4LAFL-PGABv0ZGevB_nsacV7cPrmVLUNAZVISVIz8x57GdhJTh7tm-_aHBeaMlbqB-WskhCpt5EhO4hHsb8uU4xp61R4yzv5EqyDxfwLrxHhA9WM-8qq0q2rPJDA/s1600/IMG_1438.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">..and
he goes on and on. I wanted very badly
to test this mechanism myself…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQr9By-KurqfZkHgpI91qBP9lrs0ZS-6YM-kZLyKcjYqn8UCw8SYWwDjWnbX5OyOqBijSgGoIruQhyphenhyphenZjGhwHMbZQJbSc6V3zLpAfmdNyfzcVb-cbPF5Telonh8ra5dRUmXa5BDj71rahE/s1600/IMG_1437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQr9By-KurqfZkHgpI91qBP9lrs0ZS-6YM-kZLyKcjYqn8UCw8SYWwDjWnbX5OyOqBijSgGoIruQhyphenhyphenZjGhwHMbZQJbSc6V3zLpAfmdNyfzcVb-cbPF5Telonh8ra5dRUmXa5BDj71rahE/s1600/IMG_1437.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but
I was too early. They were just barely
budding.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ll
come back here next week to catch them in bloom but, by that time, this whole
story called Philly Trees will be over.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is the final post, the last adventure.
This is the big finish and this is exactly where I want to end this
blog…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQvTY257kzMLsmX-IVrIzslXauUi8RVw34tvvm9w5l2_w_t-JJCCjBig9jFtl4hCNyli-yuExqWCZlVTWws-Uz0bZmIHbT-fkCfyzjpBNowUVwevOuWV9VF8v0Rz-1lABAdhpwgyCpRY/s1600/IMG_1297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQvTY257kzMLsmX-IVrIzslXauUi8RVw34tvvm9w5l2_w_t-JJCCjBig9jFtl4hCNyli-yuExqWCZlVTWws-Uz0bZmIHbT-fkCfyzjpBNowUVwevOuWV9VF8v0Rz-1lABAdhpwgyCpRY/s1600/IMG_1297.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…<i>off the trail.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ve
just got to be careful. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Off the trail</i> is not for the
squeamish or the faint-hearted. Some
people call it <i>lost </i>or <i>astray</i> or <i>adrift </i>but those are all judgment calls. Really, it just means that you’re on your
own…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUN5Hl9jLYvZDcA3FHmDyuAV9nPjukOmo8Dvp3eOe6seV1WkNh5O8LgJMxYsYQHb28nWoobmwhd14bPP6AGHU4yIV4kjTSturpEpG5oQ7dRKSnVIeqdYTtBIqh7qgAwj8hMP85TPRHRc/s1600/IMG_2616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUN5Hl9jLYvZDcA3FHmDyuAV9nPjukOmo8Dvp3eOe6seV1WkNh5O8LgJMxYsYQHb28nWoobmwhd14bPP6AGHU4yIV4kjTSturpEpG5oQ7dRKSnVIeqdYTtBIqh7qgAwj8hMP85TPRHRc/s1600/IMG_2616.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
now you’re trailblazing, using the map that’s being written in your own head…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaiFOzc8ij9jL9fHjExbal2tPQ9NDUncWttX3-iumL3tohoLKymz_FvaTG2P520jY3EihotpeRUAiaxhO5MKSs6ADAOPk-733GuMx7YH84IaFf8qns-nidVhyC71_kni7aWKAxaCUrNk/s1600/IMG_1466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaiFOzc8ij9jL9fHjExbal2tPQ9NDUncWttX3-iumL3tohoLKymz_FvaTG2P520jY3EihotpeRUAiaxhO5MKSs6ADAOPk-733GuMx7YH84IaFf8qns-nidVhyC71_kni7aWKAxaCUrNk/s1600/IMG_1466.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…step
by step, turn by turn, <i>ways lead on to
ways</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
couple tricks to walking off the trail.
First, no shorts. Only a bumpkin
wears shorts in the woods. Same goes for
flip-flops. Good boots are a must. Expect them to get muddy. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When
you’re trailblazing, it’s also best if you talk to yourself but I would caution
against idle conversation and meaningless chit-chat.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Better
to talk about what you’re seeing. Me? I like to name-drop the trees and plants that
I pass along the way.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycSusqqT_n_08l7Vq1DrnhcApiBNd6YE8lLCjTY_QsKAkOW3KtBbc4VnOXuFWkO5TO868Gc0YZLJp42l0fhHhK6Ktif9FW7XthBvF4Al-nakFMpgVej4vRe_RpYWKtujfXEb6heDnlQY/s1600/IMG_1111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycSusqqT_n_08l7Vq1DrnhcApiBNd6YE8lLCjTY_QsKAkOW3KtBbc4VnOXuFWkO5TO868Gc0YZLJp42l0fhHhK6Ktif9FW7XthBvF4Al-nakFMpgVej4vRe_RpYWKtujfXEb6heDnlQY/s1600/IMG_1111.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When
spoken aloud in the wilds, my monologue becomes an invaluable tool. The names that I’ve dropped along the
pathless woods become my best landmarks when trying to retrace my steps…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55iNHBdsvx2H4hLEEUjVxt0WRcHAutT0NHQKH0gxyhY9-8SfUhwDGQZ75Oe8DgS8UBfHAnvk0v-BS9VOI8RRWLUM2rNe39KwSCYW8OOD6p6E_EJsv31ivmlo9BfA8G-cuPfQaB_vtYJY/s1600/IMG_2633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55iNHBdsvx2H4hLEEUjVxt0WRcHAutT0NHQKH0gxyhY9-8SfUhwDGQZ75Oe8DgS8UBfHAnvk0v-BS9VOI8RRWLUM2rNe39KwSCYW8OOD6p6E_EJsv31ivmlo9BfA8G-cuPfQaB_vtYJY/s1600/IMG_2633.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…when
heading back to the trail.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
make sure you bring a good snack.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE SIGN OF THE
PEOPLE CROSSING</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">People are always asking me, <i>Hey, Jon Spruce, can you recommend a good
snack for a long hike?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There are many good choices. Fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables will
never do you wrong. I lean towards local
produce but I wouldn’t want to deny anybody the citrus, the banana or the
macadamia nut. Edward Abbey always
brought oranges when wandering the American desert.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some people prefer trail mix and I
have no problem with trail mix. Trail
mix will never steer you off course.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But I’d like to take this
opportunity to fervently champion my absolute favorite trail snack, one of
Turtle Island’s greatest contributions to world cuisine…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hjataDwUUvctqjsN8-BUb9eVXYzkjuEp07Q0BWwZ3_niYi6qllu2qtmuwrgQOYlitDv9sVHwuN9NZY8z0zKs2kKCPYo7NMPjzBS74zaT-JUyDKUdWyQOWy05JzT4IianfGAqJVVxul0/s1600/IMG_1471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hjataDwUUvctqjsN8-BUb9eVXYzkjuEp07Q0BWwZ3_niYi6qllu2qtmuwrgQOYlitDv9sVHwuN9NZY8z0zKs2kKCPYo7NMPjzBS74zaT-JUyDKUdWyQOWy05JzT4IianfGAqJVVxul0/s1600/IMG_1471.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that handy, groovy gyre of a
sandwich we call the <i>burrito.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">By far, this is my favorite way to
fuel up for a hike.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s a sandwich for both the body
and the mind.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its name is Spanish for <i>little donkey</i> and it’s called a <i>burrito</i> for the way it resembles those
bedrolls tied to the backs of saddles…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSMku4aZmMlERHIVrndL1HA3QFnylBeDP131WviuXsfRgqhBXIhn5GnpQtwTUODQhwcZ2ILIVhdws1l3BXzx0Uh5l_DMDvrQaQbyWzy3X0i3KZsk0L1Cc78AtX-7eMjpKubYcVbj2YUc/s1600/IMG_1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSMku4aZmMlERHIVrndL1HA3QFnylBeDP131WviuXsfRgqhBXIhn5GnpQtwTUODQhwcZ2ILIVhdws1l3BXzx0Uh5l_DMDvrQaQbyWzy3X0i3KZsk0L1Cc78AtX-7eMjpKubYcVbj2YUc/s1600/IMG_1478.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…swaying to the rhythm of a swinging
tail and a dusty rump.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now,
a good burrito will have many different ingredients wrapped up inside that
tortilla. Each ingredient comes from its
own time zone.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
true.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
are foods inside the burrito that take a long time to cook, like the rice and
the beans. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then,
there are the ingredients that take even longer to make, foods that need to be
tended and cultured, like the sour cream and the cheese.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
then there are the ingredients that are meant to be cut and diced, mixed and
smashed fresh and spontaneously, things like salsa and guacamole, the shredded
lettuce and the plucked cilantro.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Roll
it all up. All those different time
zones, coiled together for every single bite, it’s the old versus the new, the
cooked versus the raw, the cultivated versus the spontaneous, assembled into a
spiral, just layers and layers of tasty goodness.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3ncadq4-My-6NtPRfUm7QN1QzPCuvsSMXRIHILN_2PNQjd5YJwAGYaPm76Tvd1kVsk5U7tf5XFNvZFPzGrsjb0B4hresQdy9cBmXErp7oJbdW2zAs6XqqJCJcDbgAlsByygw90aNcGc/s1600/IMG_1479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3ncadq4-My-6NtPRfUm7QN1QzPCuvsSMXRIHILN_2PNQjd5YJwAGYaPm76Tvd1kVsk5U7tf5XFNvZFPzGrsjb0B4hresQdy9cBmXErp7oJbdW2zAs6XqqJCJcDbgAlsByygw90aNcGc/s1600/IMG_1479.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Perfect
snack for hiking through the palimpsest.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
picked up this particular burrito just around the corner from the Ravine Loop
trail, at the Machismo Burrito Bar…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBSZ9BRaFh-q9SXfODGK_2-6Ubm5_IWkLAd_wakrth90KqfsqrXIX2ddcyl7p8SteA4gEztlY2YdeGTV7mn_CVsARpnh6lBvx5j_vpNqzR7T52h0JUQpH88wgJIwplCvKmkhJ57-g0aY/s1600/IMG_1522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBSZ9BRaFh-q9SXfODGK_2-6Ubm5_IWkLAd_wakrth90KqfsqrXIX2ddcyl7p8SteA4gEztlY2YdeGTV7mn_CVsARpnh6lBvx5j_vpNqzR7T52h0JUQpH88wgJIwplCvKmkhJ57-g0aY/s1600/IMG_1522.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…in
the Andorra Shopping Center at the westward terminus of Henry Avenue.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Andorra? It’s Spanish for <i>shrub-covered land</i>, although it could also mean a <i>female traveling companion</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNJjICgnzWv05ynqDXnDUf0SPPMn4TWLVUG5ZTrPu2ei0W3ZT6rwQ85I8ZmgcZR05W8YwPX9lF6D-6gwZnAhvaqPlgDvQ30ke21wSshuU8Ga0Spd-I_8Y-GdMw8V8d1Je_1jixn4mvN4/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNJjICgnzWv05ynqDXnDUf0SPPMn4TWLVUG5ZTrPu2ei0W3ZT6rwQ85I8ZmgcZR05W8YwPX9lF6D-6gwZnAhvaqPlgDvQ30ke21wSshuU8Ga0Spd-I_8Y-GdMw8V8d1Je_1jixn4mvN4/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
come here often, and not just because it’s near one of my favorite wild places
in Philly. I come here when I feel
off-kilter and out-of-whack. This place
soothes me, sets me straight. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
little mall, this Andorra Shopping Center…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmclD7cEbxXbbD3HYAnXi_QJWX-KJNZNbZA76fGdJ_X6JTwIBahQL-QMtZVGwbeewkfcRtghyphenhyphen9zrsyQFdpmQB2Q8-M-q39TxeBrINa9MRGh3WRB_ADWvsjewTP3tLKOzay93-ouIqQfg0/s1600/IMG_1481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmclD7cEbxXbbD3HYAnXi_QJWX-KJNZNbZA76fGdJ_X6JTwIBahQL-QMtZVGwbeewkfcRtghyphenhyphen9zrsyQFdpmQB2Q8-M-q39TxeBrINa9MRGh3WRB_ADWvsjewTP3tLKOzay93-ouIqQfg0/s1600/IMG_1481.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…this
is one of the most spiritual, most harmonious places I’ve ever found in the
city.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No,
no, no, you don’t understand. You think
I’m joking.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
telling you. This shopping center is
overflowing with balance and concord…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77zNpILoe2iy7oBhKUWCRhaHAuBK7JsVn7eiCevsEMia115YX_AB6coeUeWZjMMrZgI_tjOAAXyqMvg7RUl5cd-JYHT8rnK860Z3VAOGdAUVBdUcagEZpY9m4yaJCELgRHIbdiwo9zjc/s1600/IMG_1223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77zNpILoe2iy7oBhKUWCRhaHAuBK7JsVn7eiCevsEMia115YX_AB6coeUeWZjMMrZgI_tjOAAXyqMvg7RUl5cd-JYHT8rnK860Z3VAOGdAUVBdUcagEZpY9m4yaJCELgRHIbdiwo9zjc/s1600/IMG_1223.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
champion of the <i>wind-water</i> dance we
call <i>feng-shui</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Every
shop here has its own opposite. Or its
own counterpart, its own foil.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There’s
a Radio Shack next to a Game Stop. There’s
a Kolhs department store and a Dollar Express.
There’s a branch of the library but there’s also a Bargain Book
Warehouse.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
are post office mailboxes…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzzUkCgU0ZVGHuxJRnKw_yOCUP3nA5BKR2oJvy4scuVlGlmj3vDxY3rOX6avc70UvJxrnKZMVAUvIVmbYKdu-qTrFcxhJNMNmNjulyZ4KtTTP4l4mUaUlh3MaQA1_WoEIbaBSOrrlg6w/s1600/IMG_1225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzzUkCgU0ZVGHuxJRnKw_yOCUP3nA5BKR2oJvy4scuVlGlmj3vDxY3rOX6avc70UvJxrnKZMVAUvIVmbYKdu-qTrFcxhJNMNmNjulyZ4KtTTP4l4mUaUlh3MaQA1_WoEIbaBSOrrlg6w/s1600/IMG_1225.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…right
in front of a Parcel Plus.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For
food, I have almost the entire globe: Italian, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, a McDonald’s
and a Saladworks, plus a frozen yogurt confectionary and an Acme grocery store.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There’s
an Applebee’s here, which advertises itself coast-to-coast,
hemisphere-to-hemisphere as a <i>Neighborhood Grill and Bar</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IXfI0I8bSXng6n6iDZkffpHAJkxWdDyJMjGzJZHjVwFo-zg4LOsqlTH5LyRd0k_JhRZCbkfZhydqw5HY9j-3roZz3QBDSVritqqjQU1LYmTPEukd6KNfjlG8V9mdvaA59hHTvaXbleI/s1600/IMG_1531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0IXfI0I8bSXng6n6iDZkffpHAJkxWdDyJMjGzJZHjVwFo-zg4LOsqlTH5LyRd0k_JhRZCbkfZhydqw5HY9j-3roZz3QBDSVritqqjQU1LYmTPEukd6KNfjlG8V9mdvaA59hHTvaXbleI/s1600/IMG_1531.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
this particular day, standing outside its committee-colored awning, they are
blaring <i>Kashmir</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">By
the hammer of the gods, I love this song.
I should listen to this song every day.
<i>I am a traveler of both time and
space</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cs9feJyfiMgcJi2A82vy1MS51BVMfS06JGecW3fxojVcp8FZVV9Ln0MHhx0epwuiwMYhJQrDyRMFNnwZWxfMzk8i-YadrRFcu_hAbv0QOVDXlj9EPiTr796sOqkSc-lhv9Kgua8mWLk/s1600/IMG_1484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cs9feJyfiMgcJi2A82vy1MS51BVMfS06JGecW3fxojVcp8FZVV9Ln0MHhx0epwuiwMYhJQrDyRMFNnwZWxfMzk8i-YadrRFcu_hAbv0QOVDXlj9EPiTr796sOqkSc-lhv9Kgua8mWLk/s1600/IMG_1484.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
Applebee’s? They’re such a kind council,
like the song says: <i>elders of a gentle
race</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
just want to please me. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All
the research and development they put into their menu, it’s because they
respect my need for familiarity and rhythm, my fear of risk, my anxiety of the
unknown. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Nothing
untested, nothing too sour or too crabby will ever slip by them, not on their
watch, and yet they still give me an opportunity to satisfy that very human
need to try something new, like pineapple on a pizza.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There’s
a place to groom your pets…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio93f_hM7j2VpGEe1L4cmo1KU-mjYkFCOrzxgx7AULav14VV7LKe8ZwtqsJqLXSoeJA2gFdYpxYy3LkeRvLGTEdeRhEa1S4fPZVktDgSxjdhFI1ZoSf2v7yPCKE1mQajIiB6vm9Mp4yTs/s1600/IMG_1530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio93f_hM7j2VpGEe1L4cmo1KU-mjYkFCOrzxgx7AULav14VV7LKe8ZwtqsJqLXSoeJA2gFdYpxYy3LkeRvLGTEdeRhEa1S4fPZVktDgSxjdhFI1ZoSf2v7yPCKE1mQajIiB6vm9Mp4yTs/s1600/IMG_1530.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…right
down the sidewalk from a nail salon and right across the parking lot from a
human hair-do factory, a Hair Cuttery franchise.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There’s
a dojo here, called AmeriKick…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbjo1akjFbgJee4wKXRmRjOMN_-RSwxQ8E5t_QcPWsIOj8OleZukrnzxJhobQv0O-fQv1mKBJWxyNjs8__HNzV_V2SYL7p1aMpY8vGX7V_3xgPJxqhJViWm0QvPCYXehcf8vsD5ezGvQ/s1600/IMG_1515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbjo1akjFbgJee4wKXRmRjOMN_-RSwxQ8E5t_QcPWsIOj8OleZukrnzxJhobQv0O-fQv1mKBJWxyNjs8__HNzV_V2SYL7p1aMpY8vGX7V_3xgPJxqhJViWm0QvPCYXehcf8vsD5ezGvQ/s1600/IMG_1515.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and,
just down the sidewalk, there is something called Mathnasium…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ii0eqBGV-bxYY-HeoArUUceKx_fgEI2HN3RFomefexHnZOEvndYzVpO940mo_grSMbuLANahTOFoBkazUh_ccDXeCHmft8RVKNR6fXjMDal6VyHlGYZ9FqqqIxk2ye7jniDonhtJmjE/s1600/IMG_1491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ii0eqBGV-bxYY-HeoArUUceKx_fgEI2HN3RFomefexHnZOEvndYzVpO940mo_grSMbuLANahTOFoBkazUh_ccDXeCHmft8RVKNR6fXjMDal6VyHlGYZ9FqqqIxk2ye7jniDonhtJmjE/s1600/IMG_1491.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
classic battle still raging strong, brains versus brawn, jocks versus nerds.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
that Jenny Craig store? Right across the
parking lot, there’s a GNC Live Well outlet, nutrition and diet for both men
and women in the same shopping center.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is the epitome of the town square, the global hearth, <i>my Shangri-La beneath the summer moon</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LWOA2HIBh69q9rJSld0-gatw7T0CdAOE_U7Ujjx85YSg1C2fbyutKcNIh7yf0FaciMQKdFz-Z0s81e9k_IJT_eSP8KSlQOkihHcmER6NuzDxx_WytjCz8n2DNykWkjCe8BP5SY3ulUk/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LWOA2HIBh69q9rJSld0-gatw7T0CdAOE_U7Ujjx85YSg1C2fbyutKcNIh7yf0FaciMQKdFz-Z0s81e9k_IJT_eSP8KSlQOkihHcmER6NuzDxx_WytjCz8n2DNykWkjCe8BP5SY3ulUk/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
just hope it doesn’t stop here. This is
not the best way to end anything.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the danger of reaching the epitome.
That’s the worst part about standing at the acme.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
could all be downhill from here and then this place would just be a sad
reminder of our past glories. No repeat
championship.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
something goes terribly wrong, then this will become a ghost town. Each store would turn into a memorial of the
human contributions: the invention of numbers, coin and paper…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6558yIIdqns425UM-EpjdYkKNC_crZUHhpqHuonLHHSV52Reyttb0A-mQr4Cwm42Tovjco_uy4zgI2SMOt-uLJBggvmNmn3xZs9N04ANYfJ9QWHe7qAjW2fUnEkqNFd-tN4_jznK11U/s1600/Stapes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6558yIIdqns425UM-EpjdYkKNC_crZUHhpqHuonLHHSV52Reyttb0A-mQr4Cwm42Tovjco_uy4zgI2SMOt-uLJBggvmNmn3xZs9N04ANYfJ9QWHe7qAjW2fUnEkqNFd-tN4_jznK11U/s1600/Stapes.jpg" height="640" width="420" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
way we domesticated the zoo…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcSa__s5guZ4XeHiWpXLqmIjecmXPLYbPHZ6Q0HPCGPwuNLk9TwqQrOrfFWnWgzkhAKJyhwGPoleRc0I-gSiDG8OciEiYoaIwzJVr5K9Y6Qj0W4UtLdKYAhfvTjCLLbUWAQ0I_xhxT4c/s1600/IMG_1530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcSa__s5guZ4XeHiWpXLqmIjecmXPLYbPHZ6Q0HPCGPwuNLk9TwqQrOrfFWnWgzkhAKJyhwGPoleRc0I-gSiDG8OciEiYoaIwzJVr5K9Y6Qj0W4UtLdKYAhfvTjCLLbUWAQ0I_xhxT4c/s1600/IMG_1530.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…first
animal to walk upright.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBR9TKqV9oZ4s9AirzYAvioOQpVL7NfgT6XhF1koUDH85i13wPaaZkYLJjv0t6aNUf-VribIwOMDbZGo5DiNGX559eiJVkr_3XATxUM29LjD9KKPMmnE79NrvZ4YTHkNvGXoT5TaYaK2E/s1600/Famous+Footwear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBR9TKqV9oZ4s9AirzYAvioOQpVL7NfgT6XhF1koUDH85i13wPaaZkYLJjv0t6aNUf-VribIwOMDbZGo5DiNGX559eiJVkr_3XATxUM29LjD9KKPMmnE79NrvZ4YTHkNvGXoT5TaYaK2E/s1600/Famous+Footwear.jpg" height="640" width="486" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is the human niche and people come here just to sit in its center.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
true. I’ve seen it. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
you walk into the center of this parking lot, you’ll see people sitting in
their cars, hooked up to their cell-phones with papers spread out on the
passenger seats...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU53uFDScGvMaxAiTL_auhUEFQnABIqSSci6thmCJBVSSb2tNVjqtwTqT9ojxpxiwOWAXB64QHE8_cgH2uIzM_RRQ75NZCU7JbwmrN2BdRRLsGZbMz5lhISRTAiVlg0TDg-jf1Qq6dZQs/s1600/IMG_1539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU53uFDScGvMaxAiTL_auhUEFQnABIqSSci6thmCJBVSSb2tNVjqtwTqT9ojxpxiwOWAXB64QHE8_cgH2uIzM_RRQ75NZCU7JbwmrN2BdRRLsGZbMz5lhISRTAiVlg0TDg-jf1Qq6dZQs/s1600/IMG_1539.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or
they’re sitting in their white vans or police cruisers catching up on silence
and solitude, munching away in their
school buses or Water Department trucks, being very human.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Perhaps
they come here because they can feel its balance, can feel the way this place
harnesses both the <i>yin</i> and the <i>yang</i>, but me?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
prefer a different kind of balance. I
prefer the kind of order found in the wilds.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczv0s2fuOqS9WOxI_hVdY9yGwaZrp1TgdPpPRt2kC8jOW6789fMSurNbKJekAVadwYfI56C01lpFqimVxP7Ucrn6tpCWzJH5VNOdBIJR6GyXz_Ef-qkNFRCAAmWTGsDIfo9sroEpaZfQ/s1600/IMG_0853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczv0s2fuOqS9WOxI_hVdY9yGwaZrp1TgdPpPRt2kC8jOW6789fMSurNbKJekAVadwYfI56C01lpFqimVxP7Ucrn6tpCWzJH5VNOdBIJR6GyXz_Ef-qkNFRCAAmWTGsDIfo9sroEpaZfQ/s1600/IMG_0853.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">People
are always asking me, <i>Hey, Jon Spruce,
where are you?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
I use that old map, then I am way out there, man…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3eI2NT3RF61YT8NR4FHdmmBQYw-rZ4RxRJpo38H-CrvsQNDzbJ09kENqTj3vtBDz0tH_Ou3kfo10hzHNHbESCgnBwRib1pIGHiHWPR1X5yHrdOY89ooDMToGm5ZjW2qJt32e36BJsmw/s1600/Right+of+the+Schuylkill+Center.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3eI2NT3RF61YT8NR4FHdmmBQYw-rZ4RxRJpo38H-CrvsQNDzbJ09kENqTj3vtBDz0tH_Ou3kfo10hzHNHbESCgnBwRib1pIGHiHWPR1X5yHrdOY89ooDMToGm5ZjW2qJt32e36BJsmw/s1600/Right+of+the+Schuylkill+Center.png" height="292" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…all
the way at the back of the map, almost at the very limits of its horizon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Actually,
I’m more to the left, more to the south, of that black bear family…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1B4TOC-ODKgme-eYlRTXoG0BRZJ74-yE-XQs-ji8C4HyOtA5D2wSsmH4mKf_LjJFKRVSn4gMdO3EQpMGLyalpYlc4OV3oClRwi3wACGLGGnRXv8_otLXVNvLmZ4x9VEcis73A45T1J8/s1600/The+Schuylkill+Center.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1B4TOC-ODKgme-eYlRTXoG0BRZJ74-yE-XQs-ji8C4HyOtA5D2wSsmH4mKf_LjJFKRVSn4gMdO3EQpMGLyalpYlc4OV3oClRwi3wACGLGGnRXv8_otLXVNvLmZ4x9VEcis73A45T1J8/s1600/The+Schuylkill+Center.png" height="332" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…there
it is.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is south of the Wissahickon but still at the northwest border of Philadelphia, where Ridge Avenue turns into
Ridge Pike.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to the map, it’s just rolling meadows.
It’s lazy country.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-Y3fPnAoEGVSsKWaijti1ItVXm5iR2i64SN2KpiglTnryBoO9oscmTQfgS8_IwCB5JD8emzKz9mIMATvImBmCmTPJkN8_kyDjD_onln_C2VVbHjoDjE_lah6CiF2XPnjzQRfHXnVXKA/s1600/Close+up+Schuylkill+Center.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-Y3fPnAoEGVSsKWaijti1ItVXm5iR2i64SN2KpiglTnryBoO9oscmTQfgS8_IwCB5JD8emzKz9mIMATvImBmCmTPJkN8_kyDjD_onln_C2VVbHjoDjE_lah6CiF2XPnjzQRfHXnVXKA/s1600/Close+up+Schuylkill+Center.png" height="292" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
that’s in the past.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Right
now, it’s working hard.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLC9YhFjPvAk8YIztNyAPAGUONVGtNQD9cPu3XyWEQpsCk4pWdGCNWBe68ftJLu18nIR8rw6b4i5Xk5gws8kaiM65sZ4v_lbkzUZEiVuSHTIeNsfek5vY1oNnnZLYYvL8Qrrx3kqUkQMI/s1600/IMG_7184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLC9YhFjPvAk8YIztNyAPAGUONVGtNQD9cPu3XyWEQpsCk4pWdGCNWBe68ftJLu18nIR8rw6b4i5Xk5gws8kaiM65sZ4v_lbkzUZEiVuSHTIeNsfek5vY1oNnnZLYYvL8Qrrx3kqUkQMI/s1600/IMG_7184.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
part of the map was kept as meadows and farms and pastures from the time of
William Penn until 1965, within living memory.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is the Schuylkill Center. In the
sixties, it was given the title of <i>wilderness</i>…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3yBOU-ac50Xl2b3Kd7414m8lfd1a1ywT-Rlp75IK3b9aWs9gbULCg95mdq1licdo_rjk5HPCeJZPkAxdOfJLYDWkiCL_0pCyRdRkBZGCneJW9HWoVf9pLuglHVwVYJ3FRghcGWU9dak/s1600/IMG_1241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3yBOU-ac50Xl2b3Kd7414m8lfd1a1ywT-Rlp75IK3b9aWs9gbULCg95mdq1licdo_rjk5HPCeJZPkAxdOfJLYDWkiCL_0pCyRdRkBZGCneJW9HWoVf9pLuglHVwVYJ3FRghcGWU9dak/s1600/IMG_1241.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…given
permission to go to seed, gone to woods.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is where I can see the wilds taking over, the future of the Philly woods. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is where I can hunt down Thoreau and his <i>preservation
of the world</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkp8vk9XHO8Zp1xXaWBiV_q_-ZJPjeBrbylIVm3B_9iYKBchnua_Q4_R59RwNTEcwJw6lM6WwWUGa7wRMeTwu0Sm-Mr2fh6cnJwF3eINVt5yvSs1cCUw3mfQLGuwJf1d9dzyX4BHU3I30/s1600/IMG_4407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkp8vk9XHO8Zp1xXaWBiV_q_-ZJPjeBrbylIVm3B_9iYKBchnua_Q4_R59RwNTEcwJw6lM6WwWUGa7wRMeTwu0Sm-Mr2fh6cnJwF3eINVt5yvSs1cCUw3mfQLGuwJf1d9dzyX4BHU3I30/s1600/IMG_4407.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here,
I can see how the palimpsest is written.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
can get here by taking highway 76 but I prefer taking the back roads, snaking
my way through the west Philly neighborhoods past the zoo, through Fairmount
Park and the west-side of the Laurel Hill Cemetery.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
this particular day, in between the Shofuso Japanese House and Centennial Lake,
while waiting in line for the green light…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9PCoGtFGBi98bXRNQsr-gJIttlL3l5gLStAYEIpGeqwfQhuMwWOVs3E_6O13F8EycNejVdqO03BvfsumKx_n5jztEK7zPTpSW2Irqj8W-vRO0A4J7jEN8LsO4cq06qWof-L7icNecQo/s1600/IMG_1502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9PCoGtFGBi98bXRNQsr-gJIttlL3l5gLStAYEIpGeqwfQhuMwWOVs3E_6O13F8EycNejVdqO03BvfsumKx_n5jztEK7zPTpSW2Irqj8W-vRO0A4J7jEN8LsO4cq06qWof-L7icNecQo/s1600/IMG_1502.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…a
seed landed on my windshield.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
might be an elm but it’s probably a zelkova.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
continued down Belmont Avenue, turning left at the cliffs of Manayunk and up
Umbria Avenue.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWYtCA8EfD7wTm2vNQVvHMzULbNpxVGQ_YZtZ1oUW3u9s888JiqJ1dIqgY996NBDkN6WZP8oWXEkHDNxfFz87E7sptNL6156NtkOsTlKR9xp9WgciDVTJtTXypknFqUWcswKf1ogltP8/s1600/IMG_1505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitWYtCA8EfD7wTm2vNQVvHMzULbNpxVGQ_YZtZ1oUW3u9s888JiqJ1dIqgY996NBDkN6WZP8oWXEkHDNxfFz87E7sptNL6156NtkOsTlKR9xp9WgciDVTJtTXypknFqUWcswKf1ogltP8/s1600/IMG_1505.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
my favorite <i>Deer Crossing </i>sign in the
entire city.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No,
no, no, you don’t understand. You think
I’m joking.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
true. This is the way to the wilds. That’s the sign you pass on your way to the
young woods of the Schuylkill Center.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Exactly
opposite of this sign, on the same road, in the direction back towards town,
there is this sign.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcQcg7F6MmiS4SOTxCdZjx_w5qAQyMuCR7O2vBMyG2ToOp1qNKt3GvQ4IjzCqUof8-Pss9wJeylrzt2c1It7QSjQ9P38PpskE_CJst_ogh132MJMVGus52Myn9NkLs-9rHPqugB6Ytys/s1600/IMG_1506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcQcg7F6MmiS4SOTxCdZjx_w5qAQyMuCR7O2vBMyG2ToOp1qNKt3GvQ4IjzCqUof8-Pss9wJeylrzt2c1It7QSjQ9P38PpskE_CJst_ogh132MJMVGus52Myn9NkLs-9rHPqugB6Ytys/s1600/IMG_1506.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
don’t know about you but I don’t get many signs like that in my life. I’d like to think I’ll notice these things,
with or without the blog.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>FOLLOWING THE
MAYTRAIL</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Contrary
to popular belief, trails can also be seasonal.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Out
there in the wilds, there are some paths that open up only at certain times of
the years, under the right kind of moon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
is a trail like that here in the Schuylkill Center. I can only find it in mid-spring.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
call it a<i> maytrail</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
begins right near that weird sassafras.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXVS1bgbJM2XBWf-lSfFWzl50ZK_oTy4WLqhNDWGq7rpMo4OtUJQdH1WxiqQuuhujnChzquYIVnqceDVi2sVPk-So_DH2wYDJqHMg80yQ7CeKQGfLjL5o6fcuCWalFbbWFl5g_bg0SpM/s1600/IMG_1246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWXVS1bgbJM2XBWf-lSfFWzl50ZK_oTy4WLqhNDWGq7rpMo4OtUJQdH1WxiqQuuhujnChzquYIVnqceDVi2sVPk-So_DH2wYDJqHMg80yQ7CeKQGfLjL5o6fcuCWalFbbWFl5g_bg0SpM/s1600/IMG_1246.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No,
not that one. The one right next to it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYp4XJJHMfHUnxyHpZae8VU7yysAnwsBuhp9AbBuocG1qji-c3Jp-wVlsaeNniAKgh7aDScwyOQ4bZzZ1iFzVegdsI8Zz-qLg134TP3vblKQ8U9axS8yq_BTskYWmBBLOI2_Ksvun8pIE/s1600/IMG_1313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYp4XJJHMfHUnxyHpZae8VU7yysAnwsBuhp9AbBuocG1qji-c3Jp-wVlsaeNniAKgh7aDScwyOQ4bZzZ1iFzVegdsI8Zz-qLg134TP3vblKQ8U9axS8yq_BTskYWmBBLOI2_Ksvun8pIE/s1600/IMG_1313.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
it is.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
impossible to find this trail in the summer.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">By
the Strong Sun Moon of July, this whole place is choked up with multiflora rose
and devil’s walkingstick…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHYSJVsky129H89TF20Hz77OZ2S-GS7_CUInlIB79ZhCJd7yXmfbdCxtjKBR-2oXWokk8q4a0IaE0V8d9dAs8CPGkO1tm8rHFZsePJACV27mK58BZM2eveOUc02nj7ImZjNKNsy8JhW8/s1600/IMG_2668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHYSJVsky129H89TF20Hz77OZ2S-GS7_CUInlIB79ZhCJd7yXmfbdCxtjKBR-2oXWokk8q4a0IaE0V8d9dAs8CPGkO1tm8rHFZsePJACV27mK58BZM2eveOUc02nj7ImZjNKNsy8JhW8/s1600/IMG_2668.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…no
sign of the trail.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
can’t find it in the winter either. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBsqZDkhqs34n-MKT6V9FD36c9R2CW1sAtIRGX9MYx6_9R6-NCYtbU-qKz0-Ea4eq3mucxkdu2ZfJXsDDzHqKtsmthyWg6tlFfEaagjm4Ux2HpbXtPAZZp2M82cRGVXSFB4zwOHAgnMU/s1600/IMG_7314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBsqZDkhqs34n-MKT6V9FD36c9R2CW1sAtIRGX9MYx6_9R6-NCYtbU-qKz0-Ea4eq3mucxkdu2ZfJXsDDzHqKtsmthyWg6tlFfEaagjm4Ux2HpbXtPAZZp2M82cRGVXSFB4zwOHAgnMU/s1600/IMG_7314.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Besides, all
the trees look weird here in the winter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAueKc8POYT4atNyjFmlfxcGSIMwWwFfUj1P15O_MrNXPExxbuaIzN-y14n-Ldd9IONezVSne7CXWbNC1tFpPz63kTZwmPmzrZsj8i3AjjkwZAs89_Sq1XqmR7vHU6PViSKaKeb-oWF0/s1600/IMG_7315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAueKc8POYT4atNyjFmlfxcGSIMwWwFfUj1P15O_MrNXPExxbuaIzN-y14n-Ldd9IONezVSne7CXWbNC1tFpPz63kTZwmPmzrZsj8i3AjjkwZAs89_Sq1XqmR7vHU6PViSKaKeb-oWF0/s1600/IMG_7315.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
actually need just a little bit of bushes and briars in order to see this trail…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4C0V_7sesEnKs5iSuQuEqR1lq3oLuWZ80M3YyCwestpiu3CMPfrCikgCnhBOHDKIYJvQhT9L9np7iRsk-fas_HUijXmbXmjZ9S_IfpRbWbUgTGzpixTHOuv-5MmZu3Vr9xbz6oKE6DH8/s1600/IMG_1301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4C0V_7sesEnKs5iSuQuEqR1lq3oLuWZ80M3YyCwestpiu3CMPfrCikgCnhBOHDKIYJvQhT9L9np7iRsk-fas_HUijXmbXmjZ9S_IfpRbWbUgTGzpixTHOuv-5MmZu3Vr9xbz6oKE6DH8/s1600/IMG_1301.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…not
enough to block the path…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_DAG2-HlQJzHcxJfOZCSub4uxBo0MP5U0rWWLAsQMg38mPjpJgPleH5CIQWQ5UVjH52fj6L-M446kOFx8PpG_1tusnvBet12-3XlkDw3Z0UhatPV8JZQMZIIAqvjt9WTDJKREU-gjbE/s1600/IMG_1255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_DAG2-HlQJzHcxJfOZCSub4uxBo0MP5U0rWWLAsQMg38mPjpJgPleH5CIQWQ5UVjH52fj6L-M446kOFx8PpG_1tusnvBet12-3XlkDw3Z0UhatPV8JZQMZIIAqvjt9WTDJKREU-gjbE/s1600/IMG_1255.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but
just enough to show the way.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At
this time of year, the devil’s walkingstick is leafing out.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCzFhKUYUc9cuXaD4vTiP5ZHN-P3IS-1hY1wfWhoEvroTgv6eQWwHoUbR-fn0z_GUdK-QMRrMsKguQqij9HDc434fprD5T-0Nob6X2vIIQnPMQdPuo6CDs0alT4qDcXFnRuhDRl5bxUU/s1600/IMG_0385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOCzFhKUYUc9cuXaD4vTiP5ZHN-P3IS-1hY1wfWhoEvroTgv6eQWwHoUbR-fn0z_GUdK-QMRrMsKguQqij9HDc434fprD5T-0Nob6X2vIIQnPMQdPuo6CDs0alT4qDcXFnRuhDRl5bxUU/s1600/IMG_0385.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pay
close attention to this now because, in just a few months, this will be the
largest leaf in North America.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF4KinsP9N7yP9OdSI5yLcH7JBoEDxFks_2nvWchta5NwhKXm0P_DMpM5nca0VVmAJ2YqkgGpi3EqYDmjaKu8QEs2tUvRQ5jyb0yjRTL6gtTs8Dn689KrvISLluPSg9xauvsIdiQH8R_Q/s1600/IMG_2632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF4KinsP9N7yP9OdSI5yLcH7JBoEDxFks_2nvWchta5NwhKXm0P_DMpM5nca0VVmAJ2YqkgGpi3EqYDmjaKu8QEs2tUvRQ5jyb0yjRTL6gtTs8Dn689KrvISLluPSg9xauvsIdiQH8R_Q/s1600/IMG_2632.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
bad for a little stick.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is still such a young woods.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There are big trees here, and more
big trees coming, and soon these woods will look like the crowded and cultured forest of the Wissahickon instead of like this.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_6jl7UTKzhqc0khEsrUpyS6M4DxSq6W3Q5KS_LoqmSZXi1v608olBgcmxmtkWSQFU2JPs1GUEPvZS_7zXGVnm8AGLACw9l10cXqfzNz8ywUCQh7MjmQzlv4C6xuUztTHR_vXtWdTYto/s1600/IMG_1449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_6jl7UTKzhqc0khEsrUpyS6M4DxSq6W3Q5KS_LoqmSZXi1v608olBgcmxmtkWSQFU2JPs1GUEPvZS_7zXGVnm8AGLACw9l10cXqfzNz8ywUCQh7MjmQzlv4C6xuUztTHR_vXtWdTYto/s1600/IMG_1449.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This will happen in less time than
it took Coaquannock to disappear off the face of the map.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Soon the big trees will dominate,
the staple species that have already mapped out their claims, trees like the sugar maple and the tulip poplar…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHZ1idN6JPbfcIXuT1XHEXTunkYKTizNnywBB-HWCh0mFi7FxnJh6fIAGydRP4yxuoHuaNnXIOUF83Su_f9eAhRoQoWmcRVdEO8Skqkq0mp15TMTnLvZTkHc3UJqnXj4WVPqms-GgRIQ/s1600/IMG_0498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHZ1idN6JPbfcIXuT1XHEXTunkYKTizNnywBB-HWCh0mFi7FxnJh6fIAGydRP4yxuoHuaNnXIOUF83Su_f9eAhRoQoWmcRVdEO8Skqkq0mp15TMTnLvZTkHc3UJqnXj4WVPqms-GgRIQ/s1600/IMG_0498.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the oak, the beech and the sycamore…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FieHaZ4jIjyiZ7NYe0bVJhv8XA_5fuzsuXOjQL9kB3NLn9Xo8i_p0FOd5lb64G7cvhwhHLUtof6VD1LUg_kdr8yj4CognhlLD810PI2pRcH3MIlRq1yQqFV-JAKsh2POI_4azdO6W64/s1600/IMG_1156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FieHaZ4jIjyiZ7NYe0bVJhv8XA_5fuzsuXOjQL9kB3NLn9Xo8i_p0FOd5lb64G7cvhwhHLUtof6VD1LUg_kdr8yj4CognhlLD810PI2pRcH3MIlRq1yQqFV-JAKsh2POI_4azdO6W64/s1600/IMG_1156.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the black walnut and the cherry.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIRcrnPmorCLNFUFxWkIiFsmts6l5gatgoTMAj41oAn4BsVzy2Bv16-FM8c8_tDQUG5s3MpzJueFyJU1ToR-Jg2ZwmHSMMzUQb55B1obmOMXNPD0aoc1uPLCcGp6L1h5sh83XKj8iL6w/s1600/IMG_0768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIRcrnPmorCLNFUFxWkIiFsmts6l5gatgoTMAj41oAn4BsVzy2Bv16-FM8c8_tDQUG5s3MpzJueFyJU1ToR-Jg2ZwmHSMMzUQb55B1obmOMXNPD0aoc1uPLCcGp6L1h5sh83XKj8iL6w/s1600/IMG_0768.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There is one type of tree that is
conspicuously absent from these woods.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No evergreens. No conifers.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No hemlocks or spruces, no firs or
cedars. There is white pine but it was
obviously farmed here…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbGr5C-7ChDhBIODoHys8IvFaiVZoCEDWIYCvHhJ90eSinbu9GuX_Wxo3m6ZrVjq-pLLP23BajUjdBUIGpKp_9nqlSbKZ1XOvSylADL3yKwqtitKuDNHvgsH3JHBqzV24HASNBNvK7bs/s1600/IMG_2609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbGr5C-7ChDhBIODoHys8IvFaiVZoCEDWIYCvHhJ90eSinbu9GuX_Wxo3m6ZrVjq-pLLP23BajUjdBUIGpKp_9nqlSbKZ1XOvSylADL3yKwqtitKuDNHvgsH3JHBqzV24HASNBNvK7bs/s1600/IMG_2609.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…never escaping its stand on the
other side of the maytrail.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe it was planted here for
lumber…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHYPxKhWm5b0Q9Sg5j-NyKhkSx6hRidJHfz_FqaTFSmpWu6dye3dFf5vaqMY731xhR61yHQeQoVA1lRGIrdWmoUFJOy1vqfYZ0-_Llk2fLMv-qEtqRTGt2NhIeOoT1mP9Dh9I_Qj5-6s/s1600/IMG_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHYPxKhWm5b0Q9Sg5j-NyKhkSx6hRidJHfz_FqaTFSmpWu6dye3dFf5vaqMY731xhR61yHQeQoVA1lRGIrdWmoUFJOy1vqfYZ0-_Llk2fLMv-qEtqRTGt2NhIeOoT1mP9Dh9I_Qj5-6s/s1600/IMG_0293.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or to attract the right kind of
wildlife but this white pine never leaves this plantation.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It makes sense. Pines and spruces, hemlocks and firs, they
belong to an older kind of woods…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZQJkLX6nsOKN55DIPtquV8I9Jhih1utazOdr9t5Dua0wXTK9k3f9QsNk_V9jiqSGa1TdXdUngCPt7Xj_R9ixbM1EKhDqRbIjMT8PxMoZwmuDrPUrwUuXJlf4eAfHbtjaU8R2SSxG62Y/s1600/IMG_4393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZQJkLX6nsOKN55DIPtquV8I9Jhih1utazOdr9t5Dua0wXTK9k3f9QsNk_V9jiqSGa1TdXdUngCPt7Xj_R9ixbM1EKhDqRbIjMT8PxMoZwmuDrPUrwUuXJlf4eAfHbtjaU8R2SSxG62Y/s1600/IMG_4393.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the first kind of forest that
settled Turtle Island.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You can feel that here in the white
pine stand. It’s a place that feels
older than the rest of the woods...</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOgUs0s7ZMQHWX5RLxpD9XZqplvyFn4GWgyhl9ZphjKJOd1nNY74_qqmTnRP5VskC13hyphenhyphenE1fj5dK6ElA7fabCsvUvcAyTYn6GQTWDGRcOCPA_P_a6mEfBZgKeYIAXX-opApsHcu6hL-4/s1600/IMG_4389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOgUs0s7ZMQHWX5RLxpD9XZqplvyFn4GWgyhl9ZphjKJOd1nNY74_qqmTnRP5VskC13hyphenhyphenE1fj5dK6ElA7fabCsvUvcAyTYn6GQTWDGRcOCPA_P_a6mEfBZgKeYIAXX-opApsHcu6hL-4/s1600/IMG_4389.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…from a time out of mind.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here at the Schuylkill Center, a
different kind of woods is taking over, the forest of flowers and fleshy fruit,
the deciduous treescape meant for all four seasons.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Fifty years into its spring, it’s the
smaller and more reckless trees that are getting these woods going, their turn
in the sun…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82fIBLHhy3IoNUPiFGJPyaiAfVyBwa2kjat9sBX0GBGCSFABd_C6aedR1fged6_qBZBXBkg0B3kk6PCSo5qyllr2BrAWsKkfaP2uFL3cRlwQ5M-oFJTFg1ifVBwJGvTxjcCm0HTBWkYk/s1600/IMG_0501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82fIBLHhy3IoNUPiFGJPyaiAfVyBwa2kjat9sBX0GBGCSFABd_C6aedR1fged6_qBZBXBkg0B3kk6PCSo5qyllr2BrAWsKkfaP2uFL3cRlwQ5M-oFJTFg1ifVBwJGvTxjcCm0HTBWkYk/s1600/IMG_0501.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and so the Schuylkill Center is currently
dominated by the redbud and the dogwood…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVatriZUi40vFGjYQnRV4mzS_7F2zcTzz7eLJaGTz49WHb1CP2AbJiyjkIc7pNY1CGiEvwinc9IK28Ff4bh8Ms9wBU0j1EGqswrgNbdsIymUtj4_5nHT0-S2WPpi3VRFla2JMeFakYIA/s1600/IMG_0521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVatriZUi40vFGjYQnRV4mzS_7F2zcTzz7eLJaGTz49WHb1CP2AbJiyjkIc7pNY1CGiEvwinc9IK28Ff4bh8Ms9wBU0j1EGqswrgNbdsIymUtj4_5nHT0-S2WPpi3VRFla2JMeFakYIA/s1600/IMG_0521.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the crabapple and the hawthorn.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kj-7R_D57Ht0vi3iSZOE9VU9C-JWpJFlZ9RSrtt2QcuaA4JrapmqpGn53HFIOLBKC-pbMHSoHihv3pzxitSaMHM_cDLy0boBhlANDp3s0oL-MfIf0SE3DE2f5AB7nuAqPZpL03Be5GY/s1600/IMG_4512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kj-7R_D57Ht0vi3iSZOE9VU9C-JWpJFlZ9RSrtt2QcuaA4JrapmqpGn53HFIOLBKC-pbMHSoHihv3pzxitSaMHM_cDLy0boBhlANDp3s0oL-MfIf0SE3DE2f5AB7nuAqPZpL03Be5GY/s1600/IMG_4512.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What was it John Muir said?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Culture is an orchard…</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wZjeiFtRITddZMdWuw3dbQWKjL39PeqUgx1tYjTgW5E_5j4fCSghZRjhAuNcDV5XbPGXG51b3TiO0DdJvuQa7bpoNX6aQeEzf1Zb7wMx74z64IShTSJhckzU0DdYQcqpbxBC3t7NpBI/s1600/hawthrons.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wZjeiFtRITddZMdWuw3dbQWKjL39PeqUgx1tYjTgW5E_5j4fCSghZRjhAuNcDV5XbPGXG51b3TiO0DdJvuQa7bpoNX6aQeEzf1Zb7wMx74z64IShTSJhckzU0DdYQcqpbxBC3t7NpBI/s1600/hawthrons.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>…nature is a crab.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Down this path, I can find distinctive
features of a young woods, things like a <i>glade</i>.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6WZtBZBw96mg_vrkxZIroEctYuDhElZeSG6N7jG3c0Rn2zggZJ1ICBwFNXDQXbEhpuOiabUtxt8LyfAFTWKGL2o8HVyGUpuIvbXvzeMSGOaLtF2cSaLEjA5I0MY72X9WAZX_os3-xck/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6WZtBZBw96mg_vrkxZIroEctYuDhElZeSG6N7jG3c0Rn2zggZJ1ICBwFNXDQXbEhpuOiabUtxt8LyfAFTWKGL2o8HVyGUpuIvbXvzeMSGOaLtF2cSaLEjA5I0MY72X9WAZX_os3-xck/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The word comes from the Norse, by
way of <i>bright</i>, and it means an <i>open passage in the woods</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Typical of a glade, I find a colony
of mandrakes.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CZFjDiSzKx-cfxZQ08Mi0JbQbz-EETH_HOLLWc8g3szuxXXcxZUx8mwcSEqIiL3NL45qyAs3ybkdrrMMQv3U9E2PLTqZUHwQzfC93AsQHFjIyAsVkCN2GryH5mDsFaLruI_FsulD4Dc/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CZFjDiSzKx-cfxZQ08Mi0JbQbz-EETH_HOLLWc8g3szuxXXcxZUx8mwcSEqIiL3NL45qyAs3ybkdrrMMQv3U9E2PLTqZUHwQzfC93AsQHFjIyAsVkCN2GryH5mDsFaLruI_FsulD4Dc/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This plant has such a short
season. It shoots out of the ground in
early April. It has to be out and open
before the upper canopy leafs out. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">By the end of summer, it’s
gone. It’ll be eaten and swallowed
whole, those thick leaves and juicy stalks a favorite food for the caterpillars,
the centipedes, the beetles and the moths.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In the meantime, it produces a
super-sweet fruit called the <i>mayapple</i>.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJmJy4IAqptu1SeeXHIDPiULmvUz4_OIZaf1HRp6xPNlfUpvweJo8sRKVu0KNFuLAzK5HKa_Owy7tCSvR_nolOsfMZXxSvB1ItNPErS2hyphenhyphenl1pXRo7_vN8EjDy4W7nt8itoK_TgPwlFQ0/s1600/IMG_1335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJmJy4IAqptu1SeeXHIDPiULmvUz4_OIZaf1HRp6xPNlfUpvweJo8sRKVu0KNFuLAzK5HKa_Owy7tCSvR_nolOsfMZXxSvB1ItNPErS2hyphenhyphenl1pXRo7_vN8EjDy4W7nt8itoK_TgPwlFQ0/s1600/IMG_1335.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There’s one.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Who eats the mayapple? Browsers like the deer and the grackle,
scurriers like the mouse and the squirrel but, mostly, the mayapple is turtle
food.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqAufepSYfka7BP1UZEds96JuLu5SZIWTxEZ9miVarJk1TeKe0YUD71Jd0SV9t9wZWBZxvCb35Mv5rljoSzavKu7FPf-mO3nVGnvoV4noOupvVPThkptGaNJ2y0RH9QwAaJdmMjJDmcU/s1600/IMG_1338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifqAufepSYfka7BP1UZEds96JuLu5SZIWTxEZ9miVarJk1TeKe0YUD71Jd0SV9t9wZWBZxvCb35Mv5rljoSzavKu7FPf-mO3nVGnvoV4noOupvVPThkptGaNJ2y0RH9QwAaJdmMjJDmcU/s1600/IMG_1338.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If I look even closer at the glade
floor, I can see the unfurling of the ferns.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9rgUwgKE4ETJ7cjlNrXwyUGLcFrEEaEsHnDNvIjpzYfd1q0m21U3AGt2deDVAJCTbOQLX4ThyfvVkMkKduJ9rE2dGf9oEEzDQY4HiYbMqwnBjdRLGFh93wHVA-AnrKq-Ca4I-ZMDgyw/s1600/IMG_0343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9rgUwgKE4ETJ7cjlNrXwyUGLcFrEEaEsHnDNvIjpzYfd1q0m21U3AGt2deDVAJCTbOQLX4ThyfvVkMkKduJ9rE2dGf9oEEzDQY4HiYbMqwnBjdRLGFh93wHVA-AnrKq-Ca4I-ZMDgyw/s1600/IMG_0343.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These are some of the oldest
surviving plants still found on Spaceship Earth…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK44JAhBKgdUOGXklGUuTWVQ9TygtdpgLhIsEThxQHhmSzVTzXab5cxYIx836u7EhE67eXk6XLneciLSbMeIUE3DmZm20ws9QvK9qqkQYnZORFoof_Iu-OSp8OFybCwTkvqXNwiy3qGeU/s1600/IMG_0462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK44JAhBKgdUOGXklGUuTWVQ9TygtdpgLhIsEThxQHhmSzVTzXab5cxYIx836u7EhE67eXk6XLneciLSbMeIUE3DmZm20ws9QvK9qqkQYnZORFoof_Iu-OSp8OFybCwTkvqXNwiy3qGeU/s1600/IMG_0462.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…bubbling up onto the surface of the
primordial soup over 360 million years ago </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">when the fishes first started
crawling out of the sea, wiggling on the empty shores, the unmapped continents.</span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These ferns are still in their
fiddlehead phase…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkUK8Y3D7b-370L_uABNFx01Fujdt4lA8s7Grr5fT8IfCQXR13DGdXq-Hdem_1wPIu-FKT-1x_GDOptlVJ41DMc5S7UnjSafgfUWFy3_mN75SBcmhS3BNA3lAcf6gjDwHanMP4iICLgg/s1600/IMG_0464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkUK8Y3D7b-370L_uABNFx01Fujdt4lA8s7Grr5fT8IfCQXR13DGdXq-Hdem_1wPIu-FKT-1x_GDOptlVJ41DMc5S7UnjSafgfUWFy3_mN75SBcmhS3BNA3lAcf6gjDwHanMP4iICLgg/s1600/IMG_0464.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but, in less than a month, they
will be completely unfurled and this whole glade will turn into a field of
fronds.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtVOWx-3CpXY-OB_MyMtVa3GTNgfw4lQruqUpOB3bMQtAAuS6k5hzTswFUZaygGfwpDGkvEV9KGHQRNXyhh5eJN1SqGoh-sM83ZRyCeymSfkRx1F71izYjZKiD3zMo8U3Io9FA7M8wzQ/s1600/IMG_1494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihtVOWx-3CpXY-OB_MyMtVa3GTNgfw4lQruqUpOB3bMQtAAuS6k5hzTswFUZaygGfwpDGkvEV9KGHQRNXyhh5eJN1SqGoh-sM83ZRyCeymSfkRx1F71izYjZKiD3zMo8U3Io9FA7M8wzQ/s1600/IMG_1494.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here in the glade, I can also find
these vigorous thickets creeping across the grass…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYPYxDqly3QNSgxYpMpysXVxB4fEDvP_ySRu2uDXCUn_dXK6CLPEy_BcVxQAxypIxPSE6pMuMf7Mv5mwXx9YFUZ_2A7RbJe9As2YH5bQRXXMumiQeKOHjdrdJ5kFPH5qQETOxVO4zQ4Y/s1600/IMG_1265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYPYxDqly3QNSgxYpMpysXVxB4fEDvP_ySRu2uDXCUn_dXK6CLPEy_BcVxQAxypIxPSE6pMuMf7Mv5mwXx9YFUZ_2A7RbJe9As2YH5bQRXXMumiQeKOHjdrdJ5kFPH5qQETOxVO4zQ4Y/s1600/IMG_1265.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…these little whipper-snappers of multiflora
rose. At the very center of these
scrubs, I could probably find the remains of some poor tree that tried to grow
up in this glade.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Tenacious vines like the rose
protect these open spaces from the big trees.
Anything that might suck up all that precious brightness, even far away
in the future, better be prepared to fight...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOIJSV5FntqRlM0vrbeIB2n71ZWeE7E9soJYax8rxeD8Y7riWzyUdRNWIQPSD0N3eOBog-t9xg70OkXGqskjPmuYq7-9En9qI81EYkdBXsQOW6Xm-NalJFRYdRjmzJOwthFdiQldE3hY/s1600/IMG_5804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOIJSV5FntqRlM0vrbeIB2n71ZWeE7E9soJYax8rxeD8Y7riWzyUdRNWIQPSD0N3eOBog-t9xg70OkXGqskjPmuYq7-9En9qI81EYkdBXsQOW6Xm-NalJFRYdRjmzJOwthFdiQldE3hY/s1600/IMG_5804.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">...all year round.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sometimes though, there is no tree
in the center. It might be something
like this…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCd-XwkmfGuBHMXeI7TRuNMJznsReXaE23NLx_MfejqR8flCgUA-jM5fUv4uYItgaArdhyXkVGULAPPCJoQq2E9V9wZH0Oo8MoTkqT0uf-tsUv6cjsiP3MXcjRqwm4LiPSVGbfjteDHA/s1600/IMG_0314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCd-XwkmfGuBHMXeI7TRuNMJznsReXaE23NLx_MfejqR8flCgUA-jM5fUv4uYItgaArdhyXkVGULAPPCJoQq2E9V9wZH0Oo8MoTkqT0uf-tsUv6cjsiP3MXcjRqwm4LiPSVGbfjteDHA/s1600/IMG_0314.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the last remaining post of an old
fence.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As I approached, a big crow darted
out of this thicket and flew fast out of sight.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe this is where he was planning
to mate…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GnrI3rs_fCh_NOnC1DhjIsVhpsZHWMbxh6uBHBpYtHqn25in-VeAeVxyMQdVIjKBEtxRC0eRrKoX0Fm548VlRTYThCdngAE6PvDSAyEzKzAEqlBoaTCFd88ZD8dt4Nvq4mvYFnKhRmg/s1600/AAAAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GnrI3rs_fCh_NOnC1DhjIsVhpsZHWMbxh6uBHBpYtHqn25in-VeAeVxyMQdVIjKBEtxRC0eRrKoX0Fm548VlRTYThCdngAE6PvDSAyEzKzAEqlBoaTCFd88ZD8dt4Nvq4mvYFnKhRmg/s1600/AAAAA.jpg" height="528" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or maybe this is her nest.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I peer inside, hoping to find some
eggs. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I can feel the crow looking at me…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7oXrQ8JmSkKLsLsNPJ43vTmHiZYDfKxjbiW5UJQkQ0ZoE_eYAG4hKOQBHr01-Hus8Mzd7a6YIJWgvuo54zIS9pEExAIErMvSzBZ94sTCSaL9uPCQAiGl7U2XdyK-XXcgWiHRmMhSAtMQ/s1600/IMG_1343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7oXrQ8JmSkKLsLsNPJ43vTmHiZYDfKxjbiW5UJQkQ0ZoE_eYAG4hKOQBHr01-Hus8Mzd7a6YIJWgvuo54zIS9pEExAIErMvSzBZ94sTCSaL9uPCQAiGl7U2XdyK-XXcgWiHRmMhSAtMQ/s1600/IMG_1343.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…watching me from afar. There’s no need yet to start a fight. After all, I’m probably just a loud, blind
bumpkin that won’t be able to see the eggs anyway, not through all that jungle.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And I can’t. I can’t see anything in there.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Who knows? Come back here in another fifty years and
this could be a mound or a knoll.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In a hundred years, this could be a
hill…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXk1d-mjyNsGLQCgIuEMixqHKOWQ-jNuYtG4oWSD2vcZBtQBf1c_n93nom5DsbfsCGO-a0zvCnM3QYbKhktPzbtEh1ESuspO36qTf253T9SwX23uPIa8PHCReWenKhBrOPkoaS3j69p2g/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXk1d-mjyNsGLQCgIuEMixqHKOWQ-jNuYtG4oWSD2vcZBtQBf1c_n93nom5DsbfsCGO-a0zvCnM3QYbKhktPzbtEh1ESuspO36qTf253T9SwX23uPIa8PHCReWenKhBrOPkoaS3j69p2g/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and who would know that there’s a
fence post buried in its center.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is still such a tender woods.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Down this trail, I can still see the
scars…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7TmIRMdUZBit9FCTi9xPCAd-zw__G8beuzi27SaaP9VrZZmKNG8fW7DLf5f0W8y8f4XkS-jM0PRhZVT4WqKTjE7moMiDJapYSPJRNoihPwnQn0FCVp7jEnpkde1N407cJwcJLebsH2s/s1600/IMG_1147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7TmIRMdUZBit9FCTi9xPCAd-zw__G8beuzi27SaaP9VrZZmKNG8fW7DLf5f0W8y8f4XkS-jM0PRhZVT4WqKTjE7moMiDJapYSPJRNoihPwnQn0FCVp7jEnpkde1N407cJwcJLebsH2s/s1600/IMG_1147.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…can still see the growing pains to
get even this far.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is the work of the wild grape
and the poison ivy. Some of the trees
have been able to shake off these vicious vines…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDpFzQGztbbY186a2ktRsq6aloj3jFub4N6KYNmkk8q1HwwNS2g3Kw5G5wJLeSLCDEv2YavuWMFqZFIvbKTl79b3WK3lVft7sEfhxGTbpIFpQXszIdjIn9PPwOnxPGdBwKsATNQsR9_I/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDpFzQGztbbY186a2ktRsq6aloj3jFub4N6KYNmkk8q1HwwNS2g3Kw5G5wJLeSLCDEv2YavuWMFqZFIvbKTl79b3WK3lVft7sEfhxGTbpIFpQXszIdjIn9PPwOnxPGdBwKsATNQsR9_I/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…while other trees have just managed
to cope…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8aO5sxT7NgsQOadG05BNMgQBTzpz5kkEJTmnTxqRdbFstV0qZV9FzlLgHz5IKADrgq2jenClFofuwUX4qB0C4IJ7wzu6u3kjEQbjXnLm7o1VD7HvF4SAQMlfZWpTDt3_nM1JLNFJEJ8/s1600/IMG_0840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8aO5sxT7NgsQOadG05BNMgQBTzpz5kkEJTmnTxqRdbFstV0qZV9FzlLgHz5IKADrgq2jenClFofuwUX4qB0C4IJ7wzu6u3kjEQbjXnLm7o1VD7HvF4SAQMlfZWpTDt3_nM1JLNFJEJ8/s1600/IMG_0840.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…stronger trees that can carry the
weight of a parasite.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRp1j-4GdhwGKuIaTWI0OIVq0CBRRdcZyoS86enitgIs2vMrlVyodn1rgDpKcypiGH7GrYPkRaYB9sHye5MOtum8AL9KI2o_DITzlB4OVj3QmeNWel6SGbYodxA0x_qQ7RYtVgJT2I0D4/s1600/IMG_1452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRp1j-4GdhwGKuIaTWI0OIVq0CBRRdcZyoS86enitgIs2vMrlVyodn1rgDpKcypiGH7GrYPkRaYB9sHye5MOtum8AL9KI2o_DITzlB4OVj3QmeNWel6SGbYodxA0x_qQ7RYtVgJT2I0D4/s1600/IMG_1452.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Every now and then in these woods, I
can actually walk right into the middle of these struggles, the battle for the upper
canopy still raging.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvO91GcmFh6Ch_m9KFXYrETeSCY5T76oPsEd1xaifg60YO2PW6dDojIAu6oqldZbHH2BB3EpW54s09NsyXDnF0A4jD06P5qm8ioucf8DFTivueSSlIq6fN0LGuhdcxIxF6l_3MeY_RK5k/s1600/IMG_1363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvO91GcmFh6Ch_m9KFXYrETeSCY5T76oPsEd1xaifg60YO2PW6dDojIAu6oqldZbHH2BB3EpW54s09NsyXDnF0A4jD06P5qm8ioucf8DFTivueSSlIq6fN0LGuhdcxIxF6l_3MeY_RK5k/s1600/IMG_1363.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There is a tree missing from that
small colony, a tree that wasn’t able to shake off the moocher.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All that’s left of the tree is the
hardy vine that took it away.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-ZsmAhG2iQwgR75RKfGM1P9XoktIC4PSBRZqavplNfj7ReGlKJ1b4OhJt3kt-AueUimFrqtvKqwIdksRXEzj5tsHJrVCNHonsbanMnEloeomV6gIdhrNjLvzna7HY_FVQoKnFbeFlkU/s1600/IMG_1361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-ZsmAhG2iQwgR75RKfGM1P9XoktIC4PSBRZqavplNfj7ReGlKJ1b4OhJt3kt-AueUimFrqtvKqwIdksRXEzj5tsHJrVCNHonsbanMnEloeomV6gIdhrNjLvzna7HY_FVQoKnFbeFlkU/s1600/IMG_1361.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And now the vine has jumped to the
next tree in the group…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-9f1CtSfvfAYFB_ecGMhfNRqgaxwYxCOBXx3MwNRCssb4NOTp7pSupIJ0UKCi1YSJxLEooFgcvqLPvSy6HybOJwI8UlWRat__O5fmXAjsnbGcj9kxWjgiAZmVcMe-HouNi8GAv0VUjI/s1600/IMG_1357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-9f1CtSfvfAYFB_ecGMhfNRqgaxwYxCOBXx3MwNRCssb4NOTp7pSupIJ0UKCi1YSJxLEooFgcvqLPvSy6HybOJwI8UlWRat__O5fmXAjsnbGcj9kxWjgiAZmVcMe-HouNi8GAv0VUjI/s1600/IMG_1357.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…a race to the sun as the ceiling of
the canopy rises higher and higher.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Meanwhile, the other trees remain
standing for now, refusing to give up the ground where their brother has
fallen.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzESpUHM1nAXgYw4LLVmKwH7ZzlbsscccayGnCXEVd_8HLvC27EE7pEcdKQhyphenhyphenSvs4Y37xJHJ7vwyE2VbfwNZdyk8ozh_8nKCV8xtTsvkIChfUN-3N_L-qsNzKz6HVQH8nTEO3BhhPCWVA/s1600/IMG_1354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzESpUHM1nAXgYw4LLVmKwH7ZzlbsscccayGnCXEVd_8HLvC27EE7pEcdKQhyphenhyphenSvs4Y37xJHJ7vwyE2VbfwNZdyk8ozh_8nKCV8xtTsvkIChfUN-3N_L-qsNzKz6HVQH8nTEO3BhhPCWVA/s1600/IMG_1354.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> The maytrail ends here.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRLWFaBJ9zoaM6suxHyQp1ROjiFwCjKaSsxiybQJB17cENLOXmaVgOYJqnlrvgN0lSbYzGGNmbVquB4wWq0jpolHtK7fJTcTwqWKZRqM1WbocoRCfSXaWHdTCoydkOTbZ3FGteydkwNs/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRLWFaBJ9zoaM6suxHyQp1ROjiFwCjKaSsxiybQJB17cENLOXmaVgOYJqnlrvgN0lSbYzGGNmbVquB4wWq0jpolHtK7fJTcTwqWKZRqM1WbocoRCfSXaWHdTCoydkOTbZ3FGteydkwNs/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I can’t keep going. It’s all briar. There are little breaks that
might be the continuation of the path but they don’t last long at all. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The trail is lost…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vCQtIBxMEwG9sXpTnLELyT47rGnDwdWbB_XvO-JLd_6mh_fNNPeGlt24w-V7fVbL-WJmzoWlntnYvxOJ5PvHSWioQRhAo_I_1F2WXRzWZVw4NSJIZ3YKtCVmpTkS5YklOEYUzBaHYPI/s1600/IMG_1274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vCQtIBxMEwG9sXpTnLELyT47rGnDwdWbB_XvO-JLd_6mh_fNNPeGlt24w-V7fVbL-WJmzoWlntnYvxOJ5PvHSWioQRhAo_I_1F2WXRzWZVw4NSJIZ3YKtCVmpTkS5YklOEYUzBaHYPI/s1600/IMG_1274.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…although maybe this was always the
end. Maybe this was always meant to be
the final destination.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I could end the blog right here, let
the summer woods close up the trail behind me.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ll be shipwrecked in the woods,
locked up in the wilds, lingering here at the edge until the winter moons let
me out.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LC-H4tAbc3FNO_wGwYYAqOUO2NMi-gXpwneyXuf3AM94e_8YDe1LXD6FuUYvSSmstRsPiXNMt2SmAm4PgJOBpscQGRqHv83RC7kTKoSWqtqUFPC4HPF-vxtVChLhQDxNUKc-TnwdXNo/s1600/IMG_7261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LC-H4tAbc3FNO_wGwYYAqOUO2NMi-gXpwneyXuf3AM94e_8YDe1LXD6FuUYvSSmstRsPiXNMt2SmAm4PgJOBpscQGRqHv83RC7kTKoSWqtqUFPC4HPF-vxtVChLhQDxNUKc-TnwdXNo/s1600/IMG_7261.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For sustenance, I could wean my body
to eat the land, teach my stomach to digest the crabapple, the dogwood berry,
the black cherry, the wild grape now flowering…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpd0fZKHZNBelGRJrl24vHC7-2aQInzDPfNRXLJl7GaNJz6W3jqoXV270YlS4Dop2r4lQrg33T2yGwsEGyQsdCRaKbZ-4eb8PVLZkgbuo41VUIgXvw9mV80YXcH7DGiJZDFs6OgDd2LI/s1600/IMG_1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpd0fZKHZNBelGRJrl24vHC7-2aQInzDPfNRXLJl7GaNJz6W3jqoXV270YlS4Dop2r4lQrg33T2yGwsEGyQsdCRaKbZ-4eb8PVLZkgbuo41VUIgXvw9mV80YXcH7DGiJZDFs6OgDd2LI/s1600/IMG_1292.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or I could learn how to forage for
wild tubers, how to dig for drinkable water.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But, in the end, this is not my
niche. I am a traveler here. No matter how familiar I become with these
woods, I will always be a tourist, a guest and, worst of all, a freeloader.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All I would do is take, pillage and
plunder. And this woods, in the spring
of its wilding, is way too busy for that kind of bumming around.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>STORIES OF THE TAWNY GRAMMAR</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Down the path from
the maytrail, just past the white pine stand and on the way towards the Ravine
Loop, I can find my favorite puddle in the entire city.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVq223eGkCvcyWEuj6kueND8kn0Fx18UN8wDlmdMh2HqH9kY0-iotzYmuUGSiBM8vQgNDmR_P86mWYVOxelZ-dhgQN-edLFuHoE8891Lz87Haax_uPoZmPDkDOqCGPUu6ZOvorR0r9tE/s1600/IMG_1320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVq223eGkCvcyWEuj6kueND8kn0Fx18UN8wDlmdMh2HqH9kY0-iotzYmuUGSiBM8vQgNDmR_P86mWYVOxelZ-dhgQN-edLFuHoE8891Lz87Haax_uPoZmPDkDOqCGPUu6ZOvorR0r9tE/s1600/IMG_1320.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This puddle is one of the most
insightful and most astounding places in all of Philadelphia.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQfP0QoVMVxk946WlouiAQQrUqBrJxfkjtwJLnzCUZ5Rf_MDdzVAYz5W9Dt0kLZfMYsqmxkhRxiC4gnCuk5k1jBFKMcLGKX0G4DNqx9y863nxCd4m-91e-Rp0gtcni8AJREbfgdLOBE4/s1600/IMG_1321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQfP0QoVMVxk946WlouiAQQrUqBrJxfkjtwJLnzCUZ5Rf_MDdzVAYz5W9Dt0kLZfMYsqmxkhRxiC4gnCuk5k1jBFKMcLGKX0G4DNqx9y863nxCd4m-91e-Rp0gtcni8AJREbfgdLOBE4/s1600/IMG_1321.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No, no, no, you don’t
understand. You think I’m joking.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s true.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">First of all, it’s always here. There is always some sort of standing water
at this part of the trail. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It might be iced over in the winter,
it might be parched in the summer, but there is always some sort of puddle here.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In the spring, if I look closely at
its reflection, I can see the trees growing overhead.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_Sr2JtL051SuTfD_DlkhzC0v8nWxn2dVKXfuRLD-MB4CzP1KkbZ8I-tlmWrSMxHBSUST1UInhRWgzeh_Bngcw8sX2SBqrKhDYBzLtt50dYXijxLGCc2Ry0o6QtGs8ZLBUf4ZOtK83Xg/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_Sr2JtL051SuTfD_DlkhzC0v8nWxn2dVKXfuRLD-MB4CzP1KkbZ8I-tlmWrSMxHBSUST1UInhRWgzeh_Bngcw8sX2SBqrKhDYBzLtt50dYXijxLGCc2Ry0o6QtGs8ZLBUf4ZOtK83Xg/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One of those trees is standing just
to my left…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5LmuwsesXTzPWGmmbYIY_Y1_eFSoLbGhzbszp1Zdgwe_u7qI89v_lY6JbHMY05CQg-i7i8V5rsb7oLgBB4pT4SzzKHhRaTQ2PC8SSJ0cNfr1dbzINeuVKQ26OlkDthbPM_pEbMKRFBo/s1600/IMG_1329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5LmuwsesXTzPWGmmbYIY_Y1_eFSoLbGhzbszp1Zdgwe_u7qI89v_lY6JbHMY05CQg-i7i8V5rsb7oLgBB4pT4SzzKHhRaTQ2PC8SSJ0cNfr1dbzINeuVKQ26OlkDthbPM_pEbMKRFBo/s1600/IMG_1329.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…a black walnut.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If I come back here in late October
during the Ducks Fly Moon, this puddle will be full of those black walnuts, rotting away in the greatest puddle this city's ever seen.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQF3rm2k_OG60vnL2X1uu9gtd5l49a1wKn_DD570p0R1zBgW9T4VdX50qmz1K_SHGiJOz25mR7b1vk7taIpt88H10llGaWVzekzOXZWlQuNw_YAu5U7ftKrrAbEc0WHUD-pke64Bp6CVk/s1600/IMG_4533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQF3rm2k_OG60vnL2X1uu9gtd5l49a1wKn_DD570p0R1zBgW9T4VdX50qmz1K_SHGiJOz25mR7b1vk7taIpt88H10llGaWVzekzOXZWlQuNw_YAu5U7ftKrrAbEc0WHUD-pke64Bp6CVk/s1600/IMG_4533.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m under no delusions here. I know the tree doesn't have any eyes but that doesn’t stop my own mind from imagining the
story…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZMjV-TABtHOXJJeRp5Rtjrv51cPbCvIhEseWTNCwuyWByqUN_SrJxReVZp4IZ9cLj-SpmgHEBQRBXNQBDuksP6qEmJ3qjxpplx49VVlKLFueyNiFoDTNHuOr6e2cPo07CJAs6zPjozI/s1600/IMG_1325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZMjV-TABtHOXJJeRp5Rtjrv51cPbCvIhEseWTNCwuyWByqUN_SrJxReVZp4IZ9cLj-SpmgHEBQRBXNQBDuksP6qEmJ3qjxpplx49VVlKLFueyNiFoDTNHuOr6e2cPo07CJAs6zPjozI/s1600/IMG_1325.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the way the tree looks at its
reflection all year long, watching itself leafing, flowering and then fruiting…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMxJQKdTsaIPXkIkFMJyPhy6j9WRyR4zbQUewTqR6CJthqjdOLTAy17A_rV6I0bnkQvwcoraecXXEYeWc-R0fIx9BG1ZThWQlyD3fZ5ruYDIVD2iTqAeHeM5Zu4mWV3IrjBFUNyF7aa4/s1600/IMG_2634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMxJQKdTsaIPXkIkFMJyPhy6j9WRyR4zbQUewTqR6CJthqjdOLTAy17A_rV6I0bnkQvwcoraecXXEYeWc-R0fIx9BG1ZThWQlyD3fZ5ruYDIVD2iTqAeHeM5Zu4mWV3IrjBFUNyF7aa4/s1600/IMG_2634.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and, just at the end of the
growing season, it fills the puddle up with its own falling leaves and ripe fruit.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbA-pKeXr9IGrxsYegaEMuOF_x5Ig3Pss5Qo27xDnK3MP1qu3b89ko_5VZmFaoJnXTStOAcsKFJgdLpCaoU_aCSxtqRPIkiiyhJH_HyNi7YWpesoL_mwmpHXWkWro8YWKfqUb1_VIGhw/s1600/IMG_2637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbA-pKeXr9IGrxsYegaEMuOF_x5Ig3Pss5Qo27xDnK3MP1qu3b89ko_5VZmFaoJnXTStOAcsKFJgdLpCaoU_aCSxtqRPIkiiyhJH_HyNi7YWpesoL_mwmpHXWkWro8YWKfqUb1_VIGhw/s1600/IMG_2637.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now that’s a great ending.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It takes a whole season to tell the
full story.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">To me, it feels like one long
sentence, a slow and steady chant of a song that keeps rising and rising until
it reaches this climatic ending, walnuts bobbing in a puddle…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovt4v-zJpzTHWUznS9ZEH2RYxe_a-7macaI5gqpBtR52ftIVsur5cnNVteVvKCSW4aqQ10GiDO5cV38fkSGUrc2e2YTdEI2KRvz2gAUhnn9uo64MZjouq1eYLfGNSogmJj813QGivsm0/s1600/IMG_4533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovt4v-zJpzTHWUznS9ZEH2RYxe_a-7macaI5gqpBtR52ftIVsur5cnNVteVvKCSW4aqQ10GiDO5cV38fkSGUrc2e2YTdEI2KRvz2gAUhnn9uo64MZjouq1eYLfGNSogmJj813QGivsm0/s1600/IMG_4533.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…worthy of a John Bonham drum-fill.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s natural, for some people, to
think this way when staring at a puddle.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It makes sense to turn these
observations into a story, with a beginning, a middle and an end.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thoreau called it the <i>tawny grammar</i>. It’s a language based on observation, a <i>wild and dusky knowledge</i> that puts some
sort of order to <i>this vast, savage,
howling mother of ours, Nature, lying all around…</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwHIe3gxY9-LuqkaclPa6mxq54yvEEl7Frptlpd-Il_iIsmiBw_SLtlZhwF4vg52qPP9vPWWMnlhEAN3RK3RMLBsACRsM6n7SJKsDV_yOtJ9PHGcDMC3c78bGc4BbPqYkltB_QydqNLk/s1600/IMG_0593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwHIe3gxY9-LuqkaclPa6mxq54yvEEl7Frptlpd-Il_iIsmiBw_SLtlZhwF4vg52qPP9vPWWMnlhEAN3RK3RMLBsACRsM6n7SJKsDV_yOtJ9PHGcDMC3c78bGc4BbPqYkltB_QydqNLk/s1600/IMG_0593.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>…with such beauty</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In the world of champion
tree-hunting, the tawny grammar begins with identification. The story begins with the name.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This wasn’t always the case. In Turtle Island mythology, there are very
few names. In the very earliest of
times, the earth was just darkness and ocean, called <i>ocean</i>. </span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvKvQOqWkqunKmVhuc8xLSObJu9CRdkhogmIP0hzV8JQmf_NxEZ1QdpTAQmhRlRsHt5kbpVBhuE6qwsfE-Lw8vd-09pFPQ-pJyDxSIKztB4_0SAvtYNC3DQ6I_40Q3MUsUi1XvFe_wZs/s1600/IMG_0570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvKvQOqWkqunKmVhuc8xLSObJu9CRdkhogmIP0hzV8JQmf_NxEZ1QdpTAQmhRlRsHt5kbpVBhuE6qwsfE-Lw8vd-09pFPQ-pJyDxSIKztB4_0SAvtYNC3DQ6I_40Q3MUsUi1XvFe_wZs/s1600/IMG_0570.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All fish are called <i>fish</i> and all people are called <i>the people</i>. Even the trees went by one name.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Tree.</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoJPXwPMuHRV8BUZiKsdZ8UgHMvLK8Z5HtEMHG9HVeaaEEKMYoq4oolCOe0c6XXuqukfUuS2MiNJhmb1_AtLnyHrXUlgNQDa1g0G-nSEpUW-ea3En-QNF2vlL3zmyhOj6jevenLdAblM/s1600/IMG_0574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoJPXwPMuHRV8BUZiKsdZ8UgHMvLK8Z5HtEMHG9HVeaaEEKMYoq4oolCOe0c6XXuqukfUuS2MiNJhmb1_AtLnyHrXUlgNQDa1g0G-nSEpUW-ea3En-QNF2vlL3zmyhOj6jevenLdAblM/s1600/IMG_0574.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I guess, in the beginning, there was
enough time to get specific later although, if I was around back then, I’d be
the guy telling them to hurry up.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Before you know it, the season is
done. The minutes? They turn into hours. The hours?
They’re really days and, before you can even bat an eye, the beginning
is over, the tale near its end.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6vge0QVtCNbruF0wldVIH138eZ8rMHVv52pRNLGk3PvRdZJbHqWoBq0w_1wWBRXNpldkKY_sK-MdvWCeQm4CDNzSN_oUYqyudKRtd89SiTp5Ge0RA9uAvNOhJCAn9q5Yyje97bNebSo/s1600/IMG_0582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6vge0QVtCNbruF0wldVIH138eZ8rMHVv52pRNLGk3PvRdZJbHqWoBq0w_1wWBRXNpldkKY_sK-MdvWCeQm4CDNzSN_oUYqyudKRtd89SiTp5Ge0RA9uAvNOhJCAn9q5Yyje97bNebSo/s1600/IMG_0582.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s natural, for some people, to
think this way when walking through the woods.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZxD3lyuprbQe8FGW20weVSYvwbJjKwrFpqIS4XUsPYlrAWaEfWZNEkSmP4gTnRKv8l0T141DyGp5o64Opd2WEnPZeUmJuQSKfSeVkhg70hjHYR23MT9Ol0u3ekBYRp2Q2Vj_s9gYS9Q/s1600/IMG_0528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZxD3lyuprbQe8FGW20weVSYvwbJjKwrFpqIS4XUsPYlrAWaEfWZNEkSmP4gTnRKv8l0T141DyGp5o64Opd2WEnPZeUmJuQSKfSeVkhg70hjHYR23MT9Ol0u3ekBYRp2Q2Vj_s9gYS9Q/s1600/IMG_0528.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s the sassafras. It’s flowering now.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqU6n05LPOhxgMyBrKXa2dpkdK3DPUxBVaRnXQlDT9EGCbEMmKYPimrdwf6AVDrcKuJjMokfHderSwYXnFf04CxPndYsBw3pVZ-20bDWm6-8GQkUcUhNPrd4LsZIQfhMgaaWnfUtlks9g/s1600/IMG_0473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqU6n05LPOhxgMyBrKXa2dpkdK3DPUxBVaRnXQlDT9EGCbEMmKYPimrdwf6AVDrcKuJjMokfHderSwYXnFf04CxPndYsBw3pVZ-20bDWm6-8GQkUcUhNPrd4LsZIQfhMgaaWnfUtlks9g/s1600/IMG_0473.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
sassafras grow in wide colonies, full of clones. It helps colonize the woods as it grows from
pasture to forest.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
just big enough to dominate over the dogwood and the crabapple and the redbud
but not nearly tall enough or strong enough to keep at bay the big trees due to
come.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
love walking in the woods with the sassafras.
</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
finds such crooked ways to reach the sun.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlfk1WBMqyffEe-ZZmvJKq5DHp5kANrk_G-cf2AyRmg4IrnNqwrz3wyfagws5EcfAckEUCtskx5PX-lIRXHjl5SyjdhGZJ5g5mtLlmLmJY533t00vJuZ8oAAQNWacID3OLdBCZf2gUtQ/s1600/IMG_0532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlfk1WBMqyffEe-ZZmvJKq5DHp5kANrk_G-cf2AyRmg4IrnNqwrz3wyfagws5EcfAckEUCtskx5PX-lIRXHjl5SyjdhGZJ5g5mtLlmLmJY533t00vJuZ8oAAQNWacID3OLdBCZf2gUtQ/s1600/IMG_0532.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
watch this. This is how I can see the
wilds, this is how I can read the tawny grammar. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
got the sassafras groves creeping right up to the trail…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RmGihJerTLa6Q31ElkfKjAcwsaW8ZQZhXmjYU7PUzcFM9csbZQ5xwXbQYSNlMGDax0VmbUYQw5sRVZWIqke7eRkg8gzYARiJnEIRjgsjHJvtXrd9idUQ04TsAbcHSBhw3KF4dm70gyE/s1600/IMG_0548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RmGihJerTLa6Q31ElkfKjAcwsaW8ZQZhXmjYU7PUzcFM9csbZQ5xwXbQYSNlMGDax0VmbUYQw5sRVZWIqke7eRkg8gzYARiJnEIRjgsjHJvtXrd9idUQ04TsAbcHSBhw3KF4dm70gyE/s1600/IMG_0548.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
then I see these grayish trees, elderberry trees I think.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBA-dheRSC5JSvXNA0xa7mNu_vVR4CsvRNjSKjUlZnEDk5-M8ZJFsQ7ZNBT3TAGKexCWY0zvo4hTzTLEJtntaozD0QW9M674ERo4ApzJrz-_3bFjt4UcJ4b_rhruGOfI3kgW55w6J9v9M/s1600/IMG_0536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBA-dheRSC5JSvXNA0xa7mNu_vVR4CsvRNjSKjUlZnEDk5-M8ZJFsQ7ZNBT3TAGKexCWY0zvo4hTzTLEJtntaozD0QW9M674ERo4ApzJrz-_3bFjt4UcJ4b_rhruGOfI3kgW55w6J9v9M/s1600/IMG_0536.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Their
trunks always seem to split in two.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Once
a few species are identified, now it’s the hard part.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
I have to watch, keep a look out, hunt the tree. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
is one rule. I’m only allowed to see
what’s really there.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUKC2r5ArWZzES0p66fwi5Hbf_c54BefOA1HtVG-FovpHDUtpoy33U9JzzL_c1z8lTZ1Ckl5yWHwORK0P4qVLlDBWwgmv1WMnAWjgbN3dKNNl5_tHDVw5qQa__JsvVfd7o0i_91kP5hY/s1600/IMG_1111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUKC2r5ArWZzES0p66fwi5Hbf_c54BefOA1HtVG-FovpHDUtpoy33U9JzzL_c1z8lTZ1Ckl5yWHwORK0P4qVLlDBWwgmv1WMnAWjgbN3dKNNl5_tHDVw5qQa__JsvVfd7o0i_91kP5hY/s1600/IMG_1111.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Groves
of sassafras, rows of elderberry trees, arches of wild roses but right there,
right in the middle of the patch, growing tall and straight...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ki5anTQ0pNHnkzQYDRNeaSFjU9C6aClGYVxLDOcrOXkzVB2fUp0IoGTakdnRceM89JqAT8gtl98ypLr31aNwPf9pIsxl9GQnaH1Fzz52-pIHmxlawBwU2QIWJsHgctCmoDUGP1HnURM/s1600/IMG_0545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ki5anTQ0pNHnkzQYDRNeaSFjU9C6aClGYVxLDOcrOXkzVB2fUp0IoGTakdnRceM89JqAT8gtl98ypLr31aNwPf9pIsxl9GQnaH1Fzz52-pIHmxlawBwU2QIWJsHgctCmoDUGP1HnURM/s1600/IMG_0545.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that’s
tulip poplar.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Look
at the way the sassafras and elderberries are moving away from the big tree…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0liHCRK2W7zHXCQHaVs-nMA9yDyhPz3G9y6Lv3sda1HJ2FhvJQ854dIO72_Zx13aaWWM_4_xmeYQ1k4QN_f0z_fq-oQJc4_6A-j5jhTNDtCIWnQrpf5PXSAcqg39I8Py_QQw1XeIXPE/s1600/IMG_0544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0liHCRK2W7zHXCQHaVs-nMA9yDyhPz3G9y6Lv3sda1HJ2FhvJQ854dIO72_Zx13aaWWM_4_xmeYQ1k4QN_f0z_fq-oQJc4_6A-j5jhTNDtCIWnQrpf5PXSAcqg39I8Py_QQw1XeIXPE/s1600/IMG_0544.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
way they’re bending and dancing around the tulip poplar. They know their spots are doomed, soon to be
shade.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
how you see the forest for the trees.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2PSvi4UEOMhCc524BNNJSQFc30vTKJ9nuEnSABary7ZDjfGAMHCyHHUsPoyi85SefzKlOWxpoY5MNvJPSMRWQWjgUASfH_0EgwvtDV4SklExWUQL2rBS4A7isEzuDdXWnr97b6uVMa4/s1600/IMG_1364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2PSvi4UEOMhCc524BNNJSQFc30vTKJ9nuEnSABary7ZDjfGAMHCyHHUsPoyi85SefzKlOWxpoY5MNvJPSMRWQWjgUASfH_0EgwvtDV4SklExWUQL2rBS4A7isEzuDdXWnr97b6uVMa4/s1600/IMG_1364.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There’s no better tree for these
kinds of stories than the actual <i>book-tree</i>
itself…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fQxFl827wLyVoJitcFYhgeI0nyq5dtstyOXnXPi3azi4RkDIjmA-c0ydjD9uUAkVBABpRyNkMvJtC03eWxl2F5ywh27617LcrXinzEcSHafeBacbcfw_Cw6TVDJ6wbfVP730AzJTDqM/s1600/IMG_1365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9fQxFl827wLyVoJitcFYhgeI0nyq5dtstyOXnXPi3azi4RkDIjmA-c0ydjD9uUAkVBABpRyNkMvJtC03eWxl2F5ywh27617LcrXinzEcSHafeBacbcfw_Cw6TVDJ6wbfVP730AzJTDqM/s1600/IMG_1365.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and my favorite one in the entire
city is located here at the Schuylkill Center.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At the highest point of the Ravine
Loop, there is this tree that goes by the name of beech.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xxQsAIFwQb4aWN3Fc9Ydqi2tK52ratY3jIvWzDwa6WNCXjyle39JRfik7ewPNknNvn5APW_l4xyKmP3GSdHvQJLps20nq7zamOhraPS1p84FvStAC01dzZUoDTYeZRO8xTVLmnvqY9E/s1600/IMG_1367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xxQsAIFwQb4aWN3Fc9Ydqi2tK52ratY3jIvWzDwa6WNCXjyle39JRfik7ewPNknNvn5APW_l4xyKmP3GSdHvQJLps20nq7zamOhraPS1p84FvStAC01dzZUoDTYeZRO8xTVLmnvqY9E/s1600/IMG_1367.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I swear, it seems to follow me…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBB3tSEu8IHAj4Oa1LXvVTIXdKb0AprAPJy3ajCc87w5yfMWpeCXbetDj4mrDcM56pKhAN1lTwC8n6doojK8x2KM9LBbq44Ep7743fUlGRSJT3fPwmQgaacwwpUtOkBMFMf7TjrSU89qc/s1600/IMG_0621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBB3tSEu8IHAj4Oa1LXvVTIXdKb0AprAPJy3ajCc87w5yfMWpeCXbetDj4mrDcM56pKhAN1lTwC8n6doojK8x2KM9LBbq44Ep7743fUlGRSJT3fPwmQgaacwwpUtOkBMFMf7TjrSU89qc/s1600/IMG_0621.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…every time I pass it on the trail.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">People are always asking me, <i>Hey, Jon Spruce, what’s your next blog going
to be about?</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It might just be this, reading beech
trees.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2GKaCBf48EQuhMslO_wO3y7fVj7qZRR7zCUfOen2utMT5eFYOlLcy_95GDFhJHx_smc4Dv8XJjrRGS2C9zYFUYMt_mTBZKTXlJJu_eig5gdsFj0qxpoWywN77LWDuu3G2jOYXWoqXro/s1600/IMG_1386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2GKaCBf48EQuhMslO_wO3y7fVj7qZRR7zCUfOen2utMT5eFYOlLcy_95GDFhJHx_smc4Dv8XJjrRGS2C9zYFUYMt_mTBZKTXlJJu_eig5gdsFj0qxpoWywN77LWDuu3G2jOYXWoqXro/s1600/IMG_1386.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I wish I had kept track of this
somehow because it’s hard to believe.
There’s not enough time to go back and document it but, in the last two
years spent tree-hunting in Philly, I always see two things written on every
big beech.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One is my brother’s name…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_su8wobqNLHafeQJte-nKzkPLPv3hxdBxlnFkU61g2lWgpXo5HIP4VLVasASHvqrPKDeKgqlTcJWuUV1ipmMZEXMP-i2SdDTNr2flfRyFgSLpx_rXWauI4eP2FbpTq2-B2jGPoscnbU/s1600/IMG_1388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_su8wobqNLHafeQJte-nKzkPLPv3hxdBxlnFkU61g2lWgpXo5HIP4VLVasASHvqrPKDeKgqlTcJWuUV1ipmMZEXMP-i2SdDTNr2flfRyFgSLpx_rXWauI4eP2FbpTq2-B2jGPoscnbU/s1600/IMG_1388.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and the other is Led Zeppelin.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDZaKYJIothqB4vpi0b0MwRlhEBPhdESrOzBKoFoqEkMx3LlvxGGTD23Es9Rt22q7m-a1Ey4kBKGlFVWEBtXp3st1bBeEZ444rKF__wJk-sEEZnMmVpQK_WvSi4HW5Ga38JH5uqm41DU/s1600/IMG_4931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDZaKYJIothqB4vpi0b0MwRlhEBPhdESrOzBKoFoqEkMx3LlvxGGTD23Es9Rt22q7m-a1Ey4kBKGlFVWEBtXp3st1bBeEZ444rKF__wJk-sEEZnMmVpQK_WvSi4HW5Ga38JH5uqm41DU/s1600/IMG_4931.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The beech tree is one of the
foundations of the eastern Turtle Island forests. It is the mother species of the chestnuts and
the oaks and, together with the sugar maple, it can reach what foresters call a
<i>climatic climax community</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s when the spring wilding ends, the work is done
and the forest is finished. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It happens when
there is equilibrium between soil, fungus and vegetation…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR8DS-enutrEBBZZ71QGk2AbGmeeOJvya67Djnp56kwKYcZ01cBlrrOu50kR8fnbTiHDKgoLAjubUzR-PyL8DfP3DRZRMtAzyB6f6D9DzPpy5GDgkPhG62aPMz2Q_stU5pT-J-uv_8vc/s1600/IMG_0389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR8DS-enutrEBBZZ71QGk2AbGmeeOJvya67Djnp56kwKYcZ01cBlrrOu50kR8fnbTiHDKgoLAjubUzR-PyL8DfP3DRZRMtAzyB6f6D9DzPpy5GDgkPhG62aPMz2Q_stU5pT-J-uv_8vc/s1600/IMG_0389.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…an <i>endpoint of succession</i>.
The epitome of the woods, sometimes they’re called <i>old
growth</i>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According to the foresters, when William
Penn’s flock landed at the Dock in Old City, the Philadelphia woods was a <i>closed canopy hardwood forest primarily
composed of American beech and sugar maple trees which tend to co-dominate the
forest and which are the pinnacle of plant succession in their range</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here it comes again.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This particular beech is already
headed in that direction. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yw1Z3N71g5-iGJtxCjXyiB_W2Budt5U_SsdnMpdLdZ1lf34Y_Z0GUXUS-mrdHIvIZ8y6Lrbbjax_gSAEG3QSnu5bmsDKBl2zFLZuO5Iq_jIxES38zzKhe0YgfWlwjdzQTT3-dJY2F_A/s1600/IMG_4560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yw1Z3N71g5-iGJtxCjXyiB_W2Budt5U_SsdnMpdLdZ1lf34Y_Z0GUXUS-mrdHIvIZ8y6Lrbbjax_gSAEG3QSnu5bmsDKBl2zFLZuO5Iq_jIxES38zzKhe0YgfWlwjdzQTT3-dJY2F_A/s1600/IMG_4560.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even the wildlife puts this tree on
the map.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Everything uses the beech. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its trunk, on its northern side, is
a habitat for moss and seasonal mushrooms.
Caterpillars and other insects eat its leaves. In the fall, the beech nuts attract the songbirds
and the ducks, the pigeons and the flycatchers, the chipmunk and the fox, even
the black bear.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In the winter, the porcupine is
known to chew on its bark.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On this particular day, I found a
slug…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9_C0FIj2ADsAdWzGTeq8_QiV9vBraEqAEq1L9jhxGMJzeXTd7FfHzHdIEu6hOgxRDMsaJ22e9K_8oehm8_5uHl2uwXodhpb26GLhs5lYriaei_6RCjUq6hJqwWkxIAg-yLGjKR53t8w/s1600/IMG_1370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9_C0FIj2ADsAdWzGTeq8_QiV9vBraEqAEq1L9jhxGMJzeXTd7FfHzHdIEu6hOgxRDMsaJ22e9K_8oehm8_5uHl2uwXodhpb26GLhs5lYriaei_6RCjUq6hJqwWkxIAg-yLGjKR53t8w/s1600/IMG_1370.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and, as I popped my head into
the next cranny, I saw a frog dart into the depths of the tree.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4qxuCzk3oC5tthOYrhuQTZQYz98fK4pAeukYe0to4W84FspE6GdMg_x6xMsCIxLcSR3lrQWOKuUL0EzvOr7lxfEcJ296BfE59lRJKKknDU9efL7MPLFX1yma4Gd5ue09-au2m6NYIsA/s1600/IMG_1372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4qxuCzk3oC5tthOYrhuQTZQYz98fK4pAeukYe0to4W84FspE6GdMg_x6xMsCIxLcSR3lrQWOKuUL0EzvOr7lxfEcJ296BfE59lRJKKknDU9efL7MPLFX1yma4Gd5ue09-au2m6NYIsA/s1600/IMG_1372.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The inside of a beech is famous for
mice nests. It’s also common to see owls. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dNElbnsZiLYDJEnq0UJUISIXe__UFO46D6GveMeBZQFfHZMZxV5Zh6XRRCfQycnPgdBC2-lj0wzhFF2iVFFGx9ROqeGfqHpuzIJdjCg4FEOFM-SZgFayl3ClZVMvLPfrUp3sZAk-OUg/s1600/IMG_1378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dNElbnsZiLYDJEnq0UJUISIXe__UFO46D6GveMeBZQFfHZMZxV5Zh6XRRCfQycnPgdBC2-lj0wzhFF2iVFFGx9ROqeGfqHpuzIJdjCg4FEOFM-SZgFayl3ClZVMvLPfrUp3sZAk-OUg/s1600/IMG_1378.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The top of the tree is a favorite nesting
site for the red-tailed hawk.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Squirrels use the beech to hoard
their acorns and nuts.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYY3umjG6o76TRc2bWMioeeoJNht6chEKz1rZp7lmdxBM2Bep8hCy2hu6DLjybCHVbpYaRhjCsdwenHp5H6trN4DDKZ5eEeUgikf4C1hvwDmmGmyaVPs4Ecxhg2jFpNnA5ud2W5CW4Nk/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYY3umjG6o76TRc2bWMioeeoJNht6chEKz1rZp7lmdxBM2Bep8hCy2hu6DLjybCHVbpYaRhjCsdwenHp5H6trN4DDKZ5eEeUgikf4C1hvwDmmGmyaVPs4Ecxhg2jFpNnA5ud2W5CW4Nk/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This particular beech has a root
system poised to take over the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All around this turn of the trail, I
can find its roots bursting out of the ground…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJO2nAifBki-5qPGkmukTgKK8gWzJ235f38F6cdfcwjEvN4PxjGcePkT70eTFtNrIem4ipf4Egk1IH9ALB6Xf4B4LLdAPK86SqoNFff3WmDvgAN_18JtpIjkxAlF3b-s7SjthnqNl1w8/s1600/IMG_0622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJO2nAifBki-5qPGkmukTgKK8gWzJ235f38F6cdfcwjEvN4PxjGcePkT70eTFtNrIem4ipf4Egk1IH9ALB6Xf4B4LLdAPK86SqoNFff3WmDvgAN_18JtpIjkxAlF3b-s7SjthnqNl1w8/s1600/IMG_0622.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…launching tree after tree…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccksV0Fb35nssqCzCHTs9NOI4lcx0TPQV3UpxzeVG_DTRJUTCLpoQqw5-44q7Il6hyPbIouZnHa8ipCzF96J3D4GVLfNES3xWzJAku5tBcbeZuk2EtnkOtkJJcBhNmRSU4lESSCe5Bv0/s1600/IMG_0624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccksV0Fb35nssqCzCHTs9NOI4lcx0TPQV3UpxzeVG_DTRJUTCLpoQqw5-44q7Il6hyPbIouZnHa8ipCzF96J3D4GVLfNES3xWzJAku5tBcbeZuk2EtnkOtkJJcBhNmRSU4lESSCe5Bv0/s1600/IMG_0624.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…sometimes even crawling under and
through the tree next door.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmdBZAoI5gXfk1bYxhcBakYxCKVGVXjnAYgeukGQS34Aftyy9DwLMFZlD-OiBGUKJkMge7xlOQIPJpl70-p4pGuAlsLynm0QD97ntr5_N3IPlUFRpcSeiuu-Ue7KqaZK5HI2L30nSjTg/s1600/IMG_0629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmdBZAoI5gXfk1bYxhcBakYxCKVGVXjnAYgeukGQS34Aftyy9DwLMFZlD-OiBGUKJkMge7xlOQIPJpl70-p4pGuAlsLynm0QD97ntr5_N3IPlUFRpcSeiuu-Ue7KqaZK5HI2L30nSjTg/s1600/IMG_0629.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Every little exposed piece of wood
has the potential to reach for the canopy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’ll take your breath away…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUC6I5uEsSoDRLPRx4l7_DHPJyNZRSfzIE5V8e2VME8L2uAq2ZEmCd-jHjgch646epKa4Lmibx7IFNOZTY3jl8BKtuJxoJ_axRAt-W2mwoT3DgrSwufZIT9sawBTCwCFnPTnp-7J4J3w/s1600/IMG_0623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUC6I5uEsSoDRLPRx4l7_DHPJyNZRSfzIE5V8e2VME8L2uAq2ZEmCd-jHjgch646epKa4Lmibx7IFNOZTY3jl8BKtuJxoJ_axRAt-W2mwoT3DgrSwufZIT9sawBTCwCFnPTnp-7J4J3w/s1600/IMG_0623.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the way this tree grows more trees.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They’re prehensile, another French word but
this one means <i>capable of grasping</i>…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfwry1Er5MJprODNJ1O2ho_xLX6Ib2FTGompwMrKtkrdU5I53DGs8BIJ-4jYLVowbJpZ1yfPEp9CkhKbtWu6JDJ_YxKw2sFE5nhsRGVaAl5d8Vz4ViTMz5BkXaZXaqzcvDIK21nhdu3A/s1600/IMG_0619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIfwry1Er5MJprODNJ1O2ho_xLX6Ib2FTGompwMrKtkrdU5I53DGs8BIJ-4jYLVowbJpZ1yfPEp9CkhKbtWu6JDJ_YxKw2sFE5nhsRGVaAl5d8Vz4ViTMz5BkXaZXaqzcvDIK21nhdu3A/s1600/IMG_0619.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the way it forms that organ-pipe
lattice over the bended trail, </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">the way it’s pulling the earth into
the air.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s where a tree like this comes
from.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Up there.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSbnPWCV2aR-83RW-fdv-wH2QAKa9ypjN4dEUmuHnZIV2tnaLDrGG1tPuNM-UXDz_pPbyonqPWzifW_m4V0-48iC-_nxkquz5nZifup_VndlaXhO_MNKSHH8NNOm8RypsgO_MltrtHaM/s1600/IMG_0674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSbnPWCV2aR-83RW-fdv-wH2QAKa9ypjN4dEUmuHnZIV2tnaLDrGG1tPuNM-UXDz_pPbyonqPWzifW_m4V0-48iC-_nxkquz5nZifup_VndlaXhO_MNKSHH8NNOm8RypsgO_MltrtHaM/s1600/IMG_0674.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No, no, no, you think I’m joking but
it’s true.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When the earth was nothing but
darkness and ocean, there was a tree like this growing in the center of
Earthmaker’s kingdom, high above the watery world.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One day, so the legend goes, he cut
it down.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-JStY5Fu5GQ7ZxIJLl2d12zFWIN2WxPpUbuUsxZRKtamYSy0_2ZnTnWNtC3EyTgnhZbPZZq4b6VSBxSMRDF1G5bedNtGCrwg069dcvUve82l1fNJz1uLJdCOHOA7sqkZ-CKGVFhwW8I/s1600/IMG_0692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-JStY5Fu5GQ7ZxIJLl2d12zFWIN2WxPpUbuUsxZRKtamYSy0_2ZnTnWNtC3EyTgnhZbPZZq4b6VSBxSMRDF1G5bedNtGCrwg069dcvUve82l1fNJz1uLJdCOHOA7sqkZ-CKGVFhwW8I/s1600/IMG_0692.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Something to do with a bad
dream. Something to do with a raven.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The tree fell through the boundary
that separated that higher world from ours.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It fell through the arc of a lone
eagle in flight.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOCcjxCFDrmR1oQiTdQXlI-P4Dd4OZCBAMeCqTUO-4kC8YZumJdta7RwNcAZKXgrHLybe1zr3zm6TfKZFoS67233eyY0N42YQQ04t065FMXWWbVGXaQpBN4Vsza6M9cyfB02IGaFDC-s/s1600/Eagle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOCcjxCFDrmR1oQiTdQXlI-P4Dd4OZCBAMeCqTUO-4kC8YZumJdta7RwNcAZKXgrHLybe1zr3zm6TfKZFoS67233eyY0N42YQQ04t065FMXWWbVGXaQpBN4Vsza6M9cyfB02IGaFDC-s/s1600/Eagle.png" height="230" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It fell through a flock of swans,
friendly birds who realized that the tree would need a safe place to land.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like I said…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwkCeIqoT-Bw23SkbpBZc2bF8dPBgdbkoPTAv2kTZMOfwkqpzrPmcy_Wx56D4Niju2ApoLsxUh7ox76MwgnhRxo8Qg3Vb3_-bwvyzrtcJQqIyc8-wFEFSSISQh08sH8QyaiSN4VPqpdM/s1600/IMG_0585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwkCeIqoT-Bw23SkbpBZc2bF8dPBgdbkoPTAv2kTZMOfwkqpzrPmcy_Wx56D4Niju2ApoLsxUh7ox76MwgnhRxo8Qg3Vb3_-bwvyzrtcJQqIyc8-wFEFSSISQh08sH8QyaiSN4VPqpdM/s1600/IMG_0585.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…back then, the world was all ocean.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So the swans called upon the animals
of the world to raise the bottom of the ocean to create the continent.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But none of them could do it. Not the bear, not the deer, not the beaver or
the frog.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s unclear, if there was no land,
where these animals actually lived.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Perhaps they were all just
there, something the shamans called a <i>life force</i>. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You might think that such a fantastic
story, such a dreamy past, could never survive in this modern age, this big
city.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You might think that this kind of
tawny grammar is lost now.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But it’s not true.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This middle part of the story can
actually be found in the Andorra Shopping Center…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzb4tnRFje1JMuHy97pD33NmBayq2WLNEt7sD6KMKjgGOTOXU4poTu9r2SNxOQAf3pIxZh1eJcBrrvwCNkTI4pCt6ibnKUva_rzM61vMMdYvgCfjFrCuZgrLb1WOE_eYybuIXTSTM5y0w/s1600/IMG_1530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzb4tnRFje1JMuHy97pD33NmBayq2WLNEt7sD6KMKjgGOTOXU4poTu9r2SNxOQAf3pIxZh1eJcBrrvwCNkTI4pCt6ibnKUva_rzM61vMMdYvgCfjFrCuZgrLb1WOE_eYybuIXTSTM5y0w/s1600/IMG_1530.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…on the walls of Petco.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There they are…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9kh1cBLmxp0l11VZRATG1ocYeRGSG7s1QuoWYsMPXFtu_ehx32bDxJomc-gDifIGHDN6bwsCDVaAH8nB-QQ3ACfJCz45a5H5M4M4CPb9yWjnSlHZjlnQ5wvkk_ERdhE09fNUsYB6W1g/s1600/IMG_1524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9kh1cBLmxp0l11VZRATG1ocYeRGSG7s1QuoWYsMPXFtu_ehx32bDxJomc-gDifIGHDN6bwsCDVaAH8nB-QQ3ACfJCz45a5H5M4M4CPb9yWjnSlHZjlnQ5wvkk_ERdhE09fNUsYB6W1g/s1600/IMG_1524.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…all my brothers and sisters, the
whole hysterical menagerie…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLgfOWb-dV9njP6SdKK8RPB6lnReLIGlGmi2d0OOoP7mmeYIDYFOeTo0ymzw0Zd3-ctz7aN_pP223ISY_KMf-jTkuS2BbJSibnWMv-c_THKBUUf4bb3IahemS7smoDhDaAzVHLTAPf2Q/s1600/IMG_1525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLgfOWb-dV9njP6SdKK8RPB6lnReLIGlGmi2d0OOoP7mmeYIDYFOeTo0ymzw0Zd3-ctz7aN_pP223ISY_KMf-jTkuS2BbJSibnWMv-c_THKBUUf4bb3IahemS7smoDhDaAzVHLTAPf2Q/s1600/IMG_1525.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…watching the tree fall to its doom.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Luckily, one of the animals stepped
forward into the center of the zoo. He
had a great plan.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was fool-proof but risky, simple
but crafty, so crazy that it just might work.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ain’t that just like Coyote?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuQIUAIQJrKgeP9ByGl1ofaNUD3s9ed8BxSx73xKG1IWyINz57qwobjmegd8dBgkwg4CDNW_l2DZFoR-iB_-FZ4x-AkhgszXpztSklzlT6jpiHCW23GyP1NdVAVYPYvrqlcbnvL_gSmE/s1600/IMG_1528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBuQIUAIQJrKgeP9ByGl1ofaNUD3s9ed8BxSx73xKG1IWyINz57qwobjmegd8dBgkwg4CDNW_l2DZFoR-iB_-FZ4x-AkhgszXpztSklzlT6jpiHCW23GyP1NdVAVYPYvrqlcbnvL_gSmE/s1600/IMG_1528.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And this final part, the ending to
this story?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That can be found here in Philly
too, all the way on the other side of town, near The Dock…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpszXsINie827psqfloZT4MtgkolHz0suy-fft_hyphenhyphenYes8nEdoo16V159gfMZRA1WMbU34Plf2gH8Ay6aiK-FWxnuL2yGph1sfq163a4y2bmBx3lsHJrQcwkJtMmh6ZRbTrcSqLt8UkEw/s1600/IMG_0944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpszXsINie827psqfloZT4MtgkolHz0suy-fft_hyphenhyphenYes8nEdoo16V159gfMZRA1WMbU34Plf2gH8Ay6aiK-FWxnuL2yGph1sfq163a4y2bmBx3lsHJrQcwkJtMmh6ZRbTrcSqLt8UkEw/s1600/IMG_0944.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…at the Tamanend statue.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The ending of the story, which is
the beginning of everything else, is right there.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You have to look at it from
different angles.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67JQEMM8zsb5Gmlbt7eZdMJbed1t9owAAdjNboE-XIO36JCP9x9n0NyTAiclDGNv2YnTt7Ka-0Ly1I-Pba9f5WRLNTpFnurMdhGvG0EMHpkTmbj00D9_o_mr_qtrB74mXLxKk_iSbQww/s1600/IMG_0947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67JQEMM8zsb5Gmlbt7eZdMJbed1t9owAAdjNboE-XIO36JCP9x9n0NyTAiclDGNv2YnTt7Ka-0Ly1I-Pba9f5WRLNTpFnurMdhGvG0EMHpkTmbj00D9_o_mr_qtrB74mXLxKk_iSbQww/s1600/IMG_0947.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They snapped into action, all those paws and hoofs,
claws and talons, trunks and tails.
According to some accounts, even the opposable thumb was there. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
made a great circle and each animal pinched a corner of the ocean floor and they
lifted it…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_9Fe-pERJxCbzTvIsBslvR1C3IUTh4IaGy_rj8-HWAFamFt1EhZEfcIB_aNx8VdSNYipoWi4ovTvgpNuLKoJxq6O7qHjjbVE9MP2dZC6XYbQhnuHsYyRnhGnnLDlZaW3N4J2tnXv8j0/s1600/IMG_0951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_9Fe-pERJxCbzTvIsBslvR1C3IUTh4IaGy_rj8-HWAFamFt1EhZEfcIB_aNx8VdSNYipoWi4ovTvgpNuLKoJxq6O7qHjjbVE9MP2dZC6XYbQhnuHsYyRnhGnnLDlZaW3N4J2tnXv8j0/s1600/IMG_0951.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…just
high enough for turtle to crawl underneath.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmyCZtEyjpcoIWIrXl1jxGCHb_uiV4HTPlk5fRKr4JqkvNUZLAjZZ4FqxZ_jiZGaz9EYqJ3Pv_RuBZGL3DQTlae1QJjYuF2QmGQkjGQ6Enn5TRMLcU7S9YPUh5YcWREqIBEmMSwkiGFk/s1600/IMG_0949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmyCZtEyjpcoIWIrXl1jxGCHb_uiV4HTPlk5fRKr4JqkvNUZLAjZZ4FqxZ_jiZGaz9EYqJ3Pv_RuBZGL3DQTlae1QJjYuF2QmGQkjGQ6Enn5TRMLcU7S9YPUh5YcWREqIBEmMSwkiGFk/s1600/IMG_0949.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Balancing the land on his shell, he swam to the surface and breached the
endless ocean.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Turtle
Island.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-73920516674627613392014-05-03T23:52:00.000-07:002014-05-08T11:21:05.414-07:00THE PHILADELPHIA PALIMPSEST<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Of
all the many things that Henry David Thoreau once said aloud or wrote down,
there is one particular quote that has tormented and spooked the generations of
nature-writers and tree-hunters to come.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>In Wildness is
the preservation of the world.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">He
wrote that down about halfway through his lecture, <i>Walking</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
few paragraphs later, he wrote: <i>I believe
in the forest, and in the meadow, and in the night in which the corn grows…Give
me a Wildness whose glance no civilization can endure.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just
the other day, I was driving towards Center City and I passed by the same idea,
shouting to be heard.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
an opinion that is and always will be a little outlawed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Many
people are quick to note that Thoreau uses the word <i>wildness</i> and not the common term of the day, <i>wilderness</i>. He did it
deliberately. He was being
stubborn. He was stubborn, and
deliberate, for a lot of his life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">To
Thoreau, <i>wilderness</i> was something
invented by the Law, governed by a Mayor, a piece of land under ownership of
the State. The modern day wilderness is
paved and permitted, gated up for seasons, open only from dawn to dusk, guarded
by a Police.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfvcGFUVXVMFcwisPAUyjURQooHhF0zes2RlrINn0ZeKl3oHtwztCFh2m3QMHcyi6q8v5nMmbRTxlXV5OQHxxNOxQeLIy3REHXt_kCdtzWJt3aRNntJnfKvL9-vzlz-5hdEiD9kItha0/s1600/IMG_0911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfvcGFUVXVMFcwisPAUyjURQooHhF0zes2RlrINn0ZeKl3oHtwztCFh2m3QMHcyi6q8v5nMmbRTxlXV5OQHxxNOxQeLIy3REHXt_kCdtzWJt3aRNntJnfKvL9-vzlz-5hdEiD9kItha0/s1600/IMG_0911.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
boundaries of a wilderness are always in dispute. Its title is something that can be repealed,
rescinded or revoked. Its map is
something that can be taken away, written over.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
<i>wildness</i>?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No
chance, no dice.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
cannot stop the wilds.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even
here in Philly?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5epBtfPZdn7-7bC3EPX7EWfl4kf3c8m0fCEu__82rVkjYg7MHYbOQCLvQt0J0Ef-O0cpeFfZOVsfBdcNa3-152VKdVSDneyVAzqLFqd5BQqUdeqVwQFkb7XS8Km8KUQH5nGKSLbUaIaQ/s1600/Philadelphia_Skyline_by_PdaMai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5epBtfPZdn7-7bC3EPX7EWfl4kf3c8m0fCEu__82rVkjYg7MHYbOQCLvQt0J0Ef-O0cpeFfZOVsfBdcNa3-152VKdVSDneyVAzqLFqd5BQqUdeqVwQFkb7XS8Km8KUQH5nGKSLbUaIaQ/s1600/Philadelphia_Skyline_by_PdaMai.jpg" height="420" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes,
even here in the big city.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">To
prove it though, I’ll need to discover and explore Philadelphia for the
palimpsest that it really is.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s
a <i>palimpsest</i>? It’s a manuscript or a document that has been
scraped clean and erased, then replaced with something more modern but that
still bears the traces of the earlier work.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes
in order to read the earlier work, historians and archaeologists need to flash
the palimpsest through ultra-violet light, the only way to see what was written
before.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
don’t need that kind of technology.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
just need the right kind of map.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ll
use this map.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcq-GI4jpEXdHQtOvWT5OUoRicLVMv982tUQHk2-tahCycCnJ92pvOkaWCsohfaTKVF5RIsSQJJlRRUmNNedn73S9obroTxNvvf_sFRjU0UCrlulCcdrSxRGSnfzAdirf7fxJJG3TjRGw/s1600/Whole+Map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcq-GI4jpEXdHQtOvWT5OUoRicLVMv982tUQHk2-tahCycCnJ92pvOkaWCsohfaTKVF5RIsSQJJlRRUmNNedn73S9obroTxNvvf_sFRjU0UCrlulCcdrSxRGSnfzAdirf7fxJJG3TjRGw/s1600/Whole+Map.png" height="640" width="544" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
was made by the City Planning Commission in 1934. Using historical texts and field guides, colonial
journals and living memories, it’s meant to depict this city <i>as first seen by the White Men</i>...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvORA42Spn-Ev1OSa0WvW5x88UdqfJfA3dWLQzXXqEMG5PqCRoYEqvx-9Cucq7ZwaQi7yuhCgU4rF5dP7MYHycstS3QPNw687oo3EsEX_iLftJgb7xWsNr3pZMogMsW3fGzjoENn5WTlg/s1600/Title.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvORA42Spn-Ev1OSa0WvW5x88UdqfJfA3dWLQzXXqEMG5PqCRoYEqvx-9Cucq7ZwaQi7yuhCgU4rF5dP7MYHycstS3QPNw687oo3EsEX_iLftJgb7xWsNr3pZMogMsW3fGzjoENn5WTlg/s1600/Title.png" height="538" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…when
Philadelphia was known as Coaquannock, the <i>Grove
of Tall Pines</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“OF ALL THE MANY
PLACES I’VE SEEN OF THE WORLD…”</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">According
to the map, Coaquannock was one of four circular villages of the Turtle Clan, all
located within the watershed between the Schuylkill and the Delaware River.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPVaEVjHtck1MT6MQIb6gjQKYkhplz9E5PIo3GC9ZZdREDggyZ8INXwB10cCtWZox-DQnXcDtXMg7dj7yp-haG1G-cLG_fdbfUn_DSMdT0ozaIm3zO8GQjjyEtzwVl9v4MQqT6RDhZqo/s1600/canvas_four+towns2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPVaEVjHtck1MT6MQIb6gjQKYkhplz9E5PIo3GC9ZZdREDggyZ8INXwB10cCtWZox-DQnXcDtXMg7dj7yp-haG1G-cLG_fdbfUn_DSMdT0ozaIm3zO8GQjjyEtzwVl9v4MQqT6RDhZqo/s1600/canvas_four+towns2.png" height="640" width="558" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s
no record, no description of the pine grove that it was named for. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But,
by the coming of the white men, the Lenni-Lenape had already been living here
for thousands of years. It’s quite
possible that they named the town in memorial of the pines, a dedication to the
grove that was standing in some distant bygone era, same as we do now.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What
was it like? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YgjE-A6psj-2Ik_OOMfVXhJMnz9aLVTVHv7LrUsYQNQ2_hDLXfzCr3mtWycLzVpsMarhMZ4l6GG3XsRZqSzPvlrAJDYzyUbRBbMlyEdO9DJ-Py1zbaYTLkWVfcH1HzM5vZ21hdH6U_k/s1600/What+it+was+like.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4YgjE-A6psj-2Ik_OOMfVXhJMnz9aLVTVHv7LrUsYQNQ2_hDLXfzCr3mtWycLzVpsMarhMZ4l6GG3XsRZqSzPvlrAJDYzyUbRBbMlyEdO9DJ-Py1zbaYTLkWVfcH1HzM5vZ21hdH6U_k/s1600/What+it+was+like.png" height="342" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The soil is good
– air serene and sweet from the cedar, pine and sassafras,</i> wrote William
Penn in one of his famous letters back home, <i>with a wild myrtle of great fragrance.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tracing
the bends of the Schuylkill River…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFZl7tdz3GmhMDt4rDXdFL1xj5jsz6yqA_4Rj2f1rs58lamRKSIFi8SddU9G_pVLB5BBYxucvZeFTtegfY3u4sFThEaZYSdlshPXBu8dBjg2vHtyllXmQjNUzfXZ4i7z-HLvK3vb_aVo/s1600/Bends+of+Schyill.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFZl7tdz3GmhMDt4rDXdFL1xj5jsz6yqA_4Rj2f1rs58lamRKSIFi8SddU9G_pVLB5BBYxucvZeFTtegfY3u4sFThEaZYSdlshPXBu8dBjg2vHtyllXmQjNUzfXZ4i7z-HLvK3vb_aVo/s1600/Bends+of+Schyill.png" height="322" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7bKoi_wfsLAEN45C7UY-WkL6hW28V6TmBrEdQEa0UyD7BVjXZ-KR7bKWToiJ6mqKmkL43DcvTEAI_Ufbaj8RpeG9tPZ6qMPYLoi2YBzIPpoP2aCZv1J6fW9ZLla31ntgGGLwyQL85TE/s1600/Bend+in+Shuykill.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7bKoi_wfsLAEN45C7UY-WkL6hW28V6TmBrEdQEa0UyD7BVjXZ-KR7bKWToiJ6mqKmkL43DcvTEAI_Ufbaj8RpeG9tPZ6qMPYLoi2YBzIPpoP2aCZv1J6fW9ZLla31ntgGGLwyQL85TE/s1600/Bend+in+Shuykill.png" height="482" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…I
can place Coaquannock in roughly the same spot as Fairmount Park and the Laurel
Hill Cemetery.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Last
Memorial Day, I went tramping through the rainy summits of Laurel Hill…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49KWsho-eqYGZ5iWQfDhSFvqu1TosnsYVqXerfNSYBK1G58AJWysibsWNbcFnnVhsvqyGE7VU5fXqI0Tdv_mOeAKtQ8D5qQ9uRCSEZw8_vdTi1HRaXldjs7X_5X8prmfz8BYNzaHnsIA/s1600/IMG_1074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49KWsho-eqYGZ5iWQfDhSFvqu1TosnsYVqXerfNSYBK1G58AJWysibsWNbcFnnVhsvqyGE7VU5fXqI0Tdv_mOeAKtQ8D5qQ9uRCSEZw8_vdTi1HRaXldjs7X_5X8prmfz8BYNzaHnsIA/s1600/IMG_1074.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
I wasn’t able to find any sign of the town or people of Coaquannock…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OMKpVZ4gMvCY4NduXuuTUMu7cl2br_y0A-3nmA_8g0LNEfmcts9qUwhKvVVwBBVrWGAJ8GVN1N0l7GHd_UMABEt-Coazby06Uz3UbApYXivkwSqHXo6mTCRI9qI1VA6eiBUHEagAb5w/s1600/IMG_1169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5OMKpVZ4gMvCY4NduXuuTUMu7cl2br_y0A-3nmA_8g0LNEfmcts9qUwhKvVVwBBVrWGAJ8GVN1N0l7GHd_UMABEt-Coazby06Uz3UbApYXivkwSqHXo6mTCRI9qI1VA6eiBUHEagAb5w/s1600/IMG_1169.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">….even
though it was all there, bumping and jumping just like any other city, only
three hundred and fifty years ago.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here
in Philly, there are trees older than that.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZ5jcO9odH6iKuGmMwjDa-spiu1bf2Bo-NgApdQsYf-GfWkK-8QQXnMJ-rc4zjF9vQ5ks9mCZs7sx-b6rYBMHxz_8rUMNmmGYpDqa9n7hHu1lO1adWMBlGO71ARG_mGS7SG-56NMy1BE/s1600/IMG_1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZ5jcO9odH6iKuGmMwjDa-spiu1bf2Bo-NgApdQsYf-GfWkK-8QQXnMJ-rc4zjF9vQ5ks9mCZs7sx-b6rYBMHxz_8rUMNmmGYpDqa9n7hHu1lO1adWMBlGO71ARG_mGS7SG-56NMy1BE/s1600/IMG_1108.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If
there’s any preservation of Coaquannock left in Fairmount Park, then I missed that
too although, last autumn on an afternoon adventure to catch some color…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbip3a0U5G3avnKYKCg_yo70Yt-ZcuRdXVGrItzwCz1QhtmD40JNX1gjP-z7P1UpDQCq241phCAN4TCjVjPl6ld-lszubHhlk5Zi3k1Xa14IfqLe4JPRtQDJnSvbR67I2_UWat7YML9-g/s1600/IMG_5503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbip3a0U5G3avnKYKCg_yo70Yt-ZcuRdXVGrItzwCz1QhtmD40JNX1gjP-z7P1UpDQCq241phCAN4TCjVjPl6ld-lszubHhlk5Zi3k1Xa14IfqLe4JPRtQDJnSvbR67I2_UWat7YML9-g/s1600/IMG_5503.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…I
did find an Indian statue.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
town on the west side of the Schuylkill?
That was Arronemik. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not
much information about that one either. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When it comes to these old towns, my best and sometimes my only help is this map. I
look in it for details. I try to read
the map like a book, looking for little jumps in the narrative.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
notice that these towns, surrounded by woods, are still depicted with
agriculture.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7PCvKwdGBkiqrV4aQEFJiTDuuZMid4uplHHdmZgll2QsgVslESiQ5Drb3FN8M3g0T8ZPV003-aSxYr0lrnLaF1Jw6oNq5i1mt5hAGI1GDkyyVg6I39KzLN0JlGbYrrhLxIJT-y5Irk8/s1600/Agriculture.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7PCvKwdGBkiqrV4aQEFJiTDuuZMid4uplHHdmZgll2QsgVslESiQ5Drb3FN8M3g0T8ZPV003-aSxYr0lrnLaF1Jw6oNq5i1mt5hAGI1GDkyyVg6I39KzLN0JlGbYrrhLxIJT-y5Irk8/s1600/Agriculture.png" height="348" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The fruits that
I find in the woods</i>,
wrote William Penn, <i>are the white and
black mulberry, chestnut, walnut, plums, strawberries, cranberries,
whortleberries, and grapes of divers sorts…</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SX4nG-Z4VeZkFc2hUibR5xhfYyZOhgmSLZJTRTaGmRHHXM8YZR_Esr650FfmdSQKOJzwlK_HWbMYEdF4uM2dRCXz-gapLmUeFUtO8yagBDVVwqa0KZK26GFqFFYcRR9oPLJVkdXIFzE/s1600/Farming.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SX4nG-Z4VeZkFc2hUibR5xhfYyZOhgmSLZJTRTaGmRHHXM8YZR_Esr650FfmdSQKOJzwlK_HWbMYEdF4uM2dRCXz-gapLmUeFUtO8yagBDVVwqa0KZK26GFqFFYcRR9oPLJVkdXIFzE/s1600/Farming.png" height="640" width="502" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…the artificial
produce of the country is wheat, barley, oats, rye, peas, beans, squashes,
pumpkins, water-melons, musk-melons, and all herbs and roots. </i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just
south of Coaquannock and Arronemik, right before the good and fertile country gets
swamped in mud and marsh, there was the Turtle Clan town of Passyunk…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6X_uYND11dAmXF8HKLV_sCEvQUTAFClxdylDg68L2SeM5Es-lq9NbxKIYIKd-VWpaciiBDS1G0eI8JhAu-PPkaMxYLVx-c-Zh74hIzTvNmbAtrK2pGnWNHAS_glUO84YuipreSx4S3I/s1600/Passyunk+and+Wiccaco.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6X_uYND11dAmXF8HKLV_sCEvQUTAFClxdylDg68L2SeM5Es-lq9NbxKIYIKd-VWpaciiBDS1G0eI8JhAu-PPkaMxYLVx-c-Zh74hIzTvNmbAtrK2pGnWNHAS_glUO84YuipreSx4S3I/s1600/Passyunk+and+Wiccaco.png" height="470" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and,
to the east of Passyunk, the land known as Wickawacoing, which a combination of
two words, <i>creek head</i> and <i>pine</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
Wickawacoing name is still kicking around but it’s been changed to Wiccaco…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqYfAfVspAEmAlE0o9dIAtYgf7ReBqu-JXr7RKJuK8Dn-aHFMgOnLahkVOdCYdm1RGXMc9oNvOM0odhrVrJXPzQXPgrOw9MgstdPCJdXTpoWHWqHcyySR8znOT7peUa3j_7msPcWXGcs/s1600/IMG_0879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqYfAfVspAEmAlE0o9dIAtYgf7ReBqu-JXr7RKJuK8Dn-aHFMgOnLahkVOdCYdm1RGXMc9oNvOM0odhrVrJXPzQXPgrOw9MgstdPCJdXTpoWHWqHcyySR8znOT7peUa3j_7msPcWXGcs/s1600/IMG_0879.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…or,
sometimes just around the corner, we spell it Wecaccoe.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjCQDylM_iuk9QimzdWIdw9PjfesKHcygQNEqjGW15fbVqsPVbD8k_SyzncUjOc8i5xFPrbwja5C-9xiEN1BYfooCj349hC_F9uZ1AE0uFZPUu704Xc9TPWwBKKQE-6wlHF02Ap4WPNg/s1600/IMG_0880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjCQDylM_iuk9QimzdWIdw9PjfesKHcygQNEqjGW15fbVqsPVbD8k_SyzncUjOc8i5xFPrbwja5C-9xiEN1BYfooCj349hC_F9uZ1AE0uFZPUu704Xc9TPWwBKKQE-6wlHF02Ap4WPNg/s1600/IMG_0880.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
original name for Passyunk was Pachsegink, meaning <i>in the valley</i>. Even back
then, it was known for its trail…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0x32FrMgKdnExbMoDKZqAkLkzdGitIPQqTZ7X7iC4zBj_lgZ8M9kAmLtOk5SohBIlBfyBgsP98ckj7-BICzdT-9sbzCXjZTcTkKvQnVsgUsaBAYym8ffS7SHrLOuoggApuQ44Q3nBH8/s1600/Passyunk+Trail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0x32FrMgKdnExbMoDKZqAkLkzdGitIPQqTZ7X7iC4zBj_lgZ8M9kAmLtOk5SohBIlBfyBgsP98ckj7-BICzdT-9sbzCXjZTcTkKvQnVsgUsaBAYym8ffS7SHrLOuoggApuQ44Q3nBH8/s1600/Passyunk+Trail.png" height="268" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…an
efficient and popular path that the modern paved Passyunk Avenue still follows…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieujTIh5ON6LPHyDzIfzUAb4VcWTPCT0SlymBrPwEsxy7FTJeaMDjtuSUdVlIiElkIdmaz5QLKMunkdGAIR8VFRLjg7aT1ADAQGXTa0bAjUVSEERW6uFITQ4tpah5EOCZpgF6feMP9RgY/s1600/IMG_0935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieujTIh5ON6LPHyDzIfzUAb4VcWTPCT0SlymBrPwEsxy7FTJeaMDjtuSUdVlIiElkIdmaz5QLKMunkdGAIR8VFRLjg7aT1ADAQGXTa0bAjUVSEERW6uFITQ4tpah5EOCZpgF6feMP9RgY/s1600/IMG_0935.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…although,
in order to see the original Indian trail, you have to develop the knack
for checking out the backs of signs…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmtj89_QsQcHlb3klQSfuZ9sNDKRb-85T8AhddqX6kmNjF-V62-t-v5bbYZwViwJcLsu6GxY8fNzFf1pFL86vNK5xhGNqpQErWi46TpGGAXOTCCk7p1wDG2fgSMjJTMsixXyqfvUZCuc/s1600/IMG_0932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmtj89_QsQcHlb3klQSfuZ9sNDKRb-85T8AhddqX6kmNjF-V62-t-v5bbYZwViwJcLsu6GxY8fNzFf1pFL86vNK5xhGNqpQErWi46TpGGAXOTCCk7p1wDG2fgSMjJTMsixXyqfvUZCuc/s1600/IMG_0932.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…or
the bottoms of your feet.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJGWx0E36h42kz9wOLJ9pGIa4TDarzYOZzq2HPqsGWq8kycoaQE_b09IjiYy1o7hFRiP3kJKWfXAt7KGc6tSzy0XR7xMfH7JRDQfto9KCQO6vGOi5ef_At4Anf4B46S5y1agf9t3F_3o/s1600/IMG_0922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJGWx0E36h42kz9wOLJ9pGIa4TDarzYOZzq2HPqsGWq8kycoaQE_b09IjiYy1o7hFRiP3kJKWfXAt7KGc6tSzy0XR7xMfH7JRDQfto9KCQO6vGOi5ef_At4Anf4B46S5y1agf9t3F_3o/s1600/IMG_0922.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNyNP087Aeop8w60H9xQm2lk3CB1aMhcrShI0PHfuXyJaKD1KrpHRrHHwgo1uEHwBL2s7m4PR7qzW5cAiT8SmaFpjcIgq2CN3ZGIk1zGnNaekluiKQwsrTBqn-VN2xtED512cKg8JfXc/s1600/IMG_0924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNyNP087Aeop8w60H9xQm2lk3CB1aMhcrShI0PHfuXyJaKD1KrpHRrHHwgo1uEHwBL2s7m4PR7qzW5cAiT8SmaFpjcIgq2CN3ZGIk1zGnNaekluiKQwsrTBqn-VN2xtED512cKg8JfXc/s1600/IMG_0924.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
was the trail from the southern village of the Turtle Clan, through the open
meadows and farm fields of Wickawacoing…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFEn5zVwnFikl0JZ0-_cyM_M85TNaayfkeOMlnrkYZnUzn7ChTATHvaQLkn1M_-gS_8TBshTObGsUTPeNtWSvjGn0bOO04KW5KKmN-uQtvWVNfaPQjDqkarjKOznnzQxHbLPL6YEWIfs/s1600/The+Dock.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFEn5zVwnFikl0JZ0-_cyM_M85TNaayfkeOMlnrkYZnUzn7ChTATHvaQLkn1M_-gS_8TBshTObGsUTPeNtWSvjGn0bOO04KW5KKmN-uQtvWVNfaPQjDqkarjKOznnzQxHbLPL6YEWIfs/s1600/The+Dock.png" height="488" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…straight
into the bustle and hustle of center city Coaquannock.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That
part on the map that says <i>The Dock</i>?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That
was one of our first names given to this watershed. That’s
where they landed…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WzR8FyBa7H68Lbme7Z0zM5mEhMz8pYS1ERXq44uSMXJFQ08BIowlz4FkquEn9AUw-hVF4sqm-_4CFzzVZl83rXxQhUYem2MeQjrSaElzifd6kL8scD2XP6ik7ZcTsgyTuH_uW9-ADPA/s1600/IMG_0941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WzR8FyBa7H68Lbme7Z0zM5mEhMz8pYS1ERXq44uSMXJFQ08BIowlz4FkquEn9AUw-hVF4sqm-_4CFzzVZl83rXxQhUYem2MeQjrSaElzifd6kL8scD2XP6ik7ZcTsgyTuH_uW9-ADPA/s1600/IMG_0941.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…the
recipients of all those William Penn letters, convinced at last to just see it
for themselves.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Of all the many
places I have seen in the world,</i> he wrote, <i>I remember not one better seated; so it seems to me to have been
appointed for a town…</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJDpkk91dFG1f9lz4ImEsWR_Hr8QI-syW4ceCjsUeEBuOQqvL6nwSdI1NC0_GaWOuDPC5tPl0bzyCDF4thFXO8oFoZ_vNhVhit61fJ-DVBJPdHfLPEMtnFKi4mdUrdgEIXbfxyKcls5I/s1600/William-Penn-Landing-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJDpkk91dFG1f9lz4ImEsWR_Hr8QI-syW4ceCjsUeEBuOQqvL6nwSdI1NC0_GaWOuDPC5tPl0bzyCDF4thFXO8oFoZ_vNhVhit61fJ-DVBJPdHfLPEMtnFKi4mdUrdgEIXbfxyKcls5I/s1600/William-Penn-Landing-cropped.jpg" height="450" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…whether we
regard the rivers, or the conveniency of the coves, docks, springs, the
loftiness and soundness of the land and the air.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
first order of business for the Quaker settlers?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">De-forest
the city.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">According
to John Watson’s “Annals of Philadelphia in Olden Time,” <i>Even solitary trees of sublime grandeur were not
spared…so general was the havoc in process of time, that none remained of all
the crowded forest, save a cluster of black walnut trees, which, of late years
stood opposite the State House on Chestnut Street.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Walnuts
opposite Chestnut Street? That’s
something that’s still preserved…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CbD3rK0DDpDezAn75rQWej6DOxSKbo4BRuNlIhhBuS_Ligml_ZLmFRkGDMk-W2mqpCrR4_3VfK1ANz-Ft1SM25cRuWALPipM7qps7kGwko9HRCCvXrigaN6UjEqDh7bT8TOxj35IcDI/s1600/Walnut+Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CbD3rK0DDpDezAn75rQWej6DOxSKbo4BRuNlIhhBuS_Ligml_ZLmFRkGDMk-W2mqpCrR4_3VfK1ANz-Ft1SM25cRuWALPipM7qps7kGwko9HRCCvXrigaN6UjEqDh7bT8TOxj35IcDI/s1600/Walnut+Street.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…from
a certain point of view.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
original Quaker settlement was simply called The Hill, later re-named to
Society Hill. Some aspects of this first
colony are still present…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge45gyfJjfkXq5S6nfDcIPBh6dDJr2dLoc3p__4Uc9ZrGb7mzIhzXtfmdtnEe53-gWpq0d-pz0VDDKOnoDxSLt6spZeHxpqQfg3GPePCTZQ0QWBl3ItkhgUs5nOzMQrsDNbLEP4-RUI8o/s1600/IMG_0955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge45gyfJjfkXq5S6nfDcIPBh6dDJr2dLoc3p__4Uc9ZrGb7mzIhzXtfmdtnEe53-gWpq0d-pz0VDDKOnoDxSLt6spZeHxpqQfg3GPePCTZQ0QWBl3ItkhgUs5nOzMQrsDNbLEP4-RUI8o/s1600/IMG_0955.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…in
the general lay-abouts of the town grid and the street names…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3hfFOo76kliH-_pL-iPeb8WL1KzMwRjJ2WatiU4IeNo8ZIofJPcthfV5h4vFIwMYRtAKF2YDWfTgsmdDVhhNEH9H-wmYNkuG7gtMQ4iY0jNHW08CxBmPnwp9Yj76tLmgmc7JYwbEIEw/s1600/Mulberry+Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3hfFOo76kliH-_pL-iPeb8WL1KzMwRjJ2WatiU4IeNo8ZIofJPcthfV5h4vFIwMYRtAKF2YDWfTgsmdDVhhNEH9H-wmYNkuG7gtMQ4iY0jNHW08CxBmPnwp9Yj76tLmgmc7JYwbEIEw/s1600/Mulberry+Street.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…although
even names don’t last forever.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">All
this clear-cutting and map-making was worrisome for the Lenni-Lenape…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhCj00XohomsXybeHOa3Etoy2TWGOK_U0q1SFQCZr2w-b6y7p46oo_lkZ1x6WdVudnklnsMvtzkLUdBYfKAQb-QtwinaHtNToEXbV41WQjLi3aMT9xxi9TJhzAwiOYHS1EAhjYxDkG7E/s1600/Worrisome.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhCj00XohomsXybeHOa3Etoy2TWGOK_U0q1SFQCZr2w-b6y7p46oo_lkZ1x6WdVudnklnsMvtzkLUdBYfKAQb-QtwinaHtNToEXbV41WQjLi3aMT9xxi9TJhzAwiOYHS1EAhjYxDkG7E/s1600/Worrisome.png" height="414" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
so, in 1683, a great council was summoned between the sachem-chief of the
Turtle Clan and the big brother of the Quaker tribe…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJM3OQz60EjPPP1jRIOHVmH96vNBdEZIBntMDbCuDHZcqxTYS_-4hE3AfX3ZLnk_V7KaGem3uq0qEHEa3_YWqVtzaiQHfaG_T2FQ-RI48x9I8lJ3W2CB4K0W6Oa02p6eClishcVlsZ3ZU/s1600/Great+Elm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJM3OQz60EjPPP1jRIOHVmH96vNBdEZIBntMDbCuDHZcqxTYS_-4hE3AfX3ZLnk_V7KaGem3uq0qEHEa3_YWqVtzaiQHfaG_T2FQ-RI48x9I8lJ3W2CB4K0W6Oa02p6eClishcVlsZ3ZU/s1600/Great+Elm.png" height="332" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…to
take place under the great elm that stood near the wigwams of Shakamaxon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There
is a painting hanging in the Art Museum that captures this scene.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKT9n-B6CCd3wVBk64Ra4BDaVQYaNxtq3Z_ufbrTp3uWLJHbW1ZtRwFo7QUhltUx9S3ThyM-M63HAKmMsR_ElGNFvva1dDo0n7xqMbzRWfe3M9QK30Nx9wc1udbjrGnv-zNdyDYnter8o/s1600/IMG_0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKT9n-B6CCd3wVBk64Ra4BDaVQYaNxtq3Z_ufbrTp3uWLJHbW1ZtRwFo7QUhltUx9S3ThyM-M63HAKmMsR_ElGNFvva1dDo0n7xqMbzRWfe3M9QK30Nx9wc1udbjrGnv-zNdyDYnter8o/s1600/IMG_0174.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
the spirit of amity and friendship, the great chief Tamanend accepted the
promise of William Penn, also the money for the purchases of The Hill and The
Dock. Then, he made his own promise...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O4H5iGyyFL475mYO1PEdPWt63MevF3JNQkKsrRCYm-7hhdFSzgbWo0exErONe7djDPOl2eNIJzDvvzjUhSW0ofoVoMCVHHz8srjdJ7ZzRmNC3lyTHitSzPPex6ATxNgGr9QKjzn2PgQ/s1600/IMG_0178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O4H5iGyyFL475mYO1PEdPWt63MevF3JNQkKsrRCYm-7hhdFSzgbWo0exErONe7djDPOl2eNIJzDvvzjUhSW0ofoVoMCVHHz8srjdJ7ZzRmNC3lyTHitSzPPex6ATxNgGr9QKjzn2PgQ/s1600/IMG_0178.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…<i>we will live in love with William Penn and
his children as long as the creeks and rivers run and while the sun, moon and
stars endure.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">To
preserve this great promise, we built a Tamanend statue at the corner of Front
and Market Streets.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDQueuZBbGM-Aa9mBo-0ecg9K4A2cLxs1bM4XycMxC-cDqUSgEtMWZc9gfWdELVYQ6X0NoqXYiBh_eWUbE5mQ5XDCfwDFNU90BnUBhgkR7dgTwvsF56lja5_jZfNmo9vnRMju-L1DDk0/s1600/IMG_0943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDQueuZBbGM-Aa9mBo-0ecg9K4A2cLxs1bM4XycMxC-cDqUSgEtMWZc9gfWdELVYQ6X0NoqXYiBh_eWUbE5mQ5XDCfwDFNU90BnUBhgkR7dgTwvsF56lja5_jZfNmo9vnRMju-L1DDk0/s1600/IMG_0943.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">For
his own amity, William Penn also received a statue.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Mn3JjM1ux8EXazoYgvV0yjtqiuAXLCzvnks1er1kqxBtPEYigUW1o7O6R4yUJ5ZZLpB1_yJzBLl6qEdJbCfdp-p5v8aRC8NHATh8W4G-TfCZ8quCw3jIMoRhBxwyc273JYTSPNFjtl0/s1600/FBNZD00Z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Mn3JjM1ux8EXazoYgvV0yjtqiuAXLCzvnks1er1kqxBtPEYigUW1o7O6R4yUJ5ZZLpB1_yJzBLl6qEdJbCfdp-p5v8aRC8NHATh8W4G-TfCZ8quCw3jIMoRhBxwyc273JYTSPNFjtl0/s1600/FBNZD00Z.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
placement of his outstretched hand is the butt of many jokes here in Philly…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhUoAc26m2VDWqdW6pdjfm1NC40klY6dDLLhl8aHtf2ObUIX3hYOa1GSnzejvxqz5rKrVDqfE5du4jRN_0z4jPcbWLF2MMyuox7x1T9854LIfNnmotvO1HHOH6l_ybXaWCeT3j4ENrww/s1600/art-on-city-hall-600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhUoAc26m2VDWqdW6pdjfm1NC40klY6dDLLhl8aHtf2ObUIX3hYOa1GSnzejvxqz5rKrVDqfE5du4jRN_0z4jPcbWLF2MMyuox7x1T9854LIfNnmotvO1HHOH6l_ybXaWCeT3j4ENrww/s1600/art-on-city-hall-600.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…which
is a shame. That’s the most important
part of the statue, a good spot in the palimpsest to see a tiny bit of the
whole picture.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">His
friendly gesture is mirrored in the statue of Tamanend...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrhEbTq3kIEPODgjRlF4m_KPFxeVwD6zXsXzz76xl0d4RNuUcxQqmu4GS01BP0LGNkBQJDoDCsx-KlquplZBnObKC6xYHyl7ePlTszxrduAh4yTNH4W-iM2bdAP79TC0XZwtJ39rtIt4/s1600/IMG_0945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrhEbTq3kIEPODgjRlF4m_KPFxeVwD6zXsXzz76xl0d4RNuUcxQqmu4GS01BP0LGNkBQJDoDCsx-KlquplZBnObKC6xYHyl7ePlTszxrduAh4yTNH4W-iM2bdAP79TC0XZwtJ39rtIt4/s1600/IMG_0945.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…the
handshake across Old City.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
actually he’s pointing, pointing in the direction of his sister-statue in Penn
Treaty Park…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30Sd0_Cx9G0i5k9s4T_1nPmg-9xVY16lWknzHs1ehqudMUJwMQ0mX-wdfPWTsnp07TUF1OEO5y7Jd_AYbHfnISpgGTHKdcBWw2q0xZWYQS9lMQuuQx0zv5RBMmnfYrmP9tNDEJGSxGMw/s1600/IMG_1252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30Sd0_Cx9G0i5k9s4T_1nPmg-9xVY16lWknzHs1ehqudMUJwMQ0mX-wdfPWTsnp07TUF1OEO5y7Jd_AYbHfnISpgGTHKdcBWw2q0xZWYQS9lMQuuQx0zv5RBMmnfYrmP9tNDEJGSxGMw/s1600/IMG_1252.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…the
site of that once great Treaty Elm, under whose bower of shade so many promises
were made.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Sr0c-MRdGUqtZS9c9gR4Ba1VysXnmhc9tRjnZ8IbRWITM7yWlfvppmnVCxV5xFIzk5Z_CA3Txnqh5dHjljdoJBiki7R5TqopxrX7RjMYC7DGSuL_lAAjN4XOnS7xU2CLk7rSa635cHc/s1600/IMG_0179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Sr0c-MRdGUqtZS9c9gR4Ba1VysXnmhc9tRjnZ8IbRWITM7yWlfvppmnVCxV5xFIzk5Z_CA3Txnqh5dHjljdoJBiki7R5TqopxrX7RjMYC7DGSuL_lAAjN4XOnS7xU2CLk7rSa635cHc/s1600/IMG_0179.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“AS LONG AS THE
CREEKS AND RIVERS RUN…”</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just
the other day, I found myself meandering on another constitutional walk and I
paused to rest on the railings of the bridge on Old Sassafras Street.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnZXqa6LwbEgMnKSkl0YLP-VCTYymBGZczXbVuDbI-FWiJ0oRcCqwhQ2g86uo6GVLa309GKrPlP8EVB-y3sA0_3Z1kuu6JfgCrTNnxU9oztPT675KKG8sWpunsa2dwgYbev9kG7adbiI/s1600/IMG_1080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnZXqa6LwbEgMnKSkl0YLP-VCTYymBGZczXbVuDbI-FWiJ0oRcCqwhQ2g86uo6GVLa309GKrPlP8EVB-y3sA0_3Z1kuu6JfgCrTNnxU9oztPT675KKG8sWpunsa2dwgYbev9kG7adbiI/s1600/IMG_1080.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
watched the construction crew building the latest addition to the Schuylkill
River Trail.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
will be a two-thousand foot boardwalk from Locust Street to the south side of
the South Street Bridge…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10W4uMnPZUELXFPcd7b_1G4xZ5vlPKu36lXAKczcdNMpqW3DId6jWgPYyiMUuQqwOreDW3JJKFOVuf6HEfQDQMmEgw5h3yM1q_tBNkyEpY7V8fLBVxqi_UojlzGS66LHANmi6sjRgjKo/s1600/IMG_1090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10W4uMnPZUELXFPcd7b_1G4xZ5vlPKu36lXAKczcdNMpqW3DId6jWgPYyiMUuQqwOreDW3JJKFOVuf6HEfQDQMmEgw5h3yM1q_tBNkyEpY7V8fLBVxqi_UojlzGS66LHANmi6sjRgjKo/s1600/IMG_1090.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…running
parallel to the eastern shore.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
about time we return to our waters.</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">T</span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">he preservation of our waters
is part of Tamanend’s friendly promise…</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOKshQxi5qdMW2-QPHmGr1pijXz5mfDp7Si6I8ODCiZyqPxRMSqAi6XSZJbx30iShSXFeakH-U-0nw_O5pXFrmh4DVlF7EkILxH73I9_nMoAjIKQ7zqsBu2AByGiuIxPb6JeB-a-lnw4/s1600/Indians+Boat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOKshQxi5qdMW2-QPHmGr1pijXz5mfDp7Si6I8ODCiZyqPxRMSqAi6XSZJbx30iShSXFeakH-U-0nw_O5pXFrmh4DVlF7EkILxH73I9_nMoAjIKQ7zqsBu2AByGiuIxPb6JeB-a-lnw4/s1600/Indians+Boat.png" height="204" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…<i>we will live in love with William Penn and
his children as long as the creeks and rivers run</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">He was trying to say <i>forever</i>.<i> </i>He based his promise on the foundation that such things like creeks and rivers are permanent, always on the map.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We figured out the loophole to that promise.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We’re
running the creeks dry.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Most
of them have been turned into sewers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXbnJfZGx-CKINgIEmCcoC2FEqR1h62LQoX-njafQtI_fC1ncD2epK-AHzOPQhbCnZRK9s03dbmxHjEm-GAMOmMHrjL3UjiYZu1iPvQG-Jbr6fMeZD_zHdogmoc6NJ4pFGFvocgMDUps/s1600/A_HistoricStreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXbnJfZGx-CKINgIEmCcoC2FEqR1h62LQoX-njafQtI_fC1ncD2epK-AHzOPQhbCnZRK9s03dbmxHjEm-GAMOmMHrjL3UjiYZu1iPvQG-Jbr6fMeZD_zHdogmoc6NJ4pFGFvocgMDUps/s1600/A_HistoricStreams.jpg" height="640" width="584" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwPiVINl7tBy9KGDfxbhjQd6mcnOOrg-BjER5zbE2AwNO15jBMszwSYmZRwqNssAL-oSlhQjQGI2WVZsB6oLmpCpL1nSaO7tGuN_i2PIv-WWIA1Bp-_7GpfqdTKctBqW_7yjvb5FiK-M/s1600/A_ModernStreams_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwPiVINl7tBy9KGDfxbhjQd6mcnOOrg-BjER5zbE2AwNO15jBMszwSYmZRwqNssAL-oSlhQjQGI2WVZsB6oLmpCpL1nSaO7tGuN_i2PIv-WWIA1Bp-_7GpfqdTKctBqW_7yjvb5FiK-M/s1600/A_ModernStreams_02.JPG" height="640" width="584" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Exploring
and discovering the Philadelphia woods, no matter how high I climbed or how
deep I dove, I was never far from the kingdom of sewerage…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiol12sXTe0nI4IvT6gg_7Aic0rqLf-WMAwQgzAGk1W9DuTT1wGztMhbuOTnMVZ5UZ3dIgmr71o3PqmjK3tE3dYRqzv3ioX1T6cDNvjqZMNYpfeDEH-d-sSfwoIkzGCycMmDxjMTVVvaMw/s1600/IMG_8796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiol12sXTe0nI4IvT6gg_7Aic0rqLf-WMAwQgzAGk1W9DuTT1wGztMhbuOTnMVZ5UZ3dIgmr71o3PqmjK3tE3dYRqzv3ioX1T6cDNvjqZMNYpfeDEH-d-sSfwoIkzGCycMmDxjMTVVvaMw/s1600/IMG_8796.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…never
could escape the subterranean network that keeps the toilets flushing or the
showers pumping…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92uk24bA_ujqetuf_adCS5DUKZLz4XRTXvQ9Y0SvYzUQvlUOYZV6n5eY3IvblIJywYupItB_n2MGnOzVR23-U2OnLMMSPIfKdmxZeOHyAARNtb4BdTjtSMgDNOnXaPfaFOPsmjBEWXd4/s1600/IMG_5031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92uk24bA_ujqetuf_adCS5DUKZLz4XRTXvQ9Y0SvYzUQvlUOYZV6n5eY3IvblIJywYupItB_n2MGnOzVR23-U2OnLMMSPIfKdmxZeOHyAARNtb4BdTjtSMgDNOnXaPfaFOPsmjBEWXd4/s1600/IMG_5031.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…or
the coffee machines churning.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Most
of the little creeks are gone underground and their courses are all but
forgotten, little waterways like Mill Creek, Rock Run and even Dock Creek, gone
away, dried up, raised high and buried over.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even
creeks with great history have been submerged, places like Moyamokin, <i>Where We Enter the House</i>...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgha7T3iLn3E2-6msCkBGKsxKedhryLzDtbjZlbRgA5DukLhSpLyY6FmC3KzlMb_S6_BOLR-zcjX-Ub6yB1Q1Nj54NSrAAhzuhLSzpiFDmQlb6l-yT1nNxII8EcOXWEIVwzMlnjfW2qaKA/s1600/Missing+creeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgha7T3iLn3E2-6msCkBGKsxKedhryLzDtbjZlbRgA5DukLhSpLyY6FmC3KzlMb_S6_BOLR-zcjX-Ub6yB1Q1Nj54NSrAAhzuhLSzpiFDmQlb6l-yT1nNxII8EcOXWEIVwzMlnjfW2qaKA/s1600/Missing+creeks.jpg" height="366" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
Chinkhansin, <i>Where We Were Robbed</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">All
the way south on the map, I can still find Tennakonk…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2YvkOlmAuEaXwzasz8YohEZGN93G70HlhX7Xjgh0S164EBj-fE3qMJnfESljGRLDF19v8nwar_eQpiEHFqWsh3EDqmctnVqqmo2dY0gLTgDk9HoB4i0obpzhoaoLIyjzLXQylgu51Gk/s1600/Tinicum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2YvkOlmAuEaXwzasz8YohEZGN93G70HlhX7Xjgh0S164EBj-fE3qMJnfESljGRLDF19v8nwar_eQpiEHFqWsh3EDqmctnVqqmo2dY0gLTgDk9HoB4i0obpzhoaoLIyjzLXQylgu51Gk/s1600/Tinicum.jpg" height="318" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…although
I know it as the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dhA6rfeQVekzIBH9PbTbLjq_n-UFz57A2sYNz9VBa9ua_BSm6qH_jpzdEU5Hd_9oYNP3bFabA_UVJX-rs3mYrnq_BM6JJ95NGcFALePsq1xjURnvkHGHPkfi5eeVTpHk-jW60M9y7sA/s1600/IMG_7071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dhA6rfeQVekzIBH9PbTbLjq_n-UFz57A2sYNz9VBa9ua_BSm6qH_jpzdEU5Hd_9oYNP3bFabA_UVJX-rs3mYrnq_BM6JJ95NGcFALePsq1xjURnvkHGHPkfi5eeVTpHk-jW60M9y7sA/s1600/IMG_7071.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve
wandered those trails through all manners of seasons and moons. Even now, the map stays true. Tennakonk still holds the promise of birds.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisihmflIFGJptDX0QVAcD5-iTYW0fFD65Yg8EGNzn0zNTjJYJZORXE97vuDcorrrV1mcaHEdp0zZJSIei2CGEjywR-cO8A1xtT86IDyfgMxwVLvJtOw4FhwNJcbh5py2ILGDVwB5S3Oqo/s1600/IMG_7077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisihmflIFGJptDX0QVAcD5-iTYW0fFD65Yg8EGNzn0zNTjJYJZORXE97vuDcorrrV1mcaHEdp0zZJSIei2CGEjywR-cO8A1xtT86IDyfgMxwVLvJtOw4FhwNJcbh5py2ILGDVwB5S3Oqo/s1600/IMG_7077.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjsXr_OIIoznQeYCKPo26b0zNwVu_KhRxii5ho7d24AAEeEoE7OMU2wC-h3Vvh5P-vTeBnPRwdsm6A_odXT_i9ROxyCxVvUyn15TXvcgDtFE5ZAr1iA9IHiasT9wVxNEh8GhnGfx-ck4/s1600/IMG_7079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjsXr_OIIoznQeYCKPo26b0zNwVu_KhRxii5ho7d24AAEeEoE7OMU2wC-h3Vvh5P-vTeBnPRwdsm6A_odXT_i9ROxyCxVvUyn15TXvcgDtFE5ZAr1iA9IHiasT9wVxNEh8GhnGfx-ck4/s1600/IMG_7079.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just
north of Tennakonk, there’s Mud Island.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLln6lVhd4x_mNeXaAIXSHx97CH_O2saxMaKkGLljhjOqZM8u2osreiW1kv6yl7uzA0Wh3iowwSSTljJ5A1VGka3Z9xEIDacJzks1MWGE29i-b6VGRdTssZ9CmJXYdOaayKPvx63o2nKc/s1600/Mud+Island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLln6lVhd4x_mNeXaAIXSHx97CH_O2saxMaKkGLljhjOqZM8u2osreiW1kv6yl7uzA0Wh3iowwSSTljJ5A1VGka3Z9xEIDacJzks1MWGE29i-b6VGRdTssZ9CmJXYdOaayKPvx63o2nKc/s1600/Mud+Island.jpg" height="362" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
was there too, a couple winters ago…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PULluR8r4Go9r9SZFLQLnO129Txt5cnX3I8ywNkMC2a1skvoZoF9IQnk507h031hyPaB8sFAZQCktl5NpbHdIkj2ZK8Muxh277t4YdWDgNWdsBI-ohcRTA8Wvtg5BxsZPXwFaKGglXM/s1600/IMG_6368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PULluR8r4Go9r9SZFLQLnO129Txt5cnX3I8ywNkMC2a1skvoZoF9IQnk507h031hyPaB8sFAZQCktl5NpbHdIkj2ZK8Muxh277t4YdWDgNWdsBI-ohcRTA8Wvtg5BxsZPXwFaKGglXM/s1600/IMG_6368.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…to
march along the high ramparts of Fort Mifflin…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZTavL26cPsaC1k62GNytHs9cXr8CptOgsj9yW3XqTg4wGHg-8hUzqW4yofoiH-kmQt399rNKG983quZcx82MUtNZYJCV8N5ZGvlx_AJbP17RslXlO4Os6KSoMuCNSBOrSK6VEWZ5mZI/s1600/IMG_6220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZTavL26cPsaC1k62GNytHs9cXr8CptOgsj9yW3XqTg4wGHg-8hUzqW4yofoiH-kmQt399rNKG983quZcx82MUtNZYJCV8N5ZGvlx_AJbP17RslXlO4Os6KSoMuCNSBOrSK6VEWZ5mZI/s1600/IMG_6220.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
to walk along the mucky banks of the Schuylkill River delta.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh689Nx10haRjNkeTJJKmtG6hJIcNLiwsxgJAG2YI0dHAQQFexexwxooqMlOpbtcjXBg0AxiEtppk-u-OiuIaFQuVvF3z61z1d-kcsfZjVVPZ-59X1tsaoGL_Cd54L54ikRDPklUf9Y_O4/s1600/IMG_6366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh689Nx10haRjNkeTJJKmtG6hJIcNLiwsxgJAG2YI0dHAQQFexexwxooqMlOpbtcjXBg0AxiEtppk-u-OiuIaFQuVvF3z61z1d-kcsfZjVVPZ-59X1tsaoGL_Cd54L54ikRDPklUf9Y_O4/s1600/IMG_6366.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Over
the last two years, I’ve tried to hit all the remaining streambeds and creekruns. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve
followed Cobbs Creek, the southwestern boundary of the city, from where it
flows into Philadelphia under City Avenue…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkoiOsQe_ErYlWKptd_Fn1A8fW-QvSPtqSAFG_yArKGwgmKRtRWMhjdn52eEBLHfZbXepbDxiC05M26-IFPs8ySsykCpPZCkjMxjaiqEuwkV9CTCb1wQBeGjyuIlDrItff8i-DbSwi0g/s1600/IMG_3719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkoiOsQe_ErYlWKptd_Fn1A8fW-QvSPtqSAFG_yArKGwgmKRtRWMhjdn52eEBLHfZbXepbDxiC05M26-IFPs8ySsykCpPZCkjMxjaiqEuwkV9CTCb1wQBeGjyuIlDrItff8i-DbSwi0g/s1600/IMG_3719.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…all
the way to the weird outpost of Eastwick…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDbaifHAik8n9BLLktjLmUnq_IhxvhWi7OvB_oqarTy0Wl-jHKh7GgyVMnweL-FiAeQ1LQplW4O5aZtWrvkp6sbdvX3MErEpfKklqpDSeCF7qkvwCOvlfE_62D2Zl4FPhyphenhyphenvbc6ffbWcI/s1600/IMG_3978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDbaifHAik8n9BLLktjLmUnq_IhxvhWi7OvB_oqarTy0Wl-jHKh7GgyVMnweL-FiAeQ1LQplW4O5aZtWrvkp6sbdvX3MErEpfKklqpDSeCF7qkvwCOvlfE_62D2Zl4FPhyphenhyphenvbc6ffbWcI/s1600/IMG_3978.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…land
of wild turkeys…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjewS_2uJJluNwE6BDjLeJKZzW4Q22-YevA-bzyV5ey8qVRHDFn9DloChc22VXPfQ6DapdopfnRmLBgtBpNBBahqnic4UIilK48oxgDq-pRyfZye7OVTcBtyA17Iwl43yg2L4jWFj4hI/s1600/IMG_3967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjewS_2uJJluNwE6BDjLeJKZzW4Q22-YevA-bzyV5ey8qVRHDFn9DloChc22VXPfQ6DapdopfnRmLBgtBpNBBahqnic4UIilK48oxgDq-pRyfZye7OVTcBtyA17Iwl43yg2L4jWFj4hI/s1600/IMG_3967.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
dusty ponies.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4iSGIdm4r1toAEGpahZCKRwdkGBR8TybYvbd73iT4AQZnk3gtJQje8D-NJOKnQ2CF4wKmwl8Z4q5EGjkY7t5obNEMPMs6uT9w0pGtkTdvnV0cNaJbZpSyPWtCiLNDiW6q6VDaf01oEA/s1600/IMG_3911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4iSGIdm4r1toAEGpahZCKRwdkGBR8TybYvbd73iT4AQZnk3gtJQje8D-NJOKnQ2CF4wKmwl8Z4q5EGjkY7t5obNEMPMs6uT9w0pGtkTdvnV0cNaJbZpSyPWtCiLNDiW6q6VDaf01oEA/s1600/IMG_3911.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
spent a long summer day at a rocky bend of the Catfish Creek…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fb1dSdr5bZe5TuV7oSqjKKsfLyq3Br_UmGRLJWpKw0MWKrFTfdBx4qcRU-WJKzcJm7nrAxzWIq6HG0wq0m2yQIlgDmxi34VpVpW50BmYz1RV_QUn3l2y5wZCdcGVSAX0jLTUT-6TDXA/s1600/IMG_2892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fb1dSdr5bZe5TuV7oSqjKKsfLyq3Br_UmGRLJWpKw0MWKrFTfdBx4qcRU-WJKzcJm7nrAxzWIq6HG0wq0m2yQIlgDmxi34VpVpW50BmYz1RV_QUn3l2y5wZCdcGVSAX0jLTUT-6TDXA/s1600/IMG_2892.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and,
during winter, I went back again to make war with the polar vortex.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFJvnVn6C6RuuYhvDS_bt2lLd0y7FDBwSnAzFWsXKwmrf_Tfvw0jH_ikEjFYWV7NzkOl4xTLXxghKItkd8JREs2eHyAw8T1nA6D1Itx3TDTXAb0VD6UFSWurrDszhFOvt1Vtby4bTMfo/s1600/IMG_6551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFJvnVn6C6RuuYhvDS_bt2lLd0y7FDBwSnAzFWsXKwmrf_Tfvw0jH_ikEjFYWV7NzkOl4xTLXxghKItkd8JREs2eHyAw8T1nA6D1Itx3TDTXAb0VD6UFSWurrDszhFOvt1Vtby4bTMfo/s1600/IMG_6551.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
northeast corner, the northernmost boundary of Philadelphia, is also a creek…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BWKlIgcoAxjQGxQyeoebS_DQgUs2Odb65-mHpm6SubmwSYYh2a_3nkKAeSUKtEwuW3PYl0X9edqeVfzMi471dJ62ClUzsSyWM_Moy9Ky08fmEyDC76IA9bJAXn8bVI14JFHWAYDagFc/s1600/Poquessing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BWKlIgcoAxjQGxQyeoebS_DQgUs2Odb65-mHpm6SubmwSYYh2a_3nkKAeSUKtEwuW3PYl0X9edqeVfzMi471dJ62ClUzsSyWM_Moy9Ky08fmEyDC76IA9bJAXn8bVI14JFHWAYDagFc/s1600/Poquessing.jpg" height="350" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…the
Poquessing, <i>The Place of Mice</i>, an
appropriate perch for an owl.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
was there last summer, during the Strong Sun Moon, in the middle of an infernal
heat wave…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TFBtJGCJU__voNCucnskm5vdtOv2VVQ_1xNLFIevafpQVxLQLiCgPmk39dKqP5AVlJSFqFN173x92W47NzfRjItVQnk0D9zN4pEnoxJCVg9X_Gnn4ErNBmaeeVCHMSM_CmK3d9XE8Zc/s1600/IMG_2428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TFBtJGCJU__voNCucnskm5vdtOv2VVQ_1xNLFIevafpQVxLQLiCgPmk39dKqP5AVlJSFqFN173x92W47NzfRjItVQnk0D9zN4pEnoxJCVg9X_Gnn4ErNBmaeeVCHMSM_CmK3d9XE8Zc/s1600/IMG_2428.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…hunting
down the native sunflower, stumbling blindly into the grove of a modern day sun
god.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhas6hmK0i1CSkjni5JcpADqTUgJdsmwOzFWJCD8EIQOvQdb6hkGA7ML-4iNNMG810durwfyCSd9iHP2oNX9-KEdKMCludWX2Rns1Xjg3VXmfFm_qPfb6wqR8geCMeSO0b7QDrAe30LMRA/s1600/IMG_2384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhas6hmK0i1CSkjni5JcpADqTUgJdsmwOzFWJCD8EIQOvQdb6hkGA7ML-4iNNMG810durwfyCSd9iHP2oNX9-KEdKMCludWX2Rns1Xjg3VXmfFm_qPfb6wqR8geCMeSO0b7QDrAe30LMRA/s1600/IMG_2384.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve
been up and down the Pemickpacka watershed, looking for spring, chasing the
pawpaw…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZAq12yri5AJ6rjOzRYaJo5BWl_QEYBCSWU204pqYH0MZvyEG_mNhkJEBhS9WeLeSYvvjfaHpP75R5gLnwFLdIp953DAxlWuXS9U2hzNkbFdcjumQJ0NRWcxXOvFsA0OH4JeWs_V3tdA/s1600/IMG_4896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZAq12yri5AJ6rjOzRYaJo5BWl_QEYBCSWU204pqYH0MZvyEG_mNhkJEBhS9WeLeSYvvjfaHpP75R5gLnwFLdIp953DAxlWuXS9U2hzNkbFdcjumQJ0NRWcxXOvFsA0OH4JeWs_V3tdA/s1600/IMG_4896.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…<i>The Slow Flowing Bear-Fat </i>creek we now
call the Pennypack. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even this mighty
river has been diverted underground in parts but, even within its driest woods, during certain slants of light…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMYXjT7xiq68sLsTBMwJifp-J4Qa28kyrhGThlQK9CHqotyIbr-AXw1Whc69_bCF444r4xi9hqmIlD3iUnC4Y91Yn1ORNYQ8EvTtU-HEaId90LsKugILa4VETWPAR7lSCab7yQwAwJ-Dk/s1600/IMG_4845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMYXjT7xiq68sLsTBMwJifp-J4Qa28kyrhGThlQK9CHqotyIbr-AXw1Whc69_bCF444r4xi9hqmIlD3iUnC4Y91Yn1ORNYQ8EvTtU-HEaId90LsKugILa4VETWPAR7lSCab7yQwAwJ-Dk/s1600/IMG_4845.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…I
could find it, bubbling back to the surface.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What
about the Taoconink, the Tacony?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That
flows into the city through the Cheltenham and Lawncrest neighborhoods and,
right before turning towards the shore, it becomes the Quessinamomink…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh392cZDityciig99mkCxz2oGTzVldByoscNogtitgcu0oA7Phh76FPQNZuCfyNuFLHX0p4Ba8g2I_P3wm3XePcflZnDhzKZXrNRHNzhF1netwiEZmPR_50XFyoQEhn1s040w6hx77C4aQ/s1600/Tacony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh392cZDityciig99mkCxz2oGTzVldByoscNogtitgcu0oA7Phh76FPQNZuCfyNuFLHX0p4Ba8g2I_P3wm3XePcflZnDhzKZXrNRHNzhF1netwiEZmPR_50XFyoQEhn1s040w6hx77C4aQ/s1600/Tacony.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…which
some translate as <i>Eel-skin River</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
thought at first that this creek would spill into the Delaware at the anchorage
of the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge but it’s actually more south at the site of the
Betsy Ross. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGftMkbnvYL8UTfXbzRUU3DCmpQQlNXacUk8siiu4Qw49TynqRSH6xG6coJXpR6EsiuDgIP4726XdOu1JS43_K0C54LBzgST0rjlVwaEl0-BiOGSGvZMLeFzPqwkHxpd4tr0y1y3IZ18/s1600/IMG_0966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGftMkbnvYL8UTfXbzRUU3DCmpQQlNXacUk8siiu4Qw49TynqRSH6xG6coJXpR6EsiuDgIP4726XdOu1JS43_K0C54LBzgST0rjlVwaEl0-BiOGSGvZMLeFzPqwkHxpd4tr0y1y3IZ18/s1600/IMG_0966.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
tried to find the place where it flowed into the Delaware but I couldn’t get
any closer than this…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWj9Qdg6aGB0R0GwrbYtFH7RxENqmuFFa5hPgqCgM9Eg_5fEH8NWyauqzcjajk3hrbx-qkYgSlPT0nRkRqKBwjQH9H8bFmBVoa4Aqv39XYQEVGUtyy19zHoMyfVmttXiE-flwqIWPzZNk/s1600/IMG_0971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWj9Qdg6aGB0R0GwrbYtFH7RxENqmuFFa5hPgqCgM9Eg_5fEH8NWyauqzcjajk3hrbx-qkYgSlPT0nRkRqKBwjQH9H8bFmBVoa4Aqv39XYQEVGUtyy19zHoMyfVmttXiE-flwqIWPzZNk/s1600/IMG_0971.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…unless
I applied for a job with Veolia Energy, whose northeastern headquarters lay
claim to this part of the creek.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6aA-n1yuvfyrnrvOohfuxNUn2PSDOq98Nn3ue1uiZfQ-7CiFFAjbimP-BxibV83DrjYb3HOHSe3b-758eGqlcPTgpB42szn3xeoVWHY8hKM_HEtkzN8E49yz-qD0XsZKE1F8JJHgQtw/s1600/IMG_0959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6aA-n1yuvfyrnrvOohfuxNUn2PSDOq98Nn3ue1uiZfQ-7CiFFAjbimP-BxibV83DrjYb3HOHSe3b-758eGqlcPTgpB42szn3xeoVWHY8hKM_HEtkzN8E49yz-qD0XsZKE1F8JJHgQtw/s1600/IMG_0959.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just
north on the map, between the Betsy Ross Bridge and the Pemickpacka, there
is another creek called the Wischanemuck, the place <i>Where We Were Frightened</i>…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAfrTGYNtPtPFl0PTpxpjYaG91cUpJddvCn4OrLp9nxOPa7EvfiRAcVVfGmQxKEDE0RJ5c8UjtBMjAgvBfd8n6BlsmAHlFMjfc6EwOS1HlfBeCq2cInONkEbB3JW9q9AnMFa_j5cZY5Y/s1600/Wissimoning+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAfrTGYNtPtPFl0PTpxpjYaG91cUpJddvCn4OrLp9nxOPa7EvfiRAcVVfGmQxKEDE0RJ5c8UjtBMjAgvBfd8n6BlsmAHlFMjfc6EwOS1HlfBeCq2cInONkEbB3JW9q9AnMFa_j5cZY5Y/s1600/Wissimoning+2.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…a
name whose meaning is lost to the past.
It originally ran from the north just below a wide swing of the
Pemickpacka but now its course has been sunken and corrected…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNqIfxVnMvJHU45c7nsF9TkaWmZm8aDvksB0SaDvvLb13qgThfIB9sDiCp9GsN6bQFyoIcynGkOaUO6bjz5T_0bpaNUaTw9tP9lbbKMK3jrXTQZcfR8e0bQy1nybIPmxh_Jg-GEnP9q4/s1600/Wissimoning.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDNqIfxVnMvJHU45c7nsF9TkaWmZm8aDvksB0SaDvvLb13qgThfIB9sDiCp9GsN6bQFyoIcynGkOaUO6bjz5T_0bpaNUaTw9tP9lbbKMK3jrXTQZcfR8e0bQy1nybIPmxh_Jg-GEnP9q4/s1600/Wissimoning.png" height="336" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…flowing
back to the surface in the neighborhood of Bridesburg.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We
now call it the Wissimoning and I was able to catch it on the overpass where
Bridge Street intersects with Almond Avenue.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8HiCX9cSTfThVLQ4ieQCQkS-kpD3PsO_NeiZTOOygU3hsCJc6krcKE37oRawbUDSfNP7a6ci2iYp90EBFfgvUaWeOmrzkXMwxOgMXPqkQwDlY1ExDqIlQRzmqrSa5S5n5vLGHxCZLr8/s1600/IMG_0973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8HiCX9cSTfThVLQ4ieQCQkS-kpD3PsO_NeiZTOOygU3hsCJc6krcKE37oRawbUDSfNP7a6ci2iYp90EBFfgvUaWeOmrzkXMwxOgMXPqkQwDlY1ExDqIlQRzmqrSa5S5n5vLGHxCZLr8/s1600/IMG_0973.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
couldn’t get to its northern banks. It
was locked up by Dow Chemicals.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiyzK-_gDglsZCq0x0Kl72tElMZGVNKMgq-TWhmUo87UVk2ps1JVvQ7tbAHupTbT3zL50m2DWhUTWdb62lsCsUig5WFxI-nwBUoomOTFpZ_a_YpRTaCZBVkazdrtvpwMhiWC59CU6CGs/s1600/IMG_0979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyiyzK-_gDglsZCq0x0Kl72tElMZGVNKMgq-TWhmUo87UVk2ps1JVvQ7tbAHupTbT3zL50m2DWhUTWdb62lsCsUig5WFxI-nwBUoomOTFpZ_a_YpRTaCZBVkazdrtvpwMhiWC59CU6CGs/s1600/IMG_0979.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On
the other side of Bridge Street, I snuck into the parking lot of the Ross
Funeral Home and was able to catch its flow…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwncW32yViDmxklFe8QPs04RyNjxvmDeVkiXKpCAb8RQkJzQpriJQPWtuinykBKqk4IBLOrvv6UZ7_fS-LnOR8s4mXUkjlI89l2Ey1SRjXsSmjmemPPxFcgOlB_jhffG8Wq5KCr4xeSEA/s1600/IMG_0978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwncW32yViDmxklFe8QPs04RyNjxvmDeVkiXKpCAb8RQkJzQpriJQPWtuinykBKqk4IBLOrvv6UZ7_fS-LnOR8s4mXUkjlI89l2Ey1SRjXsSmjmemPPxFcgOlB_jhffG8Wq5KCr4xeSEA/s1600/IMG_0978.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…traffic
zooming by me, high water standing still, Honeywell factory in the background
working hard.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There
was also once the Wingehacking, known to be <i>A
Favorite Spot for Planting</i>…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3b7KKxmi_7VNlMgSXNGohEyxsPgbvH2f4l7O_zpgmuL9refsZFj_Tie0Pvl1vNa-4IAgfIf1tte9VBElvciMTnBpPkl-23xa4J1PAD95CCbC8kFL2YIWNpxJPzx_TZ8gZzBnU4z4Trw/s1600/Wingocking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3b7KKxmi_7VNlMgSXNGohEyxsPgbvH2f4l7O_zpgmuL9refsZFj_Tie0Pvl1vNa-4IAgfIf1tte9VBElvciMTnBpPkl-23xa4J1PAD95CCbC8kFL2YIWNpxJPzx_TZ8gZzBnU4z4Trw/s1600/Wingocking.jpg" height="400" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
it’s been sunk too.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
only place left to find it is here…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-KuJeGupDZkY4y26LM_azaD59IkFMloF7IZsyObNubc3VnR1en_OeWHlk7PVsuXynXXmw11YzJvm3taQyz-zj38v-kIYA9AqpdS0dRl_xr0UAaWwxlT5ndHEJKq7fohY0SHnMGaxGPo/s1600/IMG_0985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-KuJeGupDZkY4y26LM_azaD59IkFMloF7IZsyObNubc3VnR1en_OeWHlk7PVsuXynXXmw11YzJvm3taQyz-zj38v-kIYA9AqpdS0dRl_xr0UAaWwxlT5ndHEJKq7fohY0SHnMGaxGPo/s1600/IMG_0985.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…at
the Awbury Arboretum in the East Germantown neighborhood. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Wingohocking surfaces, quietly and
humbly, just underneath West Washington Lane.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5nAMEVfCNlUvAIbV9Cc5IV_ZvBEkUMONs0ia2eXXzR_NhNqm5a4_5izWcZb6Z8SO8yFpblHfAlKZ82cZ1KTz-4m0ZTIofy8SBJB34OXFxKAvrqPlhkGKGm7aZoOOHNxbYEbmFuJgLdY/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5nAMEVfCNlUvAIbV9Cc5IV_ZvBEkUMONs0ia2eXXzR_NhNqm5a4_5izWcZb6Z8SO8yFpblHfAlKZ82cZ1KTz-4m0ZTIofy8SBJB34OXFxKAvrqPlhkGKGm7aZoOOHNxbYEbmFuJgLdY/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
runs through the park…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPm32hp6oPdQepoyVhpQqnZVYmskw6i5TF3nbHreoHJz4vyRZ1sViFoUr0vn-lZc2d-xGxwRHpacg5S8Zglq1fmkiMnJbGHuOgqnDTmgAnCPJs3dkbu3s8W__CtuBiolw1h3jkDcqpJM/s1600/IMG_1031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPm32hp6oPdQepoyVhpQqnZVYmskw6i5TF3nbHreoHJz4vyRZ1sViFoUr0vn-lZc2d-xGxwRHpacg5S8Zglq1fmkiMnJbGHuOgqnDTmgAnCPJs3dkbu3s8W__CtuBiolw1h3jkDcqpJM/s1600/IMG_1031.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…gathers
for a little bit in a mossy pond defended by a massive river birch…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS7oDLqwqw6YvDP2PMPIFgSjiMOHpr6EIliT7it9FAJ8E2UqoqdPAwbgRVjT50Ir9LsFdjbSXiH5eKLsCJfvkwWPuVl7oBJQ0mp-ajyf_hEz5AiscEiT4vT5Dq7_DCWhicLahc-zE_8o/s1600/IMG_1057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS7oDLqwqw6YvDP2PMPIFgSjiMOHpr6EIliT7it9FAJ8E2UqoqdPAwbgRVjT50Ir9LsFdjbSXiH5eKLsCJfvkwWPuVl7oBJQ0mp-ajyf_hEz5AiscEiT4vT5Dq7_DCWhicLahc-zE_8o/s1600/IMG_1057.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
then continues babbling and bending down its brief course.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabhPydUQQlg_hTmYUeDzdpyeoNyfktftZGIlQpmWXmMZ6G_Cd28npA5FERaPrSlXME3qVuRpWjeXxNkpF5Rgy-8E8PqZsPPfL-XM4WwMlkaA0I3qnRdBssYBPekDmBg-4bMKfiXyM-08/s1600/IMG_1032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabhPydUQQlg_hTmYUeDzdpyeoNyfktftZGIlQpmWXmMZ6G_Cd28npA5FERaPrSlXME3qVuRpWjeXxNkpF5Rgy-8E8PqZsPPfL-XM4WwMlkaA0I3qnRdBssYBPekDmBg-4bMKfiXyM-08/s1600/IMG_1032.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">To
the east, there is a steep valley </span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">and
a high, delightful trail of sentinel trees.</span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin0eMTGD0JaBgcGUwARo6nr29U0QWdlcmJl609Xg9zrlYR8Dr9DrRZiCC-yD_KEU1zVWLhyphenhyphenAJHy1MLCOMYsheVr1HzEPyqN3NctmcsGX32xSYAKkCE4_eEicjaBqRPkaq1IHCJyRThU00/s1600/IMG_1071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin0eMTGD0JaBgcGUwARo6nr29U0QWdlcmJl609Xg9zrlYR8Dr9DrRZiCC-yD_KEU1zVWLhyphenhyphenAJHy1MLCOMYsheVr1HzEPyqN3NctmcsGX32xSYAKkCE4_eEicjaBqRPkaq1IHCJyRThU00/s1600/IMG_1071.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Right
before it ends, the Wingohocking pools into a reedy puddle, guarded by two
willows…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZpa7tIVN3cls8YL0TKEM0732FhioORSg4hPLQtBhIfNkEXIBmQVBdPshyZrA7iDjBli9flUPOnX95QdgjZv-lQOiY4dircStnO5tWGBOrbb1lei3CSPEssrncYzO1ZINa9x5ZeHgNEc/s1600/IMG_1020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZpa7tIVN3cls8YL0TKEM0732FhioORSg4hPLQtBhIfNkEXIBmQVBdPshyZrA7iDjBli9flUPOnX95QdgjZv-lQOiY4dircStnO5tWGBOrbb1lei3CSPEssrncYzO1ZINa9x5ZeHgNEc/s1600/IMG_1020.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…which
is just about perfect, and then it flops over the rustic dam and back into the earth…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7oY45emUsztHjIJ9poL-DgqjlF4MT2ChovWk5w-PrMSnCrcbupaBMS6Vffa4P3AzghDy6zzvf5aXl7cwAKyzn7-b5zuX6YG_N5lpKvpLVKoYO2WLvIqXkmm1PzTPELk5XF5aeZNjuW4U/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7oY45emUsztHjIJ9poL-DgqjlF4MT2ChovWk5w-PrMSnCrcbupaBMS6Vffa4P3AzghDy6zzvf5aXl7cwAKyzn7-b5zuX6YG_N5lpKvpLVKoYO2WLvIqXkmm1PzTPELk5XF5aeZNjuW4U/s1600/IMG_1069.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…never
to be seen again and that’s that. It’s
not even on our current map.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvmaL3cWvrYv2LxYv4pB0rWtM9VYnQLkU9DipYFcZdXjbPkfoQa8h83QVtu5a7Zmhdq0YGDYDgbzD5V-uf7LKgOJSIiO2bBsPll_mI0SPc07gXsg8LzeS5wGBBn0AQdk1pSQ0oRHkOmQ/s1600/A_ModernStreams_02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvmaL3cWvrYv2LxYv4pB0rWtM9VYnQLkU9DipYFcZdXjbPkfoQa8h83QVtu5a7Zmhdq0YGDYDgbzD5V-uf7LKgOJSIiO2bBsPll_mI0SPc07gXsg8LzeS5wGBBn0AQdk1pSQ0oRHkOmQ/s1600/A_ModernStreams_02.JPG" height="640" width="584" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
a sewer now and I have no problem with sewers.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBL0RX7rlBTv7kiK2YHjrENzxKNNyiOdlTGYHQsXyF3iT0jYmAAOdL02vPIVFUA8cFKOdT4REFnQ0dQRiP2iOP3WcgI_QfvZ_QFn5pM_nzV3SR0daKHeMFrW6wGuOV0Tmc4rPguaXVV8/s1600/IMG_5002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBL0RX7rlBTv7kiK2YHjrENzxKNNyiOdlTGYHQsXyF3iT0jYmAAOdL02vPIVFUA8cFKOdT4REFnQ0dQRiP2iOP3WcgI_QfvZ_QFn5pM_nzV3SR0daKHeMFrW6wGuOV0Tmc4rPguaXVV8/s1600/IMG_5002.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
live above a sewer myself. It was once
called Mill Creek. I know the course it
once ran. It used to pool from the mills
into a small pond, famous for its mud, on the Chester side of Clark Park.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
can identify a few of the trees and plants that once towered over its bends and
bows.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">These
sewers and I? We are separated by a young
but tenacious layer of the palimpsest.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbgrm3RL_NbLj5iIvOcA-YqLz4OsKZ4DkE9kX-pf9K30dTSd6Y0sdrbsXzh69vCu3hSt7Z_1JNNDKdFVgst2p55t6zQwqNFXB3viOTkx8Zs8Akg7suENiMmq2hGRduAoDXRy5K7ngQIY/s1600/IMG_5007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbgrm3RL_NbLj5iIvOcA-YqLz4OsKZ4DkE9kX-pf9K30dTSd6Y0sdrbsXzh69vCu3hSt7Z_1JNNDKdFVgst2p55t6zQwqNFXB3viOTkx8Zs8Akg7suENiMmq2hGRduAoDXRy5K7ngQIY/s1600/IMG_5007.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
between us, between my sewer and me, there is a history that digs deep…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSUIAtJxl5iaEmiBEoS7XuJqV7BIfaHoe47u84is9028EUYBsLJCPpsUyyqc0Yrs2TW0oRtVN3VgBPTKB0yh1xARI_7E0dWqqayxq3trXqz1EssQn_H3nbEpb728gtBHel9XAMcANlmg/s1600/IMG_5011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSUIAtJxl5iaEmiBEoS7XuJqV7BIfaHoe47u84is9028EUYBsLJCPpsUyyqc0Yrs2TW0oRtVN3VgBPTKB0yh1xARI_7E0dWqqayxq3trXqz1EssQn_H3nbEpb728gtBHel9XAMcANlmg/s1600/IMG_5011.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and,
as long as it runs, a promise worth keeping.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“THAT’S WHY
NOBODY KNOWS THEY’RE HERE…”</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
entire northeast and most of the western range of the map is dominated by the
wilds.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HtQZps1SwgDjfVKMz5L6IRqVf1G2q3o8yYWEiZy7S9fY2PqkW9F8f0MUDpgxujMdPKYG7uNvI9Oe2cCNOUE0ghyphenhyphen6UKRoEXp8tFzQkKQO8DUhmdEOaT6hCeCYkJtTcWj57Fpo2Knq6wA/s1600/Hunting+Grounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HtQZps1SwgDjfVKMz5L6IRqVf1G2q3o8yYWEiZy7S9fY2PqkW9F8f0MUDpgxujMdPKYG7uNvI9Oe2cCNOUE0ghyphenhyphen6UKRoEXp8tFzQkKQO8DUhmdEOaT6hCeCYkJtTcWj57Fpo2Knq6wA/s1600/Hunting+Grounds.jpg" height="292" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
can zoom in on the trees and try to see some distinct characteristics…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJfGHuuldwUqCcVXktDk1l_eVcD32OxKfVodykGVrozf9SWD7zG20TzDT7FFOmKU4ZyF220PZWKTPfbUL56Gfz_LzPzalp_7O90HXgO2NKsb-ubtN1b7Tt5geOkHktdndxuPqQXV2YXE/s1600/Clse+up.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJfGHuuldwUqCcVXktDk1l_eVcD32OxKfVodykGVrozf9SWD7zG20TzDT7FFOmKU4ZyF220PZWKTPfbUL56Gfz_LzPzalp_7O90HXgO2NKsb-ubtN1b7Tt5geOkHktdndxuPqQXV2YXE/s1600/Clse+up.png" height="430" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
I’d only be guessing.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Many
accounts speak only of their fruit. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
can’t recognize any landmarks except for the obvious ones…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWL-zOUJzztAJW5Uy1FVEXR64f1AxgHqTMreMVKq9tfWq18bEpOUPDkHNkvZ5XzCKDgKdJ1gx7oAThMTv8Q87UODWCPmgC-eORIpj8l92zfacoclVA3NF2zJTNPNs_AOfzmg2OAiAYZk/s1600/Manayunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWL-zOUJzztAJW5Uy1FVEXR64f1AxgHqTMreMVKq9tfWq18bEpOUPDkHNkvZ5XzCKDgKdJ1gx7oAThMTv8Q87UODWCPmgC-eORIpj8l92zfacoclVA3NF2zJTNPNs_AOfzmg2OAiAYZk/s1600/Manayunk.jpg" height="364" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…like
the cliffs of Manayunk, <i>Where We Go To
Drink</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Right
where the Wissahickon Catfish Creek makes its final drop to the Schuylkill, on
the eastern side of the falls, there was once the outpost of Nittabakonck…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-SDtb14gH0rjzRrRgQcHG-4Nky8MxN9QOx_LZ1I3hmbCnAyCuqpbkqhUwDi_4FUHuj4MlkMAQudyaw8N9z4hiCItWGAwSwhrhpNv1s7AW5iX4ISDM72KfFmhBB5IbwEz_rZ8U9U_d_M/s1600/Nittabakonk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-SDtb14gH0rjzRrRgQcHG-4Nky8MxN9QOx_LZ1I3hmbCnAyCuqpbkqhUwDi_4FUHuj4MlkMAQudyaw8N9z4hiCItWGAwSwhrhpNv1s7AW5iX4ISDM72KfFmhBB5IbwEz_rZ8U9U_d_M/s1600/Nittabakonk.jpg" height="418" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…<i>The Place of the Warrior</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There
is almost no information about it. I can
place it in the neighborhood of East Falls, that’s it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
not the only thing that’s disappeared from this map.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwrB23C1Gby7Z6pXirVTcaymNr3eNfZxaRlLAtNcooNIALPggaMWQOnkGSdPt5502uA6HV4KLo6q0ME5selnc-vjGW_fHBoV9kVX1a_QqqM9JIuIefNgI7v6qZr1Myn-zQvyQEhi78ooo/s1600/Bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwrB23C1Gby7Z6pXirVTcaymNr3eNfZxaRlLAtNcooNIALPggaMWQOnkGSdPt5502uA6HV4KLo6q0ME5selnc-vjGW_fHBoV9kVX1a_QqqM9JIuIefNgI7v6qZr1Myn-zQvyQEhi78ooo/s1600/Bear.jpg" height="568" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No
more black bears. The bear sightings
happen on the other side of the river in Jersey.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Close
to The Dock, in what later became Aramingo, there was a small creek called
Tumanaraming, the <i>Wolf-Walk</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqw2BI0nWCvqYvXgJQQO3bjtZ13Pz-kitqMZWXYHvUk3WpPRFYGvax3pHjrp2nJ2zkRa7JVQxP5xy2lGmbepl5RY47cqPy_6h9J1cAHDZvg-0pexYHw3BLIBmKSApB-VzwYYYDi-Rsew/s1600/Wolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqw2BI0nWCvqYvXgJQQO3bjtZ13Pz-kitqMZWXYHvUk3WpPRFYGvax3pHjrp2nJ2zkRa7JVQxP5xy2lGmbepl5RY47cqPy_6h9J1cAHDZvg-0pexYHw3BLIBmKSApB-VzwYYYDi-Rsew/s1600/Wolf.jpg" height="434" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No
more wolves. Closest thing was a
wolf-dog…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazmsFMKxReU7kudIqBxLC-Kw_eFhtDcVw0HD3ZMoS20gb-BQdHZUNFxoYX1YKeptoQvdF89Q0KDJVLXSWvdZCKXoiWGCUlY2HotWqM35gB6XNtMeiKOnaARAYyeJKl6J-S9wmLqOOz8Y/s1600/wolfdog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazmsFMKxReU7kudIqBxLC-Kw_eFhtDcVw0HD3ZMoS20gb-BQdHZUNFxoYX1YKeptoQvdF89Q0KDJVLXSWvdZCKXoiWGCUlY2HotWqM35gB6XNtMeiKOnaARAYyeJKl6J-S9wmLqOOz8Y/s1600/wolfdog.jpg" height="359" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…who
haunted the edges of the Pennypack woods back in 2012, creating a brief bit of
hysteria.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
real concern right now aren’t wolves.
It’s coyotes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NEyVp2WG_07qS711cpQN5fjKnzPcHZqeRhytX9VJ9g9jkqeApDT_YL0hDXLf8yxatPbo5Y2K3ai03gOBFABAg8WfSRRaG-iNBpqUeI8Z5f48w0q8LlXiZEK7bi-EiRYTVywRa6FQKb0/s1600/coyote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NEyVp2WG_07qS711cpQN5fjKnzPcHZqeRhytX9VJ9g9jkqeApDT_YL0hDXLf8yxatPbo5Y2K3ai03gOBFABAg8WfSRRaG-iNBpqUeI8Z5f48w0q8LlXiZEK7bi-EiRYTVywRa6FQKb0/s1600/coyote.jpg" height="358" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
2004, the Inquirer ran a story entitled, “Coyotes Have Come to a Town Near
You.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">According
to a state wildlife officer, <i>They are in
the backyard, and people don’t know it…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMikZteCanfl6rjGV1pVYDJYcddtmWNtuWOc4v_eAme2fqiPTjXRO5v92cU4iE38UuiLSrUxTQalh0lqWy29WKl2z3Fa_FFNqtOfwckm7YXMKcNoTzHgGUeBi4yfclqeNQb5gUCWrcggU/s1600/coyote+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMikZteCanfl6rjGV1pVYDJYcddtmWNtuWOc4v_eAme2fqiPTjXRO5v92cU4iE38UuiLSrUxTQalh0lqWy29WKl2z3Fa_FFNqtOfwckm7YXMKcNoTzHgGUeBi4yfclqeNQb5gUCWrcggU/s1600/coyote+3.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…but people have
to understand, these animals don’t hide behind rocks waiting for little Johnny
to come out on the playground. They
don’t eat people.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Three
hundred and fifty years in this watershed and people still need to be taught
the ways of these wilds. We’ve been
given a very generous grading curve.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
the same article, a local trapper confirms that <i>they travel the railroad tracks.
It’s like a superhighway to them, and that’s how they get around cities
and towns…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0RT2CVMzo_s38nicTVVFZY6Z7QuSxxG5cfgFkZdk8kdOibbVuiFK5670DeBziHE4uE89IbRfnqS6BuDUWB7Kj5YGbGMt04oKpUa8D1EpuCx3qwvQP7OUtu00sO3JP2ccLnapElBnUg0/s1600/coyote+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS0RT2CVMzo_s38nicTVVFZY6Z7QuSxxG5cfgFkZdk8kdOibbVuiFK5670DeBziHE4uE89IbRfnqS6BuDUWB7Kj5YGbGMt04oKpUa8D1EpuCx3qwvQP7OUtu00sO3JP2ccLnapElBnUg0/s1600/coyote+4.jpg" height="359" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…see, that’s why
nobody knows they’re here</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s still plenty of deer though.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Too many deer, they say.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuIf5T8DdWp_-Han-IZOp35nGoyt_pZrZmHmj9cHo8wDR7qYxQ4If4aYQNY_ct71wtswAJjS1t44slwXczwI44Z2VqcsNO3S5ulYcm0i1jOgAgNVZJP2K6Hbwb3LVPAN3HLn4rrdgIrw/s1600/Deer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuIf5T8DdWp_-Han-IZOp35nGoyt_pZrZmHmj9cHo8wDR7qYxQ4If4aYQNY_ct71wtswAJjS1t44slwXczwI44Z2VqcsNO3S5ulYcm0i1jOgAgNVZJP2K6Hbwb3LVPAN3HLn4rrdgIrw/s1600/Deer.jpg" height="472" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Back in 2000, the National Wildlife
Department spent some nights watching the Philly woods, hovering in
helicopters equipped with infra-red scanning.
They counted 635 deer, roughly 120 deer per square mile.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They recommend that, in a city like
Philadelphia, the average should be closer to nine.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Since that study, during the last phases of the Long Snow Moon, the Fairmount Park
Commission closes the parks at night but they will admit a deputized troop of
dues-paying deer hunters to help thin the population.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1y3g_lbbsn1INFihr9LcctseAXroz-YKl01uSK4Yo3hauZpJuTzvHPSI_7Ul6zBqzb94CY1nxtT-UWQLaPILFrz3bfd9-USfphSbKZp0TcH4A3OsqkGwfqyvEVB9-IDk0vZ5XCqJZa8U/s1600/Deer+population.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1y3g_lbbsn1INFihr9LcctseAXroz-YKl01uSK4Yo3hauZpJuTzvHPSI_7Ul6zBqzb94CY1nxtT-UWQLaPILFrz3bfd9-USfphSbKZp0TcH4A3OsqkGwfqyvEVB9-IDk0vZ5XCqJZa8U/s1600/Deer+population.jpg" height="481" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I see deer all the time in the woods
but I’m never quick enough to catch a photo.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If I’m lucky, I’ll find a frog.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEu9sBHuok3RrR-hFKvbcOa-T_8430fX9CygV8MKM9eXS5T_4HaLPw3sblW97Mlh4fyWggXdMlSSEmH47XyCMW-L8Lwb6yGdL-5mNbfzGvjlQzkqYPGhmI2Ckv61lCCeQLHWz8GJmCc4/s1600/IMG_2850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEu9sBHuok3RrR-hFKvbcOa-T_8430fX9CygV8MKM9eXS5T_4HaLPw3sblW97Mlh4fyWggXdMlSSEmH47XyCMW-L8Lwb6yGdL-5mNbfzGvjlQzkqYPGhmI2Ckv61lCCeQLHWz8GJmCc4/s1600/IMG_2850.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the spring, I can find tadpoles…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbnC2wPKaHrE-HS4cliBKD4iU_zAvlQ54OrltwYF1zXhOwNCYXCupZt6EstUAKLQPo5qCo9FKxw_ugsGkEL79aOzOFLFXFaAADTzaUMY5lDzkkNwzvSQwpi7m9B-xxYEJKt8MqhSFPWk/s1600/IMG_0786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbnC2wPKaHrE-HS4cliBKD4iU_zAvlQ54OrltwYF1zXhOwNCYXCupZt6EstUAKLQPo5qCo9FKxw_ugsGkEL79aOzOFLFXFaAADTzaUMY5lDzkkNwzvSQwpi7m9B-xxYEJKt8MqhSFPWk/s1600/IMG_0786.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and, during the best part of spring,
I can find them both at the same time.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQrOqXHRzm3pjzJZUXCaI5swkjtvt3_J5EE6VvyNInw43yhu4_XHF5kdBdf6_z5QRCA7Adasb5pcV5pxUgPDpu89IPe3B4Rf1XWBHM8nx2UXvw5yM_WBkbjjhWPWPjFnIjjKS3h4GTM8/s1600/IMG_0809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQrOqXHRzm3pjzJZUXCaI5swkjtvt3_J5EE6VvyNInw43yhu4_XHF5kdBdf6_z5QRCA7Adasb5pcV5pxUgPDpu89IPe3B4Rf1XWBHM8nx2UXvw5yM_WBkbjjhWPWPjFnIjjKS3h4GTM8/s1600/IMG_0809.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If I’m especially lucky, I’ll find a
snake.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPaz9XeeXocVxDoRKmdV1vWy2Uj_XghbMK-XFxWw67s-ECa9bjzD7EwHWsl73LIMaiJ79VqCIB8ZF3w6gcYKxFmjVClSd10UcUIAwn0BThKaLrqCdzqRg6pJ7w01OHXFeEWEz-7UjWr8/s1600/IMG_0901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPaz9XeeXocVxDoRKmdV1vWy2Uj_XghbMK-XFxWw67s-ECa9bjzD7EwHWsl73LIMaiJ79VqCIB8ZF3w6gcYKxFmjVClSd10UcUIAwn0BThKaLrqCdzqRg6pJ7w01OHXFeEWEz-7UjWr8/s1600/IMG_0901.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But most of the time, I find only
the remains of animals.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZDedkU5qH4UNnNdDqsBpQCS4HsYkhPkw926R4mh9uadLyfot3PTs9lB6M-4mOgjw_laTKMw4BhHsl_dTkzdbEVSSROZooVRrMxnAGt8AY11e6ODlSpe0-kKOiHotFVy3gCtYTnPeox0/s1600/IMG_8801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZDedkU5qH4UNnNdDqsBpQCS4HsYkhPkw926R4mh9uadLyfot3PTs9lB6M-4mOgjw_laTKMw4BhHsl_dTkzdbEVSSROZooVRrMxnAGt8AY11e6ODlSpe0-kKOiHotFVy3gCtYTnPeox0/s1600/IMG_8801.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I could zoom in on some of these
remains…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJT-nU0SGsPHwnSTKKrV5nXVutpPmBoqUYhNZsv1yKtRnxDaEVwlLyEj-yLnsS3Kb8PEF2cIdnC4XcbjAwf8CczhVXfZKzyd8CC9Pk40HtsIklvCM89N2YYIfG892fw3nst8c2QHSM6c/s1600/IMG_2967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfJT-nU0SGsPHwnSTKKrV5nXVutpPmBoqUYhNZsv1yKtRnxDaEVwlLyEj-yLnsS3Kb8PEF2cIdnC4XcbjAwf8CczhVXfZKzyd8CC9Pk40HtsIklvCM89N2YYIfG892fw3nst8c2QHSM6c/s1600/IMG_2967.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…try to find some sort of shape or
pattern that I can recognize…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxFQvGV5Z5wpnLzFreDw_cdkKeyMrGowbVoTLkRBmbLnoCTKiPYqCCVuqZobKPMV2mUq3J41IBZ0HhInaIBD5pcPKFmhVfoNWlyZKFu1tYAishgrKwhvX8BP4851JgRe1YFboQcM5fJU/s1600/IMG_8436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxFQvGV5Z5wpnLzFreDw_cdkKeyMrGowbVoTLkRBmbLnoCTKiPYqCCVuqZobKPMV2mUq3J41IBZ0HhInaIBD5pcPKFmhVfoNWlyZKFu1tYAishgrKwhvX8BP4851JgRe1YFboQcM5fJU/s1600/IMG_8436.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but I’d only be guessing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And the Lenape? What happened to them?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">By the time of William Penn’s
landing, their population had dwindled down from 20,000 to 4,000, almost all of
them huddled up here by the Delaware.
Their population had thinned so much that they had to combine clans.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They had been ravaged by smallpox
and measles. They were in terrible debt,
both in wealth and lives, from years and years of steady war with
the Iroquois from New York.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">By the middle of the 1700s, most of
the Lenape moved to the other side of the Poconos, the beginning of a great
wandering.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzXGg5FthXIqD_ZGqXyQd1I1c6xOLmHYcRFXCOKRaCtNhBUaeTImW1qpgDKAajwDsHRqo0lJ8McGLLeYDoiMF5ytBOf3Jr_sBWp5phfdH4uRDWqZYlnkx-GvhxoVxk55ZsD8iZe7_gsM/s1600/Diverse+Fruits.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzXGg5FthXIqD_ZGqXyQd1I1c6xOLmHYcRFXCOKRaCtNhBUaeTImW1qpgDKAajwDsHRqo0lJ8McGLLeYDoiMF5ytBOf3Jr_sBWp5phfdH4uRDWqZYlnkx-GvhxoVxk55ZsD8iZe7_gsM/s1600/Diverse+Fruits.png" height="358" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Most of them ended up in Oklahoma.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are very few left that can still
speak the language.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are programs and classes and
initiatives trying to keep the language alive but it’s got some hard grammar.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Verbs are suffixes, except when the
verb is a place. Gender is prefix. Most of the time, it’s just putting beginnings
and endings in front or in back of the word, so an action-packed sentence is
actually just one long yodel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s almost impossible to learn from
a book because their thoughts, directions and stories often incorporated hand
gestures, pantomime, smiles.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAPpp2jLYovQwO0zfuR5axo1a2toNglLg9X34CpIXSuuyF0jI5VKeU1pl71vtwbdZOI87m3iyQiKTMmDMxl7bXUPaXeswgxcxBjg_DAKpIk62Tq6o6ycetpxoNdNFmYzk9F-JW7Ge0H0/s1600/Indians+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAPpp2jLYovQwO0zfuR5axo1a2toNglLg9X34CpIXSuuyF0jI5VKeU1pl71vtwbdZOI87m3iyQiKTMmDMxl7bXUPaXeswgxcxBjg_DAKpIk62Tq6o6ycetpxoNdNFmYzk9F-JW7Ge0H0/s1600/Indians+2.png" height="316" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nouns are either animate or
inanimate and sometimes it doesn’t make sense, like plants that grow their
fruit above ground are inanimate while root plants are animate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe that’s just the way a farmer
thinks.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdaeTntD-OLFR9XAEwB8BHYOvcO4BcXBoifbRcsiKkFKu4xVHho6LkUVtoW7NDVUgm3otmEo1T0BfldvznNdjt2jb2Ddo-QSmutixopOXh67aFn-82JxaxFX-F-GvHTzCpFeuNRV7FF0/s1600/Indians+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdaeTntD-OLFR9XAEwB8BHYOvcO4BcXBoifbRcsiKkFKu4xVHho6LkUVtoW7NDVUgm3otmEo1T0BfldvznNdjt2jb2Ddo-QSmutixopOXh67aFn-82JxaxFX-F-GvHTzCpFeuNRV7FF0/s1600/Indians+4.png" height="452" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's considered a dead language but I got a problem with that.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What about me? Why not us?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I use their language all the time. I drop their words, their place-names, into almost every conversation. So do my friends.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We are the keepers of their language. </span></span><br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s almost as if the city hasn’t
realized yet that they’re gone.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This happens, sometimes, in the
wilds. Things hang on. </span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They persist.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I see it all the time when I'm out there tree-hunting. The young honey locust...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDucE7hISG0romUaJK9xDHEqZz3GI9Q7qCOPj55PoO4dlAP82-ip4QmNJBBui0I4Wu_aazAfk4f04imakDJ0NESiuO8mDXXWe2CxpHJVPpW6gVioiaHyZSUYdf1vcMPwOaFN9kHpmzk8/s1600/IMG_9011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDucE7hISG0romUaJK9xDHEqZz3GI9Q7qCOPj55PoO4dlAP82-ip4QmNJBBui0I4Wu_aazAfk4f04imakDJ0NESiuO8mDXXWe2CxpHJVPpW6gVioiaHyZSUYdf1vcMPwOaFN9kHpmzk8/s1600/IMG_9011.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">...they're still arming themselves against the giant sloth and the dire wolf. In April, the ginkgo leafs out... </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EVxYZx08-UvUuFInN1xApecoqmODFpFugZ3uBR3laU53Y5SuIls2y-vLkmoqVbnABGhl09-hCm4qYP48JnnSrc3Oehoicj8f0WH2QjrUkGrFHimuq2y3tC4lyWaVsARvLGLmP3FTrpM/s1600/IMG_0619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EVxYZx08-UvUuFInN1xApecoqmODFpFugZ3uBR3laU53Y5SuIls2y-vLkmoqVbnABGhl09-hCm4qYP48JnnSrc3Oehoicj8f0WH2QjrUkGrFHimuq2y3tC4lyWaVsARvLGLmP3FTrpM/s1600/IMG_0619.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…a tree that was lost for millions
of years, completely off the map but for one small mountain grove in China. In July, the lost camellia called the
franklinia will be flowering.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCLbI3fKrrnHfiJkvbaFFAQ1cDT8yBJiVQ6X5e87erKr4QpMK3nZlhkqcFipE9FzwR6TXpruuNpNLZNIR7kVXGCZYdBGhTFg3Z0fcPRvMysOHJYBD2DldzicNRh6sXUNpBFKkpSHXS6E/s1600/IMG_1936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCLbI3fKrrnHfiJkvbaFFAQ1cDT8yBJiVQ6X5e87erKr4QpMK3nZlhkqcFipE9FzwR6TXpruuNpNLZNIR7kVXGCZYdBGhTFg3Z0fcPRvMysOHJYBD2DldzicNRh6sXUNpBFKkpSHXS6E/s1600/IMG_1936.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This usually happens right at the
beginning of heirloom tomato season.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoiJTkntxtV-w9EpYXuKLv1kP6kRL72CVcDPvdpoc9114KYXyU7LpauLQrZGYTZZbr-ATH7yVHVfpqKRwIKHp7NmQ36vBWh7Fu5YGHJqeV3JG33S3EuJLsAM51_LeSl_MZf9rfS3RNhw/s1600/IMG_2196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoiJTkntxtV-w9EpYXuKLv1kP6kRL72CVcDPvdpoc9114KYXyU7LpauLQrZGYTZZbr-ATH7yVHVfpqKRwIKHp7NmQ36vBWh7Fu5YGHJqeV3JG33S3EuJLsAM51_LeSl_MZf9rfS3RNhw/s1600/IMG_2196.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just down the road, the osage orange stands
alone but steadfast, stubbornly and persistently going through the seasons.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1i737C5BvqHKiw-7skgZB7jkJHODqjGwhChpaorMyHHSsExqhz1xThNlpssh30sSYmzMNwaB5kzuBjTSoOA9VUxs_1al8ZemdaIxuVKYx1BnWUWXIjkcQuB2sMau1pvnEroT9FnksfM/s1600/IMG_7170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1i737C5BvqHKiw-7skgZB7jkJHODqjGwhChpaorMyHHSsExqhz1xThNlpssh30sSYmzMNwaB5kzuBjTSoOA9VUxs_1al8ZemdaIxuVKYx1BnWUWXIjkcQuB2sMau1pvnEroT9FnksfM/s1600/IMG_7170.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every year, it keeps plowing onward from flower to fruit.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYpgSzfnl6HYZm9mFr0xsBhZ0-l7TZUXKM5yReJomWHoUTxIvmbXuiWsykP4szxmyVBoE4xCSuqRfR3a7iWCmFns_7QQbRF2U1YmCFACOxe-YqcXIT8n26ZmeQoj0i_h_pceErHiAUSo/s1600/2013-06-19+17.42.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYpgSzfnl6HYZm9mFr0xsBhZ0-l7TZUXKM5yReJomWHoUTxIvmbXuiWsykP4szxmyVBoE4xCSuqRfR3a7iWCmFns_7QQbRF2U1YmCFACOxe-YqcXIT8n26ZmeQoj0i_h_pceErHiAUSo/s1600/2013-06-19+17.42.05.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's hard work but who else is going to feed all those wooly mammoths?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDF2oq3Xco6aRDXlK7SuLF1leaYu0zCezMyo8hwl7SBEAv8AU1PvUVuz38uj6rePqRbwZ0p7yHFzmofLrnjO0VSYZMISJcO_uCwZ8u8kseIpEUmYan_ItOWW3aQl9SSpWumI1HP9MQYA/s1600/2013-06-19+17.42.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDF2oq3Xco6aRDXlK7SuLF1leaYu0zCezMyo8hwl7SBEAv8AU1PvUVuz38uj6rePqRbwZ0p7yHFzmofLrnjO0VSYZMISJcO_uCwZ8u8kseIpEUmYan_ItOWW3aQl9SSpWumI1HP9MQYA/s1600/2013-06-19+17.42.28.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>TO BE CONTINUED...stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion to The Philadelphia Palimpsest story (the working title is "I'm Off the Map, Now Get Off My Back") and the very last episode of the Philly Trees blog. </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>This is it, one final adventure left. </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rumors are already spreading about the grand finale. We are able to confirm that there will be one last walk through the woods but which woods? What is Jon Spruce hunting? Will the hawthorn bloom? Will the sycamore leaf out? Who wins? The city or the trees?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>We were able to track down Jon Spruce at his telephone to ask these burning questions. Will he give away any spoilers about the end of Philly Trees?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Sure I'll tell you the ending. Why not? It's already been told hundreds of times before.</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDTJyCdw7ens8v60zF0eZeDNNJonluUsjqa1V0EWgE4lRI0x926yvGn2KaZyB3D5qUc6vNj-Z9pkzSVV7D_zpKkla2Y48_wVTpKOjW4EOl4dMaOLpWKpJKXs4PpGCH0N_-AxRbxSoPRs/s1600/IMG_1104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDTJyCdw7ens8v60zF0eZeDNNJonluUsjqa1V0EWgE4lRI0x926yvGn2KaZyB3D5qUc6vNj-Z9pkzSVV7D_zpKkla2Y48_wVTpKOjW4EOl4dMaOLpWKpJKXs4PpGCH0N_-AxRbxSoPRs/s1600/IMG_1104.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>"All the plants and animals of Turtle Island get together in a big circle and save the world."</b></span></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Okay.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>So stay tuned for that, the final Philly Trees adventure, coming soon to an internet near you!</b></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-54952087300904031922014-04-19T14:42:00.001-07:002014-04-21T10:11:48.496-07:00PHILLY FLOWER CHATTER<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">People
are always asking me: <i>Hey, Jon Spruce,
enjoying the weather?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyCgzYgSO0EWt6FpjSyMbxTjf6XHNI0J2Dhyphenhyphen5FwS7yCGWx3SHO6oHiR7r6uAdD_9dSfM_uSsyNdii6vMz3dTTzsdl17RP8RI3DDZPyeLp6sGx-BKweOESBdRC_ki66DxsCvFvRrAg9Mg/s1600/IMG_0146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXyCgzYgSO0EWt6FpjSyMbxTjf6XHNI0J2Dhyphenhyphen5FwS7yCGWx3SHO6oHiR7r6uAdD_9dSfM_uSsyNdii6vMz3dTTzsdl17RP8RI3DDZPyeLp6sGx-BKweOESBdRC_ki66DxsCvFvRrAg9Mg/s1600/IMG_0146.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It
sure is pretty to think so.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In
all actuality, this is my busy season, not much time to enjoy the weather. This is the time of year when I need to rise
up the ranks, get my name out there as a contender for champion tree-hunter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Spring? That’s when I can really make my bones.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">And
it all comes down to flowers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbW7d1pn7E_sNqKVOCkaiqpHZW5-MuHuljKLWGev2js8VtKPWI2DNwhEjxjIFy4RUtOn_Um8WS8yQYXBlg9X-Yt-BEWpSD2g5Ncg4_NubzQrw30h5Mla6xy7EGmF2a13XDK8ShE7JfSs/s1600/IMG_0150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbW7d1pn7E_sNqKVOCkaiqpHZW5-MuHuljKLWGev2js8VtKPWI2DNwhEjxjIFy4RUtOn_Um8WS8yQYXBlg9X-Yt-BEWpSD2g5Ncg4_NubzQrw30h5Mla6xy7EGmF2a13XDK8ShE7JfSs/s1600/IMG_0150.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Funny,
isn’t it? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Years
and years of steady watching, months and months of mindful observations, miles
and miles under my feet and on my car and yet my whole reputation rests on
those bright, brief modified leaves we call <i>flowers</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s
almost too much for one set of eyes but, contrary to popular belief, you don’t
have to do it alone.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Like
the old folk song says, <i>help is on the
way</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqxzdmjPCLZRfDnrmR9NadZkF0o_gEi3ik3glexYfoO8WKFiWOrNjb5dVsQKuxWbBfplZw2XYXrwGshW9YdwKaFtDF_hjQo41Ehinh1NqLGVLMq7Ed3b_v6jtVebYxXkx11nOPW94bqM/s1600/IMG_0154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqxzdmjPCLZRfDnrmR9NadZkF0o_gEi3ik3glexYfoO8WKFiWOrNjb5dVsQKuxWbBfplZw2XYXrwGshW9YdwKaFtDF_hjQo41Ehinh1NqLGVLMq7Ed3b_v6jtVebYxXkx11nOPW94bqM/s1600/IMG_0154.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">And
the best help this time of year?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">That’d
be the truckers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">That’s
right. The biggest help at this time of
year is usually found high up in the cabs behind the big wheels of all those
trucks making traffic here in the city.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I’m
talking about Bakemark and Aramark, Samuels & Sons and J. Ambrogi, Cintas
Uniforms and W.B. Mason, plus all the other gypsy pilots navigating the Philly
grid and barreling down the highways.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Best
set of eyes in the entire city.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">There
we go.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdDryXfFk8D1doJiCgMQRngFKA3TtFBjgZRUuaU-QL2rUdA6uylz23peS0IGXCCWzICnhSVwwi8AbjkkZz2F09m5_g5es7jgvjHyD3EXxBIE0r2SEFnMMwEe9iGnpiTiVl-4qLh2KvtI/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTdDryXfFk8D1doJiCgMQRngFKA3TtFBjgZRUuaU-QL2rUdA6uylz23peS0IGXCCWzICnhSVwwi8AbjkkZz2F09m5_g5es7jgvjHyD3EXxBIE0r2SEFnMMwEe9iGnpiTiVl-4qLh2KvtI/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">All
set now.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This
morning, I dug out my old short-wave radio and, using a bit of good old
fashioned Yankee know-how, I added a state-of-the-arts wireless antenna, hooked
it up to these new-fangled Bluetooth headphones…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6dBzLCPE8NwGbJsrpnlOf_YdUw7SH5sK5Q5e22095_sGWkopUxMlGEgQ9AEPObjuND5Zmpn05dkzKtgrOWZ1Id411T-9EyuuMDBrERV2B66U_1sQZfaAGGfDi9jjp2G-m04yIufG4hU/s1600/IMG_0159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6dBzLCPE8NwGbJsrpnlOf_YdUw7SH5sK5Q5e22095_sGWkopUxMlGEgQ9AEPObjuND5Zmpn05dkzKtgrOWZ1Id411T-9EyuuMDBrERV2B66U_1sQZfaAGGfDi9jjp2G-m04yIufG4hU/s1600/IMG_0159.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and
then plugged in the two-way microphone.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZT3T3j1tcjSk-QXyT61CcxsGf6vP_I-Q2eLFsAPLLDmE1PEVRC9tQCdC1VOaAzogdmwOunCR0vPk1Q8dt4nf5hX2mHh11KT2JDCnXnm6KliNTPpZy35HpPr71S83Sz1ggMQrv9G4EMQ/s1600/IMG_0160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZT3T3j1tcjSk-QXyT61CcxsGf6vP_I-Q2eLFsAPLLDmE1PEVRC9tQCdC1VOaAzogdmwOunCR0vPk1Q8dt4nf5hX2mHh11KT2JDCnXnm6KliNTPpZy35HpPr71S83Sz1ggMQrv9G4EMQ/s1600/IMG_0160.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Okay,
all I got to do now is find the right station, adjust the squelch and speak
clearly into the mike.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Jon
Spruce is back on the CB.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhQlv4GW5RRWE9IgkjDtnYnrwzreWOwTkrhB6C0u30NQOBysgATy3uzVsveyETNR3XPoE1zdWHgpRnCD57rCPGPzFpHMR6sA7ePg-vEVqkhY6rRh7KI2li7tYhRhsKg_LIu-Q-IOZIOg/s1600/IMG_0164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhQlv4GW5RRWE9IgkjDtnYnrwzreWOwTkrhB6C0u30NQOBysgATy3uzVsveyETNR3XPoE1zdWHgpRnCD57rCPGPzFpHMR6sA7ePg-vEVqkhY6rRh7KI2li7tYhRhsKg_LIu-Q-IOZIOg/s1600/IMG_0164.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Breaker,
breaker, this is Jon Spruce over here in Phillytown. Need some assistance, boys. Who’s out there?</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
next part is easy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Just
lean in and try to catch some chatter on the only free press left in the United
States of America: the citizen’s band radio.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Spruce, you old
scallywag. Is that really you?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB0e8JyLIwW-VdHvbpFCF0fNCQDVsZ2X3uGTTjmbmuEgynOD2wkQUlgdencIQrWo2Hsde4QAgg7mm6rQ7KDKskXuD9bMKUniqvNaeAzyHgRVr7nKKeLRQLejHWp_j-KA74OsPSNayB7g/s1600/IMG_0171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB0e8JyLIwW-VdHvbpFCF0fNCQDVsZ2X3uGTTjmbmuEgynOD2wkQUlgdencIQrWo2Hsde4QAgg7mm6rQ7KDKskXuD9bMKUniqvNaeAzyHgRVr7nKKeLRQLejHWp_j-KA74OsPSNayB7g/s1600/IMG_0171.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Shiver
me timbers, that voice is a real blast from the past. That’s Goldberg, my old co-pilot. I didn’t know he was in town.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Alive and
kicking, Spruce. Surprised to hear you
too. I always pictured you still keeled
over in El Paso.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">El
Paso? Oh man, I spent a bad week there
one night. Goldberg always did have a
long memory.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexwJQFSL_GZ_I6C8x3bw2v1HiikOggvalv9GnUkJr_Wj2njReh2KwujjLcnulrlaQ5WTvG-ySeaCxbpI7mjDiYPY1Zlf-cqKeL4FRc5MFpsYDT6PK8PfVwEVqeJbUXeMOb7jxwaEmacQ/s1600/IMG_0141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexwJQFSL_GZ_I6C8x3bw2v1HiikOggvalv9GnUkJr_Wj2njReh2KwujjLcnulrlaQ5WTvG-ySeaCxbpI7mjDiYPY1Zlf-cqKeL4FRc5MFpsYDT6PK8PfVwEVqeJbUXeMOb7jxwaEmacQ/s1600/IMG_0141.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Hard to forget,
Jonny boy. What’s your emergency?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Need some
flowers for the blog, chief. What are
you seeing out there?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">You’re a lucky
son of a gun, always have been, Spruce.
I just passed some willows blazing away in Penn Park by the river</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Willows? Goldberg always did have a soft spot for
willows but I don’t know. I’ve already
covered the willow. I need flowers, not willows.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2Bn7aPzfbfbIoDZZ3cM36Or1QkOS75iviiGJsFwuxhJnJH8Zc-e6xp19h3Ro5-hqSW2rOfpuM8EoU1kBar9GDBNfTjBkGl3GfG8bMnnQhSqq_gKIz1k4yFMj8jP9Z2iCgtFy3smFkx8/s1600/IMG_0145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2Bn7aPzfbfbIoDZZ3cM36Or1QkOS75iviiGJsFwuxhJnJH8Zc-e6xp19h3Ro5-hqSW2rOfpuM8EoU1kBar9GDBNfTjBkGl3GfG8bMnnQhSqq_gKIz1k4yFMj8jP9Z2iCgtFy3smFkx8/s1600/IMG_0145.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Quit your
griping, Spruce, and get down to the river before it’s too late. You’ll thank me later.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This
isn’t easy for me to say so here it goes…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMUgsIG174t7BMaRoAB6yQx1XXizjzIPGEMvJ2h9E4m_ic8zzGBwQbo9efQ544LGw7C6FImmUMpvMn6n5H9pPivSnOpYgMz4eJiPvNdwS_OoRDT1d4iuq9I4NeIO_I17ob0E87WtN53g/s1600/IMG_9453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMUgsIG174t7BMaRoAB6yQx1XXizjzIPGEMvJ2h9E4m_ic8zzGBwQbo9efQ544LGw7C6FImmUMpvMn6n5H9pPivSnOpYgMz4eJiPvNdwS_OoRDT1d4iuq9I4NeIO_I17ob0E87WtN53g/s1600/IMG_9453.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…thank
you, Goldberg.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">These
are some fine willows and I’d never been to this park before.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Twenty-four
acres big, Penn Park is a fairly new landscape here in Philadelphia and,
walking its grounds on the beginning of a very blue spring day, it’s easy to
pick out the willow as its most dominant tree.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bjGRJuSHyqqGBmHbkPdHYMz2vvDCtsoeh1NPpI9bwUWFAu_hrzUVJ7OZCVZdBx6tLyb5wSoKMXEyQFTrf89W7WHOrW9x-sX10jl5wZwYvT3n1_ra89seyx1vDoNtjWuF8U73evAZlcg/s1600/IMG_9456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bjGRJuSHyqqGBmHbkPdHYMz2vvDCtsoeh1NPpI9bwUWFAu_hrzUVJ7OZCVZdBx6tLyb5wSoKMXEyQFTrf89W7WHOrW9x-sX10jl5wZwYvT3n1_ra89seyx1vDoNtjWuF8U73evAZlcg/s1600/IMG_9456.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It
probably has something to do with drainage.
The willow is an excellent tree to help control the high groundwater
found in parks close to the river.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s
a tree that flourishes in the mire, a tree that does its best rooted in soggy
grass.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I’m
sure the Penn landscapers knew something about this when selecting the trees.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11_zabz5S2X_6qRQfywlSkUOMc1ewdz3Mkd5nhJKiWSDLw_OnlQ3I0Fm0UW4pOL09Ab2ZFbHFJ_ew3La7jpeSGi3CGg10biB00F8DmEouPB_Hrqpw5KQdUpo4QeqxVdZC5a9i-m2IYAM/s1600/IMG_9467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11_zabz5S2X_6qRQfywlSkUOMc1ewdz3Mkd5nhJKiWSDLw_OnlQ3I0Fm0UW4pOL09Ab2ZFbHFJ_ew3La7jpeSGi3CGg10biB00F8DmEouPB_Hrqpw5KQdUpo4QeqxVdZC5a9i-m2IYAM/s1600/IMG_9467.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Thoreau
was a big willow-watcher, always marking its catkins as the first sign of
spring. <i>The yellow willow catkins pushing out</i>, he wrote in his journal, <i>begin to give the trees a misty, downy
appearance, dimming them</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
see what he means now. At this time of
year, there seems to be a fuzzy, yellow halo hovering above each willow.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZG_ErB0xg7N0h5Fusa25BCRv7LXVL9-_YqQSnEbzG6bTFoOO1oj3WfJS6VydwXTTLgi3tGtKeYhOurqPHaYIrqWWNAYEOSgxC0lynSmyishR5InlhldKFYbyRv9jbFHgExN3M_vRtulU/s1600/IMG_9498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZG_ErB0xg7N0h5Fusa25BCRv7LXVL9-_YqQSnEbzG6bTFoOO1oj3WfJS6VydwXTTLgi3tGtKeYhOurqPHaYIrqWWNAYEOSgxC0lynSmyishR5InlhldKFYbyRv9jbFHgExN3M_vRtulU/s1600/IMG_9498.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">From
this distance, their crowns shine and glow but step closer…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hK0MdWldEKQIBG9mA_p10eks6qj1Mv5EgCArl5mn4ZMp2DvgO7YZ8p6Ndsi5sS2m_n7dLKi8Xh5y3JJ20MUbfuSVC0jO1c_3MWlsH0s32pdyOsbYhcl8l7xLabrwXdS7-pPivZhGbso/s1600/IMG_9470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hK0MdWldEKQIBG9mA_p10eks6qj1Mv5EgCArl5mn4ZMp2DvgO7YZ8p6Ndsi5sS2m_n7dLKi8Xh5y3JJ20MUbfuSVC0jO1c_3MWlsH0s32pdyOsbYhcl8l7xLabrwXdS7-pPivZhGbso/s1600/IMG_9470.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and
then the top of each tree, like Thoreau once noticed, blends impossibly into
the blue sky…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JQ7iVqAOb-BdtUqTVHDqj3Kq7uLl62Z1-_BSObFxX21A9yYY3P8PeNjLrJn78uoPA0RpMk-y38UeIhNRE2SqAdwIcQ6q7Ar_f-Q-ieiBJd5_3ODyOcq5Cmv12uqQkzzDzpEaAEYqQew/s1600/IMG_9466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-JQ7iVqAOb-BdtUqTVHDqj3Kq7uLl62Z1-_BSObFxX21A9yYY3P8PeNjLrJn78uoPA0RpMk-y38UeIhNRE2SqAdwIcQ6q7Ar_f-Q-ieiBJd5_3ODyOcq5Cmv12uqQkzzDzpEaAEYqQew/s1600/IMG_9466.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…<i>dimming them</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
step even closer to the slender branches, which in the wicker industry are called
<i>withies</i>…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2B9ue2NB_WO9CQ8QqCmVBEcMiCssBrU2Af5PG6SSwU-t_1mINh9K3ja3cZajhVp2hEw_ZVetFx2xJGhzqoAaVKGHbYWsaeLGrLMRGMPxgxdzep6C-qm-TbUQh8n48DCZ9MrcLC9DlOOE/s1600/IMG_9455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2B9ue2NB_WO9CQ8QqCmVBEcMiCssBrU2Af5PG6SSwU-t_1mINh9K3ja3cZajhVp2hEw_ZVetFx2xJGhzqoAaVKGHbYWsaeLGrLMRGMPxgxdzep6C-qm-TbUQh8n48DCZ9MrcLC9DlOOE/s1600/IMG_9455.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and
from somewhere deep inside my inner ear, I hear the lyrics of another folk
song…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1SwvoDEBZVpk7sj-9hnQKRFMkSeLBDD0ftpVL-Yl5aXsZLxmUDb3WpqUQoXx-74JUyiQ31L4Tp_CODv7G8_3WZO8vsa_faViky2tJEU6opGNiAXUPB8CwOXDg90ewcu15Gyr-R5j-bc/s1600/IMG_9473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1SwvoDEBZVpk7sj-9hnQKRFMkSeLBDD0ftpVL-Yl5aXsZLxmUDb3WpqUQoXx-74JUyiQ31L4Tp_CODv7G8_3WZO8vsa_faViky2tJEU6opGNiAXUPB8CwOXDg90ewcu15Gyr-R5j-bc/s1600/IMG_9473.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…<i>the wind in the willows playing tea for two,
the sky was yellow and the sun was blue</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
see what that means now. Standing in the
wind, under the spring willow, the sun is clearly, undeniably blue.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On
my way home, another voice broke through the CB static.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Breaker,
breaker, did I hear Jon Spruce on this dial or are my rusty ears playing tricks
again? You out there, Spruce?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNRjlGZ4AoVfCRBOXnWWhZEtRJvYA_MdAb7KWWoMI1JsXVQ_uN9L2uf86-GYgv7PRJDw3cwmJvWo5DA-xvYROWZ2KXDxuXZLaQIZIXNIzzWhRzy77UO6dcX91y3QbHGkFwZQrmhjOVfE/s1600/IMG_0127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNRjlGZ4AoVfCRBOXnWWhZEtRJvYA_MdAb7KWWoMI1JsXVQ_uN9L2uf86-GYgv7PRJDw3cwmJvWo5DA-xvYROWZ2KXDxuXZLaQIZIXNIzzWhRzy77UO6dcX91y3QbHGkFwZQrmhjOVfE/s1600/IMG_0127.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It
was my old partner-in-crime, J-Rose. I
haven’t talked to him in years.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Ha, I knew it
was you. Jon Spruce bending the needle,
it’s been a long time coming. Wait till
I tell old Bessie.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQpLK6qv8BxTo-4f88S26Z2GuZyiN5r9kZv-wx7pcmj86iZiXplMW_xK7SSqt4nu5szrfpKhRKLs4ASNmXHdbAXzw_hbluBGx22ILYwobPNh6Ua2isHAtan7bU1lAdryXreWbWazE030/s1600/IMG_0131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQpLK6qv8BxTo-4f88S26Z2GuZyiN5r9kZv-wx7pcmj86iZiXplMW_xK7SSqt4nu5szrfpKhRKLs4ASNmXHdbAXzw_hbluBGx22ILYwobPNh6Ua2isHAtan7bU1lAdryXreWbWazE030/s1600/IMG_0131.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Oh
my, that brings back some good memories.
Bessie used to be our first baseman in our old softball league but it
was her bat that took us all the way to the Kansas City Intramural Classic. Her stance alone used to bring the whole
outfield in.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Like
Bob Dylan once said, <i>she had the biggest
boat that I’ve ever seen</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">J-Rose, you tell
sweet Bessie that I’ll look her up next time I’m passing through Wichita. Right now, I need some flowers for the blog. What’s your ten-twenty?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">You want
flowers, Spruce-man? Get your lazy butt
down to South Philly. The pears are shooting
stars over here.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Pear
trees? I’ve already done pear trees. Is anybody reading this blog?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEJCNoxwNmw4Up95_7GB7Ab1Y7wsAoV9wmbveqel3M98zKDIgPZdI9Csz9tQ5R1dWhkxe2S59oxv06eGlmP4eLlazd4spZu7h00-A-gWgFmXaf8j4wKnUhxprhlXV1Twe1jS9oeQA1v4/s1600/IMG_0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEJCNoxwNmw4Up95_7GB7Ab1Y7wsAoV9wmbveqel3M98zKDIgPZdI9Csz9tQ5R1dWhkxe2S59oxv06eGlmP4eLlazd4spZu7h00-A-gWgFmXaf8j4wKnUhxprhlXV1Twe1jS9oeQA1v4/s1600/IMG_0120.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">People are
really talking about them.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Of
course they are, J-Rose.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxF3wC7AfR6ee-QQSAwsoDCzCnzwAX3Ikl9xFzJl796jSHcXiq_SySLhyphenhyphenEWw2S29eLW9HkfJYiQX0S7REn2ZS5JuIkfrdKq-pG1q86zGbvSAX3S8elpr7w3xV5YzvMe8iCcQd_zZUypw/s1600/IMG_9732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxF3wC7AfR6ee-QQSAwsoDCzCnzwAX3Ikl9xFzJl796jSHcXiq_SySLhyphenhyphenEWw2S29eLW9HkfJYiQX0S7REn2ZS5JuIkfrdKq-pG1q86zGbvSAX3S8elpr7w3xV5YzvMe8iCcQd_zZUypw/s1600/IMG_9732.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">People
are always talking about the callery pears but it’s usually a series of <i>ten-ones</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">That’s
CB for <i>poor reception</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgo37fq-VZDjFW2ge8qotJMqcPMS7e96dnVA594jNbsZgrg_jeo8XEgnL8_d7BtcZUCxJS3hgGenxRHSMUHkdVcfXbmVlP4uMIUOLozLJmFYfrAT_FyTO46EROYAgJ-4WxQ_-760ERaQs/s1600/IMG_9734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgo37fq-VZDjFW2ge8qotJMqcPMS7e96dnVA594jNbsZgrg_jeo8XEgnL8_d7BtcZUCxJS3hgGenxRHSMUHkdVcfXbmVlP4uMIUOLozLJmFYfrAT_FyTO46EROYAgJ-4WxQ_-760ERaQs/s1600/IMG_9734.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Regardless of
cultivar, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">wrote
the University of Connecticut, <i>Pyrus
calleryana is wholly overused in the landscape, leading to monotony and
boredom. </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">That’s
a true story but I don’t blame the pear.<i> </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s
not that it’s a bad tree. It’s not that
it doesn’t belong anywhere in our city, in our woods or in our hearts. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Actually,
it’s our fault. We put it in the wrong
place. We cast it in the wrong
role. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinV0h7fBgqNpOBlZ1OMG7kGzx4xlbQhLvC7YhI4g0uPeKT8oB4j2VGqRykcGr23_lZSPXHhH8zWUo1maANys33Gk4jNfNECBJEpUv-rXfzdoREsUZluU70emni6CDVUMC_neQne_gkMro/s1600/IMG_9736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinV0h7fBgqNpOBlZ1OMG7kGzx4xlbQhLvC7YhI4g0uPeKT8oB4j2VGqRykcGr23_lZSPXHhH8zWUo1maANys33Gk4jNfNECBJEpUv-rXfzdoREsUZluU70emni6CDVUMC_neQne_gkMro/s1600/IMG_9736.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
pear has no business being a street tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It
has too many distinct characteristics that are now considered disadvantageous
to its current role: prone to blight, weak branching structure, dangerously
tottering limbs over our cars…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWG6NmaPd5K_nyObwiq28TEdtL9NYZRwPBsiy-ZQqHsE64pVbmwskJFiJaYO44pZ1dfZz9riSSaI8AtguUIcWy6Npl_QyyS_ROgpDGo2i61Bju5A4eD_e7-CMgF9MyTO4Sw4jbd9y60zE/s1600/Center+City.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWG6NmaPd5K_nyObwiq28TEdtL9NYZRwPBsiy-ZQqHsE64pVbmwskJFiJaYO44pZ1dfZz9riSSaI8AtguUIcWy6Npl_QyyS_ROgpDGo2i61Bju5A4eD_e7-CMgF9MyTO4Sw4jbd9y60zE/s1600/Center+City.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and,
worst of all, over-planted and overused.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">But
it’s hard to get anybody to listen to these complaints on days like this.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uZvXGjZQ7r8o3kIGMyy6AkwqnUWXfZNoL8eyqsMIVxZi4DRARdkz0orbbF_d19-3Hu2yPauI9u7L12EOZ0lsf6A2Axj_IpEdGaZ3_2iyw4pB73RpDYWp_jKGvoGe3wsNSFp5JBR_O6Q/s1600/IMG_0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uZvXGjZQ7r8o3kIGMyy6AkwqnUWXfZNoL8eyqsMIVxZi4DRARdkz0orbbF_d19-3Hu2yPauI9u7L12EOZ0lsf6A2Axj_IpEdGaZ3_2iyw4pB73RpDYWp_jKGvoGe3wsNSFp5JBR_O6Q/s1600/IMG_0054.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">They
were planted for days like this…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGAaleuD9iYsRYJd1-I9FyMHytcQMWrLL5RnSgyUidmeHlyxmYC2r0msRE0w5IPFguRYRN68NgTBWW9vzn0Dnr2ECGP3z6qieGADqesmudMOKEj3FORcsqoReIE8B2H6iXPo_UOFXe0Q/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGAaleuD9iYsRYJd1-I9FyMHytcQMWrLL5RnSgyUidmeHlyxmYC2r0msRE0w5IPFguRYRN68NgTBWW9vzn0Dnr2ECGP3z6qieGADqesmudMOKEj3FORcsqoReIE8B2H6iXPo_UOFXe0Q/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…even
though days like this don’t last forever.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Enjoying the
view, Spruce?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Hard not to.</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_glmC4GCcVtTTDaNfepIVjuqcCaTp6euHOv6HXW0fgPtKDPGMwkkpTZ9htE-s6zUPnbJk4bRJeaTOrjREau5L3gz2acaa1sBVhsTJa9uPhn_qaztrzMLzgvJgpcB5EQHPam5dv9eudjA/s1600/IMG_0059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_glmC4GCcVtTTDaNfepIVjuqcCaTp6euHOv6HXW0fgPtKDPGMwkkpTZ9htE-s6zUPnbJk4bRJeaTOrjREau5L3gz2acaa1sBVhsTJa9uPhn_qaztrzMLzgvJgpcB5EQHPam5dv9eudjA/s1600/IMG_0059.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">You got a real
pretty city here, Philly boy.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">That’s a 10-4,
good buddy, but please don’t tell me you sent me all the way to South Philly to
catch a pear. What else you got?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rdtp0cbBv91W1D1VsnDaoU6TvFqFgx536n9eKNl5ZsEvFNxPvpy9KSizThacUfy8qynBmd-yUYHBA4MdR8Th9QNSF9lKR5eJvg86GsKq-sBKQcSqZKMefphwwZZrjYADJ751q7AvZ8g/s1600/IMG_0135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rdtp0cbBv91W1D1VsnDaoU6TvFqFgx536n9eKNl5ZsEvFNxPvpy9KSizThacUfy8qynBmd-yUYHBA4MdR8Th9QNSF9lKR5eJvg86GsKq-sBKQcSqZKMefphwwZZrjYADJ751q7AvZ8g/s1600/IMG_0135.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Ah, I’m headed
to the highway now, got to drag this wagon back to Norfolk before dark but I’ll
tell you what. Go down to Marconi Park
and send me a picture of that elm.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Here
you go, J-Rose.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SKQ74pZSbxOVI3ZX4ZfeOl66UzdL-qyIiUOFNcneSItUQJeotfcpsLqjf48Ld1kJiJGdFeYGEcNNqVnJNPC2Oaqwq-n45UJ59RdCIFXfqdIjpnQSlrYGQPPgqt36SeDdK9_AowlHRdU/s1600/IMG_9741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SKQ74pZSbxOVI3ZX4ZfeOl66UzdL-qyIiUOFNcneSItUQJeotfcpsLqjf48Ld1kJiJGdFeYGEcNNqVnJNPC2Oaqwq-n45UJ59RdCIFXfqdIjpnQSlrYGQPPgqt36SeDdK9_AowlHRdU/s1600/IMG_9741.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
actually almost missed it. At first
glance, I thought this was an oak. It
has a very stout and wide trunk and I’m used to elm-trunks being taller and thinner but then I saw that distinct ropy bark…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIOmGqN31tmdDiaf9ZgvTcroYcyjy3N1dk5Isx9oh0bhhK5ooqKFrv2p4Yww9enwgnned01_jWJM7RF9-uU09ZqVXlIXPnmc-ZktdgFFeRs4XZ42757rBvMXiAVLSrCuqD5Pc3EcMSCw/s1600/IMG_9744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIOmGqN31tmdDiaf9ZgvTcroYcyjy3N1dk5Isx9oh0bhhK5ooqKFrv2p4Yww9enwgnned01_jWJM7RF9-uU09ZqVXlIXPnmc-ZktdgFFeRs4XZ42757rBvMXiAVLSrCuqD5Pc3EcMSCw/s1600/IMG_9744.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and
then I noticed that typical splash of branches…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmA9d11TSxfVYmibP-Pz0-G91hDGrz3PGMTwH_8yl6R423XWnKaI-ahe0BwoB8UjBT26aLfEJjVCYMCPnHKQexB3tSEGaEqNxsGnnnwJ7IYR4xzt7sU83Ebsx_7fpzkL5ctF09UWRsrG4/s1600/IMG_9751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmA9d11TSxfVYmibP-Pz0-G91hDGrz3PGMTwH_8yl6R423XWnKaI-ahe0BwoB8UjBT26aLfEJjVCYMCPnHKQexB3tSEGaEqNxsGnnnwJ7IYR4xzt7sU83Ebsx_7fpzkL5ctF09UWRsrG4/s1600/IMG_9751.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and
finally I looked up to catch those clusters of young, flaky emeralds of fruit. </span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX2WGX4eTJy1rd1egD6-Tc2anNNTAXSFVC0sXph37wE_V_NqYMDuOds5QyzDQDnp2MbKDi3eFilHhxNqHuxh21Wavlcf74xDla0zykIChMP-S4Qi2MR9AXIwMbWuWvH4X_Edqyv0n6q8/s1600/IMG_9756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX2WGX4eTJy1rd1egD6-Tc2anNNTAXSFVC0sXph37wE_V_NqYMDuOds5QyzDQDnp2MbKDi3eFilHhxNqHuxh21Wavlcf74xDla0zykIChMP-S4Qi2MR9AXIwMbWuWvH4X_Edqyv0n6q8/s1600/IMG_9756.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Now
that’s an elm.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gCl1Mx_FTd62B0t2-XN9J0EnVqTvLPBJ7euxljRJQLAfprVr74qWvVokE0wObeTZ351tQ_pBKCjiLUSIUUGfCGkF7rsgpOLmwlMKGDhdihl6bx6mMsrN7ZrjCi5PHcwfv32HqBMeLOc/s1600/IMG_9760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gCl1Mx_FTd62B0t2-XN9J0EnVqTvLPBJ7euxljRJQLAfprVr74qWvVokE0wObeTZ351tQ_pBKCjiLUSIUUGfCGkF7rsgpOLmwlMKGDhdihl6bx6mMsrN7ZrjCi5PHcwfv32HqBMeLOc/s1600/IMG_9760.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Surprised
to see fruit?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Don’t
be. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Some trees are done flowering,
already on a stampede towards fruit.
That brutal winter, this late spring and this recent batch of hot sun
and clear skies? That's a recipe for fruit.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">If you're not quick enough, you can miss the spring all together.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1CxBiPOEq2oPWqltosFP_Pw6F2Xc9XdF43HFiuXfDaNduRknvCmj1l8i_jeAsyPFoJobGfVsNjg8OyatYhqwTNZ-utUNdui3RZXR5wDhMnVYZoA8eQeBJb_YnXSk4pjafPz81ZBEemw/s1600/IMG_0066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1CxBiPOEq2oPWqltosFP_Pw6F2Xc9XdF43HFiuXfDaNduRknvCmj1l8i_jeAsyPFoJobGfVsNjg8OyatYhqwTNZ-utUNdui3RZXR5wDhMnVYZoA8eQeBJb_YnXSk4pjafPz81ZBEemw/s1600/IMG_0066.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s
tricky, to catch a tree in season. It
takes talent and it takes marksmanship and it takes more luck than I’d like to
admit.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For
most trees.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">There
are a few trees out there that bloom like clockwork, as reliable as the
calendar, as dependable as old friends.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">And
no other tree illustrates this thought better than the amelanchier…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwoZHzCtEWc_4VRI3R7hLQMG3FItyWcX1UUxpS0sOUm_F1-cmy0-_I3KGE9KwHAN3XZX_gRGnrMDjF7oXm_IvR6M1-GZpUQtdjsLUkt5jO0TjjgddwzMRT-jr0RpjNQZt4_EPi1m3l3g/s1600/IMG_0226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwoZHzCtEWc_4VRI3R7hLQMG3FItyWcX1UUxpS0sOUm_F1-cmy0-_I3KGE9KwHAN3XZX_gRGnrMDjF7oXm_IvR6M1-GZpUQtdjsLUkt5jO0TjjgddwzMRT-jr0RpjNQZt4_EPi1m3l3g/s1600/IMG_0226.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…a
tree that flies into spring the same week as Easter, which is why most people
call it the <i>serviceberry</i>…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktgIGtInkge04FUtARtUGiRxzmxdnWMfcB1FpRV8yxu002ywKVdrYo4lqa3AtdbECYKm2cttUZXA-Mjdgqlvp7Cg4H49dS4yfBAP3I6FtiBHHEbCdUI5X0ZTlPh4a4lu7Zov0i6UfoaM/s1600/IMG_0232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktgIGtInkge04FUtARtUGiRxzmxdnWMfcB1FpRV8yxu002ywKVdrYo4lqa3AtdbECYKm2cttUZXA-Mjdgqlvp7Cg4H49dS4yfBAP3I6FtiBHHEbCdUI5X0ZTlPh4a4lu7Zov0i6UfoaM/s1600/IMG_0232.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…although
some sources say the name <i>serviceberry</i>
has a different connotation. Some say that the <i>service
</i>refers to funerals since its flowering meant that the ground was finally
thawed, time to dig the graves for the souls lost to winter.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
Cree Indians called it the <i>saskatoon</i>. The tree was so prevalent in their country,
delighting the banks of their creeks, that the largest city in the prairie
province of Saskatchewan took the name as its own. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s
a member of the Rose family and, like all Rose trees, it has a five-petal
flower.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lvpM0efHnmHvTffqrAOppY7MIk9uHdVL5-CxpXOBSYzCgK1XZaPbn5es0yKFhLgbfeoze4v8IH6YqR6Ale75DbHXzFjUoVhJ-WzoW8_Kl0J323Vjq3x63-UjJE4waG7t1Njsb9SdrT4/s1600/IMG_0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lvpM0efHnmHvTffqrAOppY7MIk9uHdVL5-CxpXOBSYzCgK1XZaPbn5es0yKFhLgbfeoze4v8IH6YqR6Ale75DbHXzFjUoVhJ-WzoW8_Kl0J323Vjq3x63-UjJE4waG7t1Njsb9SdrT4/s1600/IMG_0243.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">If
it looks a little too much like the pear flower, then it’s important to notice
that, unlike the pear, their flowers grow in a much looser cluster...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwwLIPpX9XcC7HgUZbO1TXGyWN6qnK3gXXZ1Pzm9iHDR4Vu-HAuqDt_pDKjrQrdZtAwHAl78aTVRiIrWmQCX8zAK8uVoy9p5HandknACa5DgznBpZHHfhyUTwOpDQeaQA_nGm4wdN0eY/s1600/IMG_0236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwwLIPpX9XcC7HgUZbO1TXGyWN6qnK3gXXZ1Pzm9iHDR4Vu-HAuqDt_pDKjrQrdZtAwHAl78aTVRiIrWmQCX8zAK8uVoy9p5HandknACa5DgznBpZHHfhyUTwOpDQeaQA_nGm4wdN0eY/s1600/IMG_0236.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br />...with enough room in between flowers to let in a lot more of that blue, blue sun.</span></span><br />
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</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD18slpFNB_J9-FSIONw-jb_bMAD4fMgL2hzc8a2Wu04qgPPgknNJ1uyjTyAXmXvQWst_qvW9VddljiPbOkJAg71gjZa7A5C5-ufvGcrOsq_jkbpnqTh-02Sd7goJPSfQhZ9YDuUlwf4g/s1600/IMG_0238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD18slpFNB_J9-FSIONw-jb_bMAD4fMgL2hzc8a2Wu04qgPPgknNJ1uyjTyAXmXvQWst_qvW9VddljiPbOkJAg71gjZa7A5C5-ufvGcrOsq_jkbpnqTh-02Sd7goJPSfQhZ9YDuUlwf4g/s1600/IMG_0238.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s
hard to believe but this little tree actually has more names.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s
also called the <i>juneberry</i> and, in
just a couple months, it will produce a dark purple berry about the size of
a pea, famous among the wildlife and foragers for its cherry-like flavors.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">According
to Thoreau, around Cape Cod, the berries were also called the <i>josh-pears</i> which, he figures, was a
corruption of the word <i>juicy</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">But
by far, my favorite name for this tree has got to be the <i>shadbush</i>, so named because its flowering is perfectly timed to the
great shad migration…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxqi8NYpuRU_EMG4qHIdSxhVY_tT6QVrPStb7RPbFlw0rn_CC8UnCCR8hDb_y7cH3KjcbZJG9P-YWwoC4F_ZYG_jNp1XfmoPEQifbl3AIxy1_z_tmRHZfoelSShV29qdT64wG1PB6hXk/s1600/51g+GdbKc4L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxqi8NYpuRU_EMG4qHIdSxhVY_tT6QVrPStb7RPbFlw0rn_CC8UnCCR8hDb_y7cH3KjcbZJG9P-YWwoC4F_ZYG_jNp1XfmoPEQifbl3AIxy1_z_tmRHZfoelSShV29qdT64wG1PB6hXk/s1600/51g+GdbKc4L._SL500_AA300_.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…which
is why my favorite shadbush in the entire city is the small grove planted right
along the Manayunk towpath between Main Street and the Schuylkill River.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmygGgpk9CFRWAsUyAK4_luwDz-5YCNoQQcrLdGZ4jWIZgnntGdZgZmVbxBxx3svY9vhbagze1kH370iRzDQOg6Xn3aKXNQccQQRvgEJblABm6e1K-mDm3d7KeXlI3ALxsat6vNrr-PAA/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmygGgpk9CFRWAsUyAK4_luwDz-5YCNoQQcrLdGZ4jWIZgnntGdZgZmVbxBxx3svY9vhbagze1kH370iRzDQOg6Xn3aKXNQccQQRvgEJblABm6e1K-mDm3d7KeXlI3ALxsat6vNrr-PAA/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s
something quite near perfect to catch the flowering shadbush next to a river.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Contrary
to popular belief, seafood is also meant to be seasonal and, in this part of
Turtle Island, the shad was known as one of the first foods of spring.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
spending its summer in the northern reaches of the Bay of Fundy, the shad will
spend the autumn and winter swimming and feeding down to the Chesapeake Bay.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejgKvljpJ_-McNhQoY3WksT-nTTlY0I_10Q8ar-Ufs9FM0pf_MLll6KPmKtGqgEWfkUWKIBtlsMMV5ECCMHiKNyrAm7-WmUrh_tMIJ6f7ooegtSBPaps5tfLqy-BO0Hhar84iYi_N7_k/s1600/IMG_0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejgKvljpJ_-McNhQoY3WksT-nTTlY0I_10Q8ar-Ufs9FM0pf_MLll6KPmKtGqgEWfkUWKIBtlsMMV5ECCMHiKNyrAm7-WmUrh_tMIJ6f7ooegtSBPaps5tfLqy-BO0Hhar84iYi_N7_k/s1600/IMG_0033.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In
spring, as the shadbush blooms, they migrate back north. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvcch6TQgrcErdapU6upvRkJCcQbKNseARFrwn9lBr8NKpSujukI09HnwaOEILJzPogx2_V1xJrzcyq7pn_V6yxzYVzCEavC666tFZTBmCu3gfqWUU9pnoJkuPjPTTkfFLslBryKsntE/s1600/IMG_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvcch6TQgrcErdapU6upvRkJCcQbKNseARFrwn9lBr8NKpSujukI09HnwaOEILJzPogx2_V1xJrzcyq7pn_V6yxzYVzCEavC666tFZTBmCu3gfqWUU9pnoJkuPjPTTkfFLslBryKsntE/s1600/IMG_0035.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">During
this migration, some of the older shads swim up the freshwater rivers to
spawn. The Connecticut, the Hudson, the
Susquehanna, the Delaware and all of their major tributaries, all major routes
of the <i>shad run.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">They are so
plentiful</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">,
wrote William Penn in 1686, <i>that Captain
Smyth’s Overseer at the Skulkil drew 600 and odd at one Draught, 300 is no
wonder, 100 familiarly…they are caught by net only.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaCEe-d6NDEIdXQidHey1ZVQvouMUtHlTt-g7T41MfaCr3g6PI2oKHE56153ufzfch0UifFH6M_yLyw2nW56DO94Rwig0IZcmz9F3QBmBP5_JOlE0fqEqaJHgfuc2LqbytoBF5lApsl0/s1600/1c+Thomas+Eakins+(American+artist,+1844%E2%80%931916),+Shad+Fishing+at+Gloucester+on+the+Delaware+River+1881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaCEe-d6NDEIdXQidHey1ZVQvouMUtHlTt-g7T41MfaCr3g6PI2oKHE56153ufzfch0UifFH6M_yLyw2nW56DO94Rwig0IZcmz9F3QBmBP5_JOlE0fqEqaJHgfuc2LqbytoBF5lApsl0/s1600/1c+Thomas+Eakins+(American+artist,+1844%E2%80%931916),+Shad+Fishing+at+Gloucester+on+the+Delaware+River+1881.jpg" height="418" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">That
last statement was captured in two paintings by Philadephia's own Thomas Eakins.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-1Aw0PfKetkAVpfguNOMwtDgo4MbJaMae6xA8nBDWcbH_CMUKJqLbbCpVR_kLC09Y3oXx35qBZ_212gNvaz6H0VLfsC0GRsxhDWyeLh8pm7josuyyJ2KRgoITiI3hjn9Fab0qFWaqZg/s1600/800px-Shad_fishing_at_gloucester_on_the_delaware_river_thomas_eakins.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-1Aw0PfKetkAVpfguNOMwtDgo4MbJaMae6xA8nBDWcbH_CMUKJqLbbCpVR_kLC09Y3oXx35qBZ_212gNvaz6H0VLfsC0GRsxhDWyeLh8pm7josuyyJ2KRgoITiI3hjn9Fab0qFWaqZg/s1600/800px-Shad_fishing_at_gloucester_on_the_delaware_river_thomas_eakins.jpeg" height="420" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">So this is spring? By the wings of Wabun, it’s full of wheels.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Natural
or unnatural or supernatural, it all comes down to wheels, wheels within wheels
barreling down the highway of history, nothing standing still for one second.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcn92yUjpT-1fij1GaTdUe8OlipLqE_v89dQqTC8Ro3aZ0yODE8G4o-LJf5krg1ZzXlLuKeALKzMxJIjr4pG2n_fJKMK_syS_xwHIHGxy5sLV0sl6h3fOXhDUlTu3BVcUmMFSdip_gck/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcn92yUjpT-1fij1GaTdUe8OlipLqE_v89dQqTC8Ro3aZ0yODE8G4o-LJf5krg1ZzXlLuKeALKzMxJIjr4pG2n_fJKMK_syS_xwHIHGxy5sLV0sl6h3fOXhDUlTu3BVcUmMFSdip_gck/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
Easter weekend, the great shad run and the flowering of a little tree with too
many names, all passing over at the same time, wheels within wheels.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This
is not a new idea. It never was.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSo1M9F2c0AFMcrM_EYpL1xu8KvP9rvXYLs67DXdHWpaFB_MBQBnk-g3PjxP9O_1mDKV699enwVgjjXvfes_CgJb6mUW-SFKVFO3DRDRUySzBQcRY-43fsutbp4WY-ZISpIsU7jU3sdo/s1600/gravestoneOuroborosWingedHourglass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSo1M9F2c0AFMcrM_EYpL1xu8KvP9rvXYLs67DXdHWpaFB_MBQBnk-g3PjxP9O_1mDKV699enwVgjjXvfes_CgJb6mUW-SFKVFO3DRDRUySzBQcRY-43fsutbp4WY-ZISpIsU7jU3sdo/s1600/gravestoneOuroborosWingedHourglass.jpg" height="412" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Resurrection,
that’s a wheel. Herring migration? That’s a wheel too. The <i>shadbush
</i>turning into the <i>juneberry</i>, that’s
my favorite wheel of all.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Three
calendar events on the same quick string of time and the ouroboros takes
another small bite of its tail…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFWKyyIgAq8qc6yUsLxOIZpqcBXN6pOuWQJsIDS737fIK2kZfaG_uvWYT7J6D36kNqRsU2ByO_wWpB90oBD6O6WAHVkrR0JBq1IWYPhcQkB2tf8Jes0iCEqnuQSBkxVTzN8PFlHzmUBE/s1600/ouroboros-for-blog5-298x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFWKyyIgAq8qc6yUsLxOIZpqcBXN6pOuWQJsIDS737fIK2kZfaG_uvWYT7J6D36kNqRsU2ByO_wWpB90oBD6O6WAHVkrR0JBq1IWYPhcQkB2tf8Jes0iCEqnuQSBkxVTzN8PFlHzmUBE/s1600/ouroboros-for-blog5-298x300.jpg" height="640" width="635" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…a
circuitous route that almost, just almost, can take us back to the very beginning...</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAATc-Z4c4kyqQKAD7rdIms3-m_65m9WXIWvfFVSuLb-LVe1en7cG3FE2csZ5HtQa-95GrC5TXNqBLplNCVJ-1_ZcmJ3_IwrTQmeltIyIWvPT-GKAVZu3vK19qqZdzzQF4fA7dBCiXMg/s1600/ouroboros_knot_240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAATc-Z4c4kyqQKAD7rdIms3-m_65m9WXIWvfFVSuLb-LVe1en7cG3FE2csZ5HtQa-95GrC5TXNqBLplNCVJ-1_ZcmJ3_IwrTQmeltIyIWvPT-GKAVZu3vK19qqZdzzQF4fA7dBCiXMg/s1600/ouroboros_knot_240.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">...but I don't know if I even believe in <i>beginnings </i>anymore. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">How
does that folk song go?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Small wheel
turning by the fire and rod, big wheel turning by the grace of God…</span></i></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_jAfakO7se8Rq36UFLhYLJXpBKoUYiqdtde_Lkhf1WJEJ5Va8kEQuippHAUGJAHcK-4DcNZ2bHyDuGccg7sMJgx5qB0Iq_3caJHlQ0JRs8ZG5yHpijk7wNxtHUDQAxvT83taRx0A4Jk/s1600/IMG_0195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_jAfakO7se8Rq36UFLhYLJXpBKoUYiqdtde_Lkhf1WJEJ5Va8kEQuippHAUGJAHcK-4DcNZ2bHyDuGccg7sMJgx5qB0Iq_3caJHlQ0JRs8ZG5yHpijk7wNxtHUDQAxvT83taRx0A4Jk/s1600/IMG_0195.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></i></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and every time
that Wheel turn round…</span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0ToQmWhRV7xA7jPJX8HXTTGZkHRVD6Ucei_2viMfA5pEhiJPSTffA5KBCWjYKSCAiwwhcUkQySRZzTAS88D5c_6A-6hyphenhyphenNtnIrM3fo-cCUoFgK-MCx8TtCnZlD4sQTVScZEen5faNqnA/s1600/IMG_0197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0ToQmWhRV7xA7jPJX8HXTTGZkHRVD6Ucei_2viMfA5pEhiJPSTffA5KBCWjYKSCAiwwhcUkQySRZzTAS88D5c_6A-6hyphenhyphenNtnIrM3fo-cCUoFgK-MCx8TtCnZlD4sQTVScZEen5faNqnA/s1600/IMG_0197.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…bound to cover
just a little more ground.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXcEJm1gEeyqhUopqynuFPwVFgUEejXiVaEQggyOnSYAFkhtkiX_ux18mMku_nAce5HHuIuzPAVev6G7FMtc2Be2Wy7rxOR_NnN8N2DYLmy2A8ZRIJFlaWDohFYVyZ9CRZ7zWdMriFHY/s1600/IMG_9510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXcEJm1gEeyqhUopqynuFPwVFgUEejXiVaEQggyOnSYAFkhtkiX_ux18mMku_nAce5HHuIuzPAVev6G7FMtc2Be2Wy7rxOR_NnN8N2DYLmy2A8ZRIJFlaWDohFYVyZ9CRZ7zWdMriFHY/s1600/IMG_9510.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">And
then, as if on cue, another voice from the past crackles through the radio.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Breaker,
breaker, thought I heard a ghost on this station. Are you there, Jon Spruce, it’s me, Shelly.</span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0_rqZQsCW7Ud4jeq2EKmfM494Ml-Encs9QTnglvKzc0IQxUGKzsHSrBfvV1tBJcBcwnMee-fNm5TEwDPSYH1R1javy4_LVkpEki3l7GNQZ3uFmOZQImJbyinZ4ctFG4-01Kt0Lnvaag/s1600/IMG_0182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0_rqZQsCW7Ud4jeq2EKmfM494Ml-Encs9QTnglvKzc0IQxUGKzsHSrBfvV1tBJcBcwnMee-fNm5TEwDPSYH1R1javy4_LVkpEki3l7GNQZ3uFmOZQImJbyinZ4ctFG4-01Kt0Lnvaag/s1600/IMG_0182.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Uh
oh. This could be trouble.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
owe Shelly a whole bunch of phone calls and fancy dinners, plus one long,
heartfelt explanation.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
look into the microphone for any sign of trouble but it’s no help. This microphone has the best poker face I’ve
ever met. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Hey, Shelly, Jon
Spruce here. You got me.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
hear her lips breaking into a smile.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I was just
thinking about you, girl, thinking about all those evenings we spent wasting
away the morning.</span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">She
swallows a sigh and laughs into the mike.
<i>Jon Spruce, you always did tell
the sweetest lies.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGaPXjNQYGNc9W_uhM-dThwGVojRGXpjmFivp7DMH78uBr5BKSCvx942mK4ns_GycjCww76l5kT9IQRnd77w3vtW5Na0VDDqU2asYxrQWlMEwFTlX22Hmx28FP6Nu6AWusEZdntmenQ4/s1600/IMG_0185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGaPXjNQYGNc9W_uhM-dThwGVojRGXpjmFivp7DMH78uBr5BKSCvx942mK4ns_GycjCww76l5kT9IQRnd77w3vtW5Na0VDDqU2asYxrQWlMEwFTlX22Hmx28FP6Nu6AWusEZdntmenQ4/s1600/IMG_0185.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
still got it, boys.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Shelly, if you
got time to park your wheels, I know a noodle shop in Chinatown that’s always
empty.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">No time,
tree-boy. I’m over at the stadium
dropping off my load for the Flyers game, then hauling this big rig deadhead
back to Bismark. Got to hit the road.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Some other time
then.</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">You still need
some flowers for the blog?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I’ll take what
you got.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Then take your
lying eyes over to Morris Park. Lot of
chatter about the bloodroot over there.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Morris
Park? That’s off City Avenue, in the
middle of the Overbrook neighborhood, right near the city limits on the
outskirts of town.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAl7EhuoNvxQk4V7WTDE-5mUDcu9Gid03zskxtfEqucLQ2PcIY7wZ7uTc4ZcKpuH9dQtPg_8W1L2nyqiJZMqiy_EW2za0tcxXOUQTAlMI1c2WVXHv5ynLMuxGpyV695eck5SwybeQiDII/s1600/IMG_9581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAl7EhuoNvxQk4V7WTDE-5mUDcu9Gid03zskxtfEqucLQ2PcIY7wZ7uTc4ZcKpuH9dQtPg_8W1L2nyqiJZMqiy_EW2za0tcxXOUQTAlMI1c2WVXHv5ynLMuxGpyV695eck5SwybeQiDII/s1600/IMG_9581.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As
far as native landscapes go, it’s one of the best kept secrets here in the city.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">That’s
where the two branches of the Indian Creek flow together…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJAP85Dsz2SGCjcMB90rHSrCrqDDGJXUxFFYlNjaGuXtl9dooMqyYYwfHLgv9RXEsepguFZB8OY6CAxBp25P16yMgg9YxPB6mLWCECTAjzeXZmGzFqs9nQJ6oMaHnSfZ2wksFtf6MDQ0/s1600/IMG_9570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJAP85Dsz2SGCjcMB90rHSrCrqDDGJXUxFFYlNjaGuXtl9dooMqyYYwfHLgv9RXEsepguFZB8OY6CAxBp25P16yMgg9YxPB6mLWCECTAjzeXZmGzFqs9nQJ6oMaHnSfZ2wksFtf6MDQ0/s1600/IMG_9570.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…eventually
becoming the Cobbs Creek that marks this western boundary of Philadelphia.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> It’s full of beech and sycamore, ash and
hickory, tulip poplar and spicebush…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIc9qGmXcYZwU4sUORLvtgmquEylm9OKFVVDF6oxC_Rv3Hk_nSCEPhKRks-anD-DfFZNEudZRVnG_xUOCGVQUzPH3Ft4F5dXwi4m_NF8xutqwreo8XTKCJrcMWF0QWtX2Qgq5MVakzUQ/s1600/IMG_9536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnIc9qGmXcYZwU4sUORLvtgmquEylm9OKFVVDF6oxC_Rv3Hk_nSCEPhKRks-anD-DfFZNEudZRVnG_xUOCGVQUzPH3Ft4F5dXwi4m_NF8xutqwreo8XTKCJrcMWF0QWtX2Qgq5MVakzUQ/s1600/IMG_9536.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…the
sun-dappled tangles of lesser celandine…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqKxhCLXfcw2X4hVNxv5pISol8sQbwqLFexcTV1OTkRJNQtLVcKloNIqgGjw3IJA8_Cd1JAgwU9SKzIINIK019iy6omVbpn8afsy0OcK41XOyjdxp0yg-bHKtqz9bUDB4GvKI8yx0ylY/s1600/IMG_9559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqKxhCLXfcw2X4hVNxv5pISol8sQbwqLFexcTV1OTkRJNQtLVcKloNIqgGjw3IJA8_Cd1JAgwU9SKzIINIK019iy6omVbpn8afsy0OcK41XOyjdxp0yg-bHKtqz9bUDB4GvKI8yx0ylY/s1600/IMG_9559.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and
gardens of skunk cabbage…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgep_nHMzVnkknyg2aaFofSBDorLF03QM5hYfLT5Pn66XrLdvrlNpn-YD3bpW05ER86DgwVSrdSJIsRuDhfDmb1xDjf1jXCHctOcYrjnIE2i_x5V26gmu48sO4MQNtaUHIjL4WEz1OBxlI/s1600/IMG_8718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgep_nHMzVnkknyg2aaFofSBDorLF03QM5hYfLT5Pn66XrLdvrlNpn-YD3bpW05ER86DgwVSrdSJIsRuDhfDmb1xDjf1jXCHctOcYrjnIE2i_x5V26gmu48sO4MQNtaUHIjL4WEz1OBxlI/s1600/IMG_8718.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and,
oh my god, it’s full of stars.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4siVOcPOsR6SMQ9WhIN6cNwOQ6tmwGQvln11n3ui_8rhwCOEQwb3wMrLjUhyS4a7fRE8Kwd3Gvl_heV2weXFRcluKd29t5xpLvzbEoxBga0TxE4lHKlhcrwaw8RWm5KP6dKzMZ59UHY4/s1600/IMG_9689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4siVOcPOsR6SMQ9WhIN6cNwOQ6tmwGQvln11n3ui_8rhwCOEQwb3wMrLjUhyS4a7fRE8Kwd3Gvl_heV2weXFRcluKd29t5xpLvzbEoxBga0TxE4lHKlhcrwaw8RWm5KP6dKzMZ59UHY4/s1600/IMG_9689.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Meet
the bloodroot, one of our most fleeting and transient, our most wild of the wildflowers…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9r5nXPfadYbYUVo-ur6h4N_sZCt-1ShlF0pTobgpKgw54AC_5t-vi9vI7-yETWZDU92J8Kiacjbo7zEPefMCwrx4h8Gkxilyon115iFJoEh00fne-Lnxha6hawkyDC5BfYJ0C54pho0/s1600/IMG_9699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9r5nXPfadYbYUVo-ur6h4N_sZCt-1ShlF0pTobgpKgw54AC_5t-vi9vI7-yETWZDU92J8Kiacjbo7zEPefMCwrx4h8Gkxilyon115iFJoEh00fne-Lnxha6hawkyDC5BfYJ0C54pho0/s1600/IMG_9699.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…one
of our most perfect stars.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89Q21PP_nL5869xcAeadBg3lDrhpZzuo7D_VmY7d5DpMW_x6I2QuWHSjNchJCWtU4XZV4hKreIiMnSebkujHvekLqlq3vxdC93UW-7r6WlREU31xhxae3hqaXRTyKKi8oe5rVOgx65OQ/s1600/IMG_9667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89Q21PP_nL5869xcAeadBg3lDrhpZzuo7D_VmY7d5DpMW_x6I2QuWHSjNchJCWtU4XZV4hKreIiMnSebkujHvekLqlq3vxdC93UW-7r6WlREU31xhxae3hqaXRTyKKi8oe5rVOgx65OQ/s1600/IMG_9667.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It
blooms, on a good year, for a little more than a week…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQqnNZmXRhVSHRmiRgb_xTAGp62pxcs8WTyIcsP1KXAYcVRQr2wZOLatG7ZYVKn82pMdrSniElW5tcix9S0u2PTRiaCaL8WKxWMauL9RPD92tcg4IRSbhbl6HnES8qA2O0Wq4iFpYxsA/s1600/IMG_9653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQqnNZmXRhVSHRmiRgb_xTAGp62pxcs8WTyIcsP1KXAYcVRQr2wZOLatG7ZYVKn82pMdrSniElW5tcix9S0u2PTRiaCaL8WKxWMauL9RPD92tcg4IRSbhbl6HnES8qA2O0Wq4iFpYxsA/s1600/IMG_9653.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and,
even then, you have to catch it at certain hours of a sunny day.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Its
gory name is a translation of <i>Sanguinaria
canadensis</i>, a reference to the red dye found in its roots, used mostly by
the rivercane basketmakers of the Delaware River people.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
bloodroot only grows along steep and well-drained hillsides…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DJcRR53kdD0tFeVfklGyCDQSFIiBytVKMAbygIJG9YffR7krEKAdKRi_LD-ZJvPbVs7Vjxkz6kLegafa4zWGgjZL8fxC8RRuc1s0G4YJi8kR-D6AxxHitDz2jhij1rGPILxTLagxEW4/s1600/IMG_9684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DJcRR53kdD0tFeVfklGyCDQSFIiBytVKMAbygIJG9YffR7krEKAdKRi_LD-ZJvPbVs7Vjxkz6kLegafa4zWGgjZL8fxC8RRuc1s0G4YJi8kR-D6AxxHitDz2jhij1rGPILxTLagxEW4/s1600/IMG_9684.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…under
the crispy carpet of dried beech and oak leaves.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWAc2lbWTkVdcwPE9RvJ4ier-sgREgPrd39uQgswj13OmNTHB4lhXCrF-aa1WKEqDqnRzGreBj27pFTEOFKlnr_v1WRhZhvQPZ3CtsJRxe_qI3a2MuAy4-3OrHAngLGuRT7MXBqc7rVM/s1600/IMG_9644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWAc2lbWTkVdcwPE9RvJ4ier-sgREgPrd39uQgswj13OmNTHB4lhXCrF-aa1WKEqDqnRzGreBj27pFTEOFKlnr_v1WRhZhvQPZ3CtsJRxe_qI3a2MuAy4-3OrHAngLGuRT7MXBqc7rVM/s1600/IMG_9644.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Catch
them while you can…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVl9zKa_ZzBq00cirnMvEvcHgRZIO1-Hk-Co3QNhY4-fGFd11J_MmvSdKpWmcWtAiRce3tzDzahDj6LwrgIpvm_QZblBUBLeLwWVWQ0h_ZShx-93yNEbvmv3HBIs2HZARzZ-grcz3cBiY/s1600/IMG_9676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVl9zKa_ZzBq00cirnMvEvcHgRZIO1-Hk-Co3QNhY4-fGFd11J_MmvSdKpWmcWtAiRce3tzDzahDj6LwrgIpvm_QZblBUBLeLwWVWQ0h_ZShx-93yNEbvmv3HBIs2HZARzZ-grcz3cBiY/s1600/IMG_9676.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…although
they are already gone.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Their
blooms begin the spinning of another wheel.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Once
opened to the sun, the bloodroot flower attracts the very first bees and flies
of spring…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8L5rSO8jd9AzFfTulf7HdOdIHKO62wC-gkTeVQBzK571byjP8YJOkOEYlSD7s1RLJA26QnjaYu3ptfRpQiAO2Olm46Qda7C1vqZ2uFIe650pgJZ8PiA8BeLjevlYj0wWE0Ri4aAWVfOw/s1600/IMG_9385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8L5rSO8jd9AzFfTulf7HdOdIHKO62wC-gkTeVQBzK571byjP8YJOkOEYlSD7s1RLJA26QnjaYu3ptfRpQiAO2Olm46Qda7C1vqZ2uFIe650pgJZ8PiA8BeLjevlYj0wWE0Ri4aAWVfOw/s1600/IMG_9385.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…and,
by the end of spring, it folds up into a pod that’s baked in the sun </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">until
it bulges opens with seeds that are carried away by the ants…</span></span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfsqYwZTTyRxYnez1N6BR-7nY9XpMksmd5t4x4-oIfMLUVtTvu1IuV73Q-0wZq-HGJBIoZ2KLqWA5fKqmVGOVnOiAEYojM4BnMzkk4XGoyUcAwAXjragTBtJbHZVj3HVdYxd9lnuQOzg/s1600/IMG_9866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfsqYwZTTyRxYnez1N6BR-7nY9XpMksmd5t4x4-oIfMLUVtTvu1IuV73Q-0wZq-HGJBIoZ2KLqWA5fKqmVGOVnOiAEYojM4BnMzkk4XGoyUcAwAXjragTBtJbHZVj3HVdYxd9lnuQOzg/s1600/IMG_9866.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…into
the nesting chambers of their subterranean colonies where they use the fleshy
seed-covers as food for their larvae.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Once
the new ants are born, the seeds themselves are left behind, deep in the
ground, to germinate and root again.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20Q2EbRf31eQkzIn48FKd_1yUCumfH_OoY0zvl-ZvVkmauaZ8bq1bxgOE7HU_q9vRv90At0LDC-Ajt2JMCKA1V3XiFPoiuwV81OQdnTs-Cu2c6gQb8bayp5y6bEOp4d7nX_3ZFwaG8XE/s1600/IMG_9315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20Q2EbRf31eQkzIn48FKd_1yUCumfH_OoY0zvl-ZvVkmauaZ8bq1bxgOE7HU_q9vRv90At0LDC-Ajt2JMCKA1V3XiFPoiuwV81OQdnTs-Cu2c6gQb8bayp5y6bEOp4d7nX_3ZFwaG8XE/s1600/IMG_9315.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On
my way out of Morris Park, I stumbled upon a dead snake...</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMReZVrUKWmv9kY5vV0CJfl6vemG6W7UJC9MevFlzDKcJpaHJDxAj7aLBUkkLJRijYX6e8ckbHkDT9I5bELTJ-IzXiMYvtJdh0n_kOij63huxfJSp3owMcuylWg5xF94nTfWKWw0v9LA/s1600/IMG_8786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMReZVrUKWmv9kY5vV0CJfl6vemG6W7UJC9MevFlzDKcJpaHJDxAj7aLBUkkLJRijYX6e8ckbHkDT9I5bELTJ-IzXiMYvtJdh0n_kOij63huxfJSp3owMcuylWg5xF94nTfWKWw0v9LA/s1600/IMG_8786.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…fresh
blood on the bloodroot trail.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">How
long had it been there? How did it die?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikB2UXbmMRjzS1kuxRYJkQ9NbJslGr9YDBUidU9ZM84Bx4sxZ-tFyXcbQMBFAuAK6ky2stLgMpUmtIeJctfb8w7av_h-rXzmqvskpC9vS5WmmpGK1ZjOd5s4HPv8kZokaYPVlfmAFJUU/s1600/IMG_8788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikB2UXbmMRjzS1kuxRYJkQ9NbJslGr9YDBUidU9ZM84Bx4sxZ-tFyXcbQMBFAuAK6ky2stLgMpUmtIeJctfb8w7av_h-rXzmqvskpC9vS5WmmpGK1ZjOd5s4HPv8kZokaYPVlfmAFJUU/s1600/IMG_8788.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
do not know how to find these answers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
try not to read too much into these things.
I don’t believe in signs, don’t believe in omens, never had much faith
in portents or coincidences. I never saw
an albatross that wasn’t just a big bird.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">But
here’s something interesting. In most
cultures, the snake is the symbol for <i>rebirth</i>
and <i>resurrection</i>, something to do
with the shedding of the skin.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rBwdEu-_-MGdSNAOA3oSu82mGEing4U8H_5iLvUAlFCy_fNLpZwVgppi120pMZDj_XLv4kTYNqPaOCDU7RtHzV-1cXlJWMjFbaUK_x78MARkbXRoKAfkuVMhnMyBRKne4mX4FSBTisg/s1600/IMG_8790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rBwdEu-_-MGdSNAOA3oSu82mGEing4U8H_5iLvUAlFCy_fNLpZwVgppi120pMZDj_XLv4kTYNqPaOCDU7RtHzV-1cXlJWMjFbaUK_x78MARkbXRoKAfkuVMhnMyBRKne4mX4FSBTisg/s1600/IMG_8790.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For
the Navajo, the snake was a member of the Lightning People Tribe that live in
the clouds. Seeing a snake here on earth meant that rain and thunder was on
the forecast.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In
Philadelphia, a snake means <i>get out of
the woods, there are snakes in these hills</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In
the end, no big deal, just another wheel spinning in spring.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Baby
ants and dead snakes, little creeks and big rivers, new flowers and old friends,
in the end, they’re all just wheels but, man oh man, I really like it when they
give a holler every time they’re passing through.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Like
I said in the morning, it’s all too much for one set of eyes. You’re bound to miss something doing it alone
and there ain’t no shame in asking for directions, ain’t no shame in being
shown the way.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">How
does that old folk song go?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Oh
yeah. Every once in a while, you can get
shown the light.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv4rAYtL3UF4s9I_U8YQmUudWdLaZhw8xD5FxN91XyjIqaVIPbPRNftrepexv-6A9WW84fqh9yXXntuxMgptHZ1JdPpGl9lGvW268A0HrofR9f3xatF1dw6kfxLfhr3EJ4WTTaay7YqI/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv4rAYtL3UF4s9I_U8YQmUudWdLaZhw8xD5FxN91XyjIqaVIPbPRNftrepexv-6A9WW84fqh9yXXntuxMgptHZ1JdPpGl9lGvW268A0HrofR9f3xatF1dw6kfxLfhr3EJ4WTTaay7YqI/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s
always in the strangest of places…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-dqlGdiOOJHFT2888sLG7EIolfXYJLQoBER-RCW9-llfJEmkjNpObEOVY97vSaDAF4rm6mCNUzoQSFFSf850h5GUtQCficCn954CBMGlCAbeqytx5NXktSt8l4S-WahgWtdnQpTcvrs/s1600/IMG_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-dqlGdiOOJHFT2888sLG7EIolfXYJLQoBER-RCW9-llfJEmkjNpObEOVY97vSaDAF4rm6mCNUzoQSFFSf850h5GUtQCficCn954CBMGlCAbeqytx5NXktSt8l4S-WahgWtdnQpTcvrs/s1600/IMG_0026.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">…if
you look at it right. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Jon Spruce, over and out. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-56915998623610322392014-04-07T01:17:00.000-07:002014-04-09T21:09:49.413-07:00PHILLY FIRST BLOSSOM FRONT<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Citybillies,
it’s confession time.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
rumors are true. I’ve sold out.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Jon
Spruce has officially signed on the dotted line.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For
two years now, I have meticulously and courageously hunted down and archived the
kingdom of Philly trees but, behind the scenes, hidden from view, I’ve been
bombarded and assaulted with endless requests for sponsorship.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Landscape
crews and tree services, nurseries and greenhouses, fertilizer companies and
seed catalogs, you name it. Non-profits
and charities, all good causes.
Philadelphia institutions like Aramark and Tastykake, Sunoco, Comcast,
Action News and Lew Blum Towing, all knocking down my door. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All
asking for a piece of the pie.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For
the last two years, I’ve always had the same response.</span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Hold the gravy.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Until
now.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ve
finally found something that I can hang my hat on.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Citybillies,
it’s <i>hanami </i>time and there’s no
better way to spend it than participating in the Subaru™ Cherry Blossom
Festival of Greater Philadelphia.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrawF86GEmrLXd2c98EQf0hj_zkpq_M8-cx-ivpz_j21CpizOGS2QIb81EIVXsn4mkaYEb9RD4qF14vb5w0EmBA6qR6LoJpBEC7TbuXyJ6RexqaKSq4isD7J2ZDV4HmuG94YWB9ekQnU/s1600/2014-web-banner-j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrawF86GEmrLXd2c98EQf0hj_zkpq_M8-cx-ivpz_j21CpizOGS2QIb81EIVXsn4mkaYEb9RD4qF14vb5w0EmBA6qR6LoJpBEC7TbuXyJ6RexqaKSq4isD7J2ZDV4HmuG94YWB9ekQnU/s1600/2014-web-banner-j.jpg" height="138" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
is <i>hanami</i>? It means <i>flower
viewing </i>in Japanese and it refers to the annual blossoming of the cherry
blossoms, the <i>sakura</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
event is so anticipated that even the Japanese Meteorological Agency tracks and
charts the <i>sakura </i>blooms throughout
the whole island.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
call it the <i>sakura zazen</i>, loosely
translated as the<i> cherry blossom front</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0aX2W5bbfSRkIGVn8_InD3p-w8wvG57fDlOGNeDUS_uhsH0BD4H8liE1cYdNgA6QtUbl3R2fXFimOf7rLPNmEuXtLsRBgOZJ0pgL_bid5bR9ZjsqA89SrgCa4Sa07-teTEQWiajUsnI/s1600/2014_cherry_blossoms_front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0aX2W5bbfSRkIGVn8_InD3p-w8wvG57fDlOGNeDUS_uhsH0BD4H8liE1cYdNgA6QtUbl3R2fXFimOf7rLPNmEuXtLsRBgOZJ0pgL_bid5bR9ZjsqA89SrgCa4Sa07-teTEQWiajUsnI/s1600/2014_cherry_blossoms_front.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to the map, the <i>sakura</i> are currently flowering
in the southern part of the island, blazing their way from Kagoshima through
the old capital of Kyoto and, by the end of April, they will have reached the
northern tip of the Aomori Prefecture, land of apples and wild horses.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some
people call it the <i>pink tide.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
long to see it in person.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfadJF6gvu58rkxQmRqjT3VdN7_Ir5Jo0ulUa7xVIyu4H_qEEw_eTIP3W5AflyBmVBokJip6U7i_CSMDrYOlTIsindq_PTdZXvvy52mtuSg4kDAKJpw3xCIfiq2EH1DtR6ntepMZDMZx0/s1600/2011_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfadJF6gvu58rkxQmRqjT3VdN7_Ir5Jo0ulUa7xVIyu4H_qEEw_eTIP3W5AflyBmVBokJip6U7i_CSMDrYOlTIsindq_PTdZXvvy52mtuSg4kDAKJpw3xCIfiq2EH1DtR6ntepMZDMZx0/s1600/2011_02.jpg" height="354" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Hanami</i> has been on the
calendar for centuries now, observed and celebrated by emperors and farmers,
royalty and peasants, city rats and country mice alike…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EazFWyB5xdDUXrV4WHl0Evz1aZ3aCJFBzZ2g2_SpWtFVujOn45brHVKXQMtldx7vFOoTluXq4f_-K0Wia5B24BwhXtxOaceHhgz9cutdjpdA01DcNKH01YjL9ngE-Ov3yDSlEPba_10/s1600/Rowing-boats-enjoying-the-cherry-blossom-Tokyo-Japan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EazFWyB5xdDUXrV4WHl0Evz1aZ3aCJFBzZ2g2_SpWtFVujOn45brHVKXQMtldx7vFOoTluXq4f_-K0Wia5B24BwhXtxOaceHhgz9cutdjpdA01DcNKH01YjL9ngE-Ov3yDSlEPba_10/s1600/Rowing-boats-enjoying-the-cherry-blossom-Tokyo-Japan.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…immortalized
throughout the ages by songsters, dancers, poets and painters, including the
great 18th-century printmaker Katsushika Hokusai…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNPkj7keQ9bXlMxsfMW_j-TY2aGLkYmkP3oMit-VhHJdOnXOk0xXN32Ap1ovPf5Vzpal2fnBzpC_pIJZcFSYpNBgsU6W8xGocWh_BTmbYZwmvunuylnhZBwU2Y5ds2DWWYFx7WJ-xC2s/s1600/self+portrait+1842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNPkj7keQ9bXlMxsfMW_j-TY2aGLkYmkP3oMit-VhHJdOnXOk0xXN32Ap1ovPf5Vzpal2fnBzpC_pIJZcFSYpNBgsU6W8xGocWh_BTmbYZwmvunuylnhZBwU2Y5ds2DWWYFx7WJ-xC2s/s1600/self+portrait+1842.jpg" height="468" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…who
famously depicted the brief <i>sakura</i> in
the foreground of Japan’s most exalted marvel…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeJeK7fIXptzi_nC1Br0znNPIdswUjBGt8-BE8S4KUNh867e5PSiO4hkIpa7lk_UMMgDTKzNerTUAgvW3d3p-TRt6Hj7dPDQu2J_yVvbzoy56jsWr8EsW7ZvIqSvh4MmfbxTObX32pCQ/s1600/mount-fuji-seen-throught-cherry-blossom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeJeK7fIXptzi_nC1Br0znNPIdswUjBGt8-BE8S4KUNh867e5PSiO4hkIpa7lk_UMMgDTKzNerTUAgvW3d3p-TRt6Hj7dPDQu2J_yVvbzoy56jsWr8EsW7ZvIqSvh4MmfbxTObX32pCQ/s1600/mount-fuji-seen-throught-cherry-blossom.jpg" height="226" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
ephemeral <i>floating world</i> of early
spring balanced against the immovable permanence of Mount Fuji itself.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
that’s my kind of <i>yin-yang</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
in Philadelphia, we’re less than one week away from our own <i>hanami</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hold
on to your hats, citybillies, and get on up!
The <i>sakura</i> are marching,
cherry blossoms about to set the city on fire.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
anticipation of the event, I floated over to the Shofuso Japanese House…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP84exIrp5HOxg06JMZDbP1HUx4L3vKSxTQDvQDEj60OLuhSCoe4zeYdJfl5DJZwhExUtV3yJKp4SpFWJGQ65pQ3af4c9rqPTUkyzvFvcVnSAK-IgzdmZG9oc8VAgareLiO-W-2gXtv8s/s1600/IMG_9241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP84exIrp5HOxg06JMZDbP1HUx4L3vKSxTQDvQDEj60OLuhSCoe4zeYdJfl5DJZwhExUtV3yJKp4SpFWJGQ65pQ3af4c9rqPTUkyzvFvcVnSAK-IgzdmZG9oc8VAgareLiO-W-2gXtv8s/s1600/IMG_9241.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
then to the nearby cherry tree avenue that connects the House to the Mann Music
Center.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIrL8dODZTlAcffJZrKMc2BCyjsSnQR9gY51FIXXEw6BTOPNxZPgNz-tD7MZuujyGEzxsTUQwDs9RRUDc1_ms3cjjCHINWcYl8NwzG9GFaCfAJ_WwRGgv1da-4YS1bfhAbad_Np7D7pI/s1600/PAINT+TWO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIrL8dODZTlAcffJZrKMc2BCyjsSnQR9gY51FIXXEw6BTOPNxZPgNz-tD7MZuujyGEzxsTUQwDs9RRUDc1_ms3cjjCHINWcYl8NwzG9GFaCfAJ_WwRGgv1da-4YS1bfhAbad_Np7D7pI/s1600/PAINT+TWO.jpg" height="312" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
getting nervous.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Less than a week away from the big bash and the guest of honor is hardly making a peep.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWGQLD-FgesvrRk4ekBmdlta1w5An7Vp26Qk3bChIuN7R_CvkrkyuY1X0KAsAan86spoD2VNnXZXycRgH4eyixWmbR7O8QMT6xq78dEEUTGp1cMStM8yz3QVV6CGzqyh7g8pnx-t7nWE/s1600/IMG_9239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWGQLD-FgesvrRk4ekBmdlta1w5An7Vp26Qk3bChIuN7R_CvkrkyuY1X0KAsAan86spoD2VNnXZXycRgH4eyixWmbR7O8QMT6xq78dEEUTGp1cMStM8yz3QVV6CGzqyh7g8pnx-t7nWE/s1600/IMG_9239.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Just
my luck.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Man
oh man, this kind of suspense is not good for my Restless Legs Syndrome. I got the sushi making class on Thursday, the
<i>kaiseki </i>dinner on Friday.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
Tamagawa Taiko Drum and Dance Troupe has been making thunder all week, getting
ready for their big performance on the big Sunday coming up…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rq5i5kZ9ldYlxyU0kudxMt0geklYdvt8cn9sIeSaepnNNbn-z5PK5NGMZ1K_hJg9mQs2dDzk_IuXVSmoFQZaOy7FznxvJBbDdlUx8uBcXh72UYyM4fQMxXAzIil4fgIJI6HAMWo_NLw/s1600/tamagawa14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rq5i5kZ9ldYlxyU0kudxMt0geklYdvt8cn9sIeSaepnNNbn-z5PK5NGMZ1K_hJg9mQs2dDzk_IuXVSmoFQZaOy7FznxvJBbDdlUx8uBcXh72UYyM4fQMxXAzIil4fgIJI6HAMWo_NLw/s1600/tamagawa14.jpg" height="488" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
then there’s the Cherry Blossom 5K on Saturday.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDh6fIn6KaOrigKKC3VpLg75nAZrzuvhXf1gVRFzB268LKepaA7nIm-_ybqt62w7XGt_IwzQbYLL_ze8PNlKErXqTA2zsPf5QxHXPj8sb9NS9lZuC8yM5pfZeYBrqa0r77dv30U55JU_E/s1600/5kmap-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDh6fIn6KaOrigKKC3VpLg75nAZrzuvhXf1gVRFzB268LKepaA7nIm-_ybqt62w7XGt_IwzQbYLL_ze8PNlKErXqTA2zsPf5QxHXPj8sb9NS9lZuC8yM5pfZeYBrqa0r77dv30U55JU_E/s1600/5kmap-sm.jpg" height="536" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
better be <i>sakura</i> by then or those big
shots from Subaru™ are going to be pissed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
to be honest, I’m not so sure.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As
they stand right now, the cherries are looking a little dormant.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgevDGogONC1NzFXSE9GVKvPCBFQ6et7e5xf2Vk4Z_FDjL5FN6_jnhnWJEd1I2QR8qF9mZV_eZT0YfVd3tFpYGSu31ZCIaqPqgKH18Y6DhyCvBd6gcvVVTEZr_bUZiU3EU9Yzl1znZj8/s1600/PAINT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgevDGogONC1NzFXSE9GVKvPCBFQ6et7e5xf2Vk4Z_FDjL5FN6_jnhnWJEd1I2QR8qF9mZV_eZT0YfVd3tFpYGSu31ZCIaqPqgKH18Y6DhyCvBd6gcvVVTEZr_bUZiU3EU9Yzl1znZj8/s1600/PAINT.jpg" height="640" width="498" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is not good. I don’t know what I was
thinking.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ve
got strict orders to avoid this kind of stress.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
already got that restless feeling. I’m
going to be up all night long, all week long, with those jimmy legs kicking up
a storm, tossing and turning, on pins and needles waiting for this…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Kys9XbMVF1e9ciisCIlmeXSTUYH_18noWevYGrINavXamHBJgbgprypR_HLAI9t5nuH82-p9zWo7-PRtgCtbXyktYHV_OH54b9AGdtqpXd2l5CdjdYq1n_cW0YWFY2MMzFjr_MS1mJE/s1600/IMG_9237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Kys9XbMVF1e9ciisCIlmeXSTUYH_18noWevYGrINavXamHBJgbgprypR_HLAI9t5nuH82-p9zWo7-PRtgCtbXyktYHV_OH54b9AGdtqpXd2l5CdjdYq1n_cW0YWFY2MMzFjr_MS1mJE/s1600/IMG_9237.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…to
turn into this.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEI0-QRmwB8GUlPMfEhJBJWstB7SWq_Pca_X0pUE-3caRQGq6_qTrqmVb3i8wq78p5wmDlYchAPmvHFoWg_nD2l7-iB8M99q-hru7Y4ZJ7qHHZJTRJQr4h3KYgQXoNaR0qIe1hGvqEeGM/s1600/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEI0-QRmwB8GUlPMfEhJBJWstB7SWq_Pca_X0pUE-3caRQGq6_qTrqmVb3i8wq78p5wmDlYchAPmvHFoWg_nD2l7-iB8M99q-hru7Y4ZJ7qHHZJTRJQr4h3KYgQXoNaR0qIe1hGvqEeGM/s1600/l.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
should’ve known better.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>FIRST TO FLOWER</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
ornamental cherries are a fickle and obstinate tree, a real trickster kind of
plant. Not the kind of tree to stake
your reputation on. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Dammit, every
tree-hunter knows this.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Amateur
mistake, Jon Spruce. A real rookie
error.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
should’ve signed my name to something like the forsythia. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmvD5fAZXQQBimxHXjGTLAL7MivhjfHAiaB0ERCVzRnEAWMllYAuZYFsFEAqiPZvtN5QeU_UIQiVOMjoiFP1K52CyHIISthbPAdbCZu8y3CLoMysGZKfQmqk6GybXgdhPNzL-vwBZ3pk/s1600/IMG_9413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmvD5fAZXQQBimxHXjGTLAL7MivhjfHAiaB0ERCVzRnEAWMllYAuZYFsFEAqiPZvtN5QeU_UIQiVOMjoiFP1K52CyHIISthbPAdbCZu8y3CLoMysGZKfQmqk6GybXgdhPNzL-vwBZ3pk/s1600/IMG_9413.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
that’s a reliable tree, a real team player.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Always
the first to flower, the forsythia also hails from the eastern coast of Asia
and the island of Japan, first discovered by Western tree-hunters in the late
1700s, although it was originally misidentified as a lilac.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSF2P-X9Z4v5hueecmEag8jCQJw0QLLKDCg4bplJTQUd_rMWKJ5Aa9Qe8QKnstqf7wyx-MkRLHXqg_W7XMb_fXaSEJJxO8-F8pHzhKarXhJEmX9rzLzU6ORb15mYkduSXY0fWSS9GF9o/s1600/IMG_9423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSF2P-X9Z4v5hueecmEag8jCQJw0QLLKDCg4bplJTQUd_rMWKJ5Aa9Qe8QKnstqf7wyx-MkRLHXqg_W7XMb_fXaSEJJxO8-F8pHzhKarXhJEmX9rzLzU6ORb15mYkduSXY0fWSS9GF9o/s1600/IMG_9423.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Shipped
over to Europe and the American colonies, through the global Dutch East India
Conglomerate, the forsythia quickly took top favors in the Victorian gardens,
thanks to its early bloom of stellar flowers.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_9vtriI5J0-npTgvO8WX4Hh9yt4ddFXeROsKfNdRwcnt7WreznStOEKKmdACC9mQVNolMa5r4HrcL-Lvsl1OLpIrYzV-6P7xbvYk-uoebObLusTAYhVgboGPWR3GYRwIKDIg85Br3YI/s1600/IMG_9414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_9vtriI5J0-npTgvO8WX4Hh9yt4ddFXeROsKfNdRwcnt7WreznStOEKKmdACC9mQVNolMa5r4HrcL-Lvsl1OLpIrYzV-6P7xbvYk-uoebObLusTAYhVgboGPWR3GYRwIKDIg85Br3YI/s1600/IMG_9414.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or what about the <i>kintoki</i> Japanese dogwood? That's another first-to-flower favorite, seen more and more often on our mean streets and in our city parks.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLHoPgLcLV6z9Ujp3sZvC4gU0MbkT713biQPymaG20OsXRSd8_o36M8ErIBP0X0M2Jp_ra9ENZ0vFYRseldPuGtMXsLEYs3FGneWnSe7wJVSvF_MhfPKFUzQoBevyYn3N5pxPw3fpkMOA/s1600/IMG_8541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLHoPgLcLV6z9Ujp3sZvC4gU0MbkT713biQPymaG20OsXRSd8_o36M8ErIBP0X0M2Jp_ra9ENZ0vFYRseldPuGtMXsLEYs3FGneWnSe7wJVSvF_MhfPKFUzQoBevyYn3N5pxPw3fpkMOA/s1600/IMG_8541.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Our own native dogwoods won't be blooming until early May but this popular Japanese cultivar is already cracking with color.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwG3un_3WDs4fBrpQ7uQb4sOkfJcGYF6E4Po3OGDHRRCX56NBChV5fFqZjtI7T_DUhH3hHMjO3zGcB_KoB6XjkxHG08EPZJpL9hCnmQCLiMDDgrIvVleTUjaDE2y1CAGTJg5tZGl3Xzg/s1600/IMG_8545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwG3un_3WDs4fBrpQ7uQb4sOkfJcGYF6E4Po3OGDHRRCX56NBChV5fFqZjtI7T_DUhH3hHMjO3zGcB_KoB6XjkxHG08EPZJpL9hCnmQCLiMDDgrIvVleTUjaDE2y1CAGTJg5tZGl3Xzg/s1600/IMG_8545.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Named for the Japanese folk hero who was raised in the wilds by a mountain hag, the <i>kintoki</i> dogwood has become so popular here that it's escaped into the wilds. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwRgYEpIbrhrDwdAD0TG9N-RgtcWShteihvzLpOMe8f983Nvf6qrabBPYFq354YId7UJCOMoAqZSaeqGzmBHpkoXcaPIKiU5qu0KjGpfXDffdBNrbWrwahdUQyijUIDKIAznXqIjlhZ4/s1600/IMG_9210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwRgYEpIbrhrDwdAD0TG9N-RgtcWShteihvzLpOMe8f983Nvf6qrabBPYFq354YId7UJCOMoAqZSaeqGzmBHpkoXcaPIKiU5qu0KjGpfXDffdBNrbWrwahdUQyijUIDKIAznXqIjlhZ4/s1600/IMG_9210.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
found one wild <i>kintoki</i> not too far from the Shofuso House, right on the banks
of Centennial Lake in Fairmount Park.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJg_GducIVuDjN3J7tclMa8CH3guuGatoI0Hr5U2TZ_v9TTAAyG16Ilv6GFuSsjZLVfulQxwLsnqRuXraZLbFTQTXsXWrqybetnahzItZk6mQ-nrr2MSTj5XyyjlAkMyWczxs2krJ9Kg/s1600/IMG_9218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJg_GducIVuDjN3J7tclMa8CH3guuGatoI0Hr5U2TZ_v9TTAAyG16Ilv6GFuSsjZLVfulQxwLsnqRuXraZLbFTQTXsXWrqybetnahzItZk6mQ-nrr2MSTj5XyyjlAkMyWczxs2krJ9Kg/s1600/IMG_9218.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sure,
it’s a charming bloom and it casts a radiant and golden branch in a still
bare and gloomy woods…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCQAokaLVsOTaMoFYfkBkyD8XoFmvIVGnIPEv2RWwv8gNOL5iHCRaY2i5cUrC73bhbdv-KSrnTqVrLV5Y-11ZqW4SYw2oxbZpWmf84XWdzU_FsrGtYlY4sTWeoq5aZMl5EMe5UleL-14/s1600/IMG_9220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCQAokaLVsOTaMoFYfkBkyD8XoFmvIVGnIPEv2RWwv8gNOL5iHCRaY2i5cUrC73bhbdv-KSrnTqVrLV5Y-11ZqW4SYw2oxbZpWmf84XWdzU_FsrGtYlY4sTWeoq5aZMl5EMe5UleL-14/s1600/IMG_9220.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but it's not the kind of blossom that gets people out of the house.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not the kind of flower that puts asses in the seats.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe then the apricot.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhiXhE5xoamFWOEPAG31yEpiNdSGUz9tOg7Md80oEJc9dmleLMeD52eUr-Rki_KA2sDfVjVIVQ3_5YAF87pp2y0XvgTbbp8P7gjUm6rBuO43Sp2l5Z4YpHC2tSWbwq-nGNJGNoTIISE8/s1600/IMG_9249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhiXhE5xoamFWOEPAG31yEpiNdSGUz9tOg7Md80oEJc9dmleLMeD52eUr-Rki_KA2sDfVjVIVQ3_5YAF87pp2y0XvgTbbp8P7gjUm6rBuO43Sp2l5Z4YpHC2tSWbwq-nGNJGNoTIISE8/s1600/IMG_9249.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now that's a prompt tree, one of our most punctual first-to-flowers. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My
favorite apricot in the entire city is located right down the road from my
urban cabin, 49th Street and Baltimore Avenue.</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlbMV_KXazmSl5Fn_-KSeSkOguQV61RMDmS-9zMrZqsxToNcIejJg3Fas2wWU0WEf2btAh0oYv_JEc_V38d_kDxXpAzKT12K7yYjqb813YiuguOHpxAKy7iGCOo5jakmet92k0qzXuDI/s1600/IMG_9246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlbMV_KXazmSl5Fn_-KSeSkOguQV61RMDmS-9zMrZqsxToNcIejJg3Fas2wWU0WEf2btAh0oYv_JEc_V38d_kDxXpAzKT12K7yYjqb813YiuguOHpxAKy7iGCOo5jakmet92k0qzXuDI/s1600/IMG_9246.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
go there, this time of year, to see the herald of spring.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
apricot always shows up on time. Sure, some
of the flowers are still trapped in what my farmer friends call the <i>popcorn stage</i>…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeah6KiTfgfGbZRcVgYxgKsmfwaQTEkRBx05DelHKbvKtDCv2eJZVcBl-XtZo4kkX7GeWLdWe2jOzj7NVBgI26e1zy1HBA6v9ZHL-xxGkX_Jfk19KzTFtdawfDkK1hjfHc_4u02iAZuw/s1600/IMG_9254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeah6KiTfgfGbZRcVgYxgKsmfwaQTEkRBx05DelHKbvKtDCv2eJZVcBl-XtZo4kkX7GeWLdWe2jOzj7NVBgI26e1zy1HBA6v9ZHL-xxGkX_Jfk19KzTFtdawfDkK1hjfHc_4u02iAZuw/s1600/IMG_9254.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but
most of the tree is on full fire, completely operational, bouquets from top to
bottom.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
little tree is one of our best early blossom flag-bearers...</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZcT-tIeTH4Zc8mti1GznZ0cf-ZpsRqDR2QKxwcikSIN7yIk5qhEdCi44Hf3-klE25sHJhDPdPm5M7ly1vJk9wPU8xnM7Agb1Q9unpV6UztCGevgg8Xf4FBHDUWRR-pTlxT4lgbX7XVs/s1600/IMG_9247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZcT-tIeTH4Zc8mti1GznZ0cf-ZpsRqDR2QKxwcikSIN7yIk5qhEdCi44Hf3-klE25sHJhDPdPm5M7ly1vJk9wPU8xnM7Agb1Q9unpV6UztCGevgg8Xf4FBHDUWRR-pTlxT4lgbX7XVs/s1600/IMG_9247.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">...hanging
tight to the limb, already advancing towards fruit, trying to marshal forth the
other trees to awaken from winter’s spell and to, please, flower.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
are you waiting for? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Of
course, I could’ve also sponsored the red maple.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-Eq7bf15fXEjCfH7TVAKkVVuEtUD9q9oS_0TMxjES33HgQx_mt61ZD2gtmUqEbBBTtZojHYPbaH4dtxaEzf0J_4ujgDtZqmP-CKLITjpDc5c4n6NqHDYiV9gONlWAN1r27vCpSwdQ1I/s1600/IMG_9256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-Eq7bf15fXEjCfH7TVAKkVVuEtUD9q9oS_0TMxjES33HgQx_mt61ZD2gtmUqEbBBTtZojHYPbaH4dtxaEzf0J_4ujgDtZqmP-CKLITjpDc5c4n6NqHDYiV9gONlWAN1r27vCpSwdQ1I/s1600/IMG_9256.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
that’s a tree that’s already beating its drum.
Now that’s a tree that deserves its own spring festival.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No
matter the temperature, no matter the weather, no matter the previous winter,
the maple is one of our most reliable flowering trees…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19yPY_c3683o6YspHETzXyOgE_JEP4vXuNQbokoXHvLVluw-VGjuNCiOCyBG9Hk0oFX8JSGUhccXvO-f7taRhrNW7Ygtjtr19JwJD6VpJPbRSXLGMmDR-W3e6VCyxU39DXke2l9zXu4M/s1600/IMG_9257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19yPY_c3683o6YspHETzXyOgE_JEP4vXuNQbokoXHvLVluw-VGjuNCiOCyBG9Hk0oFX8JSGUhccXvO-f7taRhrNW7Ygtjtr19JwJD6VpJPbRSXLGMmDR-W3e6VCyxU39DXke2l9zXu4M/s1600/IMG_9257.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…always
set to bloom during the initial risings of the Budding Trees Moon, the
harbinger of the Philly first blossom front.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or,
better yet, I should’ve sponsored the willow.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDxRylzejF9OLeFi86673JR8UMQrbvza3Db8y6UMgyWyGW3rJjaDE9nWACZQ_9kLbCySpnQqD_voAQTrqKrKmYhKJ96rxcYXoZPUM8zO2ErmUK7tgXWCLDsY1KmbS7oedlkNwUlnjftc/s1600/IMG_9065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDxRylzejF9OLeFi86673JR8UMQrbvza3Db8y6UMgyWyGW3rJjaDE9nWACZQ_9kLbCySpnQqD_voAQTrqKrKmYhKJ96rxcYXoZPUM8zO2ErmUK7tgXWCLDsY1KmbS7oedlkNwUlnjftc/s1600/IMG_9065.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
can set your clock to that tree. You can
set the whole dang calendar to the willow.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeOVHVeRS4tpHK05KP-QEBY-i4X6aM2PtGfXzvWrl3ohidMk4yJ0SnoBP9h7Ad099lLnSXATZPIO-Lnm9H2Hlwl80Zn43gWH7UmyODy0ZvgCdZfaS9kvFFBuuG3-D5L4VLDMnCDr0QIY/s1600/IMG_9050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeOVHVeRS4tpHK05KP-QEBY-i4X6aM2PtGfXzvWrl3ohidMk4yJ0SnoBP9h7Ad099lLnSXATZPIO-Lnm9H2Hlwl80Zn43gWH7UmyODy0ZvgCdZfaS9kvFFBuuG3-D5L4VLDMnCDr0QIY/s1600/IMG_9050.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Where
was I?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All
the way up in the Northeast, right off State Road, walking the grounds of the
Pennypack delta, where Philadelphia’s greatest creek flows into one of
Turtle Island’s most celebrated rivers, the Delaware.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
go here when I need to walk off the stress.
When I need to tire the restless legs, I go to water.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJ4JOWaKjnJwU9FjJV0gRX2Uo90vN3h-xifgLKTttRJlAZhLB05Kmbktoy5DhrmhUw0NyZCqmraSziXZyRLYimtk7Hnh3cOh6ZwcAS2sAk4h_D5xoC7s5iWEQ1B-ZENRzJWNPtEMCtF0/s1600/IMG_8905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJ4JOWaKjnJwU9FjJV0gRX2Uo90vN3h-xifgLKTttRJlAZhLB05Kmbktoy5DhrmhUw0NyZCqmraSziXZyRLYimtk7Hnh3cOh6ZwcAS2sAk4h_D5xoC7s5iWEQ1B-ZENRzJWNPtEMCtF0/s1600/IMG_8905.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When
the suspense is too awful to bear, when the spring is behind schedule even
though the invitations have been sent and the private Subaru™ jets are already
up in the air, en route to Philly International…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VV3Fuh-jyB5bP_Kdlpk_hjYuO38EENuduVCJesG12R5btSe8Ob_D5UHGzW6oQfkmesRWtB_n1PBJCjC8iqRZepwrvCY1vMdFp8Z4k0tGb5_lr91WmLssNFNv-0KRLx7kJV8FpNRArhg/s1600/IMG_8910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VV3Fuh-jyB5bP_Kdlpk_hjYuO38EENuduVCJesG12R5btSe8Ob_D5UHGzW6oQfkmesRWtB_n1PBJCjC8iqRZepwrvCY1vMdFp8Z4k0tGb5_lr91WmLssNFNv-0KRLx7kJV8FpNRArhg/s1600/IMG_8910.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
when there’s nothing I can do about it, then I’m supposed to seek the solace
and wisdom, the fortitude and patience, of local water.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRGEfFq6WPG24OclNWednTrRrc21IkkfeY9hbHhoTTzKXLmwtRm8r79wKGLjqlRNTQIuGH-zAv513t3VNKMd0v-KfZ6lrtuu7woIk3T4uWZQjS06qoVYJBMQle1qokNn0B8_qIbDx36g/s1600/IMG_8939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRGEfFq6WPG24OclNWednTrRrc21IkkfeY9hbHhoTTzKXLmwtRm8r79wKGLjqlRNTQIuGH-zAv513t3VNKMd0v-KfZ6lrtuu7woIk3T4uWZQjS06qoVYJBMQle1qokNn0B8_qIbDx36g/s1600/IMG_8939.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
a direct order from my web-certified life coach.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
lucky for me, this delta just happens to be the front line to Philly’s spring.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE PHILLY FIRST
BLOSSOM FRONT</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
caught up with the Pennypack right near its final run towards the Delaware
River at the intersection of Frankford Avenue and Ashburner Street.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BVjSa-mbtPcJ8_qD1aUGzycFGZOe4J1eKYhYoQmI9iZ7AQeHNIVj_RUoVpJqhrj1F_f1sfmXwUQOqlRrP12C9b65zOzcDQN-hT5xcezS2Rzq2AqjOSL-hXAtV827tZL2eslYXu4rdGA/s1600/IMG_9189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BVjSa-mbtPcJ8_qD1aUGzycFGZOe4J1eKYhYoQmI9iZ7AQeHNIVj_RUoVpJqhrj1F_f1sfmXwUQOqlRrP12C9b65zOzcDQN-hT5xcezS2Rzq2AqjOSL-hXAtV827tZL2eslYXu4rdGA/s1600/IMG_9189.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At this point, I'm about a mile away from the Delaware River, as the crow flies, although the creek takes a big bend after crossing State Road, curving around the Philadelphia prisons. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here at Ashburner Street, this
is the site of the King’s Highway Bridge, built in 1697, considered to be the oldest surviving roadway
bridge in the United States.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-su3qetPfr0V_J3u5qNTgzvIGbWSJzUWKnAgAUk7wbo1q7ADdlFsDzjXL7vw-uUpFXgLzTBcvbh_jiiXTzj6kcqm2IJZSAxGbziOZ8UIvtYkR8FYuFRfD3xyP8J9N-xBTLX3_F3ocWo/s1600/IMG_9198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-su3qetPfr0V_J3u5qNTgzvIGbWSJzUWKnAgAUk7wbo1q7ADdlFsDzjXL7vw-uUpFXgLzTBcvbh_jiiXTzj6kcqm2IJZSAxGbziOZ8UIvtYkR8FYuFRfD3xyP8J9N-xBTLX3_F3ocWo/s1600/IMG_9198.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">East
of the famous bridge, on the top of a small hill, there is a behemoth of a
beech.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBF1_0a1QC4JeeKXkQLqxExBGkryrQDy3z4DP4gMTUn1rwNWQyaQXKfhKqd76_JsXrDvcw4zwd59PrSTwF2H44RNjmWJmUjW2yJpOeGBQjKtFqiqcpvy-nHeSS2xckshPKm2PervbUH8A/s1600/IMG_9118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBF1_0a1QC4JeeKXkQLqxExBGkryrQDy3z4DP4gMTUn1rwNWQyaQXKfhKqd76_JsXrDvcw4zwd59PrSTwF2H44RNjmWJmUjW2yJpOeGBQjKtFqiqcpvy-nHeSS2xckshPKm2PervbUH8A/s1600/IMG_9118.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For
all its might and for all its power, the beech has never been a great source of
wood, the lumber industry finding better value in such trees like the white
pine, the hickory and the walnut.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
why most eastern forests are still scattered with great beeches.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Fine
with me. <i>Let the other trees do the work of the world, </i>wrote Donald Culross
Peattie. <i>Let the Beech stand, where still it holds its ground, a monument to
past glories.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzmFuPeEYTFrEHzJhzyZ23Ng1ThwMkwrMnhYJcJxaepyqcgD0PWvt5ye-uDCcUBCNVij4O5zy87dtVkTJQZHUASsrnS5eEN4jJdV82-qI25q6K1j0NrNllS9poak8hnKq9-yfL390i6w/s1600/IMG_9123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzmFuPeEYTFrEHzJhzyZ23Ng1ThwMkwrMnhYJcJxaepyqcgD0PWvt5ye-uDCcUBCNVij4O5zy87dtVkTJQZHUASsrnS5eEN4jJdV82-qI25q6K1j0NrNllS9poak8hnKq9-yfL390i6w/s1600/IMG_9123.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
at the end of the Pennypack trail, there are many monumental trees, mostly
beech and tulip poplars…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfh05a9CMFTg9328xZf1rzi_R4XFpH7IUYS4KnLbL8HcVG0PzhN_nb4XVz7PQGr5bMhBOqyginAvvQqljmXN5iL4_iVci4bn46GpXkzndAekWLIooMtQw-Mq09-oNI9LsUarzHotsr0A/s1600/IMG_9134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfh05a9CMFTg9328xZf1rzi_R4XFpH7IUYS4KnLbL8HcVG0PzhN_nb4XVz7PQGr5bMhBOqyginAvvQqljmXN5iL4_iVci4bn46GpXkzndAekWLIooMtQw-Mq09-oNI9LsUarzHotsr0A/s1600/IMG_9134.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
sycamores…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWy5KqG71zIhKcxr9CoZ4YoOtOTBroTqnkMY1ART04etVv-gE2KmartbP-vgnM3a621xPYHDZBcy0IjwzSNRBGl7qi28CMca-pP8fDcchIUSSzZaaji1GWjeDnCqfRxTq7XuyZ1VYTL8/s1600/IMG_9165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWy5KqG71zIhKcxr9CoZ4YoOtOTBroTqnkMY1ART04etVv-gE2KmartbP-vgnM3a621xPYHDZBcy0IjwzSNRBGl7qi28CMca-pP8fDcchIUSSzZaaji1GWjeDnCqfRxTq7XuyZ1VYTL8/s1600/IMG_9165.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…although
even monumental trees don’t last forever.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNf1I-RY6mnttwBUSfWBHDOK48zJ9WvZgLtOLC_fJDZBkYhrv4iMCsYJXFnMjMNnWHiqf6MriCNrGTHp0aupzXKu1xJkJqrvduG3svkn1Tr3CKWaNIYWtMfM0a4rYOXYCVPnCp62EExo/s1600/IMG_9161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNf1I-RY6mnttwBUSfWBHDOK48zJ9WvZgLtOLC_fJDZBkYhrv4iMCsYJXFnMjMNnWHiqf6MriCNrGTHp0aupzXKu1xJkJqrvduG3svkn1Tr3CKWaNIYWtMfM0a4rYOXYCVPnCp62EExo/s1600/IMG_9161.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
get it now. I’m figuring it all
out. So that’s how some big rocks end up
in the creek.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgMWiz_OAON0OU3vz6FnIhnTFKlah_bfVYbziL41xJ15nPbT-_dc1suqJv5YkoEfdMbg_uHWkpO_2WI00hORbrzn-KPtpg-Qnh1vM5TlSM9TT_VdJTDgJfsNfwLcoK0TUC-fLA9o96xw/s1600/IMG_9162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgMWiz_OAON0OU3vz6FnIhnTFKlah_bfVYbziL41xJ15nPbT-_dc1suqJv5YkoEfdMbg_uHWkpO_2WI00hORbrzn-KPtpg-Qnh1vM5TlSM9TT_VdJTDgJfsNfwLcoK0TUC-fLA9o96xw/s1600/IMG_9162.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">How
many of these other big rocks were once cradled by massive roots, wrenched from
the earth by the toppling of a tree?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
continued down the paved trail, walking on a high ledge next to the creek. Every bend seemed to be guarded by a sycamore…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TN4nl6sO5boiWxH87tK-c1xUMSPrj-Qq82ixb9GfBSAdfHC6eAtdy0Udg9Jeh8oMb57PDVuFmalXZ6_MENivGY6EaNeCckVeK4KvsvtXDChVaUMEo6Q9By-Hobq1S_3Jt51gQhJLOqE/s1600/IMG_9203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7TN4nl6sO5boiWxH87tK-c1xUMSPrj-Qq82ixb9GfBSAdfHC6eAtdy0Udg9Jeh8oMb57PDVuFmalXZ6_MENivGY6EaNeCckVeK4KvsvtXDChVaUMEo6Q9By-Hobq1S_3Jt51gQhJLOqE/s1600/IMG_9203.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
I wondered if that was a distinct characteristic of the tree, to flourish in
the swerve of a trail, or if the trail itself was paved around the mighty trees.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Which
came first? Which was older?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After
crossing State Road, the most interesting feature was an old stone wall.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlYsBLNKRiia7qz2cDGmlEpbY_u16mgvl6GGXgzAOYmGcNqEjG3C35eP4o-Csxi64HLXYTDhmYhHgbvj9AO_DMTaoFE9Wlpk8Jgao_gioG0nnY208db42_awi64ndVhNlGg07cv_Chq4/s1600/IMG_8995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlYsBLNKRiia7qz2cDGmlEpbY_u16mgvl6GGXgzAOYmGcNqEjG3C35eP4o-Csxi64HLXYTDhmYhHgbvj9AO_DMTaoFE9Wlpk8Jgao_gioG0nnY208db42_awi64ndVhNlGg07cv_Chq4/s1600/IMG_8995.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here, the paved trail veered off towards the direction of the
neighborhood park but I stayed close to the stone wall. In this part of the woods, there were no more
beeches or tulip poplars or sycamores.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Instead,
the landscape was dominated by the honeylocust.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZr8DXocXZ_oJC-FiO-KWT8XZFTohkGOQ2WKV0dcQhN6_C99EcI2PNfAwgQNy_jPbBXoRK56nZsmO3DE7zGkYBU3tXJnW_rH-bKbx846fX3Zz6SkqjGOJb89T9TQ1vGaO7GxYcxe7PeM/s1600/IMG_9002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZr8DXocXZ_oJC-FiO-KWT8XZFTohkGOQ2WKV0dcQhN6_C99EcI2PNfAwgQNy_jPbBXoRK56nZsmO3DE7zGkYBU3tXJnW_rH-bKbx846fX3Zz6SkqjGOJb89T9TQ1vGaO7GxYcxe7PeM/s1600/IMG_9002.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
wild honeylocust will usually have those three-pronged spikes shooting out of its
trunk but those weapons were conspicuously missing from these thick trees.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Between
the wall and the paved road, there were groves of slender trees, every one almost
completely identical.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyqJYCQ1OAasGbLNsjKy9zL_JopwqbEGaogxtEhNpT14tRpNOIs2S3wYrM0Bl0gDjX35HnmQW8_QczIU9QxPwZ60jtYarjqUww_4Pb1ksj4fiqM6bpNpzvCgMVjUz_qGTwLrA57Ozq80/s1600/IMG_9005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyqJYCQ1OAasGbLNsjKy9zL_JopwqbEGaogxtEhNpT14tRpNOIs2S3wYrM0Bl0gDjX35HnmQW8_QczIU9QxPwZ60jtYarjqUww_4Pb1ksj4fiqM6bpNpzvCgMVjUz_qGTwLrA57Ozq80/s1600/IMG_9005.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
walked over to identify.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">More
honeylocusts…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpPBjBeXfNmXUUmD7ZStrlGEeawdT75L-AcN1DIWJULw6SdFRGdJKCobe4RA9w4knSlNWaf0Y9_13JbSQA-uODD4tIUO6Aki3C6HD_E6KdAr4wwB9rYwaRcMykKSmlEa_WjdpbeLAFG4/s1600/IMG_9012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpPBjBeXfNmXUUmD7ZStrlGEeawdT75L-AcN1DIWJULw6SdFRGdJKCobe4RA9w4knSlNWaf0Y9_13JbSQA-uODD4tIUO6Aki3C6HD_E6KdAr4wwB9rYwaRcMykKSmlEa_WjdpbeLAFG4/s1600/IMG_9012.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
these younger trees were fully armed.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So
this is how it happens.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
get it now. I’m figuring it all out. This is how the wilds take over. You got the mother trees over here… </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR1zyuZOzg8S8nucVPCj4HXE443dcUYzLUgF6lmdUXwXVjNcM643VDbICMOBar0byag4Xq2WCsT0rIC2UuhUwYZBsy9xR2rruWYVxLcKXkE1hhblAH5i-zqKQVGtbzaX_9lGNSTtfWjo/s1600/IMG_9002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR1zyuZOzg8S8nucVPCj4HXE443dcUYzLUgF6lmdUXwXVjNcM643VDbICMOBar0byag4Xq2WCsT0rIC2UuhUwYZBsy9xR2rruWYVxLcKXkE1hhblAH5i-zqKQVGtbzaX_9lGNSTtfWjo/s1600/IMG_9002.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
you got their cloned children over there.
In a few dozen years, this whole area will be taken over by the
honeylocust.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They’re
almost at the road.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipo_ELXo4Ym3jJLRHhDcq3Z5ZFdBkuruM3YAe5en2FyN_z2kADapQ7zRZGtXEqBnbYa0wSeazHwGYseqC-NAVIvubTasdD3x7Zk27R5yHZ_Q6jxSc6kPhcXbMwrQ1RdhSpXjoNwbUiL2k/s1600/IMG_9031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipo_ELXo4Ym3jJLRHhDcq3Z5ZFdBkuruM3YAe5en2FyN_z2kADapQ7zRZGtXEqBnbYa0wSeazHwGYseqC-NAVIvubTasdD3x7Zk27R5yHZ_Q6jxSc6kPhcXbMwrQ1RdhSpXjoNwbUiL2k/s1600/IMG_9031.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
those spikes? Those woody tridents
protecting the younger trees?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
evolved as protection against the megafauna that took over the world after the
destruction of the dinosaurs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
means that this type of environment, this very landscape…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-ET1FfDiYQ8N5YL2728yJ_A-sNxKmV5F0paj5E01EsAJbGgF_aa1-CItEDaK_SeNYm9EiQVdc3Y6u_u6KUzbXSRDP_solMkHtVTcUdglzaGOQQK95m_k7rKYTZMhwNsOPshmMMKYOgY/s1600/IMG_8850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-ET1FfDiYQ8N5YL2728yJ_A-sNxKmV5F0paj5E01EsAJbGgF_aa1-CItEDaK_SeNYm9EiQVdc3Y6u_u6KUzbXSRDP_solMkHtVTcUdglzaGOQQK95m_k7rKYTZMhwNsOPshmMMKYOgY/s1600/IMG_8850.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…was
once the native home to such monsters as the saber-toothed tiger, the giant sloth,
the dire wolf, the cave bear, the wooly rhino and the crocodile.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
ground here was all straw, dried and flattened rods of grass fanned out between
the sparse trees.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQsUf_Hq9q2pgL9goIugMJqHO2uEMnVq8X53rsKgChMU5XRsqtR4qk5wB7pFHjEfT85UkRmUZZvMNHlbNVemHpoVSskptn8rpRJKffJd_-SN5FWtcf6yPExYg232J09emb8KZLR-uvNM/s1600/IMG_8851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQsUf_Hq9q2pgL9goIugMJqHO2uEMnVq8X53rsKgChMU5XRsqtR4qk5wB7pFHjEfT85UkRmUZZvMNHlbNVemHpoVSskptn8rpRJKffJd_-SN5FWtcf6yPExYg232J09emb8KZLR-uvNM/s1600/IMG_8851.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was impossible to be quiet, walking on such crinkly ground, and with every
step, the birds fluttered and whipped from tree to tree. There were robins and red-winged blackbirds
and angry blue jays and, in the cloud-skimmed skies, seagulls gliding towards
the city.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5DjFzwLHRUOD1zMZfQlRrDR4tjL8A22DEk7vzqQ7nYK2QfD50BYLfY-zUl5xSTX_yGjhCCwN6y6i56MQjU0JARizn0te96ILrhR8i5PSvZWbtJug6mb1eNIOTuEQ8VioDw7XtINmStY/s1600/IMG_9079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5DjFzwLHRUOD1zMZfQlRrDR4tjL8A22DEk7vzqQ7nYK2QfD50BYLfY-zUl5xSTX_yGjhCCwN6y6i56MQjU0JARizn0te96ILrhR8i5PSvZWbtJug6mb1eNIOTuEQ8VioDw7XtINmStY/s1600/IMG_9079.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was getting closer to the river.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">To
my right, there was a broken-down fence draped with wiry poison ivy.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WBv8M8FaWZXz0HDoeOQSizKEMeV47ExPMnG-lWqv0Xrf_ZapEcRehNkxL1SwZkLPyCH_hHvmMapCAhEO0yto2OGH4tiLqI8-t0AAmctqEg7Gxr6UbrMcZ9L3bH3r8Iu8b_gqP52zAm0/s1600/IMG_8890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WBv8M8FaWZXz0HDoeOQSizKEMeV47ExPMnG-lWqv0Xrf_ZapEcRehNkxL1SwZkLPyCH_hHvmMapCAhEO0yto2OGH4tiLqI8-t0AAmctqEg7Gxr6UbrMcZ9L3bH3r8Iu8b_gqP52zAm0/s1600/IMG_8890.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
final stretch of wild was dominated by the sumac.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MkBvGdZgrQzGKsA_tNwSrN63FhdlaPC2wJ9qWhxbe2OjnAF6uVDbxenKlU_7guvOW3dofwuO-c_wOOS17pxawY4UECy-WESwzUdJAphDxGc4r855_biMpRBXLS0JI-IUoFExJ0xJMUU/s1600/IMG_8879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MkBvGdZgrQzGKsA_tNwSrN63FhdlaPC2wJ9qWhxbe2OjnAF6uVDbxenKlU_7guvOW3dofwuO-c_wOOS17pxawY4UECy-WESwzUdJAphDxGc4r855_biMpRBXLS0JI-IUoFExJ0xJMUU/s1600/IMG_8879.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some of these trees are called the <i>staghorn
sumac</i> for the way the bare branches resemble antlers.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sH1Ex5dDW6Ttz9lGJ3cZ6PRPbFTppGVr1922EnPbJtSneK0iZMMGRc8vhv77Y6C8I6G_T-ZbJn6kyJ5VQUpXu2MZMIz05W3AXOuoUbHeYqLe2oNXVMnBtD9MiNOD6u6Nj8U3w83jvDU/s1600/IMG_8882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sH1Ex5dDW6Ttz9lGJ3cZ6PRPbFTppGVr1922EnPbJtSneK0iZMMGRc8vhv77Y6C8I6G_T-ZbJn6kyJ5VQUpXu2MZMIz05W3AXOuoUbHeYqLe2oNXVMnBtD9MiNOD6u6Nj8U3w83jvDU/s1600/IMG_8882.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to some maps, this end of the trail is called the Ten Mile Point, although
I can’t find any information to explain why.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEM5D5gbRd_LxPoRROlyXXtEtr8ked-n7omBJzjx0xng4OXCwG-AAxSiQuAGtI60gm-2B_EaPiKybKq-pWn_xlrHtIxHXscjKY5pBStHcYbuT7911Cdp6sX3er4iqvQWXk1YACAab7G80/s1600/IMG_8959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEM5D5gbRd_LxPoRROlyXXtEtr8ked-n7omBJzjx0xng4OXCwG-AAxSiQuAGtI60gm-2B_EaPiKybKq-pWn_xlrHtIxHXscjKY5pBStHcYbuT7911Cdp6sX3er4iqvQWXk1YACAab7G80/s1600/IMG_8959.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
guess, at some point, this was actually used.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Right
now, it’s barren and weedy, eerie and unsettling. The tree at the end of the pier?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKR37x1wkH5jHlTQmtZGICQRN6oBqAh1iN_itwUwN82lpMhc_oTVkC6CxX8I6Ur7izJ2tQBTh_3Yu3ETx5MB4ZC0O5Ty6ziF7d_q9faV-TiPG1KNjRddwOezS3X9r3NvuyNP80B9gBJ8/s1600/IMG_8944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKR37x1wkH5jHlTQmtZGICQRN6oBqAh1iN_itwUwN82lpMhc_oTVkC6CxX8I6Ur7izJ2tQBTh_3Yu3ETx5MB4ZC0O5Ty6ziF7d_q9faV-TiPG1KNjRddwOezS3X9r3NvuyNP80B9gBJ8/s1600/IMG_8944.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
a sycamore. I identified it by one of
its roots.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWbsxT4kKdGJBx9lAQouYYr5H4oYJY0ydyz30tK3jQA-ogS-XPlBki2gR1n1nAMTcF7m-2D6r-t4795zw26ScUXabUf6wMzQqLlGQaQVyjorCGG6PhB-E6wJd82wS2N7dd2cQOflvLBc/s1600/IMG_8952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWbsxT4kKdGJBx9lAQouYYr5H4oYJY0ydyz30tK3jQA-ogS-XPlBki2gR1n1nAMTcF7m-2D6r-t4795zw26ScUXabUf6wMzQqLlGQaQVyjorCGG6PhB-E6wJd82wS2N7dd2cQOflvLBc/s1600/IMG_8952.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
climbed down off the pier and walked along the Delaware shore.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRfrPlWiu2ElbX6fFTsxhjnvk1HziclMutsi9DYv_VqpA64tpezv8udIDMjPdZik2F5feWAkYwwT1IF6uzNAP0fDaNkkg_-SonJ5_PzwHc7XHkwbH2qJIGhhfEWUGayhAMxv0Yg64Jhc/s1600/IMG_8912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRfrPlWiu2ElbX6fFTsxhjnvk1HziclMutsi9DYv_VqpA64tpezv8udIDMjPdZik2F5feWAkYwwT1IF6uzNAP0fDaNkkg_-SonJ5_PzwHc7XHkwbH2qJIGhhfEWUGayhAMxv0Yg64Jhc/s1600/IMG_8912.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Unlike
the creek, these aren’t really rocks. They’re
more like wreckage…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWY18m8j9rHIAgKe6dX9nRdalDjkiIeBpbB1PhngCCzDN8pM2rhw5ZVAN4oiiB5YZPvEUKGeDoZrAonlUZ8urHO1c97s6R-vVNt1V63MVJB_8Mgyzkg28FgjAWIzd80lK1gSBn6Orv2w/s1600/IMG_8915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWY18m8j9rHIAgKe6dX9nRdalDjkiIeBpbB1PhngCCzDN8pM2rhw5ZVAN4oiiB5YZPvEUKGeDoZrAonlUZ8urHO1c97s6R-vVNt1V63MVJB_8Mgyzkg28FgjAWIzd80lK1gSBn6Orv2w/s1600/IMG_8915.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…more
like the artifacts and debris of a crumbling city…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkKWMsq8nLIaNmKJ0M5oUrjJD_OlCgwzKgakgEKTnAxLdOYjcTRNCDUceoytnBtd0betMD8inxUJ-SXhT5tWFLiMBd_5pvQbcYdHQmoiDfVEYxDliDxEkObvAxg7CK1GBBstWn_HAJvM/s1600/IMG_8134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkKWMsq8nLIaNmKJ0M5oUrjJD_OlCgwzKgakgEKTnAxLdOYjcTRNCDUceoytnBtd0betMD8inxUJ-SXhT5tWFLiMBd_5pvQbcYdHQmoiDfVEYxDliDxEkObvAxg7CK1GBBstWn_HAJvM/s1600/IMG_8134.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
ruins of a once bustling pier and a once sturdy wall.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Turning
around, I saw a line of trees creeping up on the beach…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjRnuS_-neZuesN6G06af-c4jw6XbMNRCQsrBA1_x3yUtWIcgnFzbGNmKCaPHguytjzxhqpLQ7T5cw1TSyRKr0A_rSfx4K9ZIyZDITFBMW91N6z7hUZY2qfSlCGKQh2NukxYlIcivsBw/s1600/IMG_8917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjRnuS_-neZuesN6G06af-c4jw6XbMNRCQsrBA1_x3yUtWIcgnFzbGNmKCaPHguytjzxhqpLQ7T5cw1TSyRKr0A_rSfx4K9ZIyZDITFBMW91N6z7hUZY2qfSlCGKQh2NukxYlIcivsBw/s1600/IMG_8917.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…found
some native willows, their thin branches purring with gray flowers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcASZhhHiSKAddXCWxNAv_-V_LF3l5T_g_SU6Sf7pabq6bku4cIoiNtF974eSnedwpm-HIAF47Kcjw46DIr8Y5QCp4pIFABO1G_iKRccT0JYaMlz-9lJzFtl-q4NiE_qu1462cP-we4g/s1600/IMG_8937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcASZhhHiSKAddXCWxNAv_-V_LF3l5T_g_SU6Sf7pabq6bku4cIoiNtF974eSnedwpm-HIAF47Kcjw46DIr8Y5QCp4pIFABO1G_iKRccT0JYaMlz-9lJzFtl-q4NiE_qu1462cP-we4g/s1600/IMG_8937.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
tallest trees here were alders.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnyvT9eGzUEff51-roAyMcwN9UeANqf5mlgjgrA6342AaP_EuSPFC9O3VctOJEevjX5Y3vB1vRCXRkDxuLPVzXGw_Rfczuc2LQ22bsAGneK52hK89Eah6emLgdMCsVXVA3cFHBRu4jAA/s1600/IMG_8907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnyvT9eGzUEff51-roAyMcwN9UeANqf5mlgjgrA6342AaP_EuSPFC9O3VctOJEevjX5Y3vB1vRCXRkDxuLPVzXGw_Rfczuc2LQ22bsAGneK52hK89Eah6emLgdMCsVXVA3cFHBRu4jAA/s1600/IMG_8907.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They’re
normally found here, on the banks of slow and muddy waters, another tree that's
first to flower and first to fruit in spring…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BHAKQuPhj24VWM30SqXLk_UrXet-oQFMw4e_INMIjWVi3g4Hy7QbdjY2t7J3Cxppb_S-g4uNuJlpZiB-S7h09ruBaLzcfCbmW5QakCCAq0HHWS363w61N1jouslsnWAj_XEgVpaI-D4/s1600/IMG_8899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BHAKQuPhj24VWM30SqXLk_UrXet-oQFMw4e_INMIjWVi3g4Hy7QbdjY2t7J3Cxppb_S-g4uNuJlpZiB-S7h09ruBaLzcfCbmW5QakCCAq0HHWS363w61N1jouslsnWAj_XEgVpaI-D4/s1600/IMG_8899.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…although
nobody in the entire world has a festival for the alder.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
was the end of the trail. Not much <i>hanami</i>, right?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFE0hJyWWY4cA8pIKyhzN8FHcHHT3qFlNuqFNzvBFYZz6DGj14NWlS7akwQJ2_3nXRIML1ODr9MjAx4JM7NNjrMRc3YguLe9kEdR7N9KRd2OX3JzZ679c3UySf-lis57VGxZOv25EH2Yo/s1600/IMG_8939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFE0hJyWWY4cA8pIKyhzN8FHcHHT3qFlNuqFNzvBFYZz6DGj14NWlS7akwQJ2_3nXRIML1ODr9MjAx4JM7NNjrMRc3YguLe9kEdR7N9KRd2OX3JzZ679c3UySf-lis57VGxZOv25EH2Yo/s1600/IMG_8939.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Rocks,
roots, thorns, old trees, fallen trees, bare trees, historic bridges, abandoned
piers, a great river. I’d walked all the way to the end of the creek, all the
way to the banks of the Delaware, and yet I had the funny feeling that I was
still stuck in winter.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXAOr-BF-Qhb0Jg_N1uFmmbH-rPcRZY-nc7WsPRlCOi79IarjZyzhG19eCA2OmOBnJc7Y6hEk5fW9at8SjfnG8rUOEVby9btmUSlnx-HXg-5_qEs-dvdZatA9-goAysdh6H5JXUyLZu4/s1600/IMG_8086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtXAOr-BF-Qhb0Jg_N1uFmmbH-rPcRZY-nc7WsPRlCOi79IarjZyzhG19eCA2OmOBnJc7Y6hEk5fW9at8SjfnG8rUOEVby9btmUSlnx-HXg-5_qEs-dvdZatA9-goAysdh6H5JXUyLZu4/s1600/IMG_8086.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
remembered that Hokusai print. I
imagined myself walking through the painting itself and, if that was true, then
I was trapped in the background, stuck on the Mount Fuji part of the canvas.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
had just walked with the <i>yin</i>, through
the <i>shady places</i> on the north side of
the mind…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5CeeXa1VxfrZ55klBthaMPUplU7pF9oFhPCTEU5jgpEUqzCHdQJ83fjBfvdGmFkwgh-5C-YjexdZHHE-qBEpxkFyg-VT6LdWBVmo03utQjyUMXjz63C-HPbD6t7ohE7NTOuq5EfXRFc/s1600/IMG_8049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5CeeXa1VxfrZ55klBthaMPUplU7pF9oFhPCTEU5jgpEUqzCHdQJ83fjBfvdGmFkwgh-5C-YjexdZHHE-qBEpxkFyg-VT6LdWBVmo03utQjyUMXjz63C-HPbD6t7ohE7NTOuq5EfXRFc/s1600/IMG_8049.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…water
and earth, moon and shadow...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlxzjuKR6h1BIRGKxc7vmc6uT6uPGy2Rz9LIQpczQ3SXjZip2wreUdfXxuWK9iBTB8gsWdCvrlSV5vRzQHzKCJvXcCrl59QSeOYs5bYm0XZrcC5C0_6-UDxbS_kgSt4TM7BzjnA7Vk0Q/s1600/IMG_9144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlxzjuKR6h1BIRGKxc7vmc6uT6uPGy2Rz9LIQpczQ3SXjZip2wreUdfXxuWK9iBTB8gsWdCvrlSV5vRzQHzKCJvXcCrl59QSeOYs5bYm0XZrcC5C0_6-UDxbS_kgSt4TM7BzjnA7Vk0Q/s1600/IMG_9144.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">...soft and slow, cold and wet.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp13ePkGPUmSa9VDMUehViDlN7gH7S45gCjIWc7MEbMyBYP2B9c86Fzy480h9698bTq3WmFOZ8I-u0_J7w8xsJKBl80yMRmIpGxyxf9NLlHuc8-o5wsePUFmlbcEyHJzPYPJhrL4jpiqo/s1600/IMG_9147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp13ePkGPUmSa9VDMUehViDlN7gH7S45gCjIWc7MEbMyBYP2B9c86Fzy480h9698bTq3WmFOZ8I-u0_J7w8xsJKBl80yMRmIpGxyxf9NLlHuc8-o5wsePUFmlbcEyHJzPYPJhrL4jpiqo/s1600/IMG_9147.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
let’s back up and take the walk again, from the beginning of the trail.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBeOr1KSOAeRq3PAfiwpuAhCcU1y3lzkO2dMAG3GJz3LD1bLXv9LR06py9sPRU-3IuG43k0LGKgAkxlUnRpvXE54-lXR_UCZ-ojcfc-e7rYeMBw0o5C7Unc60rih2OjWcvt9b1f8glL0/s1600/IMG_9189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBeOr1KSOAeRq3PAfiwpuAhCcU1y3lzkO2dMAG3GJz3LD1bLXv9LR06py9sPRU-3IuG43k0LGKgAkxlUnRpvXE54-lXR_UCZ-ojcfc-e7rYeMBw0o5C7Unc60rih2OjWcvt9b1f8glL0/s1600/IMG_9189.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
time around, it’ll be spring…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSkKyKPY3jBgMLCfjryIo6JQqacXWBWZQTVzuUZeXu_jW5fN0OArbySakBZxDbjNjvBZ-O6-LYOQsqWmiPb_-xDHNdHqkCyW6X7cjAGLKTyIaq4AsxNa0yl4md6OhNQoSz5-PzeZayYM/s1600/IMG_8311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSkKyKPY3jBgMLCfjryIo6JQqacXWBWZQTVzuUZeXu_jW5fN0OArbySakBZxDbjNjvBZ-O6-LYOQsqWmiPb_-xDHNdHqkCyW6X7cjAGLKTyIaq4AsxNa0yl4md6OhNQoSz5-PzeZayYM/s1600/IMG_8311.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
same trail, the same path, but this time, I’ll walk through the foreground of
the painting.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kwwBpB6oBX4AxgsnaThL9id3UMCa1XhSC0EvoEUeW1KNDcXvfZEWgNttGcVj_VBZ9_eLiM7ZWo0TAcJsWCn7SQAhhHnMISpSj7Ds7BybOxuLPM4hCxjYMM36cNaXnWFEQw6ogFQXY_4/s1600/IMG_8654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kwwBpB6oBX4AxgsnaThL9id3UMCa1XhSC0EvoEUeW1KNDcXvfZEWgNttGcVj_VBZ9_eLiM7ZWo0TAcJsWCn7SQAhhHnMISpSj7Ds7BybOxuLPM4hCxjYMM36cNaXnWFEQw6ogFQXY_4/s1600/IMG_8654.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is the <i>yang</i>, the other half of the landscape
right now, the part that temporarily blooms on the sunny side of this rocky world.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7g0wuASQeMlGVrQxadFt8VxMLK1jIi6RKayVdRG9fCbYQ65Czy-xIg3GBgtSGIvZuRqOThS3lFYFmlrP2CfLBRTX8UFHY_q4RHd7ibRREG2Os-6a84Z26y7dNpyw8bAKsCgUNyh6kyg/s1600/IMG_8023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7g0wuASQeMlGVrQxadFt8VxMLK1jIi6RKayVdRG9fCbYQ65Czy-xIg3GBgtSGIvZuRqOThS3lFYFmlrP2CfLBRTX8UFHY_q4RHd7ibRREG2Os-6a84Z26y7dNpyw8bAKsCgUNyh6kyg/s1600/IMG_8023.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Down
this same trail, I will find all that is hot and fiery…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qFYRpdI1jToNLDT_wCd-6rKtdQzf6ffRb7u42FLUf2PKQhnjuidWSnIc4_qQAsFA6UWphcsIZRhjme2e7nas73KwoII0Mo2aJM2C-LPYp3l8HWymg-rcnMNslfadMxQOu3YHkbd-pWw/s1600/IMG_8152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qFYRpdI1jToNLDT_wCd-6rKtdQzf6ffRb7u42FLUf2PKQhnjuidWSnIc4_qQAsFA6UWphcsIZRhjme2e7nas73KwoII0Mo2aJM2C-LPYp3l8HWymg-rcnMNslfadMxQOu3YHkbd-pWw/s1600/IMG_8152.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…all
that is transient and brief…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBN-_O1lgTeIDacOK0l7BjhfbeQRUBTffERNH0yclwkqJIWb9RPhZhd5RCycERKJKIbyQHF9Z9fgk0FnthBMvmLKJ7y-4itPdHedMKgrQ0nyeI-N4mM5YuwY9cm8o4PdG1MN-Qy1bSxO8/s1600/IMG_8156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBN-_O1lgTeIDacOK0l7BjhfbeQRUBTffERNH0yclwkqJIWb9RPhZhd5RCycERKJKIbyQHF9Z9fgk0FnthBMvmLKJ7y-4itPdHedMKgrQ0nyeI-N4mM5YuwY9cm8o4PdG1MN-Qy1bSxO8/s1600/IMG_8156.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
monuments of the world that aren’t built to last forever.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWEpjeZG7SS9Gzv0fPVQP1dgiD-KsVESJI5yvQ-qDtcDPyHG8jBsxtwLy46bQ_xsaELWuOCMreuUBfJ9JQCMFhVvMPPdP0vHnkffHalwgbpD0CX5m1SQQXqQNY1qSbKfSyavXgtOTw_8/s1600/IMG_8164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWEpjeZG7SS9Gzv0fPVQP1dgiD-KsVESJI5yvQ-qDtcDPyHG8jBsxtwLy46bQ_xsaELWuOCMreuUBfJ9JQCMFhVvMPPdP0vHnkffHalwgbpD0CX5m1SQQXqQNY1qSbKfSyavXgtOTw_8/s1600/IMG_8164.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
were there on the trail the whole time…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIHJxHGMKX0d2NTMTmTnbgiWj-6xIgJSBOAVnkhGnOxYM4IgVKLiZ0lTphPueYqCqQgHrRe9Ukio8fiEn-3RX-SVyzacuDPI7fjz3iHKZXpZGQI49KWfUKSBj9WrzKWNsCvw4kSxUZXI/s1600/IMG_8820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIHJxHGMKX0d2NTMTmTnbgiWj-6xIgJSBOAVnkhGnOxYM4IgVKLiZ0lTphPueYqCqQgHrRe9Ukio8fiEn-3RX-SVyzacuDPI7fjz3iHKZXpZGQI49KWfUKSBj9WrzKWNsCvw4kSxUZXI/s1600/IMG_8820.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…just
barely breaching through the winter floor...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90LgCbHXlkkiMf6Fb_7Er5HgWjJCGJNUp46pieoUAGFRq2BFaVuAqgckdCOlTiDc583lzpxkkLe8KP6uiPcYHGG8uBLCM55WBdZIqoMenYIgYFtKYUdOHD_MUT6O-sC1Jvjy3c0XOXMk/s1600/IMG_8815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90LgCbHXlkkiMf6Fb_7Er5HgWjJCGJNUp46pieoUAGFRq2BFaVuAqgckdCOlTiDc583lzpxkkLe8KP6uiPcYHGG8uBLCM55WBdZIqoMenYIgYFtKYUdOHD_MUT6O-sC1Jvjy3c0XOXMk/s1600/IMG_8815.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…just
on the edge of view, out of the corner of the eye.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
is nothing that compares to this time of year.
Only during this time of year can I walk the divide between the seasons…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIz-B-9lroCAhJLEs9GSFN6IsWL5vBtaIZNALnWxexz2xIel8Ch0yoCdFjsL6uZcKGq9V7Rf7hGknELb81RggynldHEBbj-W0z16ZDSdoG6T7Z5w6y9GV1SvnSfy6ch0zWBnt02nUFn0/s1600/IMG_8859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIz-B-9lroCAhJLEs9GSFN6IsWL5vBtaIZNALnWxexz2xIel8Ch0yoCdFjsL6uZcKGq9V7Rf7hGknELb81RggynldHEBbj-W0z16ZDSdoG6T7Z5w6y9GV1SvnSfy6ch0zWBnt02nUFn0/s1600/IMG_8859.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…skating
the thin line that separates the <i>yin</i>
from the <i>yang.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
are two worlds here in the woods now, two worlds always in motion, circling
each other.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One
world is immovable and permanent and ancient, full of history. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrVzUf64HbLWHb3cdClfWUQ3p0YGNwfLPHm91mIMKghHxrcAyCqdvV4KmslgYgzO2Gmv1t_IKOn62hWQiZUI_AZMX4BvKgO5zN2I8cgrLpedxEtuy6C0Cemy2Qa8gmuI1x0ebZkUC2nY/s1600/IMG_8993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrVzUf64HbLWHb3cdClfWUQ3p0YGNwfLPHm91mIMKghHxrcAyCqdvV4KmslgYgzO2Gmv1t_IKOn62hWQiZUI_AZMX4BvKgO5zN2I8cgrLpedxEtuy6C0Cemy2Qa8gmuI1x0ebZkUC2nY/s1600/IMG_8993.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
other is new and fresh and novel, yet to be written.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDOKY5lp_uozi96TiyfFVxh_dQCI5HHv3epV_RqOmbwJF2t4EIz3CLFfSvLY7k6Psy9Q0v47y9cw3dRF9vcDB2tzKsQekrIHV5YWBjBlVpsWRGIbo4kMn6CND_1dsh2jHcDoZw8Nf008/s1600/IMG_8877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDOKY5lp_uozi96TiyfFVxh_dQCI5HHv3epV_RqOmbwJF2t4EIz3CLFfSvLY7k6Psy9Q0v47y9cw3dRF9vcDB2tzKsQekrIHV5YWBjBlVpsWRGIbo4kMn6CND_1dsh2jHcDoZw8Nf008/s1600/IMG_8877.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One world comes into view as the other world fades away but, for
one brief moment during the year, I can see them both at the same time. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
time is now. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWhyphenhyphenTwyTttSJdGtfKG50WQQ3WGZelP_aBJp0zTRvmBKYdZd3gbDgkJAKekN6CD5kjZ9t_mLQSWbmuyd8mYytHP-EJm-UMgVpYcrA9xGmw5sj2owJvy1ZCsq06LVKCEY6MjnD-XnHh9ek/s1600/IMG_8919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWhyphenhyphenTwyTttSJdGtfKG50WQQ3WGZelP_aBJp0zTRvmBKYdZd3gbDgkJAKekN6CD5kjZ9t_mLQSWbmuyd8mYytHP-EJm-UMgVpYcrA9xGmw5sj2owJvy1ZCsq06LVKCEY6MjnD-XnHh9ek/s1600/IMG_8919.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Are
you waiting for the <i>sakura</i>? Waiting for the full frontal assault of
spring?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
time to enjoy the wait.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgif3tFhlQ8vbZnJcdn4iebFQGjUhaLRyAovDZJUde-QdcS12rDw8CroNVFt_uDcHX1Cinkzb6yi-dOaVG9LNJV2xwva52WA5igpr_JY5WXRRAVrhpDMWltFHF_M-3rU9H6nbnbYJ2N0jA/s1600/IMG_8924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgif3tFhlQ8vbZnJcdn4iebFQGjUhaLRyAovDZJUde-QdcS12rDw8CroNVFt_uDcHX1Cinkzb6yi-dOaVG9LNJV2xwva52WA5igpr_JY5WXRRAVrhpDMWltFHF_M-3rU9H6nbnbYJ2N0jA/s1600/IMG_8924.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
the waiting, it’s the anticipation that makes it bloom brighter. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Japanese poet Sogi understood this best of all. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">From the 15th century, he was one of those wanderlust poet-monks who was always writing about minds, moons, boats and cherry blossoms...sometimes all at once.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On what I imagine must've been a very restless and impatient day, sometime in early, early spring, probably a week or so before his favorite part of the year, he let loose this poem: </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <i>Sakura –</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> The longer we wait</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> The more our minds bloom! </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnrFqo2pZYzFUcHd6QgKCboemKoaspaime-qUFsrkNoN6LrYD7aAOId8_hEQ1NL3EfElyg7Jn7BfH-aCljPYRSp0Ma8SBwlVNYYxKA-zmxpAZPQ3oxcuQf0MDYLldHSWB_EY_IGieDIU/s1600/IMG_8928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnrFqo2pZYzFUcHd6QgKCboemKoaspaime-qUFsrkNoN6LrYD7aAOId8_hEQ1NL3EfElyg7Jn7BfH-aCljPYRSp0Ma8SBwlVNYYxKA-zmxpAZPQ3oxcuQf0MDYLldHSWB_EY_IGieDIU/s1600/IMG_8928.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-25868909469112000212014-03-08T01:02:00.000-08:002014-03-13T12:15:27.787-07:00WINTER DISPATCHES<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Still Continues
to snow fast, looks gloomy…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSRs61LfUfduj4ovzER0n8_6LqVAfRJT0Eo1L11AyDk7ZjfISijv0W_1Yb_qwxQlsE8DGU3r6T7yQUMDgZOr9EEFSvl8eNd1srlBwe4sUDHIZgjhGimQegW3BhTpn-TuAkfbrydLwJCU/s1600/IMG_7920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhSRs61LfUfduj4ovzER0n8_6LqVAfRJT0Eo1L11AyDk7ZjfISijv0W_1Yb_qwxQlsE8DGU3r6T7yQUMDgZOr9EEFSvl8eNd1srlBwe4sUDHIZgjhGimQegW3BhTpn-TuAkfbrydLwJCU/s1600/IMG_7920.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…Mrs Reid of
Keysburg, Virg, with us, wood Scarce, difficult to get anymore…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWnppMm4UOFIfP0soe36BfG0_baxux3J8c4h6xUWHrsnkIjA4mvRBAUKXkXZMyOa3EKUE6c9sFsgCljJWQUbq-iz89oJ03CeD6-6jV9aY9-1WMY3xO_MPj3WEm0S9Fjjr1MqaygDF87I/s1600/IMG_7936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWnppMm4UOFIfP0soe36BfG0_baxux3J8c4h6xUWHrsnkIjA4mvRBAUKXkXZMyOa3EKUE6c9sFsgCljJWQUbq-iz89oJ03CeD6-6jV9aY9-1WMY3xO_MPj3WEm0S9Fjjr1MqaygDF87I/s1600/IMG_7936.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…snow fast yet
new snow about 3 feet deep, wind Southwest, no Sign of clearing off…</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-KvrZHo0tjVJSuGmF5K86MBMXXVz6KO2PS7JyXtpRjTeSQ-YS203ASvy2rkqGXCjRqh6UpRPLdQCaiYDFbsSAiXP6nXEhquYy9BfdfGwdz4Nv6YVr8ku3MHxOXuX8cawOBvYd78HZio/s1600/IMG_7941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-KvrZHo0tjVJSuGmF5K86MBMXXVz6KO2PS7JyXtpRjTeSQ-YS203ASvy2rkqGXCjRqh6UpRPLdQCaiYDFbsSAiXP6nXEhquYy9BfdfGwdz4Nv6YVr8ku3MHxOXuX8cawOBvYd78HZio/s1600/IMG_7941.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>..and on the
twelfth, fell in with some of the Indians, who treated us kindly, gave us Acorns…</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>snowing fast,
wind Northwest. Snow higher than the
shanty, must be 13 feet deep, don’t know how to get Wood this morning…</i></span></span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGmFiQlUFQtZl0d_OO-Lw2pYCgr31t7TSB4i8VZPcNRiYcDte7X8BMircmpHrqEfxOIt3yZXKoMjY9XeqW2sbge6910e46gyVLMJqV5rQSjcPV5RnkyHONVngZ7sw2yRCM71H-G0e8sw/s1600/IMG_7944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGmFiQlUFQtZl0d_OO-Lw2pYCgr31t7TSB4i8VZPcNRiYcDte7X8BMircmpHrqEfxOIt3yZXKoMjY9XeqW2sbge6910e46gyVLMJqV5rQSjcPV5RnkyHONVngZ7sw2yRCM71H-G0e8sw/s1600/IMG_7944.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…it is dredful
to look at.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">-- From the Donner Party journals,
January 11-13, 1847<i> </i></span></span>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
been a rough and cold couple months, a winter of record.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
been a full-time job, maintaining against the season, but I think I finally got
the hang of it.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve
been keeping the thermostat at a balmy seventy degrees…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC1Xc7ZaelwpwrOH-PvjGgWWtCIJTbjaT7xsQt0aMIrlBfRptci8hDTIRlNsYImldX5HoTrzlxMR1pW6xPLlB2c-A9iPFj1nUJA8P6ao8l_9rEQILa-nXMqX6GOUEcOWqd3GhZ43Sx8I/s1600/IMG_7922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC1Xc7ZaelwpwrOH-PvjGgWWtCIJTbjaT7xsQt0aMIrlBfRptci8hDTIRlNsYImldX5HoTrzlxMR1pW6xPLlB2c-A9iPFj1nUJA8P6ao8l_9rEQILa-nXMqX6GOUEcOWqd3GhZ43Sx8I/s1600/IMG_7922.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…although
somewhere inside the urban igloo there’s still a considerable draft coming in.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
most likely culprit? The air-conditioner
installed in the eastern row of windows in the bedroom.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfoY0l75Zo81en7_okWc9-hPJkCo6ZfHR_k0UZQjJ7mHhbPb-gHZJLYwuL15Cr3ir1YTFCwigHx3FR82IhJS3EsO7Vtz4xwlx4MnsNJLt0TZPdZXittBLhGhT1QEOg-q-XH-JBsXTmo8/s1600/IMG_7919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfoY0l75Zo81en7_okWc9-hPJkCo6ZfHR_k0UZQjJ7mHhbPb-gHZJLYwuL15Cr3ir1YTFCwigHx3FR82IhJS3EsO7Vtz4xwlx4MnsNJLt0TZPdZXittBLhGhT1QEOg-q-XH-JBsXTmo8/s1600/IMG_7919.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On
particularly drafty nights, I cover the box up with spare towels right before
crawling into bed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fresh
food is scarce and getting scarcer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve
been hoarding the remainder of my local produce, saving it for a special
dinner…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpA2XX56570YNaSkdiWYWmYMOeg4UP6pM6FoEA_zIVjVywwe-oUqb8XqO3hhuAHocSJr802-F-B-uGAPOAFWN_fbqPm2UEW9fP6BUH6-7g5-5MuyzjQr2NEcbRT6MrRqOsLE9-RxPzLy8/s1600/IMG_7929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpA2XX56570YNaSkdiWYWmYMOeg4UP6pM6FoEA_zIVjVywwe-oUqb8XqO3hhuAHocSJr802-F-B-uGAPOAFWN_fbqPm2UEW9fP6BUH6-7g5-5MuyzjQr2NEcbRT6MrRqOsLE9-RxPzLy8/s1600/IMG_7929.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…one
final spaghetti squash and one last acorn squash called a <i>carnivale</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUY0usfZZ64EiJNkRPkA1XDQPXu9aewxGMq7xudNuxiz7kQJR-rZr7qchyphenhyphenzpU_30uq735FD8c1hOAbeSeVEkuaNFOmW69OATgd-dHOsN8CEYU1IuJuqOknjvxsc4Q4Fm2eMl7y3NIsxBo/s1600/IMG_7953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUY0usfZZ64EiJNkRPkA1XDQPXu9aewxGMq7xudNuxiz7kQJR-rZr7qchyphenhyphenzpU_30uq735FD8c1hOAbeSeVEkuaNFOmW69OATgd-dHOsN8CEYU1IuJuqOknjvxsc4Q4Fm2eMl7y3NIsxBo/s1600/IMG_7953.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Last
week, the spaghetti squash’s stem snapped off all on its own, a sure sign that
it doesn’t have much time left.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Over
the last few days, the carnivale has been developing a waxy residue over its
orange mottled ribs, one last defense against the inevitable mold.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ll
have to eat them both soon or else they go to waste.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">After
that, it’s beans. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbo6wVRexVdfy_xQVGvvRmNNkhUCLrWOAPnVpW_5FDYpONgiVL_csr2aU17CUWmwMDRIlty61kb2XrNyDAC6pk7gJq08tfl1-4J08Fhyphenhyphen6po9bc8p5eCWucXXXUxusvgzwqjGahrZSARs/s1600/IMG_7932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbo6wVRexVdfy_xQVGvvRmNNkhUCLrWOAPnVpW_5FDYpONgiVL_csr2aU17CUWmwMDRIlty61kb2XrNyDAC6pk7gJq08tfl1-4J08Fhyphenhyphen6po9bc8p5eCWucXXXUxusvgzwqjGahrZSARs/s1600/IMG_7932.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe
mom was right.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe
I should move west.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">She
moved out there years ago, settling down in the northeastern buckle of the
Sonoran desert, a fine place to visit…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYQveu8otXc43YtqLRaob4lb38VhAnjTKW_QZfhT4RrIENOD28GdB0QWiXZ4gQzBN7rBmLGyBn98ZzYBRA2ILt82pOYM12DHe9wE_3N4-TUKr99AIxM3m0EYqgZxF5op-R21P2Qv8J4c/s1600/IMG_7492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYQveu8otXc43YtqLRaob4lb38VhAnjTKW_QZfhT4RrIENOD28GdB0QWiXZ4gQzBN7rBmLGyBn98ZzYBRA2ILt82pOYM12DHe9wE_3N4-TUKr99AIxM3m0EYqgZxF5op-R21P2Qv8J4c/s1600/IMG_7492.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…a
desert by definition of its rainfall, a place of rock and canyons, but a
landscape lush with life…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYObAK6uLzVx1mgtGqlxSMH1qdjIjuUijFWxqCND13mBhZiMb29244pDW3QKd68tr9w40LqbRRZwjBvCvBP8n4EjG95qPy1iWV18RU9fxvmhRsQPZn-i_eS6xi2gp1R5O3f7nbvpnrVTc/s1600/IMG_7502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYObAK6uLzVx1mgtGqlxSMH1qdjIjuUijFWxqCND13mBhZiMb29244pDW3QKd68tr9w40LqbRRZwjBvCvBP8n4EjG95qPy1iWV18RU9fxvmhRsQPZn-i_eS6xi2gp1R5O3f7nbvpnrVTc/s1600/IMG_7502.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…including
the saguaro cactus, my number one candidate for our national tree, my sincere apologies
to the oak.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One
time I went out there, around this time of year. We spent the long mornings hiking down the
dusty trail, learning the behaviors of the desert spring, climbing up into the
blue skies…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGmIbUqTZ4tpLYGlem4_eqnckNNltQIAFCnNA7RHdjfbzZQ7QNol_YZEvZvkwnGxeJ2Pltn6znHLibB18nrXwQHVKJ72JFjtsDf6VlrWZyrCMKBwHMgM5PcsDR7ddLue6AoNOCdEdnWM/s1600/IMG_8275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGmIbUqTZ4tpLYGlem4_eqnckNNltQIAFCnNA7RHdjfbzZQ7QNol_YZEvZvkwnGxeJ2Pltn6znHLibB18nrXwQHVKJ72JFjtsDf6VlrWZyrCMKBwHMgM5PcsDR7ddLue6AoNOCdEdnWM/s1600/IMG_8275.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">...and
the afternoons were for cooling off on the patio…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIEDAsq3CVF4ns16zDG194AISqiEG0m4GMrhCVqAPum0RVSRAtK2CzZHLqGpilwZnCZOHlZwCbtr6FEfH5BJUO7qMz4ICs8gdEWglNwd1ce3Dgmmva7Gn_xqFjHT6gVq4m929vQwbFPs/s1600/IMG_8310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIEDAsq3CVF4ns16zDG194AISqiEG0m4GMrhCVqAPum0RVSRAtK2CzZHLqGpilwZnCZOHlZwCbtr6FEfH5BJUO7qMz4ICs8gdEWglNwd1ce3Dgmmva7Gn_xqFjHT6gVq4m929vQwbFPs/s1600/IMG_8310.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…figuring
out what’s for dinner, drinking something they call a <i>margarita</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Enjoy
the weather now,” she said. “It gets
way too hot by April.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">April.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8otsVRZDQbuqa-FJhsskIqsZ2XoLiwTTi6fh4V98ef9kyuxcND5dm7-4tDQQAtnTbISbbV-DeZIk7Q3RRmtEoxu3oNtvAES1ykX4_gFfUMIBnqU4pMfx3Et804pg2ciSM9qS3pM8sMs0/s1600/IMG_7123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8otsVRZDQbuqa-FJhsskIqsZ2XoLiwTTi6fh4V98ef9kyuxcND5dm7-4tDQQAtnTbISbbV-DeZIk7Q3RRmtEoxu3oNtvAES1ykX4_gFfUMIBnqU4pMfx3Et804pg2ciSM9qS3pM8sMs0/s1600/IMG_7123.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now
that sounds nice.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We
get cactus here too, mom, although they only come around to Philadelphia once a
year.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
called the Flower Show.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYanl6EEfJfl0Vrtr4u-_zih24iAxnF94cHEvUophpOig1B5gTwCXQwBEgScbDrGdHul6ypxV5f1pSoEnG_vG4fTB0_VxZ6YXbWMkP2V-_E1ZkzOQiUBkyw6b494yDAILB11qi46GJpMI/s1600/IMG_7688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYanl6EEfJfl0Vrtr4u-_zih24iAxnF94cHEvUophpOig1B5gTwCXQwBEgScbDrGdHul6ypxV5f1pSoEnG_vG4fTB0_VxZ6YXbWMkP2V-_E1ZkzOQiUBkyw6b494yDAILB11qi46GJpMI/s1600/IMG_7688.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
was able to sneak in, a couple days before the grand opening, a good way to see
the show and still avoid the cover charge and the crowds.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Good
way to see the cactus too.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNICmcvEF91LyIr-3V-obBMwMrA3ZA8FxcwTljfzTe2PUbqAOMjzxOd3phN-j1WncYeSiejjTTPljAc_iNEh2bud2nBASWFLC5SUw059rVLZfpUdpB3rt0665ZWLk0_vXrPKswaUx4wjk/s1600/IMG_7752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNICmcvEF91LyIr-3V-obBMwMrA3ZA8FxcwTljfzTe2PUbqAOMjzxOd3phN-j1WncYeSiejjTTPljAc_iNEh2bud2nBASWFLC5SUw059rVLZfpUdpB3rt0665ZWLk0_vXrPKswaUx4wjk/s1600/IMG_7752.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although
they have been paraded and planted all around the globe by now, the cactus is a
Turtle Island original, native only to North and South America, blooming those desert roses all the way from Patagonia
to Canada.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcBWzCa40CeojcHPr_lq1lQID55sf0b7sOq9ZrW_TA9DAsKyn0NQs6tN6uIOdFNzwvY5BDeJOTW8QBc1lAjFg2xsVkwsiYWuEZ8gTFW0_Tz9Rtbr5FqXbV7WOntWO0aJ7WkxROPOZg34/s1600/IMG_7761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcBWzCa40CeojcHPr_lq1lQID55sf0b7sOq9ZrW_TA9DAsKyn0NQs6tN6uIOdFNzwvY5BDeJOTW8QBc1lAjFg2xsVkwsiYWuEZ8gTFW0_Tz9Rtbr5FqXbV7WOntWO0aJ7WkxROPOZg34/s1600/IMG_7761.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
a hard-scrabble life in the desert, adversity and misfortune around every
corner. Poisonous insects hiding under
every rock, hungry coyotes watching every trail, black buzzards wheeling in
front of every sun and the cactus fits right in, shielding itself from the
dangers by becoming a danger itself.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMa_d4LDPlaCtT3TaxRFHKDuJ780_han7okrhZ46wOs-_UIUz-io5R8XyYlvpJAm9y1DeMVRht-QuIfRgLyMnoU1C4FWaYR4ezbusS1g6JEpnkfyY-i4L-xGqsI8XNUo52yo7lN4k2LI/s1600/IMG_7755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMa_d4LDPlaCtT3TaxRFHKDuJ780_han7okrhZ46wOs-_UIUz-io5R8XyYlvpJAm9y1DeMVRht-QuIfRgLyMnoU1C4FWaYR4ezbusS1g6JEpnkfyY-i4L-xGqsI8XNUo52yo7lN4k2LI/s1600/IMG_7755.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Beware
of plant.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">According
to the field guides, only the prickly pear cactus has broken free of the
American desert and can claim its range as far west and north as Philadelphia. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe it’s flourishing up there in the windy,
arid summits of the Wissahickon woods but I’ve yet to find them.</span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I’ve
only found cactus one time in Philadelphia, growing outside here…</span></span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqCKtakv2NuO5Ec662ocqARlMkSIiRLClLM7pRp_w5fbWEcPlo8nuvHOTpl5ap8sPuZTM63bbgvIBFfnkC5R-_fdcLkZgJsYcnSFg3x44NAKPUXHC5a9sBe4Krom_tR665XQxXsgeWOg/s1600/IMG_7891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqCKtakv2NuO5Ec662ocqARlMkSIiRLClLM7pRp_w5fbWEcPlo8nuvHOTpl5ap8sPuZTM63bbgvIBFfnkC5R-_fdcLkZgJsYcnSFg3x44NAKPUXHC5a9sBe4Krom_tR665XQxXsgeWOg/s1600/IMG_7891.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…at
Bartram’s Garden off Lindbergh Avenue.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpiISAf95b2d2E5SgneEZKzt5J7Veun4nRCzJc7YOz67FDDt6gs3lTap_3VqKgJforrtAd3MwtJ1mlYCyDazrXupIjNF59yvjECpLBLfDSal0xAYZ0CIrxxxmE5x6l4wYw1Bymlgum0Q/s1600/IMG_7903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpiISAf95b2d2E5SgneEZKzt5J7Veun4nRCzJc7YOz67FDDt6gs3lTap_3VqKgJforrtAd3MwtJ1mlYCyDazrXupIjNF59yvjECpLBLfDSal0xAYZ0CIrxxxmE5x6l4wYw1Bymlgum0Q/s1600/IMG_7903.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They
weren’t doing so good, mom.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They
were soft and flabby, their fearsome pads flat and buckled under the weight of
more and more snow…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIzx2lmvcteBdQck6bnpIw-WImnS2wiYR0gySZpNK_jNav1kKGmSyyLpwyP3plhRaUBCF0VrzE6P0W9z801qWkKd36ufo6XRsv8D9GtEbx1BgxQAabRpt9vzVr-51a2zzDukF8GIspqM/s1600/IMG_7896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIzx2lmvcteBdQck6bnpIw-WImnS2wiYR0gySZpNK_jNav1kKGmSyyLpwyP3plhRaUBCF0VrzE6P0W9z801qWkKd36ufo6XRsv8D9GtEbx1BgxQAabRpt9vzVr-51a2zzDukF8GIspqM/s1600/IMG_7896.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…not
something to be feared.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Something
to be pitied...</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XFwI7dznOsj3QUm8grGNDlsf_3L1IMc0aQVC8D3L0g9dZn66px0B0NzuunJL_uly1K9uId-ekD_a-zVhsMjMa6uDYWCRnFfp6tw9ayx838q_DBnH9TMWskgQfHQ1do_I9I5Mxthv7-I/s1600/IMG_7905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XFwI7dznOsj3QUm8grGNDlsf_3L1IMc0aQVC8D3L0g9dZn66px0B0NzuunJL_uly1K9uId-ekD_a-zVhsMjMa6uDYWCRnFfp6tw9ayx838q_DBnH9TMWskgQfHQ1do_I9I5Mxthv7-I/s1600/IMG_7905.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">...something out of its element.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Blame
it on the winter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We
blame a lot of things these days on the winter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlLckC5n2_x1Zica6yC8560j__3kDJ6ouUjdZwThLZXNZbhbSPrax1Fl1-wvc4o8E6nPemoPPy4EDKpCoAdTVz08u0J304_V6VR-8XsnPE7eapEv9aRA1udyo6zdB6lo4F1hrgCo6F1o/s1600/IMG_7150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlLckC5n2_x1Zica6yC8560j__3kDJ6ouUjdZwThLZXNZbhbSPrax1Fl1-wvc4o8E6nPemoPPy4EDKpCoAdTVz08u0J304_V6VR-8XsnPE7eapEv9aRA1udyo6zdB6lo4F1hrgCo6F1o/s1600/IMG_7150.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
yet, in some parts of the world, this kind of winter would be considered child’s
play.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">For
some people, this kind of winter is amateur hour.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
think a lot about that rugby team that crashed in the Andes, the famous
survivors of seventy-two days and nights in the high mountains of Chile.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
remember when you took us to see that movie about them, mom.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
his memoirs, Nando Parrado tries his best to describe the kind of cold that
hides on the top of those mountains: <i>high
altitude cold is an aggressive and malevolent thing. It burns you and slashes you…it presses down
on you with a force that seems strong enough to crack bone…</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9r8vdKog9QyHC58b4DYS_yBnwP5qFdyXIfbpmzTWZt7bs58ZCph5U0YaYpRTK3n0QrpflZuqI6sRnuyoNMHkL98e5GQxKSxcqL4TmkCaTmUuB4zJ3X30IiD5uXRaYLXs6vbcn0xBy50/s1600/IMG_6894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9r8vdKog9QyHC58b4DYS_yBnwP5qFdyXIfbpmzTWZt7bs58ZCph5U0YaYpRTK3n0QrpflZuqI6sRnuyoNMHkL98e5GQxKSxcqL4TmkCaTmUuB4zJ3X30IiD5uXRaYLXs6vbcn0xBy50/s1600/IMG_6894.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…sometimes, when
I feared that the blood was freezing in my veins, I would ask the others to
punch my arms and legs to stimulate circulation…</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwD21Ozp7orXczVX13Qz-VQ7-zsKs7B95_YD6zVoQul2jjCtsMi28ivRSdTAFO1Xy4oLpT47Ibmdt9ruJktLo76SqRzo8zpaYV4dYR1n7CKp_3jRMzE1wLMzVBOgVf_e8EHfIyDa_EDUA/s1600/IMG_6574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwD21Ozp7orXczVX13Qz-VQ7-zsKs7B95_YD6zVoQul2jjCtsMi28ivRSdTAFO1Xy4oLpT47Ibmdt9ruJktLo76SqRzo8zpaYV4dYR1n7CKp_3jRMzE1wLMzVBOgVf_e8EHfIyDa_EDUA/s1600/IMG_6574.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…the cold made
my fingers and toes feel as if they’d been struck by a mallet.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdwmuCDvqSuuhEnKGKZNcn8BF3mD7hA3I8YA0owzXo7vyf5bCXRW9iZCP6pMBHc3llmbLWbGRz9xJCTM0HduspFo98zTolBIaZoOKdCFd-WpuFTRXr37TwNEuUniLuxqtRD1NLBNNZxE/s1600/IMG_7952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdwmuCDvqSuuhEnKGKZNcn8BF3mD7hA3I8YA0owzXo7vyf5bCXRW9iZCP6pMBHc3llmbLWbGRz9xJCTM0HduspFo98zTolBIaZoOKdCFd-WpuFTRXr37TwNEuUniLuxqtRD1NLBNNZxE/s1600/IMG_7952.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One
afternoon in February, the snow stopped work half-way through the day and,
instead of going straight home, I stopped by the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge,
near the airport, right on the border of Cargo City.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
was really something else, mom. There’s
nothing like a swamp in the snow.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8Mu52jfzFgDa-6xu0qzajyT1iy9M8tuxZoOiWvA-mXp-m1DA3F_cRpvTnqWAXih3lETGLQ0BBwwlqurTdxcEZ204ZDyHDSGw-VdMUF3gV7U7F2bMdBv8rdlPsqkQvrKC4rfZsXZI9Es/s1600/IMG_7037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8Mu52jfzFgDa-6xu0qzajyT1iy9M8tuxZoOiWvA-mXp-m1DA3F_cRpvTnqWAXih3lETGLQ0BBwwlqurTdxcEZ204ZDyHDSGw-VdMUF3gV7U7F2bMdBv8rdlPsqkQvrKC4rfZsXZI9Es/s1600/IMG_7037.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
the pin oak, that little runt of a tree bending over the trail…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzZAhXMgDMoGRAeN9uWqU_ejQLyo7t8x-ARvY8h6m4hnlnmrWT-heMZLFvma37whvtZMPi9l-XVktx0dKTiZ0sPSTM6LBGBbnXdyrFmzu_h8eYQqRLQ7wo_6JVlZBN1Cns8ugvrLfhfk/s1600/IMG_7035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzZAhXMgDMoGRAeN9uWqU_ejQLyo7t8x-ARvY8h6m4hnlnmrWT-heMZLFvma37whvtZMPi9l-XVktx0dKTiZ0sPSTM6LBGBbnXdyrFmzu_h8eYQqRLQ7wo_6JVlZBN1Cns8ugvrLfhfk/s1600/IMG_7035.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
those are <i>marcescent leaves</i>. That means they persist on the branches all
winter long, notwithstanding being dead and dehydrated.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Persist</i>. That’s a good word to know during a winter
like this.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Those
are the only leaves you’re likely to find, except of course for the pines and
the holly.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-olTtRchj_bVCn4JiIXLN7yLaBvzMEH02ozezP5-5rqh2i6McZ6xHisbJpXUjHjbx6HF5i6tDU1BZv6hFpVkmqF1j4Wed_whFp97uUcmopElTIPbT6iq3whkMWibyisfM58Q54VsYrE/s1600/IMG_7026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-olTtRchj_bVCn4JiIXLN7yLaBvzMEH02ozezP5-5rqh2i6McZ6xHisbJpXUjHjbx6HF5i6tDU1BZv6hFpVkmqF1j4Wed_whFp97uUcmopElTIPbT6iq3whkMWibyisfM58Q54VsYrE/s1600/IMG_7026.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
snow has a way of shining a spotlight on each tree at once. The snow brings everything forward.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsScyz9RGfFigAWeRxbtEoxXiGt4ff_W2n9sxX5fs318pj_ryWvqNeDoWQvHhQM4eq11-lG2lBnqe02UfSzXKMWdcS7PFDiaNH0iHPsteCTigWJM_dWGY0t9FsOMVaO4wi6xvJSe2fqRk/s1600/IMG_7040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsScyz9RGfFigAWeRxbtEoxXiGt4ff_W2n9sxX5fs318pj_ryWvqNeDoWQvHhQM4eq11-lG2lBnqe02UfSzXKMWdcS7PFDiaNH0iHPsteCTigWJM_dWGY0t9FsOMVaO4wi6xvJSe2fqRk/s1600/IMG_7040.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
desolate and barren here. It’s full of
water but it’s dry and thirsty, stripped and arid. This is a desert too, mom…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieI6PGyzm8JmAOsI0nbgspRSfKa2eZ74-6b4fGH_0_G6ixq-cXZ-uAUcMVXY-HAE5_gCTNHTKAx5hkMe3oiO7_JtzBYBZyv3fbJFXKXu773jRVbZrDURpQ4oFX_INRMrL8A-Swx0jGdIY/s1600/IMG_7111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieI6PGyzm8JmAOsI0nbgspRSfKa2eZ74-6b4fGH_0_G6ixq-cXZ-uAUcMVXY-HAE5_gCTNHTKAx5hkMe3oiO7_JtzBYBZyv3fbJFXKXu773jRVbZrDURpQ4oFX_INRMrL8A-Swx0jGdIY/s1600/IMG_7111.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…a
land of all sun, nothing but silhouette and shadows, brightest of all
landscapes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
stark here. The snow has a way of
revealing, downgrading everything to outlines and contours…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyRh0iFevy8tD8N0s88tlU9oSxyg8_78qmkylwMLA9yw2P7uyPNXuwwrpWBTFFWCNA1HvoPPdtOmnL5MecXv-0Lqk6SyQLBKwWZqOvhufu_2FWAv9PiaOply8G1YHO3Jt9GdsTjqGkyE/s1600/IMG_6989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyRh0iFevy8tD8N0s88tlU9oSxyg8_78qmkylwMLA9yw2P7uyPNXuwwrpWBTFFWCNA1HvoPPdtOmnL5MecXv-0Lqk6SyQLBKwWZqOvhufu_2FWAv9PiaOply8G1YHO3Jt9GdsTjqGkyE/s1600/IMG_6989.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…Chinese
mountain paintings everywhere you look.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
the sweetgum. It’s the star of the show
here at the swamp...</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQckGSWUCJijeVqdPYg8hUkEh60OUcgCo3pehnfOukWOoKYSXQR8yfDG253inozCQqOqKpahDuhIqrV5l7hOF8bxCiD9SK1uf0AlkDinJPQx1nU_Z7gqT5_925u6MhmUERltDz9nQz6M/s1600/IMG_6984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQckGSWUCJijeVqdPYg8hUkEh60OUcgCo3pehnfOukWOoKYSXQR8yfDG253inozCQqOqKpahDuhIqrV5l7hOF8bxCiD9SK1uf0AlkDinJPQx1nU_Z7gqT5_925u6MhmUERltDz9nQz6M/s1600/IMG_6984.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
a fairly common street tree, despite the mess it makes, but it’s home here,
rooted into the bottomlands. Its fruit
is a hairy capsule, resembling a star in flight…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibu7n80H9hwvbH34f-rYHHiYG9lO1-Dm6NnKQJu3a46AcgyTAJeIbfrd1-pUhrqaT_sc9F9wkqJgkZo5RJgNEKFRN5rxy30Gmv1iwvMJNqCfLDSC6AMgt_CvRV4FKnlaqJEUuwJ2lKLW4/s1600/IMG_7118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibu7n80H9hwvbH34f-rYHHiYG9lO1-Dm6NnKQJu3a46AcgyTAJeIbfrd1-pUhrqaT_sc9F9wkqJgkZo5RJgNEKFRN5rxy30Gmv1iwvMJNqCfLDSC6AMgt_CvRV4FKnlaqJEUuwJ2lKLW4/s1600/IMG_7118.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
it grows its branches in a spiral pattern up and down a straight trunk. In that way, every fruit on the tree gets a
straight drop onto the trail.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_NIGrmT8GzO7W6K_dcD3Cwue78roGmWGMDenrt1Z7JTHwKAsnutsgQjSQe2Lq-c3PkHRUv8SipbwDUg53gkYKYQs7T_9NyPagv_BhNPCJl5hom8dcOU6fMX2mZaIQQajncS4AXs6Mxg/s1600/IMG_6986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_NIGrmT8GzO7W6K_dcD3Cwue78roGmWGMDenrt1Z7JTHwKAsnutsgQjSQe2Lq-c3PkHRUv8SipbwDUg53gkYKYQs7T_9NyPagv_BhNPCJl5hom8dcOU6fMX2mZaIQQajncS4AXs6Mxg/s1600/IMG_6986.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pin
oaks, sweetgum, tupelo, birches, pine and holly…these are the trees of the
wetlands, the fens and the bogs, places on earth heavy with water. In the summer, it’s too buggy and too muddy
and, in the winter, it’s way too cold and wet…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cKIW2co6Irvtre47gI6d5IvlMyIU70PK4GFMNJliNBaud4zZAaSooyOXOHYbDfiW62_V87MbZw5t3-ypbW-qE10ioXcJblhgFp2W-mQCGs4tfs48iDEOMI_CGnMteMPG_rSLzF0FHDo/s1600/IMG_7017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cKIW2co6Irvtre47gI6d5IvlMyIU70PK4GFMNJliNBaud4zZAaSooyOXOHYbDfiW62_V87MbZw5t3-ypbW-qE10ioXcJblhgFp2W-mQCGs4tfs48iDEOMI_CGnMteMPG_rSLzF0FHDo/s1600/IMG_7017.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and, like the desert, you always got to keep in mind: the farther you go in…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY_-XFc1R2W__enEHF1v8nCeVygWhU4vba_2V1FPM-QoI3jtqp6cwz57tO7YSmzXQFK-L6eNrGmmgnQr5iaO1CyduC__4Jjg8JGkkzJvKN_lQ3q1zHWNHnFERaqsSUp0wJ9sLfJJh-H4/s1600/IMG_7002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY_-XFc1R2W__enEHF1v8nCeVygWhU4vba_2V1FPM-QoI3jtqp6cwz57tO7YSmzXQFK-L6eNrGmmgnQr5iaO1CyduC__4Jjg8JGkkzJvKN_lQ3q1zHWNHnFERaqsSUp0wJ9sLfJJh-H4/s1600/IMG_7002.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…the
longer it takes to come back.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
it’s quiet here, mom. So quiet that even
a flat-footed clodhopper like myself couldn’t scare up a noise.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1_jDPlNxM44BTjWCA8yhnB5-efFVoqqFpCKsyT72oP8ujqAK1CqEKtjkn8Z2nPibAtNQXe_HrLwL8FGTx_-AZzlCAcAlBcHJBYeIfUSrqDRBWapEoUYBUiNMVF5_Mw9raAk7UOnqRys/s1600/IMG_7003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1_jDPlNxM44BTjWCA8yhnB5-efFVoqqFpCKsyT72oP8ujqAK1CqEKtjkn8Z2nPibAtNQXe_HrLwL8FGTx_-AZzlCAcAlBcHJBYeIfUSrqDRBWapEoUYBUiNMVF5_Mw9raAk7UOnqRys/s1600/IMG_7003.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So
quiet that I was on the hopes to see wildlife, hoped to see it walking with a
steady march through the flakes and startle it on its path…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3SMbSl4RHsD3z6qp7KyaHy6AH9WnU5FA-3RO-uRTHTlXKbGm7MobSim7_i_XjxHuP9g4wWDErMwm4dUVcA14MaHEEi37rnaO3WattHTpfsfgOiQ2V6N1KUkT4Fp70bwEF0b-Y579ADg/s1600/IMG_7058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3SMbSl4RHsD3z6qp7KyaHy6AH9WnU5FA-3RO-uRTHTlXKbGm7MobSim7_i_XjxHuP9g4wWDErMwm4dUVcA14MaHEEi37rnaO3WattHTpfsfgOiQ2V6N1KUkT4Fp70bwEF0b-Y579ADg/s1600/IMG_7058.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
it looked like the wildlife had already passed through.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlYlgvDtlCOgSHwhXZKQsBXBppCSQt0WvvepNuJ0cIVCvhYAuUs_R9oytn3fVinETaIlyj8ckDB6yBTz2kXHKwFO7SeBirisRMHpHDPfc_9jqC-1M4gHY-GuSWUUpn6Q6Ke4ldQRoNoo/s1600/IMG_7023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlYlgvDtlCOgSHwhXZKQsBXBppCSQt0WvvepNuJ0cIVCvhYAuUs_R9oytn3fVinETaIlyj8ckDB6yBTz2kXHKwFO7SeBirisRMHpHDPfc_9jqC-1M4gHY-GuSWUUpn6Q6Ke4ldQRoNoo/s1600/IMG_7023.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There
was a long bridge that spanned across the lazy pond.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-y3laHmgj2Mkih8jfwG67LNfQRmD1K-ufY3zNpfoOoFIG3i9vsnLap8GzeAw8yNh9igbUEycQ90xrEUjZxJ5lGjJH5xJ-gWKWQBU-ALsM1SuwEI4sNolhJ_mcov8AN8KQ0ImMgO5gFgo/s1600/IMG_7113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-y3laHmgj2Mkih8jfwG67LNfQRmD1K-ufY3zNpfoOoFIG3i9vsnLap8GzeAw8yNh9igbUEycQ90xrEUjZxJ5lGjJH5xJ-gWKWQBU-ALsM1SuwEI4sNolhJ_mcov8AN8KQ0ImMgO5gFgo/s1600/IMG_7113.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There
was the promise of birds…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5txYC4w8ejsY0tIRnwIc7faXEfpGNYcWM757GgSqSGcZBcyYGWwXs69VdgGqZWaUj6y_HJ78jpXCrCIF39g1xnUIpI-sjLcXL1nR1vPCAw9Y62a6Cp3s73s3T9RmcBpWdZFozvG5pGg/s1600/IMG_7094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5txYC4w8ejsY0tIRnwIc7faXEfpGNYcWM757GgSqSGcZBcyYGWwXs69VdgGqZWaUj6y_HJ78jpXCrCIF39g1xnUIpI-sjLcXL1nR1vPCAw9Y62a6Cp3s73s3T9RmcBpWdZFozvG5pGg/s1600/IMG_7094.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
the sky was blank, the storm without tenant but me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
ducked into a bird blind and waited for the wildlife to stand its ground…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvZhuJ928QdQYinLAbLk9mZp9POrYUJw0TBbKtoSyIIUAv01nFp9tb6hyphenhyphenIvIIqczKR71XYc9-OwCxvrNWQQpExCot9IcAGX7KzkKQg1hDTCHTlX8eNQ66x5QZQfvjaYtWHKXeul0_kRo/s1600/IMG_7004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvZhuJ928QdQYinLAbLk9mZp9POrYUJw0TBbKtoSyIIUAv01nFp9tb6hyphenhyphenIvIIqczKR71XYc9-OwCxvrNWQQpExCot9IcAGX7KzkKQg1hDTCHTlX8eNQ66x5QZQfvjaYtWHKXeul0_kRo/s1600/IMG_7004.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
it’s learned not to reveal itself in the snow, a good lesson to learn if you’re
part of the food chain. In a bare winter
woods, there is no fruit, no nuts, no seeds.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There
is only meat.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBnyWk3bQbAWmcMqupvS89_TUZJpmqaD9MU1sibHpVP-Mo9tX2FVyX5COIdCoPJNM4uBdLHgQyyEWm6xrM7VbXgmKTD_B9K95gAj7yRjcJz7QTc0rWvKxlFvWgn3W7POzkUXumAZrSZA/s1600/IMG_6998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBnyWk3bQbAWmcMqupvS89_TUZJpmqaD9MU1sibHpVP-Mo9tX2FVyX5COIdCoPJNM4uBdLHgQyyEWm6xrM7VbXgmKTD_B9K95gAj7yRjcJz7QTc0rWvKxlFvWgn3W7POzkUXumAZrSZA/s1600/IMG_6998.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Inside
the blind, my thoughts turned once again to Nando and his team, stuck up there
in the mountains, the rescue called off, their lives entirely in their hands,
not enough food to survive.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>One morning near
the end of our first week in the mountains, I found myself standing outside the
fuselage, looking down at the single chocolate-covered peanut I cradled in my
palm.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1awUBnVvBFke0Hd_jNz-uM8AMMwCOhavd50odHyC5HnG96D462pHCULgGu93-zYtkU88NpIN9BM0npp_O0geWrrnd8dkbdQ7Kd2GZCLNBUErmCqpitXP2GY7DFlWj1ElM8CyBDQWqA4o/s1600/IMG_6996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1awUBnVvBFke0Hd_jNz-uM8AMMwCOhavd50odHyC5HnG96D462pHCULgGu93-zYtkU88NpIN9BM0npp_O0geWrrnd8dkbdQ7Kd2GZCLNBUErmCqpitXP2GY7DFlWj1ElM8CyBDQWqA4o/s1600/IMG_6996.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>On the first
day, I slowly sucked the chocolate off the peanut.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>On the second
day I carefully separated the peanut halves.
I sucked gently on the peanut for hours…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyQGUFrlqhq4fO6dNasy7sDgvZ02StDTdXs1l8CGbl16Y9RYUgzjM7pDc9f6tvUtzj_OLnk0W36KFl11vcUu1On7VCj949k2QjEfn4fe-SfbrYs6Ht13pYBofNP11dutoslL_gPxH78U/s1600/IMG_7073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyQGUFrlqhq4fO6dNasy7sDgvZ02StDTdXs1l8CGbl16Y9RYUgzjM7pDc9f6tvUtzj_OLnk0W36KFl11vcUu1On7VCj949k2QjEfn4fe-SfbrYs6Ht13pYBofNP11dutoslL_gPxH78U/s1600/IMG_7073.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…I did the same
on the third, and when I’d finally nibbled the peanut down to nothing, there
was no food left at all.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jckC11n_aiRswpwfbS26bHXmAOFfeYu3CpOMVn-H23W6baa4432gOWUrva3ek1fi7b-Jbch7Eg9tJVWS-yeraikDfVDDnG1NgfDRqi2Nq9NvE9pr6kc4Ayp02pVpJE5tHT1chjTM0v0/s1600/IMG_7074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jckC11n_aiRswpwfbS26bHXmAOFfeYu3CpOMVn-H23W6baa4432gOWUrva3ek1fi7b-Jbch7Eg9tJVWS-yeraikDfVDDnG1NgfDRqi2Nq9NvE9pr6kc4Ayp02pVpJE5tHT1chjTM0v0/s1600/IMG_7074.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Don’t
worry, mom. I got plenty of food. I’m just thinking. There’s nothing to worry about.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kind
of.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just
the other night, I spoke over the phone with a farmer friend from out west, about
fifty miles beyond Lancaster in the Susquehanna River appalachia.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We
were talking winter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjxyUZqyn4utDI0mwsQiLOsmUD5r_elGBdhceVj3K5gnBKDLAC768gW32-k-GIgSLEPzpbmwj3mJvV5GgcdFxEDdmSM35d8wPRbQYi8jW4gZgsqJJ-7CHQiJf_TIP6WKJGxNUoDZZzIo/s1600/IMG_7324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjxyUZqyn4utDI0mwsQiLOsmUD5r_elGBdhceVj3K5gnBKDLAC768gW32-k-GIgSLEPzpbmwj3mJvV5GgcdFxEDdmSM35d8wPRbQYi8jW4gZgsqJJ-7CHQiJf_TIP6WKJGxNUoDZZzIo/s1600/IMG_7324.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
asked him if there was anything this kind of winter was good for.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Stinkbugs,”
he said. “Well, not good for them but we
find that a winter like this does do some damage to the pest problem.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When
he uses the word <i>we</i>, he’s not just
referring to his four brothers, his wife, his one son or his nine
daughters. He’s a grower and this is
about the Pennsylvania agribusiness, the farmland quilt just a couple hundred
miles west down the turnpike on the way to all those Civil War battlefield
museums.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They
grow great fruit out there.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“We’ve
only had one week without snow on the ground,” he said.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
asked him about mud.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Haven’t
had much mud. Too cold for mud.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
asked him about peaches.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Now
that’s a worry,” he said. “The
University of Biglerville said that we’ve already lost twenty to thirty percent
of the peach buds to the cold, which isn’t that bad, since we normally take off ninety
percent of the buds or the blossoms anyway.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
didn’t know that.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“During
the pruning and thinning process,” he said.
“But we normally get to pick which ones to lose.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
know Gina the farmer is worried too.
She’s already running late.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I
usually have some pepper starts by now.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
asked her where. In her greenhouse?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Not
the greenhouse,” she said. “My house.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
went over to see for myself. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1JToc_IdDZ1-y-PDnKm_aK9p3TOHMCriQNDrAlbmDCHPGEPcER6OEQRHAntEPdizOMwoc8fdbdVT0-Lu9MEi0ys5ZDugAd0sZHFSjcxCJXtYwAM0YpAXIYY0nnC4STwiV1V2dFCvqvA/s1600/IMG_7832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1JToc_IdDZ1-y-PDnKm_aK9p3TOHMCriQNDrAlbmDCHPGEPcER6OEQRHAntEPdizOMwoc8fdbdVT0-Lu9MEi0ys5ZDugAd0sZHFSjcxCJXtYwAM0YpAXIYY0nnC4STwiV1V2dFCvqvA/s1600/IMG_7832.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
her kitchen, she had rigged up shelving for her seed starts, lulling them
forward from the potted soil with a steady supply of bright lights.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7k1M0wrN4iGBFjDWtRHBp3s1kz8KoXfG20SeyAOJr6gYG5wgClx0Xp8QymVP2W9Ona5D_gFK-w5VH5WyJPWkXVeFOLhDqDScZVf-za22rM_PfXBa6tZogXeD60Faxpi0yNsIMqzJNBH8/s1600/IMG_7820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7k1M0wrN4iGBFjDWtRHBp3s1kz8KoXfG20SeyAOJr6gYG5wgClx0Xp8QymVP2W9Ona5D_gFK-w5VH5WyJPWkXVeFOLhDqDScZVf-za22rM_PfXBa6tZogXeD60Faxpi0yNsIMqzJNBH8/s1600/IMG_7820.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Things
did seem to be moving slowly…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2aXn-I_rQlJ8q-borYYHmexXvOeOJwJh35pJh6wF_-UwFJNtJ2BGU_KbXMMeW4rtIMvAHfxzKEXsAMVH6LOGsQQQ9fJ6FCTYMpy0Rx2LMhWYXPOZkn-wAK_RI-xfpqZOZaDPRUO3dJA/s1600/IMG_7823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm2aXn-I_rQlJ8q-borYYHmexXvOeOJwJh35pJh6wF_-UwFJNtJ2BGU_KbXMMeW4rtIMvAHfxzKEXsAMVH6LOGsQQQ9fJ6FCTYMpy0Rx2LMhWYXPOZkn-wAK_RI-xfpqZOZaDPRUO3dJA/s1600/IMG_7823.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…although
the potatoes looked like they were faring well.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBO9sPgAKVYwebm9TsIxUXlLz5YCapBjU_jEflM6sw-JAInPI3ywJbDJCgIWSxSc5YMuYlQ9Qdyqnz8aZavfRvF495gVqGqIW3K43sKSooY7626tlbkzoHjrv8mduz4Ni26hFdAeLhfc/s1600/IMG_7829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBO9sPgAKVYwebm9TsIxUXlLz5YCapBjU_jEflM6sw-JAInPI3ywJbDJCgIWSxSc5YMuYlQ9Qdyqnz8aZavfRvF495gVqGqIW3K43sKSooY7626tlbkzoHjrv8mduz4Ni26hFdAeLhfc/s1600/IMG_7829.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“If
you’re ever dirt poor and you have just a handful of potatoes, don’t eat them,”
she said.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Instead,
just keep misting water over them and wait for them to sprout and then plant
the sprouts. I can get fifty potato plants
out of one potato,” she said, “and then eat the first potato too.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Don’t
worry, mom. Gina’s doing all right. She’s just joking.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kind
of.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Besides,
in her vision of <i>dirt poor</i>,
everybody’s dirt poor and she’s the hero because she knows how to grow potatoes
and kill zombies real good.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
walked back home, snowing again. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWN8170YPm3y2V1IOk3y9oD8Lv4i0jZlYU7ygNI2XuYLMXMBl0LFyrTbsb14QdfzdBXS2PLbDNFPwfU9fypSViF3nNm0L9NBe2XzsKMhnH6xccnFZRcRO7v0VXxssJqY4eKb_xUI_JU98/s1600/IMG_7332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWN8170YPm3y2V1IOk3y9oD8Lv4i0jZlYU7ygNI2XuYLMXMBl0LFyrTbsb14QdfzdBXS2PLbDNFPwfU9fypSViF3nNm0L9NBe2XzsKMhnH6xccnFZRcRO7v0VXxssJqY4eKb_xUI_JU98/s1600/IMG_7332.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They
gave up plowing the streets and it’s actually better. It was getting hard to parallel park with all
those plow drifts blocking the sidewalk.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Down
the street from my urban cabin, there’s a staggering hemlock…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIv8xvWbt7Q8gby7z7H08PHxlKlvydXTB3fo4G8Kzxhu1GP1_qQdO98_4tXmkgM1XBdpN4oAbMTCXnVQ7EG8eycmmGqP1MO8ovBb-ezYm9CXxgyLW76ddGGSiUwWC1i1nQrj2wfAV94c/s1600/IMG_7286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIv8xvWbt7Q8gby7z7H08PHxlKlvydXTB3fo4G8Kzxhu1GP1_qQdO98_4tXmkgM1XBdpN4oAbMTCXnVQ7EG8eycmmGqP1MO8ovBb-ezYm9CXxgyLW76ddGGSiUwWC1i1nQrj2wfAV94c/s1600/IMG_7286.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…a
tree I don’t talk enough about, even though it is the state tree of
Pennsylvania, e</span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">ven though it’s the subject of one of my favorite Robert Frost poems:</span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The way a crow</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Shook down on me</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The dust of snow</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>From a hemlock
tree</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjae06bCqLhUo7G3ykTsU8ggFcrBQEPO6L8SKct4CTk79yvK3ZcVp59-2Y9e6oRIWrGl29ktCSqj590365mhfRKwlYDPSh_T5cXb2ZDUzVq4NgA2qHZXd4AiKos_4ZImEk26auBIAraM/s1600/IMG_7288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjae06bCqLhUo7G3ykTsU8ggFcrBQEPO6L8SKct4CTk79yvK3ZcVp59-2Y9e6oRIWrGl29ktCSqj590365mhfRKwlYDPSh_T5cXb2ZDUzVq4NgA2qHZXd4AiKos_4ZImEk26auBIAraM/s1600/IMG_7288.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Has given my
heart</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>A change of mood</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>And saved some
part</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Of a day I had
rued.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
don’t see the hemlock used much as a street tree and, out in the woods, I tend
to pass them by. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
better to go hemlock hunting in the winter, with or without a snow. It takes a leafless woods to get a clear look
at them.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoO93QcN2jZP48xMfsRchA7YtcXM6JQmGXYY6tRceE4lTrKBCa7aftaE9-VMsz0qiZvaLmrXpmom-N33sPUJFI5jOee-Y_kGoXLop3wus479OW4ELZOirywQtpQIG2AT1Q8GTGBQA2fM/s1600/IMG_6489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoO93QcN2jZP48xMfsRchA7YtcXM6JQmGXYY6tRceE4lTrKBCa7aftaE9-VMsz0qiZvaLmrXpmom-N33sPUJFI5jOee-Y_kGoXLop3wus479OW4ELZOirywQtpQIG2AT1Q8GTGBQA2fM/s1600/IMG_6489.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
a bare woods, the hemlock stands tall and green.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCX8Wb3UL6x4wGxXS2YbdVq-RLDKFxmqF2W2aN6hycNh3k-XVh4xe5xHaTA-Gg05DVejXKQ7HyvP2__n3Xlpg3gBak8_qC3OAY3_XturSTg9KdqnUySH2qdIXyN71CyetsAta7Wy8-jWY/s1600/IMG_6487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCX8Wb3UL6x4wGxXS2YbdVq-RLDKFxmqF2W2aN6hycNh3k-XVh4xe5xHaTA-Gg05DVejXKQ7HyvP2__n3Xlpg3gBak8_qC3OAY3_XturSTg9KdqnUySH2qdIXyN71CyetsAta7Wy8-jWY/s1600/IMG_6487.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Along
a snowy street, the hemlock shines bright.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsXFlA4OPkvDwgVsL-TbZPHQu7qwG-5bUpKKcGuyjkg3ygta0QX75fuWrr6Z9CcUy6JkIqKAwIOukaz0ITugxhaidJDi4jtj5KbHOOqhmqDWY89vEpugpTs2whupRCq9BtT6_JeEpEno/s1600/IMG_7291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsXFlA4OPkvDwgVsL-TbZPHQu7qwG-5bUpKKcGuyjkg3ygta0QX75fuWrr6Z9CcUy6JkIqKAwIOukaz0ITugxhaidJDi4jtj5KbHOOqhmqDWY89vEpugpTs2whupRCq9BtT6_JeEpEno/s1600/IMG_7291.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mom,
there’s nothing like the city in a snow.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6N1gpe-Ccpp4QEE9b4tVK7qnLh10-qwRYkYSFstrbEFTYUnVsOnuiMQDBs241yGpGGf263VQXJFALc3Ez2oWUhxMHPaj_b0YKzNq-nun-OGRhJnb9Z88NXNkYHhJ9eeYSC2uiY-EUSq8/s1600/IMG_7328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6N1gpe-Ccpp4QEE9b4tVK7qnLh10-qwRYkYSFstrbEFTYUnVsOnuiMQDBs241yGpGGf263VQXJFALc3Ez2oWUhxMHPaj_b0YKzNq-nun-OGRhJnb9Z88NXNkYHhJ9eeYSC2uiY-EUSq8/s1600/IMG_7328.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s
something that happens to the city in a long snow. It’s like turning off a big and noisy machine…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMbUHDcjLugAkOjpTVRnyLAZw4tEKXUV4p0Gt6zcWR1e4By2qnVo6y872C813tPxKIQjNUcYc8z0d0FynBlaGJhsQ7abkHE8lKqAJ4DFGyoUpSHhKvcE804vX21PJwIGS7RDpClr4iwI/s1600/IMG_7271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMbUHDcjLugAkOjpTVRnyLAZw4tEKXUV4p0Gt6zcWR1e4By2qnVo6y872C813tPxKIQjNUcYc8z0d0FynBlaGJhsQ7abkHE8lKqAJ4DFGyoUpSHhKvcE804vX21PJwIGS7RDpClr4iwI/s1600/IMG_7271.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…a
great engine standing idle.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisi2FJDCPYn5_pOFSKle3eFFlXuQ6BTeCkkTeKN9ixPPPFAUEYH2Pxl1zwgA0dAVTY98h182Cu1BmrbfkCCXavn9WtY0TxR9Kw9mmM2vtHTvbvkfay_ibaL4dhh1wRADvzC2aTTJtts2k/s1600/IMG_7260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisi2FJDCPYn5_pOFSKle3eFFlXuQ6BTeCkkTeKN9ixPPPFAUEYH2Pxl1zwgA0dAVTY98h182Cu1BmrbfkCCXavn9WtY0TxR9Kw9mmM2vtHTvbvkfay_ibaL4dhh1wRADvzC2aTTJtts2k/s1600/IMG_7260.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
few cars on the road glide by slowly…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXewmAhbBGWhsDPOBRgkFZkGtmC7fiMF3lH1QJCPxSnoc_WfgQIdBwx50zacqD9WDj_mRpUaAxKVB4CeZHv4S0SS413z0rLd5CDSRmgIbLpd3c7LuYIDSP0nnyGSgGGE4im8vtgEra-Gw/s1600/IMG_7245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXewmAhbBGWhsDPOBRgkFZkGtmC7fiMF3lH1QJCPxSnoc_WfgQIdBwx50zacqD9WDj_mRpUaAxKVB4CeZHv4S0SS413z0rLd5CDSRmgIbLpd3c7LuYIDSP0nnyGSgGGE4im8vtgEra-Gw/s1600/IMG_7245.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
I can see their faces as they pass, pensive and alert, gripping the wheel with
white knuckles, noses pressed against the windshield.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s
a story by Jack London called <i>In A Far
Country</i>. It’s about a bunch of
city-slickers who join the Gold Rush and venture out to the Klondike in hopes
of finding gold and adventure.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
becomes clear that they don’t belong there.
They’re not, as the radio says, <i>essential
personnel</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Snowbound,
lost, ravenous and raving mad, their fingers and toes falling off from frostbite
as they struggle through the spruce, there comes a certain point when one of
the bumpkins can’t even remember what’s it like to be warm, to not be cold, to
not have snow.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iWCLg17WxREs6e8hdchXvZYavbCw5f-9Evathu4joul9oSTBzgV39C1Mme9li2GRHaWz4M1P0YcgbuDLHtNsrr7YtFUOOQz-8rNgEe85fZ4IWIq-hN04QuC9WLtiB8nLd3S2GdhFoX0/s1600/IMG_7283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iWCLg17WxREs6e8hdchXvZYavbCw5f-9Evathu4joul9oSTBzgV39C1Mme9li2GRHaWz4M1P0YcgbuDLHtNsrr7YtFUOOQz-8rNgEe85fZ4IWIq-hN04QuC9WLtiB8nLd3S2GdhFoX0/s1600/IMG_7283.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The world he had
so recently left, with its busy nations and great enterprises, seemed very far
away…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7M_g8i7GhK8SMApq09ZKloy_ikyzPrxvqV8_BBmjcQ6fQSH7QCnS9cykiSlgPNxjkPUYZzPz53DmwXN0t28WcjvTbMp8YTTNy7zaBdfgUiOCTUewc70s_feZcv7YYvhwVKiM3h9-SfjQ/s1600/IMG_7279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7M_g8i7GhK8SMApq09ZKloy_ikyzPrxvqV8_BBmjcQ6fQSH7QCnS9cykiSlgPNxjkPUYZzPz53DmwXN0t28WcjvTbMp8YTTNy7zaBdfgUiOCTUewc70s_feZcv7YYvhwVKiM3h9-SfjQ/s1600/IMG_7279.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…there were no
lands of sunshine, heavy with the perfume of flowers…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWC3J3Ftqe4Fxn4AFOKbWzTxeG0SIvzo7sQjQws6MKchBS8CwdODUW7f-wcOy8uRAzpoEVfabueFWxwBp-wGFfllYxo3E43qRejWiLWcJ2z_dNuIKTsEJuxRlMMmccty1cbCvTeQdCtQ/s1600/IMG_7280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWC3J3Ftqe4Fxn4AFOKbWzTxeG0SIvzo7sQjQws6MKchBS8CwdODUW7f-wcOy8uRAzpoEVfabueFWxwBp-wGFfllYxo3E43qRejWiLWcJ2z_dNuIKTsEJuxRlMMmccty1cbCvTeQdCtQ/s1600/IMG_7280.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…there was no
sun. This was the Universe, dead and
cold and dark, and he its only citizen…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxmMIwyBHpzi2yjAQQWWwR7gLDyMiP_mp51TR3qzPV6rWrbFmeNcoxiVIaBjFXwcsizKy7sjJK9SWRfdD1i7ZIBhCOEwI4ejAxXZZPB45Dc_A-PlpSrePi8FEqJ51Vf5FEK1KbtogiwM/s1600/IMG_7315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxmMIwyBHpzi2yjAQQWWwR7gLDyMiP_mp51TR3qzPV6rWrbFmeNcoxiVIaBjFXwcsizKy7sjJK9SWRfdD1i7ZIBhCOEwI4ejAxXZZPB45Dc_A-PlpSrePi8FEqJ51Vf5FEK1KbtogiwM/s1600/IMG_7315.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…would the tale
of this ever reach the world?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
like that here, mom. I know you’ve been
keeping track. I know it’s made the
nightly news in Tuscon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
I don’t want you worry.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
like it like this. I like the
quietude. I like the downy flakes. I like the winter world, the way it hushes
the entire city…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_cSBCf8Jbq1sr4f6R6YLZkbL95fEHgz11QCFAYhWbHNTUsVF4jgAzdnbnXSbzN_ZCy8wqHhsJT1ZxKMg-irw-oqeL1cgZUNSATu16WxTOBF9wEiebwBnCkpCLfFe3a_UaJhrzn8jLyk/s1600/IMG_7299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_cSBCf8Jbq1sr4f6R6YLZkbL95fEHgz11QCFAYhWbHNTUsVF4jgAzdnbnXSbzN_ZCy8wqHhsJT1ZxKMg-irw-oqeL1cgZUNSATu16WxTOBF9wEiebwBnCkpCLfFe3a_UaJhrzn8jLyk/s1600/IMG_7299.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…one
deep breath, held, in the big, wet world.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Something
there is that doesn’t love a snow, that’s true…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7SoJc610UA_4SnAgk9mG5jAxx_MAnAuqY_4DUGbgGhXQXrYo-Jh589ep_xkWZ2tWT2cZ9coc43jYVbSzWc3pqNhO8Alt8J0_RADn0bhyTDp3iaauE30YlJeHoskzOI15VoqV7JGRT-c/s1600/IMG_7248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7SoJc610UA_4SnAgk9mG5jAxx_MAnAuqY_4DUGbgGhXQXrYo-Jh589ep_xkWZ2tWT2cZ9coc43jYVbSzWc3pqNhO8Alt8J0_RADn0bhyTDp3iaauE30YlJeHoskzOI15VoqV7JGRT-c/s1600/IMG_7248.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
that something isn’t me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
feel like I can stay out all night…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi031z_aglzg1giqcTd28sx4dE_J8_-6gLLt1GF_mbYZNhfseT7qPe2xzw0wIjCGBsdeqC5oN84f_6amZbriaTnFUi17AO9gPiUYyuQkXKevkbNIxHPqZMOufMnQtA4BzmtPYDrSmbyWtI/s1600/IMG_7307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi031z_aglzg1giqcTd28sx4dE_J8_-6gLLt1GF_mbYZNhfseT7qPe2xzw0wIjCGBsdeqC5oN84f_6amZbriaTnFUi17AO9gPiUYyuQkXKevkbNIxHPqZMOufMnQtA4BzmtPYDrSmbyWtI/s1600/IMG_7307.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…even
if the night lasts forever…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXIoEUWwVJGc9xrF3xGTNvNqBsJl8_VEFy_oARZd3vIxtEay_kQ14pagTY6UoAvF4_VyfGYKVJanR4FYJcTxvJRn0TwV_Meq6ejprrgnSOZy_hGKNsGjNTJnBmZ34K73l1VGfB75Q6oE/s1600/IMG_7274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXIoEUWwVJGc9xrF3xGTNvNqBsJl8_VEFy_oARZd3vIxtEay_kQ14pagTY6UoAvF4_VyfGYKVJanR4FYJcTxvJRn0TwV_Meq6ejprrgnSOZy_hGKNsGjNTJnBmZ34K73l1VGfB75Q6oE/s1600/IMG_7274.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…even
if the snow keeps falling…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYx423IvDgTuFUhKKPoESV7MbvLwQAiUPXamtxtyIcVSi9bJ6SYiwCq0u0NOfuPc7OawtmTSpdpWr2MRWt9k1jklJwdjXwIidb-DPJsFxIRtg4l0H8r4cBtyuzrx1qt41jczcgbWcsx8/s1600/IMG_7326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYx423IvDgTuFUhKKPoESV7MbvLwQAiUPXamtxtyIcVSi9bJ6SYiwCq0u0NOfuPc7OawtmTSpdpWr2MRWt9k1jklJwdjXwIidb-DPJsFxIRtg4l0H8r4cBtyuzrx1qt41jczcgbWcsx8/s1600/IMG_7326.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
it keeps falling, mom.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4T-XzSKGDKpC4DuxqmyttimHEYEGoiJ2l3G8uGA4B-RNLjV8Cj_0QbutqFyoOoMTesjqACU70ZGjSpytN4cviguOnTKbRDIpcrkE_PEobOLZBHaln6EjNh6r4oEFa1ulXlx-JlT9hKPU/s1600/IMG_7276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4T-XzSKGDKpC4DuxqmyttimHEYEGoiJ2l3G8uGA4B-RNLjV8Cj_0QbutqFyoOoMTesjqACU70ZGjSpytN4cviguOnTKbRDIpcrkE_PEobOLZBHaln6EjNh6r4oEFa1ulXlx-JlT9hKPU/s1600/IMG_7276.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
don’t worry.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Someone always makes it back to tell the tale.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_mncS7FOVHMMvz36buV-3b2VoPw5tJsuIe3-GHxDfKG8dhPQE0rkX3EH8mzwH4bXykQ5crF3W1hWWMjY4r5LvCxDtBNmImt34oew1jpNNZmvNi0wJtCr_3nT_C1JYnHxk1KbBO-XX0w/s1600/IMG_7950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_mncS7FOVHMMvz36buV-3b2VoPw5tJsuIe3-GHxDfKG8dhPQE0rkX3EH8mzwH4bXykQ5crF3W1hWWMjY4r5LvCxDtBNmImt34oew1jpNNZmvNi0wJtCr_3nT_C1JYnHxk1KbBO-XX0w/s1600/IMG_7950.JPG" height="518" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-29060329786111374392014-01-14T21:15:00.000-08:002014-03-13T12:12:56.201-07:00THE POLAR VORTEX<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
woke up this morning and immediately checked my surroundings for any subtle,
mysterious changes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nope.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Same old urban cabin.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Same
old Jon Spruce.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Crawling
out of the warm blankets, I shivered over to the kitchen window.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Looked
like the coast was clear and, although I wasn’t completely sure that the Code
Blue had been lifted, it looked like it was safe to go outside again.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
polar vortex had passed. Nothing had
been shifted. Nothing seemed to have
moved around too much, nothing transferred or relocated to some other
dimension, some other time.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">For
a vortex, this was a pretty weak one, by all accounts.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Everything
the same.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That
usually doesn’t happen after a good vortex.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Well
then, it’s back to normal, back to school, back to the rat-race.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Lucky for me, it was a day-off but, day-off or not, I still had a long list to
accomplish.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">For
starters, I needed a haircut.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I needed groceries too. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
I needed to return a gift. Should I go
for store credit or cash?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So,
it was <i>up and at ‘em</i>, just enough
time for one quick goat yogurt cup and one Gold Rush apple…then a quick freshening up in the bathroom…got to
re-stock the toiletries too…then it was bundle up and boots on, grab the wallet
and grab the keys and out the door.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
when I remembered…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFEdtSG0hS1wv7PljFyyewhOjHUJamysEQlD4JBY0IJl3lIRuEuB5HoK6oi5Qw8Rg_Iwi8FdaZVsENfdEQfZ4xAxZ4XnROjcT2Yd9q9dom1E7tsjAF0C_p2Dr0CfOrFD1HzO5hLlOAxOY/s1600/IMG_6302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFEdtSG0hS1wv7PljFyyewhOjHUJamysEQlD4JBY0IJl3lIRuEuB5HoK6oi5Qw8Rg_Iwi8FdaZVsENfdEQfZ4xAxZ4XnROjcT2Yd9q9dom1E7tsjAF0C_p2Dr0CfOrFD1HzO5hLlOAxOY/s640/IMG_6302.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…this
was the most depressing trash day of the year.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
can’t let this kind of thing push your buttons.
Not today, Jon Spruce. Too much
to do.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Best
advice? Just walk right by and stick to
the list…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdJMXin3d_AjmkuW63IUqxrMNLRq1GWTEcpFn03Vk5Inz8XwSU1RXou1SGV4hFRCmcutWjznA5rmofQI1yKEkiRoFGz9LOP7xwflF0-MeQnGggPl203weSZSSPbflMlBZcVNM7kP_U54/s1600/IMG_6305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdJMXin3d_AjmkuW63IUqxrMNLRq1GWTEcpFn03Vk5Inz8XwSU1RXou1SGV4hFRCmcutWjznA5rmofQI1yKEkiRoFGz9LOP7xwflF0-MeQnGggPl203weSZSSPbflMlBZcVNM7kP_U54/s640/IMG_6305.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…though
that’s easier said than done.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
know, I was off to a good start. It was
still early morning and I was already…how do they say it?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
right. I was <i>making good time.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One
little detour…to the other side of the city…right off the Roosevelt Boulevard…to
this little hideaway spot that I know…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mlOcdRQ-7ieQcEZ67WEMQFo96mepSKDPo6TLMr90butb4iH3aRjSmLeU-R4mbCR4qTucuCLhlFwPw1IJ1YzGmwBCYVsSLI1l-QbZu8w0leHHBxIQY-jb0FVCFAWMxpV62u_5MbSdrnA/s1600/IMG_6832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mlOcdRQ-7ieQcEZ67WEMQFo96mepSKDPo6TLMr90butb4iH3aRjSmLeU-R4mbCR4qTucuCLhlFwPw1IJ1YzGmwBCYVsSLI1l-QbZu8w0leHHBxIQY-jb0FVCFAWMxpV62u_5MbSdrnA/s640/IMG_6832.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…just
a quick pit-stop to watch the people clean up from their jolly holiday.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1OTWyXW4huH52Z8enPoRBYgIswbQOe4FKS9qShuCAEw9CkA__KG9oTo6bMMGQGYiO_HbKMAre_8iYwe_LaJ0CqegFFEWVmP0voL0L4hpdI5Hd2e82H6izOqVHZwcwN_5R4Mwwq48Svo/s1600/IMG_6823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1OTWyXW4huH52Z8enPoRBYgIswbQOe4FKS9qShuCAEw9CkA__KG9oTo6bMMGQGYiO_HbKMAre_8iYwe_LaJ0CqegFFEWVmP0voL0L4hpdI5Hd2e82H6izOqVHZwcwN_5R4Mwwq48Svo/s640/IMG_6823.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hey,
it is what it is.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
my new mantra when it comes to this kind of thing.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">New
year, new Jon Spruce and the new Jon Spruce isn’t going to get angry so
easily. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxG7Hoj6wC0HTImW8WE2lx45jnBs_bqQaiNjKnWhUQI5waw8TkxSngLO6awU5BEmsGFxSlue7F41xlJFLX2vTvVHB39TX15XRXLGf7xjAIJlw3jj4bGO0lH5mlae9RX8kGEKxWqhpM9Ms/s1600/IMG_6822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxG7Hoj6wC0HTImW8WE2lx45jnBs_bqQaiNjKnWhUQI5waw8TkxSngLO6awU5BEmsGFxSlue7F41xlJFLX2vTvVHB39TX15XRXLGf7xjAIJlw3jj4bGO0lH5mlae9RX8kGEKxWqhpM9Ms/s640/IMG_6822.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ll
give the people their credit though. If
they were trying to fire up old Jon Spruce, they were on the right track, but
not this time.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
time, this year? I’m just going to stick
to the schedule.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not.
Going. To. Get. Mad.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARctRIuRmYydZvjyKNjHFwpvTXPMRKwGx5AtkjRf9x1RX0PsY1FERKFbj7h80TCbB7YNlsLuIZ4CiCy2wvya4CHnmPtUtr0JDQIbodBRxrqrepRJ3nWRt4k961juWVviVvANWirrLsOk/s1600/IMG_6831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARctRIuRmYydZvjyKNjHFwpvTXPMRKwGx5AtkjRf9x1RX0PsY1FERKFbj7h80TCbB7YNlsLuIZ4CiCy2wvya4CHnmPtUtr0JDQIbodBRxrqrepRJ3nWRt4k961juWVviVvANWirrLsOk/s640/IMG_6831.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hey,
it worked. I think I’m going to like
2014.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So
it was back in the car, back on the road and, since I’m being such a good boy
this year, I was going to treat myself to a new pair of sneakers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Funny
thing about shoe shopping? I’m always
looking for a new sneaker.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
never just replace the ones I have. Even
if I really like my old sneakers, I never go back and buy the same pair, don’t
know why I do that.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On
my way to the sneaker shop, I pulled over for another quick distraction,
watching a tough group of weather-beaten men repair an elm tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_ulbP_aDGAkV7_0WKJF4PNRy99QGV4aUuIaGf5McOfRxInCpfTHqSGn_6NbOP-xnv5XQNIfWAiVYU2BZl6dOqF9fmSWrrAieFA6B7xsvZT4d_bdwHQ57NtHlYB0W9jCrjeRObZ3Es_U/s1600/IMG_6308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_ulbP_aDGAkV7_0WKJF4PNRy99QGV4aUuIaGf5McOfRxInCpfTHqSGn_6NbOP-xnv5XQNIfWAiVYU2BZl6dOqF9fmSWrrAieFA6B7xsvZT4d_bdwHQ57NtHlYB0W9jCrjeRObZ3Es_U/s640/IMG_6308.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Man,
if I could do it all over again, this would be the job for me…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge36R0qn5YYCDXWFnxj7FbZAMEH6QkVLZXdlR0TFZnEknY3-g_Ghvj6ZXOLgPFUTuhKdc4gqfseQnHNUFtj656iHp29uI9J-ldnZ7g24cRrpSDv67FSaRLF3xVsOFfk9Bg2gNzzOCEMac/s1600/IMG_6311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge36R0qn5YYCDXWFnxj7FbZAMEH6QkVLZXdlR0TFZnEknY3-g_Ghvj6ZXOLgPFUTuhKdc4gqfseQnHNUFtj656iHp29uI9J-ldnZ7g24cRrpSDv67FSaRLF3xVsOFfk9Bg2gNzzOCEMac/s640/IMG_6311.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…high
up in the urban canopy…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlOwkYAfzccDMbYZxdT9uFBzrI4ISa6eg4TXDsdz5_szhXlb2MPJUFl3CjwpVBdPcFUx9jhEYnRZ1UX3EghyphenhyphenjIHisFwd9fySIj0N63by56_FzN5PrDYLQ5hFfKxF5PBU9vNa6HkhHkww/s1600/IMG_6312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlOwkYAfzccDMbYZxdT9uFBzrI4ISa6eg4TXDsdz5_szhXlb2MPJUFl3CjwpVBdPcFUx9jhEYnRZ1UX3EghyphenhyphenjIHisFwd9fySIj0N63by56_FzN5PrDYLQ5hFfKxF5PBU9vNa6HkhHkww/s640/IMG_6312.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…just
me and the tree, all the live-long day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
things don’t always work out the way you want.
You got to be able to deal with that.
Sometimes, you don’t end up where you’re supposed to be.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hey,
it happens.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like
that poet from Vermont once said, <i>there
are two roads in a wood</i>…<i>diverging in
the yellow wood</i>…and then you go down one road and, when you look back, you
can’t even remember where it was they diverged…<i>way leads on to way</i>…or something corny like that.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s
a trick to not letting this kind of thing get you down.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
called <i>moving on</i>. And that’s what I did, popping it back into
first gear, back on the schedule, the busy busy schedule.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
wasn’t just me. The whole city was busy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
what happens after a deep freeze.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
can see it all around Philly, up and down the grid, just pouring out of every
city block.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7XGBCkJv1dMsXoZcshYyr7Y_UxGCmAL4tQVnS-8n4ia1F_eq4Es5MzHiOBFk23fH_fmNAOmAZRo0B-1ITrZ5ohsT3E7ddqt8d5lDu427r8UsBi7anF9tSTAbyX7NuOUYC07n7QzF10A/s1600/IMG_6626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7XGBCkJv1dMsXoZcshYyr7Y_UxGCmAL4tQVnS-8n4ia1F_eq4Es5MzHiOBFk23fH_fmNAOmAZRo0B-1ITrZ5ohsT3E7ddqt8d5lDu427r8UsBi7anF9tSTAbyX7NuOUYC07n7QzF10A/s640/IMG_6626.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
see that steam? That’s the good work of
a company called Veolia Energy. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They’re
the hardworking souls pulling the switches and managing the vast network of
steam running just below the city’s surface…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMLbsm3xWcpsc9IkHIj6jDwybryg0cjr8gXVQGk_lWVcvE-uW7Kj6HyIOAPMAu9MQ5nw0P3Lj3hTBp9JgeKrQs1vIN-AIrmOKF8s-jxMPUxHgXdIhGR28RklGoQ6HhLOydC8eNBgkvYc/s1600/IMG_6586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMLbsm3xWcpsc9IkHIj6jDwybryg0cjr8gXVQGk_lWVcvE-uW7Kj6HyIOAPMAu9MQ5nw0P3Lj3hTBp9JgeKrQs1vIN-AIrmOKF8s-jxMPUxHgXdIhGR28RklGoQ6HhLOydC8eNBgkvYc/s640/IMG_6586.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…from
the University to the Art Museum…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Czs2VL3owJ-6nqAMEVuvTODtSiMA_fvkZpPwaH5p0ddS4PI93rF_fPDUfJlakjfdgm1W-Cmk_LWWvZIZaIgQqW-AbSaF5tIy0aDADEkatzyyba_fDihi9Q3J-GfSsoHTuGSVGjb4kMY/s1600/IMG_6591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Czs2VL3owJ-6nqAMEVuvTODtSiMA_fvkZpPwaH5p0ddS4PI93rF_fPDUfJlakjfdgm1W-Cmk_LWWvZIZaIgQqW-AbSaF5tIy0aDADEkatzyyba_fDihi9Q3J-GfSsoHTuGSVGjb4kMY/s640/IMG_6591.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…thawing
out the city from the bottom up.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Keep
up the good work, boys.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Way
to stay on schedule.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Speaking
of which, it was almost the afternoon and there was still lots to do, still
needed to return that gift, still needed to sit down for a hair-cut, still
needed to find that new sneaker.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Right
around the corner, I stumbled upon a CVS Pharmacy. It isn’t hard to do here in the city.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
bit the bullet, put on my best grin and went inside. Restocking the toiletries was on my list,
I’ve done this chore a hundred times.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">While
I was in the CVS, I remembered another errand nagging my list. Two weeks into the New Year and I still
hadn’t bought a new calendar.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No
time like the present.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFTuGZ54Prt_zVPhpTJP9ALPdIG0zay0haxRX9-lHxLwk6uj7JKKDQ_NBoEkv9uKTGSOOMARys3jAHk-eIL8ONcIXzm5PwzPC97Ii-vrKVpkhkUswdbUJIpQAJfEOa74nIM-_HD2PpAg/s1600/IMG_6682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFTuGZ54Prt_zVPhpTJP9ALPdIG0zay0haxRX9-lHxLwk6uj7JKKDQ_NBoEkv9uKTGSOOMARys3jAHk-eIL8ONcIXzm5PwzPC97Ii-vrKVpkhkUswdbUJIpQAJfEOa74nIM-_HD2PpAg/s640/IMG_6682.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Well,
that must be nice.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Must
be nice to have such beautiful nature right at your fingertips every day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
shouldn’t be so hard on the calendar makers.
After all, they need to make a living and people do like to buy perfect
photos of perfect scenery in the right season with the right light.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
is not something that should bother me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So,
no problem, it’s not going to bother me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And,
right across the aisle, I shouldn’t let myself get all worked up over the next
big holiday.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_HzWComJRMJQmnkWE1MczMTlWKnBkEySGuKdJK_v_W6tFXIzYmOIq5GqJgYyuXpMCRNIjnybIGZKv9Xxj0eRwaDBKiJYJ8Chnetc0xGyywbB3X2Eu1fF-ComfiZStcZobxnaLEZXmOcU/s1600/IMG_6679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_HzWComJRMJQmnkWE1MczMTlWKnBkEySGuKdJK_v_W6tFXIzYmOIq5GqJgYyuXpMCRNIjnybIGZKv9Xxj0eRwaDBKiJYJ8Chnetc0xGyywbB3X2Eu1fF-ComfiZStcZobxnaLEZXmOcU/s640/IMG_6679.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Back
in 2013, this kind of thing would really trigger a meltdown. Not this time. Not this year.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hey,
I’m as romantic as they come. I believe
in love. For me, <i>love</i> comes in big, capital, goofy letters, glowing under a bright
spotlight, and it doesn't matter if it's written in the skies or written on a greeting card or even written on the belly of a gigantic mass-produced teddy bear.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMuNoDKwO4XVTbn4TyMEJRZBpdRSmmW1xnbNiOBOvjuRqwsy5TW7ghgmCSmuDhZRfV8cajNuskMLzd2lqsZDNd6oIFuS8cdIOSDWbriglubh5eHnFR1u35dgnUo0NqM5bWwFqevby8nQ/s1600/IMG_6681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMuNoDKwO4XVTbn4TyMEJRZBpdRSmmW1xnbNiOBOvjuRqwsy5TW7ghgmCSmuDhZRfV8cajNuskMLzd2lqsZDNd6oIFuS8cdIOSDWbriglubh5eHnFR1u35dgnUo0NqM5bWwFqevby8nQ/s640/IMG_6681.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You just got to mean it when you say it. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Contrary
to popular belief, I do think there’s a person out there for everybody
although, sometimes I have to admit, I think mine got hit by a truck many, many
moons ago.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not
going to let it get me down.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_pQJIwEPlldnzyKcsiN9mLai9rtRjumb0UFaok5roKVkbSd1YoTGMXIIw_Q6Pc9oEuDeNzFMDRRUdkWSEEQsBET4GFnVZnunFvopuepH_4YrxFahphf8-150tCt49fwlpgMw2zXgOQQ/s1600/IMG_6680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_pQJIwEPlldnzyKcsiN9mLai9rtRjumb0UFaok5roKVkbSd1YoTGMXIIw_Q6Pc9oEuDeNzFMDRRUdkWSEEQsBET4GFnVZnunFvopuepH_4YrxFahphf8-150tCt49fwlpgMw2zXgOQQ/s640/IMG_6680.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Can’t
let that kind of thing take me off-course.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Can’t
lose what you never had, that’s my motto.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now
where was that toothpaste? And where was
that razor blade? I saw a razor blade
commercial a couple weeks ago during the Wild Card game and I remember thinking, now
that’s my kind of razor blade.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
got to be around here somewhere, maybe I should ask for help, or maybe I should
just walk down every aisle, or I could just…hey, look at that…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbpNa-nECN5xk5m6yuVZtfRm_2pDgk8a-fx80J0Co8SUSw-CJXvn6y5IaX2wSvd46Y3WCDFlKhn_j114igP0KMLA8uXHtkhPEaNLyZMp4q3VLMmkXfkjXqWriSXxZJbsT-hrmvfLDXb8/s1600/IMG_6675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbpNa-nECN5xk5m6yuVZtfRm_2pDgk8a-fx80J0Co8SUSw-CJXvn6y5IaX2wSvd46Y3WCDFlKhn_j114igP0KMLA8uXHtkhPEaNLyZMp4q3VLMmkXfkjXqWriSXxZJbsT-hrmvfLDXb8/s640/IMG_6675.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…that’s
funny. I bet ice isn’t the biggest
seller this time of year, eh?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let’s
see what we got here.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrAgILS8OWrM-SG5UiQsuUXbixkUMlstVn4HO7yAd_kIw9nw5ufYAa71OX1fVyNtS3O9k20DP7oHmNTQ0uEgKqlJr0wAUyUgaflS-j6zHBbyeiEtJ9pc-EFPvXGcBEuK81hRXVMEgkpFw/s1600/IMG_6676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrAgILS8OWrM-SG5UiQsuUXbixkUMlstVn4HO7yAd_kIw9nw5ufYAa71OX1fVyNtS3O9k20DP7oHmNTQ0uEgKqlJr0wAUyUgaflS-j6zHBbyeiEtJ9pc-EFPvXGcBEuK81hRXVMEgkpFw/s640/IMG_6676.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Arctic Glacier</i>. Man, that’s a great name for a bagged ice
vendor. The name alone sends shivers
down my long johns. These guys really
know what they’re doing. Who’s making
this ice?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNekQsmxnTAe9SGReB2KGm9clb__Xbhxkm5Jxjr8152t0Ien0DdD3XvmOYVyVevGO4BW7KfDdF4VM5u-ZuxmHkbIR2HtigkF6pBhZluKZv3Isyleutih92QjgiyOujXNcOTOCi35uz14/s1600/IMG_6678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNekQsmxnTAe9SGReB2KGm9clb__Xbhxkm5Jxjr8152t0Ien0DdD3XvmOYVyVevGO4BW7KfDdF4VM5u-ZuxmHkbIR2HtigkF6pBhZluKZv3Isyleutih92QjgiyOujXNcOTOCi35uz14/s640/IMG_6678.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Oh. Okay. <i>Ice is food!</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
guess I never thought about it long enough to have an opinion on the subject,
and I always did think of food as having some sort of connection to some sort
of biological organism, at least something that can reproduce and respire,
something that can eat as well, something that lives and, sad to say, dies.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But,
sure, ice is food. I’m a believer. I shouldn’t just automatically reject a new
idea. That’s not what smart people do.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ice
is food, just as much as you and me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hey,
this feels good. New year, new idea. Man, who are these guys?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVAKuDnMdreelmonVEuFaM2u-FKfu48PwNuAT48v_yZfO_5fre0KZ4lI-dgkA4_zzkLn5L5hM24NNCNxobKbvDkHgdPscyJz70HvLrnxEVG0DkELCxPzR5xkLNmNy2zuZSJyvqNN0YSc/s1600/IMG_6677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVAKuDnMdreelmonVEuFaM2u-FKfu48PwNuAT48v_yZfO_5fre0KZ4lI-dgkA4_zzkLn5L5hM24NNCNxobKbvDkHgdPscyJz70HvLrnxEVG0DkELCxPzR5xkLNmNy2zuZSJyvqNN0YSc/s640/IMG_6677.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Oh
c’mon now.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Minnesota?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is
it too much to ask for some local ice?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is
there no one in Philadelphia producing ice?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ice
is in season right now. It’s
everywhere. We just survived a polar
vortex for crying out loud and we’re still shipping ice half-way across the
country?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
went on-line, I needed to get to the bottom of this.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
turns out that <i>Arctic Glacier</i> is part
of the I.P.I.A., the International Packaged Ice Association.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
get this! The location of the I.P.I.A.’s
headquarters? This, you’re not going to
believe.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9mNcFp_4ZzL8mUT4OivexMoUWMSik5-WN3I_WhISSLBkstlZJz1bDzgfEg2SidBVlJsJ2ayh2miwoZ6vELJrnvs5MN4KPuRyi7GOlCNrulHLIxc8haYvfVpTdpGzRIVj2b1G-UV8v74/s1600/Bonita-Springs-Florida-Imperial-River.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9mNcFp_4ZzL8mUT4OivexMoUWMSik5-WN3I_WhISSLBkstlZJz1bDzgfEg2SidBVlJsJ2ayh2miwoZ6vELJrnvs5MN4KPuRyi7GOlCNrulHLIxc8haYvfVpTdpGzRIVj2b1G-UV8v74/s640/Bonita-Springs-Florida-Imperial-River.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Florida. The Sunshine State!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
fact, according to their website, they just had their big convention and trade
show in Bonita Springs…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNv5XFSXDh-C2W3l-f4COx5xHz2RXIdnoj2tInBYTmergylROxlfgORrSYoLMo0KYbBqm7xOxCFHU08LkGcqM6fjYBNHyD_2NR_QydTAwes0g7wStp0tOK2da0a7MMGCV3sotFoiH9rM/s1600/bgr_home1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNv5XFSXDh-C2W3l-f4COx5xHz2RXIdnoj2tInBYTmergylROxlfgORrSYoLMo0KYbBqm7xOxCFHU08LkGcqM6fjYBNHyD_2NR_QydTAwes0g7wStp0tOK2da0a7MMGCV3sotFoiH9rM/s640/bgr_home1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…well,
that’s all I can stands, I can’t stand no more.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirot0Y3951f7_N8JzQvqpy_X8xdtUeAGabB2wF-77EK8DTicq4_XkWGcBRU3JQxDTpzSvZg-dtEGX1DBN7_cQ_KoTFr4ZOcVFJbVG6FjIp-dovo-ubua7FzPWOD66TKL5W9KiI2_-fu9A/s1600/sedation_dentists_bonita_springs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirot0Y3951f7_N8JzQvqpy_X8xdtUeAGabB2wF-77EK8DTicq4_XkWGcBRU3JQxDTpzSvZg-dtEGX1DBN7_cQ_KoTFr4ZOcVFJbVG6FjIp-dovo-ubua7FzPWOD66TKL5W9KiI2_-fu9A/s640/sedation_dentists_bonita_springs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not on your life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They
did it this time. Only two weeks into
the New Year and, despite the plummeting thermometer, Jon Spruce was fired up.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Steamed
up and boiling over, I jumped back into the car and hit the road to the frozen
grounds of the winter woods.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2TzGKjUzGF1Oc_MXSY0pZfJqWa2Hlq0OlQHWZpq6sUvO2UWU7U_IZC7J_s0H3deZvLQgiyWuznMTnfluoWQWTlO6SvS3ZgJizjdTja_TB6EUBABQqP-DyVp6hQmFuhZCgkPL-vHocLw/s1600/IMG_6499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2TzGKjUzGF1Oc_MXSY0pZfJqWa2Hlq0OlQHWZpq6sUvO2UWU7U_IZC7J_s0H3deZvLQgiyWuznMTnfluoWQWTlO6SvS3ZgJizjdTja_TB6EUBABQqP-DyVp6hQmFuhZCgkPL-vHocLw/s640/IMG_6499.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
was following in the shadow of the polar vortex, the artic hurricane that
dropped temperatures to record lows, the likes of which we might never see
again…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGNNr7n9KR9hrqCFVz80PNAqAzBNBb34iMfS4BbA1X6TwsCb05wVA4Kl50p4eMDv1kcUV8zmnJw8lBp5oDKGV9289h_TxkpVAjbuACO64ZDNPz9nWEw2ImS0j7ln5lzoQlEiXPExOnKA/s1600/IMG_6482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGNNr7n9KR9hrqCFVz80PNAqAzBNBb34iMfS4BbA1X6TwsCb05wVA4Kl50p4eMDv1kcUV8zmnJw8lBp5oDKGV9289h_TxkpVAjbuACO64ZDNPz9nWEw2ImS0j7ln5lzoQlEiXPExOnKA/s640/IMG_6482.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…watching
my footsteps and looking over my shoulder the entire time. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
was sure that somewhere, somehow, the polar vortex was still lingering here in
these Wissahickon woods…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJRLC-_9PDMsb2FMJBg5lJjtOpYeyxDGm6ULo_iJ3GcD_dwTGiwThPxe206262ZeV0-SG9a0KCqmUJMolB41tUWZ1CNv0g5nf-ASxDZ8ZySiCpcPaTLoPZVLXJDeKJvlGcgJZ2Jmik8g/s1600/IMG_6476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJRLC-_9PDMsb2FMJBg5lJjtOpYeyxDGm6ULo_iJ3GcD_dwTGiwThPxe206262ZeV0-SG9a0KCqmUJMolB41tUWZ1CNv0g5nf-ASxDZ8ZySiCpcPaTLoPZVLXJDeKJvlGcgJZ2Jmik8g/s640/IMG_6476.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…still
spinning somewhere near the cold-blooded Catfish Creek…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOdfPJQkLwTHyQ93kbvCGtc_hulk5DG3dLrl0vSp_Pz5_YuEZji9mU0oMZQGZiUVMu8eNUtgjRdRVKEUmY2NhHV-FYFWu8aHwXD0JZ4jQIRdtc95EvJqEzBbJQ6cQ_Is_3MTzNFy4g-4/s1600/IMG_6570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOdfPJQkLwTHyQ93kbvCGtc_hulk5DG3dLrl0vSp_Pz5_YuEZji9mU0oMZQGZiUVMu8eNUtgjRdRVKEUmY2NhHV-FYFWu8aHwXD0JZ4jQIRdtc95EvJqEzBbJQ6cQ_Is_3MTzNFy4g-4/s640/IMG_6570.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…waiting
patiently for some errant fool with nothing better to do on a winter’s day than
hunt for native ice.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5h9qKoYWI_7TidsWntuGV-yc5TUnUnKN1OaK13Ic4LWrvaWDOOC9C91PlRFYSngnTW5_BVnSZzZVi41WZjEdboyftvvZZi4Y3glQiEaDLOvpD0rIXLznG_CJ6D_kkR6MfFZFI6ogy7hQ/s1600/IMG_6550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5h9qKoYWI_7TidsWntuGV-yc5TUnUnKN1OaK13Ic4LWrvaWDOOC9C91PlRFYSngnTW5_BVnSZzZVi41WZjEdboyftvvZZi4Y3glQiEaDLOvpD0rIXLznG_CJ6D_kkR6MfFZFI6ogy7hQ/s640/IMG_6550.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THAR’S ICE IN
THEM THERE HILLS!</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
caught my first ice of the hunt a few yards down the trail that begins at the
end of Livezy Lane, actually off the trail up a steep embankment into a beech
grove…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwEN8-ScCDCLxK6ua2iVTO6lypzQCY_SD6hszAp5JafntYNALBkR2pfzo3zkgjJIRhsnMaPwYmNCnYNNQuyDBbDiA07CWMreMEwdX-m0vaziUonKE2mAiD-KMuf1McIbHw5U8i0A3hrc/s1600/IMG_6346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwEN8-ScCDCLxK6ua2iVTO6lypzQCY_SD6hszAp5JafntYNALBkR2pfzo3zkgjJIRhsnMaPwYmNCnYNNQuyDBbDiA07CWMreMEwdX-m0vaziUonKE2mAiD-KMuf1McIbHw5U8i0A3hrc/s640/IMG_6346.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…my
first ice of the day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUQRbT-uxqXd_UMGnBmaGm_jAPKkPC7Oqovkpe5FEzNvQeoyRsFHgzIoQV-BZlqD0RQ4wRe9Cl-SiOWZpSyOeN3s3OEHfkzxpC_9fWJvEK-VFs2MU9gcUga4PHe-cKvAnIDsOXWTs_KU/s1600/IMG_6372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUQRbT-uxqXd_UMGnBmaGm_jAPKkPC7Oqovkpe5FEzNvQeoyRsFHgzIoQV-BZlqD0RQ4wRe9Cl-SiOWZpSyOeN3s3OEHfkzxpC_9fWJvEK-VFs2MU9gcUga4PHe-cKvAnIDsOXWTs_KU/s640/IMG_6372.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
the world of cryospherology, this type of ice is called an <i>icicle.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOWOpNJui4JrdHSmHO4AoSFzyVxImmG_86X6sWUObOMTIlJcXnWKWfFo-CEhXz7fH6Y5m2pXIFBdL1rfOs3kGXZ2y8zprXEkqIakMm0cs24Xjqk1yb-djd6nKZ1o899KwhYFqGBDOaAQ/s1600/IMG_6365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOWOpNJui4JrdHSmHO4AoSFzyVxImmG_86X6sWUObOMTIlJcXnWKWfFo-CEhXz7fH6Y5m2pXIFBdL1rfOs3kGXZ2y8zprXEkqIakMm0cs24Xjqk1yb-djd6nKZ1o899KwhYFqGBDOaAQ/s640/IMG_6365.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Its
name comes from its resemblance to a farming tool, something between a pick and
a sickle…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtDhJB6KxU10_QfH3eALxBeVkUbXvMS1kY9BKYBUkbTdDs0v_fRjIfds8Y4n5MgeF3gAtiXccWMill27cunBnvkRBYlw4lTh9HwskKMkJxZjlWe6SSI4G8GosNdeZb1qLs_ARnxLqiaQ/s1600/IMG_6367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtDhJB6KxU10_QfH3eALxBeVkUbXvMS1kY9BKYBUkbTdDs0v_fRjIfds8Y4n5MgeF3gAtiXccWMill27cunBnvkRBYlw4lTh9HwskKMkJxZjlWe6SSI4G8GosNdeZb1qLs_ARnxLqiaQ/s640/IMG_6367.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…something
that can be used as a weapon, if need be.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
icicle is formed when melting water flows from a warm area into a space where the temperatures
are below the freezing point.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKYOawhmWvm5RM4L_NPfVq7fy-xNijZg4Tz9CoFJbnd74n1XEvGtpy0Ds6M9YGpTcnPIGrN46xWFEEQ0b3QlT25ors6AizHtt17zxyCMjbkj1pCSVRXgUa7RmzdqvUCTJ05ilnxEOmmY/s1600/IMG_6351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKYOawhmWvm5RM4L_NPfVq7fy-xNijZg4Tz9CoFJbnd74n1XEvGtpy0Ds6M9YGpTcnPIGrN46xWFEEQ0b3QlT25ors6AizHtt17zxyCMjbkj1pCSVRXgUa7RmzdqvUCTJ05ilnxEOmmY/s640/IMG_6351.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes
it’s just a matter of inches.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">As
the water hits the frozen temperatures, it chills and hardens in mid-current,
although there’s usually just enough transference of heat to melt the surface right
below it…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0PILpZeyQtcI6IaOV0WMAOehZ-JWA2esDlh7LODGMnGS2PKHtTh25dWFo8G6ZxC32DAmnNsMje0-EbF62iP-rrncmcpH3Hat-qHo-YyuToAfUTkDo3jIaOgPSH3aX_OOafswJWeU894/s1600/IMG_6355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0PILpZeyQtcI6IaOV0WMAOehZ-JWA2esDlh7LODGMnGS2PKHtTh25dWFo8G6ZxC32DAmnNsMje0-EbF62iP-rrncmcpH3Hat-qHo-YyuToAfUTkDo3jIaOgPSH3aX_OOafswJWeU894/s640/IMG_6355.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
so, in a very slow and patient pattern, the water still flows…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7HkfYKNei8SpzjeqWukbPtz25EKYfu9kDG5MWKTipa_MWs21V8x3lUvUuNzDgMVPRLXtM0pOz_LoVr_UtPIzRgEhkRYUcNxqkRAgh5bEGOmZuNkUYr7l-KNzbZlShjSIVlFW73v6cW0/s1600/IMG_6360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7HkfYKNei8SpzjeqWukbPtz25EKYfu9kDG5MWKTipa_MWs21V8x3lUvUuNzDgMVPRLXtM0pOz_LoVr_UtPIzRgEhkRYUcNxqkRAgh5bEGOmZuNkUYr7l-KNzbZlShjSIVlFW73v6cW0/s640/IMG_6360.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…although,
to the naked eye, it’s stuck in time.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Stuck in time?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now
that’s what winter feels like to me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now
that’s my kind of vortex.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE WISSAHICKON
FLOE</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Further
down the trail, I came to a place where one of the Wissahickon tributaries
flowed into the main body of the Catfish Creek.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRZs2VsOw_W15fFNpzif20RYKJyiYrpms5QsEi4JglI97VYT42X0MVHUiCybAftw2B-FekhOu1ieSL9Id5XTnD3MpsCaeHxSTFQuLd7CA7W5L-B_2sgtRvMNfu6vLDlcxyP9AM1xgQjg/s1600/IMG_6395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRZs2VsOw_W15fFNpzif20RYKJyiYrpms5QsEi4JglI97VYT42X0MVHUiCybAftw2B-FekhOu1ieSL9Id5XTnD3MpsCaeHxSTFQuLd7CA7W5L-B_2sgtRvMNfu6vLDlcxyP9AM1xgQjg/s640/IMG_6395.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
was loud here, noisy with the sound of running water although, at first glance,
nothing was running…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljyaEP0Mmf6Fde7RdgZVVoIucAjylA5DvFIeOcODXNlFSrwQq8qy46BF2eD2kbK4ydjtxO0f0mX9g_HLeIs_Pbk3bElabLzpXbpP5UBBDc6rYhGYdDSM8J2OU9whXeykMno3kDLOVEQk/s1600/IMG_6557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljyaEP0Mmf6Fde7RdgZVVoIucAjylA5DvFIeOcODXNlFSrwQq8qy46BF2eD2kbK4ydjtxO0f0mX9g_HLeIs_Pbk3bElabLzpXbpP5UBBDc6rYhGYdDSM8J2OU9whXeykMno3kDLOVEQk/s640/IMG_6557.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…everything
as still as a snapshot…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DtGqzJSES9sdHsCbAelhPqewXBKglJ4Y0y3lDzg9kyYE2ydxlnpHDLcXfdZbmQDXjzU8V3p1IQjO6PA_w0kt6f4bx-1FzY7qKTTppB-kbHarLkcdYtP0eIBwtjPof0T5_Ol_UFBPDCU/s1600/IMG_6467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DtGqzJSES9sdHsCbAelhPqewXBKglJ4Y0y3lDzg9kyYE2ydxlnpHDLcXfdZbmQDXjzU8V3p1IQjO6PA_w0kt6f4bx-1FzY7qKTTppB-kbHarLkcdYtP0eIBwtjPof0T5_Ol_UFBPDCU/s640/IMG_6467.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…completely
fixed and frozen.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here,
I found this kind of ice…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3kYRhZe_BJWo5VVDZ94hVSofgqStixmc_d2lJIifRJxHmQPFd2mqidfDVAeSlK8BkUROgt1j8Lig1Tog-kK7Vb1D9vToTvedDQteS057CrvMat5i9t-Tebg-4Iq1GuB0kJm_tfX3pvc/s1600/IMG_6377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3kYRhZe_BJWo5VVDZ94hVSofgqStixmc_d2lJIifRJxHmQPFd2mqidfDVAeSlK8BkUROgt1j8Lig1Tog-kK7Vb1D9vToTvedDQteS057CrvMat5i9t-Tebg-4Iq1GuB0kJm_tfX3pvc/s640/IMG_6377.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…thin
as a dime and frosted with that misty white polish.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
love this kind of ice. It makes a
terrific noise when it shatters.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzH8eWwnHIvirrFMlWT2tH2-i_rdJu4rc0dAPutIx-_8lls8ThrkxYJuzbMeRUbjIn8sI-mNzV9u0rjMfb2quD7TnZuPe9qx2v_efwv8-Zmz4rm7LGc77trhNOFmP3UfR0ADt_B5s6DRg/s1600/IMG_6378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzH8eWwnHIvirrFMlWT2tH2-i_rdJu4rc0dAPutIx-_8lls8ThrkxYJuzbMeRUbjIn8sI-mNzV9u0rjMfb2quD7TnZuPe9qx2v_efwv8-Zmz4rm7LGc77trhNOFmP3UfR0ADt_B5s6DRg/s640/IMG_6378.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Why
is this ice so white?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
air. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Air
caught in between the frozen water…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidw7HCGVu8nxhMLdbYBwuWesGeTtadEM9FsoESlTa-LVm8pir2tbTCfy6GTp6QO7gY1lU97mj11JmzXIB0A7c5dPrEtSgmqKjvlEw-5cRDv111QPQhqXGo_TZbIywQsHESSVVyoZpmAms/s1600/IMG_6382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidw7HCGVu8nxhMLdbYBwuWesGeTtadEM9FsoESlTa-LVm8pir2tbTCfy6GTp6QO7gY1lU97mj11JmzXIB0A7c5dPrEtSgmqKjvlEw-5cRDv111QPQhqXGo_TZbIywQsHESSVVyoZpmAms/s640/IMG_6382.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…trapped
in the polar vortex.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Water
and air…you don’t need much more than that, really, to begin an earth.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">By
Jove, this hunt for ice was really taking me back to the good old days, when
life and science were much simpler.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Water,
air and earth...I got three of the four original elements of the world right
there, in my hands and below my feet.
All I’m missing is <i>fire</i> but I
won’t find that here.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
was Aristotle who added the fifth element, what he called the <i>aether</i>.
The aether was like the air, he said, but unlike the air and the other
elements out there, the aether could not get colder or hotter, wetter or drier.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
was the constant in the universe, that translucent and quintessential quality
that you can sense happening all around you, affecting you, unable to deny and
yet where was it, exactly?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">From
the Greek word for <i>clear sky</i>, the
aether had no contrary or unnatural motion, always propelling forward in
perfect circular motion.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
other words, it was a vortex.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
followed the icy trail, upstream and into higher ground.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9thDWPq8dIHUZBJIJ1HNyCSNRkJSlhXyd7JmcJiscjiALOgMTZ3IIWL66b76hlTyvKpaACtnD3fvjY9F9prPBlfbzM2ta5QCOtLQEEP3iBDDGzosa1_sgz6HCOn3sy7-LPik9iDper1A/s1600/IMG_6462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9thDWPq8dIHUZBJIJ1HNyCSNRkJSlhXyd7JmcJiscjiALOgMTZ3IIWL66b76hlTyvKpaACtnD3fvjY9F9prPBlfbzM2ta5QCOtLQEEP3iBDDGzosa1_sgz6HCOn3sy7-LPik9iDper1A/s640/IMG_6462.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here,
the creek was still running, hollowing out a path under the ice…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH81RdbHXwiuJT2Zw-gh8EaHLBwb2UuvokpsOXkm085syaUBtjIcAO_PJs6VL6xc2MHumSHYocw4Lt4dxcnTq9SrYjCc9WrV12bd0c4seHN1L7mgoDdR0L4MBNFQANPP47qLei_9SvirU/s1600/IMG_6465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH81RdbHXwiuJT2Zw-gh8EaHLBwb2UuvokpsOXkm085syaUBtjIcAO_PJs6VL6xc2MHumSHYocw4Lt4dxcnTq9SrYjCc9WrV12bd0c4seHN1L7mgoDdR0L4MBNFQANPP47qLei_9SvirU/s640/IMG_6465.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…flowing
underneath the frozen temperatures.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
strange to think that a creek, or a river, or any moving body of water could
actually freeze. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
puddle, yes. An ice cube tray, of
course. A lake, sure. Even an ocean at the northernmost,
coldest-most pole of the entire planet, okay.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
a creek? A river? Something that’s always in flow? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6o-4lURNIrbu4jYUmhXtvOfSiZRGs6G0lOMYaf_MkyzPkq-IUv-0eGqMNu2lmwHXEFUN_B_EaBd7N-7sr3qOMy836WcJk-w3ObHmJfbAcze8Rlx-qurQ-YDL9Z0Q3FLKHW932CywsJY/s1600/IMG_6469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6o-4lURNIrbu4jYUmhXtvOfSiZRGs6G0lOMYaf_MkyzPkq-IUv-0eGqMNu2lmwHXEFUN_B_EaBd7N-7sr3qOMy836WcJk-w3ObHmJfbAcze8Rlx-qurQ-YDL9Z0Q3FLKHW932CywsJY/s640/IMG_6469.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
hard to fathom.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
that’s because I’m forgetting one of water’s most mysterious and most
perplexing qualities.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Warmer
water sinks.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
always coldest right on the water’s surface.
That’s why the top of the ice cube always freezes first. That’s also how the fishes survive. They swim to the bottom.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
happening right here at the Catfish Creek…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOj_XJOzq50LauwGIMpbyyCh6ovg5UrndvyKOS-v4w1964ML8hGIClz1Fv6kOa2xlcn8SEY33l7U1IraBZaGXXhA4OueMPbCQrrPphBfKoKu7OBomJC9GZlFxF8A7eiYp7J2JX2WiMAMg/s1600/IMG_6532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOj_XJOzq50LauwGIMpbyyCh6ovg5UrndvyKOS-v4w1964ML8hGIClz1Fv6kOa2xlcn8SEY33l7U1IraBZaGXXhA4OueMPbCQrrPphBfKoKu7OBomJC9GZlFxF8A7eiYp7J2JX2WiMAMg/s640/IMG_6532.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…a
winter kind of water cycle…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FpiUBmnoCKJFk3pWaukMTF8VKVXexhmssxP7aPdNTBY97U1JBYcSf6RpWkSjKI9mIVN0nFvlxBTD1jYhdtvyb7jlQ5DLmK6oI8Ce-l0yJZQU6LPixlbWxc_QG-U0W0kHeuXH_tYKZgs/s1600/IMG_6536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FpiUBmnoCKJFk3pWaukMTF8VKVXexhmssxP7aPdNTBY97U1JBYcSf6RpWkSjKI9mIVN0nFvlxBTD1jYhdtvyb7jlQ5DLmK6oI8Ce-l0yJZQU6LPixlbWxc_QG-U0W0kHeuXH_tYKZgs/s640/IMG_6536.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…a
water factory, </span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">the
polar air and wind creating a surface of ice and then the turbulent creek
melting the ice from the bottom up…</span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNi41MNMn898o3lRLedfpurquYcPVaRq4WR7mNzvPX59vY877_ta1KhRyvXTHDh4HUMCzwU_SbGPy5JLZBmEhRziArXIbZ7dP7-t62ERniAhyPf1GXPzNllW8BpTMdsi-35PdtUw9uY5w/s1600/IMG_6534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNi41MNMn898o3lRLedfpurquYcPVaRq4WR7mNzvPX59vY877_ta1KhRyvXTHDh4HUMCzwU_SbGPy5JLZBmEhRziArXIbZ7dP7-t62ERniAhyPf1GXPzNllW8BpTMdsi-35PdtUw9uY5w/s640/IMG_6534.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…revealing
the crystal nature of water itself, revealing the weird fractals inside the chemical
bond that holds precious water together…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0vwH4ILmCe_sgCr4JOjfnC8VL0DsvEEKA-f3-97zahKYVcFDdEmeWRxZKumqu7DeOzUxp1gc2cMAIHsOuBITFNKRp8X7-huYytaw6RRG51wh0f5Rj7Tf3pNCkyDDwkXFEHsF8qey_eo/s1600/IMG_6544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0vwH4ILmCe_sgCr4JOjfnC8VL0DsvEEKA-f3-97zahKYVcFDdEmeWRxZKumqu7DeOzUxp1gc2cMAIHsOuBITFNKRp8X7-huYytaw6RRG51wh0f5Rj7Tf3pNCkyDDwkXFEHsF8qey_eo/s640/IMG_6544.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…the
outlines of imaginary islands…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoffLJ9cb5P0XOARIRtLt4rb4hQ9KolVY_me0CgeAiBH0Qoh3Y8L87bfKe14cZiUcIFpzFbW9EI-mDi1MvlIQlz5uCyOV7ZZx_XVZUPb_6Q0U_GyV0REXcymlBsxFwFp6cP-XOi-f0oew/s1600/IMG_6542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoffLJ9cb5P0XOARIRtLt4rb4hQ9KolVY_me0CgeAiBH0Qoh3Y8L87bfKe14cZiUcIFpzFbW9EI-mDi1MvlIQlz5uCyOV7ZZx_XVZUPb_6Q0U_GyV0REXcymlBsxFwFp6cP-XOi-f0oew/s640/IMG_6542.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…water
trapped in a vortex, caught in between two phases, ice melting into liquid,
that liquid flowing down the stream right into a bigger patch of ice…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipt6I3buvSBsQoHIbPlSimy3Mumlw4dITKpOT8ErZywjeqG4urY498r4-5VYAzy7BD6K8xyxGNaK7_AZOka_-DpMt8glvryCUNG1gUfLgZNDjzKtXDCcCzA5cDMNW7PcK8RSwYx9TuyfI/s1600/IMG_6448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipt6I3buvSBsQoHIbPlSimy3Mumlw4dITKpOT8ErZywjeqG4urY498r4-5VYAzy7BD6K8xyxGNaK7_AZOka_-DpMt8glvryCUNG1gUfLgZNDjzKtXDCcCzA5cDMNW7PcK8RSwYx9TuyfI/s640/IMG_6448.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…behold! The frozen Catfish Creek.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Frozen
solid.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnVwYYQksqhzcNknDq7rgpFlRkgQgcgLElk2m1nIxUkCXXiCQJkxHr21yntKdZgO8JjdBmtgxxq5liYzCi9N_dnD4ei076eAeS-qY98_sKWvs0WKjsARYnp_RGfNAdHEelrg4JOY_Pew/s1600/IMG_6445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnVwYYQksqhzcNknDq7rgpFlRkgQgcgLElk2m1nIxUkCXXiCQJkxHr21yntKdZgO8JjdBmtgxxq5liYzCi9N_dnD4ei076eAeS-qY98_sKWvs0WKjsARYnp_RGfNAdHEelrg4JOY_Pew/s640/IMG_6445.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
it doesn’t stop there. Ice still
flows. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
the frozen Catfish Creek is still flowing, still running, towards its
destination river…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEf_FPvIkwDYpclEfoFA7LqJobgDgzzT0iEIZeRRB5zyIMrUnonu42JPWO8_ybMivzgIjkBIZXfV0392rUUG02rnEiFkMELn8V9bJnD4wGP_5TJhorUSx1PuKapwJrVkvosWPqCYagQY/s1600/IMG_6609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdEf_FPvIkwDYpclEfoFA7LqJobgDgzzT0iEIZeRRB5zyIMrUnonu42JPWO8_ybMivzgIjkBIZXfV0392rUUG02rnEiFkMELn8V9bJnD4wGP_5TJhorUSx1PuKapwJrVkvosWPqCYagQY/s640/IMG_6609.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…the
frozen Schuylkill River.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
never thought I’d see the day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE BIG THAW</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I walked along the path of the frozen river…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzvNNLfLNE0B2X4wl6dbZeFN469GXxUv0VbGZHCLINdbOEZzWnotzDCQqFNtR8dkeWQjxF2UjqMRZ2qYmKhEfOQEUy2AW7sPW97lbVHyBIH7Ma1jZigVw5XGMJExo9TKXVXV5yN7gcx8/s1600/IMG_6614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzvNNLfLNE0B2X4wl6dbZeFN469GXxUv0VbGZHCLINdbOEZzWnotzDCQqFNtR8dkeWQjxF2UjqMRZ2qYmKhEfOQEUy2AW7sPW97lbVHyBIH7Ma1jZigVw5XGMJExo9TKXVXV5yN7gcx8/s640/IMG_6614.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…although
it was slippery and muddy even on solid ground, still need new sneakers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVDQLaKwrBHShGA78CCs0BERUw2T45h7YUEEFExtX9G_29GSsQrcmLZI_zkt-6SiNZjScIm3F9FuMuFC-1lfdrBVLq9XFaon2l5cDS5wgX2M3SKk6cHHo2Q8dnxzyOh0j8p__ktBKXfU/s1600/IMG_6618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVDQLaKwrBHShGA78CCs0BERUw2T45h7YUEEFExtX9G_29GSsQrcmLZI_zkt-6SiNZjScIm3F9FuMuFC-1lfdrBVLq9XFaon2l5cDS5wgX2M3SKk6cHHo2Q8dnxzyOh0j8p__ktBKXfU/s640/IMG_6618.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
day started out so busy, so full of little things to do, all the tiny details
and upkeep that tend to fill up and complete an ordinary life: footwear,
haircut, toiletries, groceries.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
takes a good patch of ice to bring me back down to earth.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPQcdMKUT-O4GIflxcON4YD9mAvYtkWMgz6wZ_aqTYCehr_CkWHWoqvSGes6k7Zr6TDp-_IqQ4IDU5aa8BTx5qF32DHCAv6dVRQhyphenhyphenArOkiyX5Pw09ZoYGewaxdvdXixnJ6n76JjF_H_0/s1600/IMG_6323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPQcdMKUT-O4GIflxcON4YD9mAvYtkWMgz6wZ_aqTYCehr_CkWHWoqvSGes6k7Zr6TDp-_IqQ4IDU5aa8BTx5qF32DHCAv6dVRQhyphenhyphenArOkiyX5Pw09ZoYGewaxdvdXixnJ6n76JjF_H_0/s640/IMG_6323.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Life
must’ve been so much simpler when there were only five building blocks to the
universe. Earth, air, fire, water…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrMbehuzWigCOR1-Gqkn3yGZPvtu5_ZDZ9ITXHR5CJoi7csOHMBRt4feBrqIfDbU9_J320sOWAv7WHG0dF3tu5bJlGcYWr_v1PB2kuR0BrSyCd7R3r8mvFPpqAyLgmeNSuskdaF7LlS4/s1600/IMG_6325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnrMbehuzWigCOR1-Gqkn3yGZPvtu5_ZDZ9ITXHR5CJoi7csOHMBRt4feBrqIfDbU9_J320sOWAv7WHG0dF3tu5bJlGcYWr_v1PB2kuR0BrSyCd7R3r8mvFPpqAyLgmeNSuskdaF7LlS4/s640/IMG_6325.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
that mysterious aether, just to keep things interesting.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now,
just a few miles away, the Buddhists took those building blocks and added four
more: color, smell, taste and nutriment.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Man,
those Buddhists. They always take it to
the next level. They were always
concerned with adding the human experience to the physical world.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
other classical scientists and philosophers tried to understand the basic world
as if we were separate from the elements…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKJ4MqRdAnC_DYoIsG0ftGvKK-RJcw9u-8uKDbo9ioAP6leFtRhxDtMXUwu_osv2VW6RtPjPx3QePnWfO-gLHRZIRNSjDIPYkPlLMoRZ0g-WAVajIiDt_vRy9q6BLkeRE13j9hlj4ol4/s1600/IMG_6321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKJ4MqRdAnC_DYoIsG0ftGvKK-RJcw9u-8uKDbo9ioAP6leFtRhxDtMXUwu_osv2VW6RtPjPx3QePnWfO-gLHRZIRNSjDIPYkPlLMoRZ0g-WAVajIiDt_vRy9q6BLkeRE13j9hlj4ol4/s640/IMG_6321.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…as
if their own observations had no effect on the very nature of what they were
observing…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H9u55ON-7qPl_eg5N2bXyDojkAVQiiEEAFtigFbekLXkuE8DQCD6rqAbt9Ov6p92p-5ApNrQ34UrCQoVOzp_FYLAdGK3JQobBaT7BcZw55ryUlBmbsSI1THa7E5H4n22nRUACfc03zc/s1600/IMG_6622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H9u55ON-7qPl_eg5N2bXyDojkAVQiiEEAFtigFbekLXkuE8DQCD6rqAbt9Ov6p92p-5ApNrQ34UrCQoVOzp_FYLAdGK3JQobBaT7BcZw55ryUlBmbsSI1THa7E5H4n22nRUACfc03zc/s640/IMG_6622.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…as
if the eye, the ear, the hands and the mind could never alter the Thing itself.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Face
to face with the biggest patch of ice I’ve ever seen, I guess I fall somewhere
in between.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
do like figuring out the way the natural world works without any interference
from the human experience…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYO9-CzvrbHCOQLuGq_Q0KDrpktAF1vsv9vfGJa6EElDjdPrtitAdSDJEPwJX02038prALyODie7aUHVdR0mCr5WWJYsE2Xhluhw7pAlvyyGYOBvWndRoGWt0E8JC-9DHxM8Zuh-GUXA/s1600/IMG_6623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYO9-CzvrbHCOQLuGq_Q0KDrpktAF1vsv9vfGJa6EElDjdPrtitAdSDJEPwJX02038prALyODie7aUHVdR0mCr5WWJYsE2Xhluhw7pAlvyyGYOBvWndRoGWt0E8JC-9DHxM8Zuh-GUXA/s640/IMG_6623.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
I also thrill at the chance of getting dirty with it…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeUGhUbYDnKy4JOqMYLHVQqRaGcng8yl2eGS5triHjjwd0RWXVwLD869hedcFLBxScecpN976X7qeNvtsFija5LPufjtab6ZS9xa6UBaFd2W5R5IQAvAfnJL_CddXf0EATnUOjLw_QJA/s1600/IMG_6624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeUGhUbYDnKy4JOqMYLHVQqRaGcng8yl2eGS5triHjjwd0RWXVwLD869hedcFLBxScecpN976X7qeNvtsFija5LPufjtab6ZS9xa6UBaFd2W5R5IQAvAfnJL_CddXf0EATnUOjLw_QJA/s640/IMG_6624.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…even
taking it home with me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgZUx1tp2IBOyPxeHeuNqG7H4NYXT7FDTE_r9dJM4pAAqY7KZfjE6JXeWq0-eMao4uvRDloxO7wQ0vgwg3G3n4Ffn9TPMDtGfjS6xTqrN554ESMOLm4HOafWUUNS1iv9YnYakMans6EY/s1600/IMG_6639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgZUx1tp2IBOyPxeHeuNqG7H4NYXT7FDTE_r9dJM4pAAqY7KZfjE6JXeWq0-eMao4uvRDloxO7wQ0vgwg3G3n4Ffn9TPMDtGfjS6xTqrN554ESMOLm4HOafWUUNS1iv9YnYakMans6EY/s640/IMG_6639.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
too easy to think of ice as something frozen, something still and motionless.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Holding
it in your hands, it becomes pretty clear.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fIUme-dA67AX2CHrMC5X7fsBexbIIZxdGUA5TDo-8QVRT2DIupzENMs7-8Fsw2G6cX4rRNlOPAI8P-y6-2E4GJqbAe44ydF_nJqYoXH2Bdq1Vj5qn69ZkkMXD1sE3HKfusvE0XtXCfY/s1600/IMG_6649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fIUme-dA67AX2CHrMC5X7fsBexbIIZxdGUA5TDo-8QVRT2DIupzENMs7-8Fsw2G6cX4rRNlOPAI8P-y6-2E4GJqbAe44ydF_nJqYoXH2Bdq1Vj5qn69ZkkMXD1sE3HKfusvE0XtXCfY/s640/IMG_6649.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ice
flows.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEE3TTSt1U_U2wa1DpTHUmTKb7oVcPQyHJnX1YCfuiGRYxv02qMJsCwhQ5dUKSNxNCzvSxPFLU83Kg-ntKpVF_fWOOQjV78S2D1Vu5nFKK1j5U9dIhArpEHx55WSA-PB4kkoWSq7AKLM/s1600/IMG_6655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEE3TTSt1U_U2wa1DpTHUmTKb7oVcPQyHJnX1YCfuiGRYxv02qMJsCwhQ5dUKSNxNCzvSxPFLU83Kg-ntKpVF_fWOOQjV78S2D1Vu5nFKK1j5U9dIhArpEHx55WSA-PB4kkoWSq7AKLM/s640/IMG_6655.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
lot of things become pretty clear when you’re confronted with native ice.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Face
to face with ice, it’s very obvious which one of us in this room is the one
that’s actually frozen.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
keep thinking that a busy schedule means I’m actually doing something. I keep being fooled by Forward Momentum.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
cross things off the list and I keep thinking that I’ve done something,
accomplished something.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every
time I wake up in the morning, I keep convincing myself it’s a new day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every
time I fill up my gas tank, I keep thinking that I must’ve been somewhere.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every
time I find a new pair of sneakers, I’m under the illusion that I’m moving
forward.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
really I am the one that’s frozen…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiPz4xM25kVbWsU-uu08PyCB6-rsQn5QR7dZMD5XphxA-LNsyniEzs2kkIB657fzd8eWzdvDCdHBvU4u8RfPvRE53nouQEwUEEg-qzk0Em8u5zLcbB9QPlYqC9DJk-998PNpRw1L9ypo/s1600/IMG_6647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiPz4xM25kVbWsU-uu08PyCB6-rsQn5QR7dZMD5XphxA-LNsyniEzs2kkIB657fzd8eWzdvDCdHBvU4u8RfPvRE53nouQEwUEEg-qzk0Em8u5zLcbB9QPlYqC9DJk-998PNpRw1L9ypo/s640/IMG_6647.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…frozen
into a schedule, frozen into a calendar…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghBVhQld6nq5PXBGBM3b4-KuQbJWmrFWiRmqngclkPEIb6VJTI4lZ3qRbMB369t3c-vy4N76qOybjybEdGaceDs-PtJDaY9vZhrdUUQiOf5B1_lWcBOpNlWe8ko7P7Kc_SL6q5obcoBo/s1600/IMG_6646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghBVhQld6nq5PXBGBM3b4-KuQbJWmrFWiRmqngclkPEIb6VJTI4lZ3qRbMB369t3c-vy4N76qOybjybEdGaceDs-PtJDaY9vZhrdUUQiOf5B1_lWcBOpNlWe8ko7P7Kc_SL6q5obcoBo/s640/IMG_6646.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…stuck
in such a large vortex that I cannot even fathom what it must be like on the
other side…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvfkLh5gx8_v0I5k-5fuY15xiQIzj6v-_Le62jCtFD_2CG8Rpt2LUwWVR_TbERLqtBt8wfbokybDPEREHz-xTl8elU1KCVRKqslljrFksz7r1o9gWbsjkGXjT0B86eOkKjGqQxVPvUkg/s1600/IMG_6660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvfkLh5gx8_v0I5k-5fuY15xiQIzj6v-_Le62jCtFD_2CG8Rpt2LUwWVR_TbERLqtBt8wfbokybDPEREHz-xTl8elU1KCVRKqslljrFksz7r1o9gWbsjkGXjT0B86eOkKjGqQxVPvUkg/s640/IMG_6660.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…although
I’d like to think it’s much more basic, much more elemental.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcBqMRe3N_s9l99ES_te1JqrLpFOqq4WCpY6NUtFJpqXuWKrK8b2OUYXCsxCWp5db7eyRszJfZOKbpYcMJ5ZnXnJCbp3uoDhOdVZQjhCd4EgocytZhyphenhyphenGC89uDLtpIVOkeO9sp52XoWlo/s1600/IMG_6659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcBqMRe3N_s9l99ES_te1JqrLpFOqq4WCpY6NUtFJpqXuWKrK8b2OUYXCsxCWp5db7eyRszJfZOKbpYcMJ5ZnXnJCbp3uoDhOdVZQjhCd4EgocytZhyphenhyphenGC89uDLtpIVOkeO9sp52XoWlo/s640/IMG_6659.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
would think it’d be easy, to just go with the flow, whether it’s a freeze or a
thaw…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HLr6ERpEgeWyABWLhXaQQgsy-KkC-p_KK86MV3ldJRtbd5COe3WkiIi2UrFOSP-t0bGd8AsAVSuEc7OaGLJ3airIe1AFfXRDvC3Poq6ETS5CatjhuVnq8sWLoxbKYBDJWLSNVq1Feyg/s1600/IMG_6663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HLr6ERpEgeWyABWLhXaQQgsy-KkC-p_KK86MV3ldJRtbd5COe3WkiIi2UrFOSP-t0bGd8AsAVSuEc7OaGLJ3airIe1AFfXRDvC3Poq6ETS5CatjhuVnq8sWLoxbKYBDJWLSNVq1Feyg/s640/IMG_6663.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but,
brother, nothing’s easy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nothing’s
ever easy, especially down here, way down here in the polar vortex.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-64842571340963541212013-12-25T19:12:00.000-08:002013-12-25T20:02:21.709-08:00THE AMERICAN ILEX<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>It’s coming on
Christmas, they’re cutting down trees…</i>Joni Mitchell</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZB9OPEhqWAExIhTri2wSVOwZOMR5D9xEnuQ85vppnRoAb-XMf4C2Kkl_TH9Sb00in3et4HPWhZGHw5PHNmcMOanJHZChzfMWHHUtiKe5QvouFrtVnntnohHtaFE5jxa8y5-g_c5kH8o/s1600/IMG_6211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZB9OPEhqWAExIhTri2wSVOwZOMR5D9xEnuQ85vppnRoAb-XMf4C2Kkl_TH9Sb00in3et4HPWhZGHw5PHNmcMOanJHZChzfMWHHUtiKe5QvouFrtVnntnohHtaFE5jxa8y5-g_c5kH8o/s640/IMG_6211.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Don’t
you wish every morning could be like Christmas morning?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">T’is
the season…waking up in the cozy warmth of a comfy bed, the birds singing in
the bare branches outside the urban cabin window, the weather brisk and frosty…the
beginning of the season of the evergreens, the Long Snow Moon still hovering in
the cold, cloud-bare sky.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Nothing
like jumping out of bed on Christmas morning.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
know many people use this morning to linger around the house, clad in pajamas
and wool socks, big mugs of hot coffee in their hands, lounging on the couches,
but like most procrastinators, I had a busy morning ahead of me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
couldn’t put it off any longer so I headed down to Center City, to Love Park’s
annual Christmas Village, for a little last minute holiday shopping.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdb_1JuLc_eOOvk21nZXR_m69MSQDOlsiXP9EA8EbzjD3qyN32xEoUpaB40aHx9I-tqLvJzfBWDY-LqLygsvjj-VwRG6WpX2qCCBVwIejvkuv5Wa_Q52IKiG0foW0RzctLkxPd-m1VV_0/s1600/IMG_6226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdb_1JuLc_eOOvk21nZXR_m69MSQDOlsiXP9EA8EbzjD3qyN32xEoUpaB40aHx9I-tqLvJzfBWDY-LqLygsvjj-VwRG6WpX2qCCBVwIejvkuv5Wa_Q52IKiG0foW0RzctLkxPd-m1VV_0/s640/IMG_6226.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Oh
no.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
happened? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
place was deserted, all locked up, not a single soul in sight…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKlOBJZ1CnDENicXyEH2SVsCiGR_Oyrxj0JaEbZ1PrbWNEVDYRjt4ZRFLyBov4sOoGIFnd9Lbz6YR9tWdDne7nfUxGJIT4BB8oFAdoFfH3KEhyphenhyphenz0_L6MrQf7fWFTgg0d14i7zWOIUwQ4/s1600/IMG_6233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixKlOBJZ1CnDENicXyEH2SVsCiGR_Oyrxj0JaEbZ1PrbWNEVDYRjt4ZRFLyBov4sOoGIFnd9Lbz6YR9tWdDne7nfUxGJIT4BB8oFAdoFfH3KEhyphenhyphenz0_L6MrQf7fWFTgg0d14i7zWOIUwQ4/s640/IMG_6233.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…not
even the faintest sound of cheer or music.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrMnrVKu92dLfhcTBA_UXXlBQM4RIhoQT1GOAilb8be94NdTkGcAfTEfP4y_N-bDHyAacUGagrC0HYgTbaRaREH_koyWK06TLB58MMakFDkRLRoImuYCC-8NLv-pJhjfaie4H5Kl2neA/s1600/IMG_6232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrMnrVKu92dLfhcTBA_UXXlBQM4RIhoQT1GOAilb8be94NdTkGcAfTEfP4y_N-bDHyAacUGagrC0HYgTbaRaREH_koyWK06TLB58MMakFDkRLRoImuYCC-8NLv-pJhjfaie4H5Kl2neA/s640/IMG_6232.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Where
was I going to get all my trinkets and knick-knacks? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Where
was I supposed to buy my giant chocolate Santa?
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">How
was I supposed to decorate the interior landscape of my urban cabin if all the
shops are closed?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Where
did Christmas go?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0GRm5F3-Da-hfl6UrFdk2vBWB-V3-EeAkSrcmx_q7V3z3RqiUOf6-n9RjwsoobQse_ljq2IJfgMpWMm1gwZkR0dE_tAuoVNxsnEDZTZyrI5OZ7lpchU7ycBAEMBO6GgJnizutMUEg_w/s1600/IMG_6227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0GRm5F3-Da-hfl6UrFdk2vBWB-V3-EeAkSrcmx_q7V3z3RqiUOf6-n9RjwsoobQse_ljq2IJfgMpWMm1gwZkR0dE_tAuoVNxsnEDZTZyrI5OZ7lpchU7ycBAEMBO6GgJnizutMUEg_w/s640/IMG_6227.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mom,
this time it’s not my fault.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Perhaps
I could salvage some part of the holiday.
Around the corner, on the west side of the park, there were still
Christmas trees lined up along the walkway…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHW0dPHLzSex4UhxCJfaD_-CqiCsOAdH4GOSzxOjGqooxg4xZkqEXhKaq7cFkMjVQfycxNldXuDZobZfdeUDa9HpIGVX9ZN-CaIvaFl5FuOtK8C4dsOctR87QbmJrKbCYlHetz7Mn5ds/s1600/IMG_6215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHW0dPHLzSex4UhxCJfaD_-CqiCsOAdH4GOSzxOjGqooxg4xZkqEXhKaq7cFkMjVQfycxNldXuDZobZfdeUDa9HpIGVX9ZN-CaIvaFl5FuOtK8C4dsOctR87QbmJrKbCYlHetz7Mn5ds/s640/IMG_6215.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…ye
olde favorites like the noble fir and the Alberta spruce but nobody was
scheduled this morning to sell me a tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
guess they overslept, just my luck.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
the ground at the end of the row, I saw evidence of the feeding frenzy that I
must’ve missed…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53fAkw-UTcGTbgUgAko8RMdB2pwc0brfvgMTN0s3D97sk-xKsE1nBYVQmgrHJBjhmv0lvz4cLLn2akK7wIj0Z430oOpE4SYAtq4cutIjS19BVCtZo2gL8Qc_q4obrWjM9w-KqBb_eAaQ/s1600/IMG_6216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53fAkw-UTcGTbgUgAko8RMdB2pwc0brfvgMTN0s3D97sk-xKsE1nBYVQmgrHJBjhmv0lvz4cLLn2akK7wIj0Z430oOpE4SYAtq4cutIjS19BVCtZo2gL8Qc_q4obrWjM9w-KqBb_eAaQ/s640/IMG_6216.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…scatterings
of fir branches frosted to the mud.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Unlike
the spruce, the fir grows its green needles in a flat spray along the branches,
much like a comb, bluish-white stripes on the underside…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSolL1cVcztvnxUAKbXYq9j8B62a9S2zg6dq0uKwEu1uo-Lg1_aI1ThWrL2PBM3mNOB5chP6g85tuvXX0zxroGUEgMpKix61jU4p17ztch5fwR_BYJ9PsOumBIROxeZBfrns11uGYJ5s/s1600/IMG_6224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSolL1cVcztvnxUAKbXYq9j8B62a9S2zg6dq0uKwEu1uo-Lg1_aI1ThWrL2PBM3mNOB5chP6g85tuvXX0zxroGUEgMpKix61jU4p17ztch5fwR_BYJ9PsOumBIROxeZBfrns11uGYJ5s/s640/IMG_6224.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…sold
here, four dollars a bundle, if anyone was here, that is, to take my money and
save my holiday.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Oh
well. The season is long, the winter has
just begun and it’s like Thoreau once said: <i>there’s
always next year.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGLR8502B5817hXnNb3pQY6D27BONdv-vENRKvL1tTBPP6e7yKcVYVxAT4nrHqfqoP_hLKTOXRimIy_r_fDNT-JtNbq04Rkscjn2__ntliTIf1aqcUOik2dC8ecpTTEv031KOeVsGpKI/s1600/IMG_6225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGLR8502B5817hXnNb3pQY6D27BONdv-vENRKvL1tTBPP6e7yKcVYVxAT4nrHqfqoP_hLKTOXRimIy_r_fDNT-JtNbq04Rkscjn2__ntliTIf1aqcUOik2dC8ecpTTEv031KOeVsGpKI/s640/IMG_6225.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
must’ve said that once in his life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE SEASON OF
THE EVERGREENS</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Around
this time every year, I am reminded that I missed my true calling in life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
my one big regret.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
I could do it all over again, I would’ve pursued a different, more lucrative
career.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’d
be an agent.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My
dream client? That’s easy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’d
be the evergreens.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEytzXeeDh3UBoxhPaQKC1obGesETNIQwxwI34Mm_TdUbgp6orwIV-7vcufibG4AvYyoEUgkTvGtETRfKujn59nOrvMVGcH5H9HWlA6uQh3S54foPdjM2P2x6GUc-VUQZC3ehjvn9gwQ/s1600/IMG_6078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEytzXeeDh3UBoxhPaQKC1obGesETNIQwxwI34Mm_TdUbgp6orwIV-7vcufibG4AvYyoEUgkTvGtETRfKujn59nOrvMVGcH5H9HWlA6uQh3S54foPdjM2P2x6GUc-VUQZC3ehjvn9gwQ/s640/IMG_6078.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Around
this time every year, more than any other living thing on the planet, the
evergreens are exploited and capitalized, merchandized and commercialized up
and down every street in every big city and small town all across Turtle Island…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHk-wRJJ8r8ooeSb4loFeprUp5VUNit2XCjm0XGkgYxqqfKbuWB50ditlx6i2Hq0Ay0lv7yPjiQeHy_5iKPWVcxrM4YmBg2_0m1OIXlig3osLLAhAS6UPk-M95_la2u-mkPVgnLzhOebE/s1600/IMG_6110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHk-wRJJ8r8ooeSb4loFeprUp5VUNit2XCjm0XGkgYxqqfKbuWB50ditlx6i2Hq0Ay0lv7yPjiQeHy_5iKPWVcxrM4YmBg2_0m1OIXlig3osLLAhAS6UPk-M95_la2u-mkPVgnLzhOebE/s640/IMG_6110.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…turning
a profit for every business from Thanksgiving to Christmas…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhFBfjAZhEoH8F857DSdCh_4SUi0t_eXoEciq0jBFzGYUOBsR-MT3hm7UMdFmA94Fx_SSaQ_NNUW9s_OtEUbVXoFqm-qYFUBQbQ4I9EjP2Xn1_Mbbe8kv8SdhdBRP0tL6Z3eRS4ovy7k/s1600/IMG_6165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhFBfjAZhEoH8F857DSdCh_4SUi0t_eXoEciq0jBFzGYUOBsR-MT3hm7UMdFmA94Fx_SSaQ_NNUW9s_OtEUbVXoFqm-qYFUBQbQ4I9EjP2Xn1_Mbbe8kv8SdhdBRP0tL6Z3eRS4ovy7k/s640/IMG_6165.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
never seeing a dime for themselves.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
not right.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
need some sort of representation, some sort of brand standard, some sense of
copyright because, right now, it’s a mess.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
evergreens are used to sell everything and anything…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGGJs_BPWr9xVGU9I__F3JLo1cohVMAQ04q3iA8UalgiTAQQstLthD37uQXVDwe6rDyn81_B6zhGXeCejs7xMQuSYn5mf2hiEITGnRS6_RhnmLPoQ8wd6M91WvAPY1iACUKNREGTXI9c/s1600/IMG_6170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGGJs_BPWr9xVGU9I__F3JLo1cohVMAQ04q3iA8UalgiTAQQstLthD37uQXVDwe6rDyn81_B6zhGXeCejs7xMQuSYn5mf2hiEITGnRS6_RhnmLPoQ8wd6M91WvAPY1iACUKNREGTXI9c/s640/IMG_6170.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…sporting
goods, winter gear, even high fashion…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwrrvJeo2Hd33HxUWDS9vpxv0j1Yu0OQrFebfIXlqDcemfwo-scTMdePwYbcv9KiRuQuIbprbZlnOZisJCYWtJ_7cjj5f2TbdKafHD8jNfnM3DSj1NZgFaoCgmuABZ8LfdYnVcsOm2pM/s1600/IMG_6171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwrrvJeo2Hd33HxUWDS9vpxv0j1Yu0OQrFebfIXlqDcemfwo-scTMdePwYbcv9KiRuQuIbprbZlnOZisJCYWtJ_7cjj5f2TbdKafHD8jNfnM3DSj1NZgFaoCgmuABZ8LfdYnVcsOm2pM/s640/IMG_6171.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
then, right around the corner, there they are again, hawking everything from
big buckets of popcorn…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bclwIk2bffto6r8IhXY-Shh1-1IWzKe5kcMOow2JGk-pTkTkjo0f7wf1YZ5Wj6XVWLtXoZGd20ctkySx4QFc7rMW_mqZI07AyOzWPFKBruZNlfl5dOSCRQUZ7272rwQdUdk2yTr89vs/s1600/IMG_5946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bclwIk2bffto6r8IhXY-Shh1-1IWzKe5kcMOow2JGk-pTkTkjo0f7wf1YZ5Wj6XVWLtXoZGd20ctkySx4QFc7rMW_mqZI07AyOzWPFKBruZNlfl5dOSCRQUZ7272rwQdUdk2yTr89vs/s640/IMG_5946.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…to
seasonal doormats…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfDZ-p0bT261JtYlBH2xh91vf828f6cevZZPgy9vKaicNf6Njp3EH3ppJmIZ8zGBdivg1VAfb841RZCsQ8dp5DgOv4niF6LD5zhw-AJ0f8k6TiNMO_72zAFeZPwmOM11Nd0DJRbuXf5U/s1600/IMG_5949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfDZ-p0bT261JtYlBH2xh91vf828f6cevZZPgy9vKaicNf6Njp3EH3ppJmIZ8zGBdivg1VAfb841RZCsQ8dp5DgOv4niF6LD5zhw-AJ0f8k6TiNMO_72zAFeZPwmOM11Nd0DJRbuXf5U/s640/IMG_5949.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…to
local peppermint paddy candy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZagHcUONEwq9BSMg_X8oBH2oYsfIFf2wDq8QRT50FAbpD7BTeLORsd9mhoJlSCFxw-5nTF4ONKyCaA7JCOwDYDFpXi_S_ALpdqlMyRCFtkLxTrA1t66c0cdPq0ONZytWL3yFqMMOv9g/s1600/IMG_5945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZagHcUONEwq9BSMg_X8oBH2oYsfIFf2wDq8QRT50FAbpD7BTeLORsd9mhoJlSCFxw-5nTF4ONKyCaA7JCOwDYDFpXi_S_ALpdqlMyRCFtkLxTrA1t66c0cdPq0ONZytWL3yFqMMOv9g/s640/IMG_5945.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
gets worse.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Without
any representation protecting their brand and their image, the door is wide
open for cheap knockoffs.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5hi-Sb_JhuFuHmW4KcERtfo8hzpdDVHJDEznwfGE7v4fRtA8sDv3UDv-glktoLr1EgzFSoubzS9QQKsbXY-44zXCbWgiHml2rbU9Sm7tg78HdaqmJ1Jth1ybOuB5ls4MwnNTzUXuMlY/s1600/IMG_6076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5hi-Sb_JhuFuHmW4KcERtfo8hzpdDVHJDEznwfGE7v4fRtA8sDv3UDv-glktoLr1EgzFSoubzS9QQKsbXY-44zXCbWgiHml2rbU9Sm7tg78HdaqmJ1Jth1ybOuB5ls4MwnNTzUXuMlY/s640/IMG_6076.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Just
what in Sam Hill is that?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
red evergreen?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzDYE9R15lupqZ2GeobrIjnBPli0d-Zrm5ZgviMywIcJjA3aDE4SF0OKp2PAH_jXaeHQD3MCFnX_Y546N5EQPwV1JK3Eozvcy5fqAWJRdlShyRwD1uxY8VlUOhgmOx6T78n2X6ib5wPU/s1600/IMG_6073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzDYE9R15lupqZ2GeobrIjnBPli0d-Zrm5ZgviMywIcJjA3aDE4SF0OKp2PAH_jXaeHQD3MCFnX_Y546N5EQPwV1JK3Eozvcy5fqAWJRdlShyRwD1uxY8VlUOhgmOx6T78n2X6ib5wPU/s640/IMG_6073.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That's not kosher.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And, of all the evergreens out there, none need my protection more than the holly.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No other tree gets the short shrift like the holly. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is not a new problem. Even Donald
Culross Peattie, writing in 1950, addresses the problem: <i>conservation of the Christmas holly from destruction will never be
settled until the public stops buying more than it needs, and the law begins to
police the market.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
market has never waned from its hunger for holly.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
a sad fate for a truly spectacular tree. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Relegated
and appreciated for only a few weeks out of the year, the holly is one of our
most fascinating and most mystical trees and yet it’s used and over-used,
suckered and hoodwinked to sell the tawdry and the tacky…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkEj79yg5ZHENiqNEf4bIIb4XQ0uB0553KIQn9y2Pnm-cPFqrbSjT1HNTWM1V3olqOy11KHgAjD7P0XxReEcntpz_mRSJ5MBybHspmE5CgvVf3bOBY5EGm1R6NhS9ANHsDMbXvCxrbrY/s1600/IMG_6094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkEj79yg5ZHENiqNEf4bIIb4XQ0uB0553KIQn9y2Pnm-cPFqrbSjT1HNTWM1V3olqOy11KHgAjD7P0XxReEcntpz_mRSJ5MBybHspmE5CgvVf3bOBY5EGm1R6NhS9ANHsDMbXvCxrbrY/s640/IMG_6094.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…its
current reputation downgraded to a garnish and a festoon, instead of being
regarded as the mighty, fabulous totem it deserves to be.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Exhibit
A? This little piece of chicanery…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqvqsbTASnB1t36lN9kEoqbcd171eK2ToDAirstjnhqHD4CHAwKfphKtJPuSpdDOKDf7EKwzWMJVizOCVanoWajbY6ewQvl3eyP3kx_we8K8G4D1sji_bXHdoMG-XuoDRc2Pieuozjjs/s1600/IMG_6091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqvqsbTASnB1t36lN9kEoqbcd171eK2ToDAirstjnhqHD4CHAwKfphKtJPuSpdDOKDf7EKwzWMJVizOCVanoWajbY6ewQvl3eyP3kx_we8K8G4D1sji_bXHdoMG-XuoDRc2Pieuozjjs/s640/IMG_6091.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…holly
leaves adorning a coffee cup.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Coffee? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That's all wrong.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
not the hot black drink that the holly is normally associated with and, somewhere
high in the Spirit Clouds, the Turtle Clan Chief is having a good laugh
over that one.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ll
tell you why.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
time to go holly hunting.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>“FULL IN LEAF,
BRIGHT IN BERRY…”</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hollies
aren’t that difficult to find here in the city but you still have to know where
to look.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
rare to see them used as a street tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like
most good street trees, it can survive without the chance of low branches taking up valuable parking spaces…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3SSFTu56-xo-VJCuBCxwY5PIGYqzVjeLOsMCu0CSyAFf3alLcarNk7IkNUIqFFbpr8z5_ItV3TJNdXOyPUwoGthojFng3jwtKKZ1WHpCsXy2mgRK6M6O9bebarr2sh8VBom37Ay7dZo/s1600/IMG_6039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF3SSFTu56-xo-VJCuBCxwY5PIGYqzVjeLOsMCu0CSyAFf3alLcarNk7IkNUIqFFbpr8z5_ItV3TJNdXOyPUwoGthojFng3jwtKKZ1WHpCsXy2mgRK6M6O9bebarr2sh8VBom37Ay7dZo/s640/IMG_6039.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but
those tough, spiky leaves are too much of an obstacle on the way from car to
sidewalk.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
the kind of the thing you want to bump into after a hard day at the rat-race.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NWI6KxyrqZ2hsJmQg9a4GEnOO3sQE8wrKeg33BaIw8SvIw-qvGgfb2TEUuebLDdQi2lUksAUa06ru8EzkJYPUotT-YWyzIoxZb_4Y5DJD-axTAV16dosjxUdbZ3CoHTbrkBs7wPGGiI/s1600/IMG_6041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NWI6KxyrqZ2hsJmQg9a4GEnOO3sQE8wrKeg33BaIw8SvIw-qvGgfb2TEUuebLDdQi2lUksAUa06ru8EzkJYPUotT-YWyzIoxZb_4Y5DJD-axTAV16dosjxUdbZ3CoHTbrkBs7wPGGiI/s640/IMG_6041.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Instead,
most hollies in this city can be found like this…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjw95gP1Zvcgwh77I4RtvIc6xUihCCWMAStQmhwjiMFvIYqmRx8RgCWNm8OSiYySRiiMJ2EpbS7LI7XuZ078xrlqI42sW-cyXYSWTo1FRM3Xec8yCOReHZpFYJIXD_HVyy2i3rKn8sFU/s1600/IMG_6197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjw95gP1Zvcgwh77I4RtvIc6xUihCCWMAStQmhwjiMFvIYqmRx8RgCWNm8OSiYySRiiMJ2EpbS7LI7XuZ078xrlqI42sW-cyXYSWTo1FRM3Xec8yCOReHZpFYJIXD_HVyy2i3rKn8sFU/s640/IMG_6197.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…as
part of the stone-slabbed, porcelain-potted, bike-racked landscapes commonly called
<i>business parks</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
type of landscape started popping up here on Turtle Island in the 1950s, conceived
as adult playgrounds for the state-sanctioned daily recesses, the kind of
playground where clothes don’t get dirty, designed with the bagged lunch and
the quick smoke in mind.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
parks have always been friendly and welcoming to the holly…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6eChVV6UcTeS8bSCUhZNRcYi4LD1tBpHC2z3hPuATQB4iZOtKDUmJfA1c68vBuQvmXC5BBFGeA0x1eQgaDGHAy0ctUXsWEfz8F-orvIVmkzV-9vNwFxgWVGzMYSMUfyHXNAa52zWcCq4/s1600/IMG_6204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6eChVV6UcTeS8bSCUhZNRcYi4LD1tBpHC2z3hPuATQB4iZOtKDUmJfA1c68vBuQvmXC5BBFGeA0x1eQgaDGHAy0ctUXsWEfz8F-orvIVmkzV-9vNwFxgWVGzMYSMUfyHXNAa52zWcCq4/s640/IMG_6204.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…appreciated
for the color it provides even during the coldest, shortest days of winter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWo-7bu-jk82-QOVGdcK6kqw5Tv5hSmxPRZCQ-wUdHVMDI6J8xst0ltCKKS5qcHXdW9o_EsbYtaYgrAlZWQd-U0m0vFQORTYR-2CZgkQa-nLlqC5KtCEuD13RorcbAdykC3_0t1CKRLk/s1600/IMG_6207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWo-7bu-jk82-QOVGdcK6kqw5Tv5hSmxPRZCQ-wUdHVMDI6J8xst0ltCKKS5qcHXdW9o_EsbYtaYgrAlZWQd-U0m0vFQORTYR-2CZgkQa-nLlqC5KtCEuD13RorcbAdykC3_0t1CKRLk/s640/IMG_6207.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Actually, most city parks will host a holly or two, none more remarkable than
Rittenhouse Park.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Every
corner of Rittenhouse Park is guarded by a pair of hollies.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcraeTlR7jf2ZRG8sPDqr1_QTm7EHInrhqViE1xTbtVh-92CuiRVDqSRtGktUXQl2nUvzCInh-bX65HRYHRyyNNUzybxLa6nyDYP9oUr25VFqBrFEBL1n3DN-WXrMLcELrWE06GEnEIU/s1600/IMG_6173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzcraeTlR7jf2ZRG8sPDqr1_QTm7EHInrhqViE1xTbtVh-92CuiRVDqSRtGktUXQl2nUvzCInh-bX65HRYHRyyNNUzybxLa6nyDYP9oUr25VFqBrFEBL1n3DN-WXrMLcELrWE06GEnEIU/s640/IMG_6173.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My
favorite pair?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
two pyramids that tower over the southwestern corner…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEToQJTyULZu5nOrMkJRgBzeSsrLtyJvV8nj0qbxJgNhyphenhyphenwLcmJW5HrRejqREul49LOACv2l6hl2zYR8DeY2ABNYeUETHy4SDUbDB-ehRYsDUgEdoRrTuMo9TD6Gwf7dgCt4LHQEqzKtBY/s1600/IMG_6152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEToQJTyULZu5nOrMkJRgBzeSsrLtyJvV8nj0qbxJgNhyphenhyphenwLcmJW5HrRejqREul49LOACv2l6hl2zYR8DeY2ABNYeUETHy4SDUbDB-ehRYsDUgEdoRrTuMo9TD6Gwf7dgCt4LHQEqzKtBY/s640/IMG_6152.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
tall twins standing watch. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIPY0aOv_284P2eFlx1QSWSmSkEw_4jX-bOdd0o7CVpAKerzx6n0xjSnfIjtfH7xA0R_8ARRsOSn_6-RyrGCtf7HU9kAThxZpPyG29bb6YpHSK2ldRAbAtFtE_PaT4BxRglfZYCUfCDw/s1600/IMG_6159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIPY0aOv_284P2eFlx1QSWSmSkEw_4jX-bOdd0o7CVpAKerzx6n0xjSnfIjtfH7xA0R_8ARRsOSn_6-RyrGCtf7HU9kAThxZpPyG29bb6YpHSK2ldRAbAtFtE_PaT4BxRglfZYCUfCDw/s640/IMG_6159.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hollies
are also commonly found right next to the facades of buildings…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jQCFsgTnPaVtcOzhM96gbVZo_d414y0yvmHKpLozh7K_GrT41qT8Xqx0u24L06eWBQBXarN1l-KM4vFi_BvPkNWsK3T_tGsQ2ItOi-Fhy6cV4REXY_OQ6VkJxIai5sbPu8ieVtfvz9I/s1600/IMG_6035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jQCFsgTnPaVtcOzhM96gbVZo_d414y0yvmHKpLozh7K_GrT41qT8Xqx0u24L06eWBQBXarN1l-KM4vFi_BvPkNWsK3T_tGsQ2ItOi-Fhy6cV4REXY_OQ6VkJxIai5sbPu8ieVtfvz9I/s640/IMG_6035.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…a
constant insulation against the blazing sun in the summer and a constant
barricade against the winds of winter but it’s best loved for its music…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVUIu3_YXY8EhOBf8Hmow2KCqhkyyGhaOyhV0J2g7Mj7JPJnrqyUVPHbxKmG4_2xGMyiECWz5kDl6t1ULMgxI6fumPNil1ZG6KnWpHF-28sMAcavLpPzhaAqghCuYoRNJyhhfbzXghlo/s1600/IMG_6139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVUIu3_YXY8EhOBf8Hmow2KCqhkyyGhaOyhV0J2g7Mj7JPJnrqyUVPHbxKmG4_2xGMyiECWz5kDl6t1ULMgxI6fumPNil1ZG6KnWpHF-28sMAcavLpPzhaAqghCuYoRNJyhhfbzXghlo/s640/IMG_6139.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…a
popular roost for songbirds all year long.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But, by far, the most common place to find a holly here in the city has to be the church.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnvgm2LNHLowhwcecERoX_s10t21TGmZ6Bs9h0Wa_ieCzps1tPR1MbDnFuospBlHQ2FhjMWsJPZixejs6S5HZTVfvThjAe-tWnNlgT4MSBWMA9P6sL2UaBYpnlVb2N9smklzrjp47n-k/s1600/IMG_6192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnvgm2LNHLowhwcecERoX_s10t21TGmZ6Bs9h0Wa_ieCzps1tPR1MbDnFuospBlHQ2FhjMWsJPZixejs6S5HZTVfvThjAe-tWnNlgT4MSBWMA9P6sL2UaBYpnlVb2N9smklzrjp47n-k/s640/IMG_6192.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here,
it’s actually possible to stand under the holly to catch a glimpse of the sky
through its tight, tense foliage.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjbtHGk8y2Z2wI24_y3SLA5zg_lp26OYgDtTKl8SmOMK4TyY5FZtuSrwLWN3m0GFefpeYAOCHgtmUm4zb4Bqy1DLE03Y6bLDRiOuh5EEwHO779uQtf2j_cx7sL3y_1eDqjqpewoBSNIo/s1600/IMG_6191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjbtHGk8y2Z2wI24_y3SLA5zg_lp26OYgDtTKl8SmOMK4TyY5FZtuSrwLWN3m0GFefpeYAOCHgtmUm4zb4Bqy1DLE03Y6bLDRiOuh5EEwHO779uQtf2j_cx7sL3y_1eDqjqpewoBSNIo/s640/IMG_6191.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
also a good place to see one of the holly’s most common neighbors: the English
ivy, the <i>Hedera helix</i>…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFVeGktwt1tMWYCGWlxRp3aTId-r5QsCWnl_Lv0br-G4eXXin83qMYfiEX__6IILjBmsDYm0RdEnw89EOwWoGaIYZheX15ScEEaG6niWLhSA4YoDhLcTbhKKsUG2PmHnpBJO0aFBzZ90/s1600/IMG_6130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFVeGktwt1tMWYCGWlxRp3aTId-r5QsCWnl_Lv0br-G4eXXin83qMYfiEX__6IILjBmsDYm0RdEnw89EOwWoGaIYZheX15ScEEaG6niWLhSA4YoDhLcTbhKKsUG2PmHnpBJO0aFBzZ90/s640/IMG_6130.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…those
starry-shaped vines usually found creeping up the holly trunk.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
my favorite holly in the entire city?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
not that far from my urban cabin, just a few blocks down on the other side of
the trolley junction, dignifying the grounds of the Woodlands Cemetery...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYqqR8icjN9jElLn7CpzMvTrem01MmDE8-ZsJLc-mD3ZZ7ARDNytKKUHelGEGxreH2kNz5YouFU5CyrpCn1uJStSVF5KCvfKJocSEEdzPBYmxiimhs_8WqdsSacYWL_laTJCB0atoN_4/s1600/IMG_6011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYqqR8icjN9jElLn7CpzMvTrem01MmDE8-ZsJLc-mD3ZZ7ARDNytKKUHelGEGxreH2kNz5YouFU5CyrpCn1uJStSVF5KCvfKJocSEEdzPBYmxiimhs_8WqdsSacYWL_laTJCB0atoN_4/s640/IMG_6011.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…hunted
down and caught by yours truly on one recent snowy day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE ILEX
AQUIFOLIUM</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
that was good place to watch the snow melt.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwstElpPf7-WESr6vqd9fXegfCNY1YW-oNhYbiEE6_U2lJSNMqxl8Yxppx3XIb8KuZMD02sU2oouzUvKPsVvj3r7s017gEsvf85lW9a-zk9ZicvHqVv_UMpxZ6aNd1G3KGvaUvhZrDll0/s1600/IMG_5971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwstElpPf7-WESr6vqd9fXegfCNY1YW-oNhYbiEE6_U2lJSNMqxl8Yxppx3XIb8KuZMD02sU2oouzUvKPsVvj3r7s017gEsvf85lW9a-zk9ZicvHqVv_UMpxZ6aNd1G3KGvaUvhZrDll0/s640/IMG_5971.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Underneath
the tree, the ground was already thawed and muddy, decked with fallen boughs
of holly.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCDe-hWNCdrkoA6Gcm8wCR7DGzx8rZbKYsUhjFHExw8O5e7iQHG2dUGqh6CMls0VIZwle1q8OG3hgTkC6XGgvyfHatGzw29ilLCRac2uvlKJ7a3w23_OPKWqC6vMEAb99CDH8RCvf2dE/s1600/IMG_5968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCDe-hWNCdrkoA6Gcm8wCR7DGzx8rZbKYsUhjFHExw8O5e7iQHG2dUGqh6CMls0VIZwle1q8OG3hgTkC6XGgvyfHatGzw29ilLCRac2uvlKJ7a3w23_OPKWqC6vMEAb99CDH8RCvf2dE/s640/IMG_5968.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">We
think of the holly as a Christmas tree, not only the source of the holiday’s
color scheme but also as a perfect metaphor for Jesus’s crucifixion…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6Kix4gIRanrCXjoR8xmFaXWdZOQjunz0nbFUjo1AfslKfDrvUe26DH_hpk7akvz1xnUAjzAUsnwkjYYQbIcTN0ddRVFeZv57xsSURxSIKwG_-UH9amzHcPnsCNz60wbHcl1Q03Uvj9s/s1600/IMG_5986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6Kix4gIRanrCXjoR8xmFaXWdZOQjunz0nbFUjo1AfslKfDrvUe26DH_hpk7akvz1xnUAjzAUsnwkjYYQbIcTN0ddRVFeZv57xsSURxSIKwG_-UH9amzHcPnsCNz60wbHcl1Q03Uvj9s/s640/IMG_5986.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
crown of thorns dotted with those blood-red berries.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
the holly was used as a holiday decoration far longer than the first Christmas,
back when the holiday was called Saturnalia.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Holly
was the sacred plant of the Roman god Saturn, known as the Eater of Time, which
is why his holiday appears at the end of the calendar year.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVQBFYCGu4QcHSU3GnKJFhxDFrwDhaMQdzCqL8z8uWHTDkIPU1bbYNd9mE5D2hmnmpsNcTSBonij4vU9Lge-pc_1dT2WzuiqVH8bbZ1U929X4cg2AgcGkKkfiLke-y5uRAXothxcTMak/s1600/IMG_5959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVQBFYCGu4QcHSU3GnKJFhxDFrwDhaMQdzCqL8z8uWHTDkIPU1bbYNd9mE5D2hmnmpsNcTSBonij4vU9Lge-pc_1dT2WzuiqVH8bbZ1U929X4cg2AgcGkKkfiLke-y5uRAXothxcTMak/s640/IMG_5959.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
according to the Druid epic called <i>The Battle
of the Trees</i>, at around this time of year, the Holly King would fight for
supremacy of the forest, always coming out triumphant against the Oak King…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWgcJYUUsRtq9UV2Q02TOOSJ01BrobcZAwVgW7u2sHCQ35CNuJ7Qm6TJ9f4UuMtZdprWae6igzYO2aHTyNCzagdEKXsMHejS8hFNXs2PCFalzLov6xgnWO5PnIpE8QiK3o5di8mebg-Q/s1600/IMG_5989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWgcJYUUsRtq9UV2Q02TOOSJ01BrobcZAwVgW7u2sHCQ35CNuJ7Qm6TJ9f4UuMtZdprWae6igzYO2aHTyNCzagdEKXsMHejS8hFNXs2PCFalzLov6xgnWO5PnIpE8QiK3o5di8mebg-Q/s640/IMG_5989.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…standing
victorious as the only tree left in the forest still green and bearing fruit.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is why the English Christmas carol called <i>The
Holly and the Ivy</i> has the lyric: <i>of
all the trees in the wood, the holly bears the crown.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
all good and true but, for me, it’s all about those leaves.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeGp4hG_R3BHjPpgBgbfZVcyclU2GT5uU2jCyq4cmYV3hbLsHHimf2bmkdfAOAPKfoBtacdDz8y4yIbsLSm5oiOKdB4Ja3h1yPVQZjvjojVI7Far36BUqIvQsWriuecr8n2BsuwvWVoE/s1600/IMG_5972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeGp4hG_R3BHjPpgBgbfZVcyclU2GT5uU2jCyq4cmYV3hbLsHHimf2bmkdfAOAPKfoBtacdDz8y4yIbsLSm5oiOKdB4Ja3h1yPVQZjvjojVI7Far36BUqIvQsWriuecr8n2BsuwvWVoE/s640/IMG_5972.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Those
leaves tell the best part of the holly story.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They’re
not the kind of leaf commonly found in the eastern hardwood forests, instantly
recognizable as a stranger to these parts.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They’re
too thick and too glossy to fit in with the rest of the canopy but that’s the
whole point.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaaxCK5aEVK7cTZqIlOi9-Fuf-ZsdG8Ym0DyMYj9wM_jzB6eJ_qChH8UuIRZkotE_n2TMoDFpgz_wbkN_EbkUdZVP7mDvQrjILnp3mOG6d46Y-Nvkut3EInBTxLxfTPpurlXyR3RcJkE/s1600/IMG_5977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaaxCK5aEVK7cTZqIlOi9-Fuf-ZsdG8Ym0DyMYj9wM_jzB6eJ_qChH8UuIRZkotE_n2TMoDFpgz_wbkN_EbkUdZVP7mDvQrjILnp3mOG6d46Y-Nvkut3EInBTxLxfTPpurlXyR3RcJkE/s640/IMG_5977.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the holly.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For
this tree is a relic, a reminder of the distant past, a souvenir from the prehistoric, dank
forests of the super-continent Gondwana.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
are only a few Gondwana sites left in the world today, commonly called <i>cloud forests</i>, located in the high
altitudes of the rainforest…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvboN8OMNYRNJm0NLZ5wT4Cx3THBY3Rku1PpEKyzopvt-qEVXNG2FaqfiXV0xfrPp4xLwoe_tRQVZt1n0OafmHJIucNMmiwJlhlxYEx4t8nFMtqQRZIonmhTvakC7M6lIaGFLfdA37QY/s1600/02_cloud_forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvboN8OMNYRNJm0NLZ5wT4Cx3THBY3Rku1PpEKyzopvt-qEVXNG2FaqfiXV0xfrPp4xLwoe_tRQVZt1n0OafmHJIucNMmiwJlhlxYEx4t8nFMtqQRZIonmhTvakC7M6lIaGFLfdA37QY/s640/02_cloud_forest.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
land of the perpetual fog, over 300 inches of rain every year in the form of
dripping, clingy mist…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UCr3cTmsUoUYBonFhLU4s2eXgUmk0PyJtJykmN-ZaXjGWBxHkXN13YiOEagI710HpSJ5WimYBdY5i5irxiIlHxiaJdilfbCHBQ-XtkICxjZa-0Hwe_QIoFpF4Jfa8Pyn0K-JFAWPmR8/s1600/Wide+View+of+the+Cloud+Forest+Canopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UCr3cTmsUoUYBonFhLU4s2eXgUmk0PyJtJykmN-ZaXjGWBxHkXN13YiOEagI710HpSJ5WimYBdY5i5irxiIlHxiaJdilfbCHBQ-XtkICxjZa-0Hwe_QIoFpF4Jfa8Pyn0K-JFAWPmR8/s640/Wide+View+of+the+Cloud+Forest+Canopy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…home
to the moss, the ivy, the orchid and the gorilla…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgYbXq2ICfIOAQX5Vq3jdmfXxOyQEj165EZOwOMwX7IsVZk_fp-aCOpw_UQCjY5MfPsKUmdZfnggUZNb-K_pjg0fNLj2TMrroBSo-e2CriAFKC64TdOU0d4G-X2Rg3nghqxP7k2A1ne8/s1600/Costa_rica_santa_elena_skywalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgYbXq2ICfIOAQX5Vq3jdmfXxOyQEj165EZOwOMwX7IsVZk_fp-aCOpw_UQCjY5MfPsKUmdZfnggUZNb-K_pjg0fNLj2TMrroBSo-e2CriAFKC64TdOU0d4G-X2Rg3nghqxP7k2A1ne8/s640/Costa_rica_santa_elena_skywalk.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that’s
where the holly comes from.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
one of the few trees to escape that kind of forest and find a place here
amongst the pines, the oaks, the sycamores and the maples.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
that’s why those uncommon leaves make so much sense.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
needs to be thick and glossy to keep all that water from penetrating and drowning their
cell walls…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvU5ZzKMjAW4jTz1ZwvIyYpf-D_YVk26ztHCNtdob4Xq1hpCb7u3FTmr7i3uFIQQboXX_ilXTWFMkC4TfOiiHEOFS4-YnsOV_-OM280-AQpxLpmpFNU4KkvxIqIxwujll4wv9WIeJ0k0/s1600/IMG_5981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvU5ZzKMjAW4jTz1ZwvIyYpf-D_YVk26ztHCNtdob4Xq1hpCb7u3FTmr7i3uFIQQboXX_ilXTWFMkC4TfOiiHEOFS4-YnsOV_-OM280-AQpxLpmpFNU4KkvxIqIxwujll4wv9WIeJ0k0/s640/IMG_5981.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…little
chance for fungus, mold or rot.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
it needs those sharp and tapered barbs most of all, so all that water can just
slide on off…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMplGeIUhH6vdnyli8fGaqyOyKEUhUqxJVIk7h1M_z3OzA-joA6tFCHRJIzj95MTFOCYtlJ8xtw8nfBf_aYrfxGtdjiQY9KYbaWdMV9Ou3-aqRjdie1TDHLbINfoUdA_lFRhCW3rJ9i-M/s1600/IMG_5994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMplGeIUhH6vdnyli8fGaqyOyKEUhUqxJVIk7h1M_z3OzA-joA6tFCHRJIzj95MTFOCYtlJ8xtw8nfBf_aYrfxGtdjiQY9KYbaWdMV9Ou3-aqRjdie1TDHLbINfoUdA_lFRhCW3rJ9i-M/s640/IMG_5994.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that’s
why they’re called <i>drip tips</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Birds can go crazy for those berries all they
want but, for us, we go nuts for those leaves.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
South America, the holly leaves are dried and crushed to powder, sold in the
market nowadays under the name Yerba Mate.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Up
here, the leaves of the Yaupon holly were harvested for their high caffeine
content, dried and roasted, then ground and brewed into something that the
Native Americans called the<i> black drink</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSt3sY9rS3anffbePHTgxJiveo1q9cmqaZYrAmO_JwsRCG99tx2ETqGu8Y67srqtV-mf9DFUlgOhtkui2a8APysugx3Y-_YC-DJmnCVU10SyYvzuQ-h36AEtApekV9RLD9-sAVaVjcvw/s1600/Preparing+the+Black+Drink+in+1723+--+Eastern+Woodland+people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSt3sY9rS3anffbePHTgxJiveo1q9cmqaZYrAmO_JwsRCG99tx2ETqGu8Y67srqtV-mf9DFUlgOhtkui2a8APysugx3Y-_YC-DJmnCVU10SyYvzuQ-h36AEtApekV9RLD9-sAVaVjcvw/s400/Preparing+the+Black+Drink+in+1723+--+Eastern+Woodland+people.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After
a couple days of fasting, the black drink was passed around the ceremonial
circle, everyone receiving a small shot served in a hollowed-out snail shell.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Did
you hear that, Macy’s? Not a coffee cup.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
snail shell.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
how you drink the holly.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
few moments after drinking, according to the early pioneer journals, that’s
when the ritual vomiting began and, a few moments later, that’s when the
visions started.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVHeYnliVsyeuuCxxy0XIXX548wFuV1EwsU3tm5JVJWEYUg7KMmAJTY_10i1FMVs1NMpzJQ_rIyOB9W0xkAR623v8xfB28WpgzUoVl2YlZgcSGZBuCp0p0dvVAn3DRjwKTTkTQ1wiqaQ/s1600/black_drink_ceremony-Timucuans-by-Jacque-le-Moyne-de-Margues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVHeYnliVsyeuuCxxy0XIXX548wFuV1EwsU3tm5JVJWEYUg7KMmAJTY_10i1FMVs1NMpzJQ_rIyOB9W0xkAR623v8xfB28WpgzUoVl2YlZgcSGZBuCp0p0dvVAn3DRjwKTTkTQ1wiqaQ/s640/black_drink_ceremony-Timucuans-by-Jacque-le-Moyne-de-Margues.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
few moments after that, it’s spring again.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
admit. Black drink, snail shells, ritual
vomiting, communal vision quests? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
not everybody’s cup of tea.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
not exactly what we modern Americans have in mind when we say <i>eat, drink and be merry</i> but, like we also
say on occasion, to everything there is a season.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ng69Rv4TSV1XE_rotoaJ2pr8TiXJHJoB064oQRolaIsJcLhNocJFnoy9FlJprOgAwfSXsMPOVDJOBLY2wWl6z9L-vvaGPPJw860yDiyavtbiL7IknqmWVTx3yFdD63wiwjN6QrWtrnI/s1600/IMG_5955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ng69Rv4TSV1XE_rotoaJ2pr8TiXJHJoB064oQRolaIsJcLhNocJFnoy9FlJprOgAwfSXsMPOVDJOBLY2wWl6z9L-vvaGPPJw860yDiyavtbiL7IknqmWVTx3yFdD63wiwjN6QrWtrnI/s640/IMG_5955.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-69896597583719878342013-11-06T18:46:00.000-08:002013-11-07T04:37:39.317-08:00WAY DOWN YONDER IN THE PAWPAW PATCH<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">People
are always asking me: <i>Hey, Jon Spruce, do
you wanna hang out?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes I take the bait. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Contrary
to popular belief, sometimes I do enjoy the sights and sounds of polite
society. It’s fun, sometimes, to take a
break from the solitary sport of tree-hunting, to spend some precious moments,
inside, deep in conversation and company.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes even the lone wolf comes in from the cold.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
not today.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No
time, my friends.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hold
the calls and get out of my way, it’s that time of year again.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">According
to the scuttle bucket, the ballots are counted, the results are in and, sure
enough, there it was, waiting for me when I got home.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
annual <i>best-of</i> issue of <i>Tree Hunting Magazine.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_GYtYXcQJS-o0TW8Af2DgphpLiodUKfH-aL_hySnc7i4i30ZMuNCS-mLjyIE9Bf05Cfxj4Eouw5BKSkbFZewEcQQcYx-yoT9-EVP9OpudoOmpGsB94KzcRPa57LD8kL-xrua5-JNllc/s1600/Tree+Hunting+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0_GYtYXcQJS-o0TW8Af2DgphpLiodUKfH-aL_hySnc7i4i30ZMuNCS-mLjyIE9Bf05Cfxj4Eouw5BKSkbFZewEcQQcYx-yoT9-EVP9OpudoOmpGsB94KzcRPa57LD8kL-xrua5-JNllc/s640/Tree+Hunting+Cover.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No. Not again.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What
kind of cruel joke is this?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our
2013 champion? None other than my old
nemesis, Giovanni Arboles, also known as Joey Trees, the self-proclaimed Master
of Disguise…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicba5KThR766fR7DZ4AqS_O93oi9847-A6LbFh9cU8gma-VJVPBu5IRb6knxnx0BpM5CvEz7YEodspePsh4iYveBEV3z05msPXf-QdA6ks3ZYb1kR6rHPVsgXAvuNyOIxOU-dsjh2XZnE/s1600/543769_10151808290692792_863581954_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicba5KThR766fR7DZ4AqS_O93oi9847-A6LbFh9cU8gma-VJVPBu5IRb6knxnx0BpM5CvEz7YEodspePsh4iYveBEV3z05msPXf-QdA6ks3ZYb1kR6rHPVsgXAvuNyOIxOU-dsjh2XZnE/s640/543769_10151808290692792_863581954_n.jpg" width="468" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but,
sometimes behind his back, we call him King of the Selfies.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
just ain’t fair.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">He
already won last year, for that time he caught both a champion ponderosa pine…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIe2EgpMwjKoD_mwYYXT9Lmh_dUjdeNxSJj5n7nHdtJOBYLBTqZ7ODm6i4G20vQRmU4BEiqCmlu9oy3gGiJrUt0LgZLY7i-Clkq3Gulp-gVANa-EU8-XZRmQBe3zAzA5PqA7N3dsuiffk/s1600/ponderosa_tree_med.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIe2EgpMwjKoD_mwYYXT9Lmh_dUjdeNxSJj5n7nHdtJOBYLBTqZ7ODm6i4G20vQRmU4BEiqCmlu9oy3gGiJrUt0LgZLY7i-Clkq3Gulp-gVANa-EU8-XZRmQBe3zAzA5PqA7N3dsuiffk/s640/ponderosa_tree_med.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
a bristlecone pine, what’s known as the oldest living thing on the planet.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SNP08r1XUIC8exDGkm8-o7_05c2AYFXVByyXmfuOpSXJVYc4gknBMGxkUIHFPy5XkM719PYCYo6B6ToJHtzYb0Jvx3J5dubtY36TitQtuiGq2TfG9Qcrql6bm3GwCiZqSRz_HWAID9w/s1600/METHUSELAH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SNP08r1XUIC8exDGkm8-o7_05c2AYFXVByyXmfuOpSXJVYc4gknBMGxkUIHFPy5XkM719PYCYo6B6ToJHtzYb0Jvx3J5dubtY36TitQtuiGq2TfG9Qcrql6bm3GwCiZqSRz_HWAID9w/s640/METHUSELAH.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">All
in the same hunt.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yeah
right.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Boy,
this magazine is really going south. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzzdae7Z6HMnaes5IM1v4iqI9p86P9sfcEsW1m3qQMe8_5xprfa7t9rF3Il0Zv-q0v431IclHG7M_SROwbJCv3rORwuxImhMyS0pxAsX75SlPTAR2IKmyIAMdihhxeXA17uYvvhk6Pgo/s1600/jon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzzdae7Z6HMnaes5IM1v4iqI9p86P9sfcEsW1m3qQMe8_5xprfa7t9rF3Il0Zv-q0v431IclHG7M_SROwbJCv3rORwuxImhMyS0pxAsX75SlPTAR2IKmyIAMdihhxeXA17uYvvhk6Pgo/s640/jon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
used to really be about something. It used
to really be about tree-hunting.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now
it’s all about selling more issues. It’s
all about <i>who you know</i>. It’s all <i>right
place, right time.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Joey
Trees? Two years in a row? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Say
it ain’t so.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">According
to this issue, he won the 2013 title because he caught, all the way back in
February, the biggest blizzard to hit southern Arizona in the last ten years…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mEgfKSiLoibVWsUNFtMyYsDUrgkGGcAVaKId8nENLHDV569t2FcQ6uqKalKiOL6XXzb4Fjqc25B2Yzde6YYMJ-kNNAyR7LrQcQ-Ma-OsuJfH4VxUOI08fcYv6CUJo_0c8cJrabpyISs/s1600/saguro+snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mEgfKSiLoibVWsUNFtMyYsDUrgkGGcAVaKId8nENLHDV569t2FcQ6uqKalKiOL6XXzb4Fjqc25B2Yzde6YYMJ-kNNAyR7LrQcQ-Ma-OsuJfH4VxUOI08fcYv6CUJo_0c8cJrabpyISs/s640/saguro+snow.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…one
full inch of snow.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lucky
skunk.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
another thing, when was the last time an <i>urban</i>
tree-hunter was named the champion? I
can’t even remember, it’s been so long. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every
year, the title ends up going to some bumpkin in a Jeep.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
the same old story: the country mouse versus the city rat.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
not a fair fight.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Country
yokels like Joey Trees already have the advantage. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
a simple matter of geography.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They
get all that open space and all that open road.
They get to go hunting in all that dramatic nature. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every
tree out there is at home and native, nothing planted by some City Planning
Bureau or through some nameless Street Department, no trees selected by
committee.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nothing
but country.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlj93HhUNVMJ1Fkj-ZsCl2xb9yoSXlJ2Bzy1CJmewD5zpD7OpoHM2_VVz5y-B2mrhClLKd-oFaLSZufSKkVz-cVix7r6H9CFAdazRb-4DY6JPZ1CNt-RTkdMxQ23k0nWU108ziL8YWvQ/s1600/mountains_nature_snow_forest_photography_hills_colorado_reatest-images_2013_beautiful_wallpaper_greatatmosphere-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlj93HhUNVMJ1Fkj-ZsCl2xb9yoSXlJ2Bzy1CJmewD5zpD7OpoHM2_VVz5y-B2mrhClLKd-oFaLSZufSKkVz-cVix7r6H9CFAdazRb-4DY6JPZ1CNt-RTkdMxQ23k0nWU108ziL8YWvQ/s640/mountains_nature_snow_forest_photography_hills_colorado_reatest-images_2013_beautiful_wallpaper_greatatmosphere-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Look
at that. No one-way streets. No parking tickets. No infrastructure. No traffic.
No loud music or angry crowds scaring away all the good trees.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVPCE5BE7tJHynqVV3SS3qGboK9EkmMaMFwtQ7CDO5SQT_nW2qQRRc5F4dzw61YSuK0NlVj1GnvmnIto5KVHcbyOncFFL9EkoJjpDfoNg0WQ6IJ72zoRzz9DfPNiP-jdBmbgHmLL0t6E/s1600/aspen-forest-colorado_57996_990x742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVPCE5BE7tJHynqVV3SS3qGboK9EkmMaMFwtQ7CDO5SQT_nW2qQRRc5F4dzw61YSuK0NlVj1GnvmnIto5KVHcbyOncFFL9EkoJjpDfoNg0WQ6IJ72zoRzz9DfPNiP-jdBmbgHmLL0t6E/s640/aspen-forest-colorado_57996_990x742.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Well
shiver me timbers, Joe, there sure are a lot of big trees out there in the
country.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Whatever. Don’t stop the presses.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Man,
I was fired up.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Normally,
I’m calm and collective, cool as a cucumber, but at that moment, I was engulfed
in fit and fury, that old mule kicking in my stall.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
had just about enough of all the Joey Trees out there, living it up on easy
street, basking away in the wide open country life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bunch
of peacocks.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
not hard to catch a good tree in the country.
Takes about as much skill as catching a suntan.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bunch of tenderfoots.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Only
one thing left to do.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Get. Me. My. List.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like
most tree-hunters, I keep a list of trees handy…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorMJfudpQjjYsKG9PkU2k8sXAR_M3o_cc8ej75r-_-ZYrW4dM50RY-pWYoAh1L-AZlImAJYm111Leb-VUGR_RMxiPo4ROrxxoFuxPA36Mx1rTYKrEaKkNAa2LjIgK5GoaeR_HxjZKDsQ/s1600/IMG_5133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorMJfudpQjjYsKG9PkU2k8sXAR_M3o_cc8ej75r-_-ZYrW4dM50RY-pWYoAh1L-AZlImAJYm111Leb-VUGR_RMxiPo4ROrxxoFuxPA36Mx1rTYKrEaKkNAa2LjIgK5GoaeR_HxjZKDsQ/s640/IMG_5133.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…a
wish list, really, of all the trees that I’d like to catch one day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let’s
see what I haven’t crossed off yet.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s
the hemlock and the holly, two evergreens that I’ve always pushed off till
winter. Still got time for those. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s something called the <i>bladdernut</i> but I’ve never been able to
track that one down. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s
the black locust, but darn it, that’s always been a spring tree for me. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Palm
trees? But are there any palm trees in
Philadelphia?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hold your horses…right there on the bottom of my list.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
pawpaw.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPX4MmO71nZJAh4S19-oz-Tlyre5BosypZ0a9l-qCvAvz3WmtYyNTYy-u6PglDUXgwVmVmliiEeqMZecWUnuV2cyMCBHY175QwjMs0QfTyYS-78vDLBdws6ZlyHiCWyeqMA3ZNxpsDA/s1600/'Still-life_with_Paw_Paws'_Edward_Edmondson,_Jr.,_Dayton_Art_Institute.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPX4MmO71nZJAh4S19-oz-Tlyre5BosypZ0a9l-qCvAvz3WmtYyNTYy-u6PglDUXgwVmVmliiEeqMZecWUnuV2cyMCBHY175QwjMs0QfTyYS-78vDLBdws6ZlyHiCWyeqMA3ZNxpsDA/s640/'Still-life_with_Paw_Paws'_Edward_Edmondson,_Jr.,_Dayton_Art_Institute.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
largest edible fruit native to Turtle Island.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
only tropical fruit that grows this far north.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
goes by many names: the <i>poor man’s banana</i>,
the <i>prairie banana</i> and, in some deep
corners of the continent, it’s known as the <i>banango</i>…a
favorite dessert of George Washington, a manna in the wilderness for Lewis
& Clark, as they wrote in their journal: <i>subsisting on poppaws</i>.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmg_38KMn1GrV_9C6r0uTezrB643_8UUd-7iR7KY3XTt4TAc2Td3XuzO6FIya-AXvLW4lum0fZtH9wABcZUc8nDgp6I3ex9d-_QD1U5SXhXTBH3Y_SvmYr4aqIEr0z1aydIAk4rhbb5U/s1600/Pawpaw03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmg_38KMn1GrV_9C6r0uTezrB643_8UUd-7iR7KY3XTt4TAc2Td3XuzO6FIya-AXvLW4lum0fZtH9wABcZUc8nDgp6I3ex9d-_QD1U5SXhXTBH3Y_SvmYr4aqIEr0z1aydIAk4rhbb5U/s640/Pawpaw03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
pawpaw is no stranger to these parts.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Supposedly there’s a pawpaw patch right here in Philadelphia, in the Northeast, right
along the shores of the Pennypack Creek.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
is it…a tree-hunt that would rival any adventure out there in the country…fire
up the engine and eat my dust…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaqTsy6NRhAd5NNkvw6TLVVZD2nJut6Y_CyvRItm_zOUs3RMNcG0TesFGKoCiOTs62k0Ypzl11_9161vAO4pU7rA6waz3hoCNrXWhWjsXacog5cqKWPitQMk9R6unzl0TFDCyZAVh-tw/s1600/IMG_5145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaqTsy6NRhAd5NNkvw6TLVVZD2nJut6Y_CyvRItm_zOUs3RMNcG0TesFGKoCiOTs62k0Ypzl11_9161vAO4pU7rA6waz3hoCNrXWhWjsXacog5cqKWPitQMk9R6unzl0TFDCyZAVh-tw/s640/IMG_5145.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…Jon
Spruce is on the move, fame and fortune and all that jazz just one autumn
afternoon away…to the largest, most storied stretch of woods in the entire
city, to the Northeast, to the Pennypack Creek…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXEtfByyhcBZZ6tE6e6gZmvfNaNbLH33xBWn4c1fJ7sW9CHa0iF5_ATz3wMVJ1Ng-hFxmHwGddyUw6nEnSM37SHGB5OCZFInXap4SiSuAkHQAzuwQNX0zYMIAQmt4Y0vRF7SB0FAqnts/s1600/1830color-660x457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsXEtfByyhcBZZ6tE6e6gZmvfNaNbLH33xBWn4c1fJ7sW9CHa0iF5_ATz3wMVJ1Ng-hFxmHwGddyUw6nEnSM37SHGB5OCZFInXap4SiSuAkHQAzuwQNX0zYMIAQmt4Y0vRF7SB0FAqnts/s640/1830color-660x457.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…like
the old folk song says, <i>way down yonder
in the pawpaw patch!</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwa5qoED3i-rr4XYqeOv2jgKrZCowybKBsJHtPdBR46KOwWf2Frk7-DjOhYH6GZIkn_LNAvkPDxeKoOFWbFtASnD-Ae3DwUUR0uLXZffsFZ25zKGgCUXa0vXb3xWhOUk7EI4K3r0GaSA/s1600/IMG_5147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwa5qoED3i-rr4XYqeOv2jgKrZCowybKBsJHtPdBR46KOwWf2Frk7-DjOhYH6GZIkn_LNAvkPDxeKoOFWbFtASnD-Ae3DwUUR0uLXZffsFZ25zKGgCUXa0vXb3xWhOUk7EI4K3r0GaSA/s640/IMG_5147.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>GOING DOWN THE
ROAD FEELIN’ BAD</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
might not be the most popular opinion in the tree-hunting world but, man, I
love a good street tree.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdyDShORYJGkZQqHba_EZrLubU2BgNG5VMdR5ckLGZZUxyggNpaSiS5syhq1Lt07RPyavhIHgLDBxi4vlAPETmuz143T1sbEHpmmv_oVgFQatjN8-nfp05XPKrsfxwdfmCcLhftag02g/s1600/IMG_5373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdyDShORYJGkZQqHba_EZrLubU2BgNG5VMdR5ckLGZZUxyggNpaSiS5syhq1Lt07RPyavhIHgLDBxi4vlAPETmuz143T1sbEHpmmv_oVgFQatjN8-nfp05XPKrsfxwdfmCcLhftag02g/s640/IMG_5373.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
an elm, soaring above the quickly falling skies of 38th Street and Powelton
Avenue.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If
you know that corner, then perhaps you’re a lot like me. It makes you like the tree even more.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although
I’m the first to admit it: you got to be pretty quick with the camera-phone to
catch an unobstructed view.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2o_bT_2IJLJRsbWO7yWcCpMzMsLt5Ox7UplFtR37sPybMqP9xEAM7aNIKmXulDIyYbZF_9V6_xTpnR5ZbMybAFIxoKci8mOWfZaQmslJ6TpX1cdFfnipao9mUHcnNCRqH4HL4POmHjds/s1600/IMG_5374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2o_bT_2IJLJRsbWO7yWcCpMzMsLt5Ox7UplFtR37sPybMqP9xEAM7aNIKmXulDIyYbZF_9V6_xTpnR5ZbMybAFIxoKci8mOWfZaQmslJ6TpX1cdFfnipao9mUHcnNCRqH4HL4POmHjds/s640/IMG_5374.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Something
there is that loves a good street tree…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNzTgqK4oVv1hmDR7pCAYSOGU1CqOCBF-1bwjmiJpLJsBDDQyoqYZujCXvaLbZZ7nCtffxFD_T2Kz_XGS9Vr6ejE7zpvTchXY_dTqWVNBPQUCcaVjLgRsvKAcN4LDLmT8MyOqzlp_EEg/s1600/IMG_5419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNzTgqK4oVv1hmDR7pCAYSOGU1CqOCBF-1bwjmiJpLJsBDDQyoqYZujCXvaLbZZ7nCtffxFD_T2Kz_XGS9Vr6ejE7zpvTchXY_dTqWVNBPQUCcaVjLgRsvKAcN4LDLmT8MyOqzlp_EEg/s640/IMG_5419.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…it’s
something that tree-hunters like Joey Trees tend to forget.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Country
trees are fine, don’t get me wrong, but they always seem so far away.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not
just in distance but in attitude too. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
like my trees to be near and neighborly, always within striking distance.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here
in the city, I walk side by side with trees…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiAGLKt_3PoS4zwkW4EznsbNMmAmYjIFL1VeasmsDjEufQVYbz0M1SniSPO-AD_xPesHwn9E1yll0VuO0msDtCyjAyAGA1QwPBz7yGSOEOMfDnyXoX2CwiCb8gXF4OuUoHDfxwKzSsB4/s1600/IMG_5412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiAGLKt_3PoS4zwkW4EznsbNMmAmYjIFL1VeasmsDjEufQVYbz0M1SniSPO-AD_xPesHwn9E1yll0VuO0msDtCyjAyAGA1QwPBz7yGSOEOMfDnyXoX2CwiCb8gXF4OuUoHDfxwKzSsB4/s640/IMG_5412.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
they’re just like me, stuck on the mean streets, caught up in the rat race.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe
I get a little jealous of the easy life.
I guess I could admit that, at least.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Or
maybe it’s just the Philly in me. I like
rooting for the underdog.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMxfh70bR-dnTiBnLxHISkr-5GGpc-8T6axKJvbXSKDdzxePOle0nogexGpfwjOGn3Yf_ykCbwpIhPRbUlPIwDx4JwjSW3KsmdtYaW24wt333zQLOt0s0rJqMEvDuJYnJtxC63FvsUlw/s1600/IMG_0801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMxfh70bR-dnTiBnLxHISkr-5GGpc-8T6axKJvbXSKDdzxePOle0nogexGpfwjOGn3Yf_ykCbwpIhPRbUlPIwDx4JwjSW3KsmdtYaW24wt333zQLOt0s0rJqMEvDuJYnJtxC63FvsUlw/s640/IMG_0801.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
as much as I champion the native trees, I must confess. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Without the Streets
Department, I’d never get to see some of those exotic beauties…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv80JbVW2o_AQ6yJ14bv_021d5qwDa62vWFzb-MJ91y8l7JJPBXH3-2awqyW8yQ6qgQsRpRZ-UUuF74zHEZrmhbECYIBvCYNulJyDNm2b3Gu85rPFq1KWWWbgjNOw0sBHyVvZo206hxI0/s1600/IMG_5479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv80JbVW2o_AQ6yJ14bv_021d5qwDa62vWFzb-MJ91y8l7JJPBXH3-2awqyW8yQ6qgQsRpRZ-UUuF74zHEZrmhbECYIBvCYNulJyDNm2b3Gu85rPFq1KWWWbgjNOw0sBHyVvZo206hxI0/s640/IMG_5479.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…like
this goldenrain tree, an invasive species that flourishes in the abandoned
brownlots and construction zones of Korea, doing a fabulous job here in
Philadelphia as your friendly neighborhood street tree.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtqbU59h8Zl47hEkvbJYMCq8DJzXTuIYyDHucH87zdmqQiiUhKj0IjX9tWO4ip7qo6JKbWBYLw_l6-HDeNPqS0KgiLSKvRCubnk9v_oKZZbfwxKG4AJrcZg4Sj37h7pa46zLjf7BnoRo/s1600/IMG_5480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtqbU59h8Zl47hEkvbJYMCq8DJzXTuIYyDHucH87zdmqQiiUhKj0IjX9tWO4ip7qo6JKbWBYLw_l6-HDeNPqS0KgiLSKvRCubnk9v_oKZZbfwxKG4AJrcZg4Sj37h7pa46zLjf7BnoRo/s640/IMG_5480.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Overlooked
native species also get a chance to shine. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like
the little-leaf linden.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1ZyuUCX2g53eG8tTbZ8A_5UKXf4o1QPALhD8dW8mVRaBlQ0xOxTnA7jAplbZjji9xIaaJa7XLwp2Rck8T8hSop2J5NzDTwIsDkuKkflMohpKiPqXf_7B7T9oBP4PZGLMbdjBgjizjRo/s1600/IMG_5460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1ZyuUCX2g53eG8tTbZ8A_5UKXf4o1QPALhD8dW8mVRaBlQ0xOxTnA7jAplbZjji9xIaaJa7XLwp2Rck8T8hSop2J5NzDTwIsDkuKkflMohpKiPqXf_7B7T9oBP4PZGLMbdjBgjizjRo/s640/IMG_5460.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Out
there in the woods, this tree is dwarfed by all those beeches and oaks, hidden
away under the vault of all those sycamores and pines, but here
in a city park…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8DGikiXXwyS3qLzdS0DXKsMnsSwMOsG1BZli9ge9fEhjrRLaIOyHROqpBKqlSjmmatJvo-KLfk-QyH-JDjCE73r7wEAr7TH7sF2BTe3L1wQDMCbzuKgw-KLp19is8hx-JENh0f7rnTU/s1600/IMG_5467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8DGikiXXwyS3qLzdS0DXKsMnsSwMOsG1BZli9ge9fEhjrRLaIOyHROqpBKqlSjmmatJvo-KLfk-QyH-JDjCE73r7wEAr7TH7sF2BTe3L1wQDMCbzuKgw-KLp19is8hx-JENh0f7rnTU/s640/IMG_5467.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…its
golden coins get the whole sky all to their lonesome selves.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Leaping
lizards do I like a good city park.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmv3GYF2QfbmVC8A3n_3i9b-CAdwDZBmu56VL-M9cabXETEJpxRQ3pTok1Af2pERxBcCKSGuMKUJY3bcmtP_CYHjyAjZ-S6nxwZngPeC1fU0eczoIVLMR6TNJGvYslQGmfwQtcwoNRDkM/s1600/IMG_5454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmv3GYF2QfbmVC8A3n_3i9b-CAdwDZBmu56VL-M9cabXETEJpxRQ3pTok1Af2pERxBcCKSGuMKUJY3bcmtP_CYHjyAjZ-S6nxwZngPeC1fU0eczoIVLMR6TNJGvYslQGmfwQtcwoNRDkM/s640/IMG_5454.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unlike
the country folk, I like people in my tree pictures.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3F1dAhrLOZwxQYRtmGFhdIDtaqJo682rDBpuLQAFRMjl6vO5LCACiS1NX-bYjuttrwswrEec-r6wpGyhGxeY5ld5y7nuLpLqmVHyYOJ1u7o0cLwcT2D4eS1fTfj_tMzArOVLiIv6c4u8/s1600/IMG_5458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3F1dAhrLOZwxQYRtmGFhdIDtaqJo682rDBpuLQAFRMjl6vO5LCACiS1NX-bYjuttrwswrEec-r6wpGyhGxeY5ld5y7nuLpLqmVHyYOJ1u7o0cLwcT2D4eS1fTfj_tMzArOVLiIv6c4u8/s640/IMG_5458.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
like the way the two interact.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
that’s something that those bozos over at <i>Tree
Hunting Magazine</i> don’t seem to get.
Here in the city, me and the trees?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We
share the same streets, day in and day out, part and parcel of the same big
city, just another cog and wheel in the same damn machine.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPYmX621jlGBkfxwRMOd7XiIKDbLAow9DOXHPseQbQbvU7nciHEeNifYeN_5kSVH2DxHoeDN7eUdWq9gyZyobC6_FtlKfCMz5T0STct68Df2SGuycc1dGJe3FmAp647pCSNBKJA7vadY/s1600/IMG_5448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPYmX621jlGBkfxwRMOd7XiIKDbLAow9DOXHPseQbQbvU7nciHEeNifYeN_5kSVH2DxHoeDN7eUdWq9gyZyobC6_FtlKfCMz5T0STct68Df2SGuycc1dGJe3FmAp647pCSNBKJA7vadY/s640/IMG_5448.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nothing special. Despite our greatness, despite our might, nothing out of the ordinary. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But if it’s country they want, well, I got news for all those candy-asses at <i>Tree Hunting Magazine</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We got country right here in Philly although, down here on the mean streets,
we just call it <i>the woods</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE PENNYPACK WOODS</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
was headed straight for the granddaddy of them all, on what turned out to be a
spectacular autumn day, down the Roosevelt Expressway…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmPPiZoI2dzzk2_EAFU38ItLe4DoRsNTgnII6GojngTmtnXCds59e8BjcZWYxfwIvOZirGZteel2qulbJsmYVBa_iA6DmdWzZ7aRiX4aVQyIvCkbKmelVVWjqUX5-UIBX_bh2SLtXRVY/s1600/IMG_5315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmPPiZoI2dzzk2_EAFU38ItLe4DoRsNTgnII6GojngTmtnXCds59e8BjcZWYxfwIvOZirGZteel2qulbJsmYVBa_iA6DmdWzZ7aRiX4aVQyIvCkbKmelVVWjqUX5-UIBX_bh2SLtXRVY/s640/IMG_5315.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…to
the Pennypack Woods, the largest watershed and largest stretch of forest in the
entire city limits…sorry you had it hear it from me, Wissahickon.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
runs eight miles here in Philadelphia, from the border of Montgomery Township
to the banks of the Delaware, barreling down the highway from city line
to muddy river.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But,
in total, the Pennypack covers twenty-four miles of pure eastern deciduous forest. Here on Turtle Island, that type of forest is second only to the northern boreal in size and
scope, described in the field guides as <i>stunningly
diverse</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNf2kmqDXNGzSP5s0vZReKsvF5y-T4i3x3DIsUXlViE8BpisUucdTfYNpvqqO29vzJuoAhbFvGm7lQ8TSevSMSV4Pso8Iam-slym1HRDiasNubRk9H1zMybFBNNyf-vPisX_0hl-pS1XI/s1600/3899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNf2kmqDXNGzSP5s0vZReKsvF5y-T4i3x3DIsUXlViE8BpisUucdTfYNpvqqO29vzJuoAhbFvGm7lQ8TSevSMSV4Pso8Iam-slym1HRDiasNubRk9H1zMybFBNNyf-vPisX_0hl-pS1XI/s640/3899.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One
of the few forests that go through all four seasons, it’s an amazing phenomenon
here on Spaceship Earth, making its debut not too long after the last Ice Age.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When the glaciers receded back to their poles? That's when the trees took over. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first forest to take over these parts? That'd be the boreal, the spruces.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSsb_PSSN2BjM_6C8JKrZj1I8uBKhTwLFQZ_Nw27M_KSef4buEBJZi0iqs_BJPQmMDKpFLfUsbsXNrr_jOFHMR_JdZCTTz6PwuqEZseAYAZTvhKqYTRCS7cxDy1peSINCshZfndcDeR8/s1600/NOV5144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSsb_PSSN2BjM_6C8JKrZj1I8uBKhTwLFQZ_Nw27M_KSef4buEBJZi0iqs_BJPQmMDKpFLfUsbsXNrr_jOFHMR_JdZCTTz6PwuqEZseAYAZTvhKqYTRCS7cxDy1peSINCshZfndcDeR8/s640/NOV5144.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
as the weather warmed and as the seas rose, when the tops of the mountains
melted and the rivers started running to the sea, that’s when the deciduous trees
dominated the story, creating the vast kingdom of fruit and flower and color
that we see today.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Later,
much later, the cities were built.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXbVpBF2w6pzEOATxPiuP7FtXM1njcl8toWiKGN5O8rMa574oBJyl0M2hOi16rlkeLy7aDNCtmOUgFL1wuWQcCcMxDbn6vAGRvgcZIRUG39Gw4um4g6nBfC_Ckh2H8FTf4RfxBaJQnRQ/s1600/Philadelphia_Skyline_by_PdaMai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXbVpBF2w6pzEOATxPiuP7FtXM1njcl8toWiKGN5O8rMa574oBJyl0M2hOi16rlkeLy7aDNCtmOUgFL1wuWQcCcMxDbn6vAGRvgcZIRUG39Gw4um4g6nBfC_Ckh2H8FTf4RfxBaJQnRQ/s640/Philadelphia_Skyline_by_PdaMai.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The deciduous forest has got it all: equal parts land and water, groves and creeks, not to mention
highways and cities. Over 30 species of
trees can be called <i>dominant</i>: oaks and pines, sugar maples and cherries, the sassafras, the walking fern, the Joe-Pye weed. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
the pawpaw.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So
close I could taste it.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">According
to my notes, the pawpaw patch is somewhere here…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp40nLS4PozHkFWYKeKVQfYLRBrxJcnHD36Gy3gj2bGrsINXOXpuvFfnw4Ku4Koiew61kSswA5P594HGRoLRMF5sXWP2fNUv2iPNNugkFXrqHsMq_3zuZ2IvTiGYt8ZjiwRWr6iORqao/s1600/IMG_4815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp40nLS4PozHkFWYKeKVQfYLRBrxJcnHD36Gy3gj2bGrsINXOXpuvFfnw4Ku4Koiew61kSswA5P594HGRoLRMF5sXWP2fNUv2iPNNugkFXrqHsMq_3zuZ2IvTiGYt8ZjiwRWr6iORqao/s640/IMG_4815.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…between
Ryan Avenue and Rhawn Street, south of Lexington Avenue.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On
the other side of the street, I crept into the edge of the woods for a quick
survey.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmyz2NKqs8JTt6_5lfXPFmpEzJac4M9La0tcJ5st5ODeN1lkhE4GJjMyDYbvAE2lkLdbYLEInglbjpWWo3_pzvEaLsyk_nrKhWBpip4j6R09LslMkRp153gTQkskJK4AiO4T48Tgp_ss/s1600/IMG_4825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmyz2NKqs8JTt6_5lfXPFmpEzJac4M9La0tcJ5st5ODeN1lkhE4GJjMyDYbvAE2lkLdbYLEInglbjpWWo3_pzvEaLsyk_nrKhWBpip4j6R09LslMkRp153gTQkskJK4AiO4T48Tgp_ss/s640/IMG_4825.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
little deeper and I saw that I was actually looking down on the real forest
floor…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGhgrlZmrkF-0HJ5F2CB1rOsYI4o6P2HKmNKsIeYz_3F_b2QGdEKC47BaNvrnFtJJyZXRojwzsFpyFKHR7pJhyphenhyphenp2diZT5w_Fw6Rfx09BTfAJyMDGugJxs7Xsd0Ego_Nr6Fj0C0Jm1kEU/s1600/IMG_4829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGhgrlZmrkF-0HJ5F2CB1rOsYI4o6P2HKmNKsIeYz_3F_b2QGdEKC47BaNvrnFtJJyZXRojwzsFpyFKHR7pJhyphenhyphenp2diZT5w_Fw6Rfx09BTfAJyMDGugJxs7Xsd0Ego_Nr6Fj0C0Jm1kEU/s640/IMG_4829.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…separated
from the road and from the neighborhood by a concrete wall.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Geronimo!</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKvJc1XT8eKm7TWtD2MmO5Ba0Rhc1m4u5w4nKcRvK1B61BydjttE3q6EQjnNaWKTtzCkS7Zd25yV8h0ljj9p8TESjtX68-ZC5wagFduvy0QGugy9xFloUG0xTUF6caOPKy1jixAk47c0/s1600/IMG_4836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKvJc1XT8eKm7TWtD2MmO5Ba0Rhc1m4u5w4nKcRvK1B61BydjttE3q6EQjnNaWKTtzCkS7Zd25yV8h0ljj9p8TESjtX68-ZC5wagFduvy0QGugy9xFloUG0xTUF6caOPKy1jixAk47c0/s640/IMG_4836.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
is an old wood. You can tell by the
beeches…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpPORYiuzqHnytoqqSegkhvD2xTwPX1T4vFe8IxMC4WNgIlykrYvl5rFu6IBnrGG6xENN21EWArvEiI5xZlGx301sGs6iPRFl-8hBJGTUJ5bmo9VZWAQb8UoPrrfLSxQg-ySSATitS7M/s1600/IMG_4859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpPORYiuzqHnytoqqSegkhvD2xTwPX1T4vFe8IxMC4WNgIlykrYvl5rFu6IBnrGG6xENN21EWArvEiI5xZlGx301sGs6iPRFl-8hBJGTUJ5bmo9VZWAQb8UoPrrfLSxQg-ySSATitS7M/s640/IMG_4859.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
you can tell by the sycamores, their distinct camouflage bark long past its
peeling stage.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUZutK3qiDHFK4E08qZEGWJ5-rSQRvHQWoW0QzeYBeO3EGBFUANwROuqTVBUk4VarfG62vXEb9Rgbokz6-9z0-agcJ4_aviDO_sk67ibkJS4JNqddUqSUcKe6HK1yMlH4CkNC1RR_5F4/s1600/IMG_4838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUZutK3qiDHFK4E08qZEGWJ5-rSQRvHQWoW0QzeYBeO3EGBFUANwROuqTVBUk4VarfG62vXEb9Rgbokz6-9z0-agcJ4_aviDO_sk67ibkJS4JNqddUqSUcKe6HK1yMlH4CkNC1RR_5F4/s640/IMG_4838.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
can tell by the hollow logs.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
ground here was loose and soft, oozing with mud under the fresh, crinkled carpet. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s because of the sewers, built years ago
to divert the Pennypack Creek underground, making room for the housing
developments and the highways, the big box supermarkets and the corner gas
stations.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Off
to my left, I saw the creek itself, seeping through the sewer lines, returning to its course…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…bubbling
back to the surface.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbBvZJXdBnd_Ak9va-FNynfRPXVVbNIuQ3Uz8caS5SlIImoHan_CKnuaPVIUbrhsN5BCliG275ZYhjkZsznnc9j4PnCDxucOttzfsueKD2UCI04kXc5YDSMrl3655ZHO_PRN-UfBPTF0/s1600/IMG_4844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbBvZJXdBnd_Ak9va-FNynfRPXVVbNIuQ3Uz8caS5SlIImoHan_CKnuaPVIUbrhsN5BCliG275ZYhjkZsznnc9j4PnCDxucOttzfsueKD2UCI04kXc5YDSMrl3655ZHO_PRN-UfBPTF0/s640/IMG_4844.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I was off. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Somewhere
in these woods stands the largest patch of Philadelphia pawpaw.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I was late in the season, I know. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Late
in the moon, as they say.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
was way past picking time and, with every step, more leaves fell from the sky,
the forest folding up for the year. The
chance of finding an actual <i>prairie
banana</i> was slim to none but, gentlemen, never tell me the odds…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWraCpF5oVE76ZFUhhuJzOsVapBO7S9Hsr42jn7t3UNDd-rZY4mFyHY3_qQBB3YmLkgzQd0Pf6eLog-n-IGpYzXd-_-E9Mz-0Fo4astPUfxzkvf86sYE1nCw0QZEvnYVJ-GAjHbdbPKzM/s1600/IMG_4853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWraCpF5oVE76ZFUhhuJzOsVapBO7S9Hsr42jn7t3UNDd-rZY4mFyHY3_qQBB3YmLkgzQd0Pf6eLog-n-IGpYzXd-_-E9Mz-0Fo4astPUfxzkvf86sYE1nCw0QZEvnYVJ-GAjHbdbPKzM/s640/IMG_4853.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…I’ve
heard all those reasons before.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>TO BE CONTINUED…Jon
Spruce is way down yonder in the pawpaw patch…spurned on by spite, gassed up
with rage, no reckon of common sense in sight…into the storied woods of the
Pennypack Creek...</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>...tramping under the bridges and through the sawmills, stomping
into the once and future lands of the Lenni-Lenape nation, into the very heart of the
Turtle Clan proving grounds…this might be his most daunting, most fruitful
adventure yet!</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-65910376865760109452013-10-08T21:09:00.000-07:002013-10-24T13:47:41.256-07:00PHILLY FALL & THE FERNHILL FRUIT<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GR781WGwnVEpKYiS_STBRBDextFnuCkwyi-pDiCyg6uYJ00UFZLyuGaIwUlNoHglc187vVj5TUNBivADAmip4Fh6huNTq3tW9bgvr5zsgK0VpC8P7YZSTyfcnWUpWcLNY0Vt2bmyvdg/s1600/IMG_4161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GR781WGwnVEpKYiS_STBRBDextFnuCkwyi-pDiCyg6uYJ00UFZLyuGaIwUlNoHglc187vVj5TUNBivADAmip4Fh6huNTq3tW9bgvr5zsgK0VpC8P7YZSTyfcnWUpWcLNY0Vt2bmyvdg/s640/IMG_4161.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now,
where was I?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
right, it’s autumn here in Philadelphia.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6f7-QD-TRSaq7ZOkWsOpeCvbSo9xu8JD7DTcFnJ3V021W8MhYVJFJSfAO90XL4nr8MarRfMw0dnAi3-UFjTQsZYNOZ4ewH4hAPtg6LlD6yp3nFRbj9P3sq8REtNnUsuC9d5OT5uCkBVM/s1600/IMG_4166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6f7-QD-TRSaq7ZOkWsOpeCvbSo9xu8JD7DTcFnJ3V021W8MhYVJFJSfAO90XL4nr8MarRfMw0dnAi3-UFjTQsZYNOZ4ewH4hAPtg6LlD6yp3nFRbj9P3sq8REtNnUsuC9d5OT5uCkBVM/s640/IMG_4166.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now,
how does that quote go again, the one about autumn? Think, Jon Spruce. Who was it again?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
right, it was Albert Camus, the French philosopher. Now, he was an absurdist but don’t worry,
Donny, there’s nothing to be afraid of.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every
now and then, even an absurdist is worth listening to.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmAGmhnXezys7nAoxPUc1G1OM5gkyEaLoP_2m2Ug1-9YTZc8M6Cj4RPQUO-BfFzRCCx2pZ_ZzxjK9ZjqSv5P_nCYa1ZBfjk_X8F4SjwfewRdIhmA43dwMcvpMOOwqT4MguQB6x1UTCpEQ/s1600/IMG_4152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmAGmhnXezys7nAoxPUc1G1OM5gkyEaLoP_2m2Ug1-9YTZc8M6Cj4RPQUO-BfFzRCCx2pZ_ZzxjK9ZjqSv5P_nCYa1ZBfjk_X8F4SjwfewRdIhmA43dwMcvpMOOwqT4MguQB6x1UTCpEQ/s640/IMG_4152.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Autumn</i> <i>is a second spring when every leaf’s a
flower.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWf4z8DYlxT-KwnPhVn4jjkYqLhIcYPSHZ5hAj8GfbBJTsXuv8PtXExKNa-ixU5eJQ16831yz8TD2ZmtWe39E8GHiVfR-8uaXsIDwaIUslvGbiwve0QYmpHOBi0fbLw0FCkrd467kTgM/s1600/IMG_4496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWf4z8DYlxT-KwnPhVn4jjkYqLhIcYPSHZ5hAj8GfbBJTsXuv8PtXExKNa-ixU5eJQ16831yz8TD2ZmtWe39E8GHiVfR-8uaXsIDwaIUslvGbiwve0QYmpHOBi0fbLw0FCkrd467kTgM/s640/IMG_4496.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Zut
alors! He was right.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Season
of the tawny dawn, season of the rustic twilight, the brisk walk…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyRO-wahruTY2ze_oPPzdLX8Qzy-82DWlHjOc0LEmRjO8af0KYjt9_fahlvylnbLzJVs5NGpLdX2Ojr1NZOSZ6sku78vXnAUH4E44Dfw2cEBuvN0OHE_SapJJ5ZdmBHJqpcNiXYp6CvE/s1600/IMG_5609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyRO-wahruTY2ze_oPPzdLX8Qzy-82DWlHjOc0LEmRjO8af0KYjt9_fahlvylnbLzJVs5NGpLdX2Ojr1NZOSZ6sku78vXnAUH4E44Dfw2cEBuvN0OHE_SapJJ5ZdmBHJqpcNiXYp6CvE/s640/IMG_5609.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…the
green world’s final curtain call.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now,
Jon Spruce, pay attention.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
is how it turns. This is how it falls.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3ENdInEucJu5biNU4flGbM_esDjk6KQSDyCtlNx9s4siKq8r3u6eBi1u-cln6aEn37S4OIMCTjnlWpS1f35FYd3MSSXdED7_oi3MHBD-EuDOQ17MikKS_gD1tC6cEXmwgbGLIJ4dcEw/s1600/IMG_4554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw3ENdInEucJu5biNU4flGbM_esDjk6KQSDyCtlNx9s4siKq8r3u6eBi1u-cln6aEn37S4OIMCTjnlWpS1f35FYd3MSSXdED7_oi3MHBD-EuDOQ17MikKS_gD1tC6cEXmwgbGLIJ4dcEw/s640/IMG_4554.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s
the first to blaze? The very tippy tops
of maples.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Next,
it’s the sycamores, last to leaf but first to drop.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Do
you want to see one of the largest sycamores in all of Turtle Island?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyDpJmMq4msyRjzTlkCumXAzo4JD_Z7biHUBWEumcMxFJMlUlOueJtPOFAHQyJ3r_udNioFvsWsMHdNpLNBvBQywTO4c0g2PKeNB5gDHfz_5MMEdINjgWqV_6H9PAsDzYRYPzGSjgt7w/s1600/350px-Sunderland_Buttonball_01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyDpJmMq4msyRjzTlkCumXAzo4JD_Z7biHUBWEumcMxFJMlUlOueJtPOFAHQyJ3r_udNioFvsWsMHdNpLNBvBQywTO4c0g2PKeNB5gDHfz_5MMEdINjgWqV_6H9PAsDzYRYPzGSjgt7w/s640/350px-Sunderland_Buttonball_01.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
the Buttonball Tree, located in Sutherland, Massachusetts. Estimated age? 350 years old.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
most famous sycamore in Pennsylvania?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
got to be the Lafayette Sycamore in Valley Forge National Historic Park. Do you want to see a picture?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlMNDBtobAsQloP-Ge7fvBY6zSRxWSQUyTFh33oj0QB0B6vbJgwcJm0aGzjfdkifX7ogYwZ3j3fgzc4n-mWWISbMJfVJB-TAiUI9EOXapEG5P967N0c8WIFTAJfHoybQNWAjQGExoFZ4/s1600/NPS-shutdown.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlMNDBtobAsQloP-Ge7fvBY6zSRxWSQUyTFh33oj0QB0B6vbJgwcJm0aGzjfdkifX7ogYwZ3j3fgzc4n-mWWISbMJfVJB-TAiUI9EOXapEG5P967N0c8WIFTAJfHoybQNWAjQGExoFZ4/s640/NPS-shutdown.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Oh,
that’s right. Here, I found another one.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuVIT9rA-5D-X0RAzm9IAxWAGRZD-gSfe8Sonw3RdfG7z9k1P_2yLwLteVikUc1_eACNSDUjx2CC787Nx0lsxl44SkJS48DbFlE7TTqAb19dc8sFuQtmMefa7LuAzX7tGDfZqvnn_6iM/s1600/0d2a7bfb-bb8d-4090-97fc-d27cbe0980cb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuVIT9rA-5D-X0RAzm9IAxWAGRZD-gSfe8Sonw3RdfG7z9k1P_2yLwLteVikUc1_eACNSDUjx2CC787Nx0lsxl44SkJS48DbFlE7TTqAb19dc8sFuQtmMefa7LuAzX7tGDfZqvnn_6iM/s640/0d2a7bfb-bb8d-4090-97fc-d27cbe0980cb.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">During
the Battle of Brandywine, the injured Marquis De Lafayette was rushed away from
the battlegrounds and laid against this sycamore while his wounds were dressed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Or so the legend goes. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here
in Philadelphia, I like the stand of sycamores in front of the Art Museum.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvwp3Ri1EZnd1stALsMgb8Mi12D9bEHVi-uHyPM7CQj7QZ_PB-VDgsXzFKYDPO2gNRHzy5QTityCVhlGjyuoFydm8xGI30Qowuu9INul0y71oFLs75aA71uIG943fOf9f96v0MqrmN9o/s1600/IMG_4496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvwp3Ri1EZnd1stALsMgb8Mi12D9bEHVi-uHyPM7CQj7QZ_PB-VDgsXzFKYDPO2gNRHzy5QTityCVhlGjyuoFydm8xGI30Qowuu9INul0y71oFLs75aA71uIG943fOf9f96v0MqrmN9o/s640/IMG_4496.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
the buzzing metropolis known as the Appalachian forest, the sycamore stands out
like a statue…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGbk3LJ5I-CVZ42FwNnK_Tb2JTnX2QRD6dVyNxHCYSZof450zAN7DfNLZCuo3o3-5xUvng_7F2kJ_wGc7kfIMbKv149sesYfFb3kS9fZlAM5jxsg02TXzx8vjgHgRUkrRGhLKodAl7LM/s1600/IMG_4506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGbk3LJ5I-CVZ42FwNnK_Tb2JTnX2QRD6dVyNxHCYSZof450zAN7DfNLZCuo3o3-5xUvng_7F2kJ_wGc7kfIMbKv149sesYfFb3kS9fZlAM5jxsg02TXzx8vjgHgRUkrRGhLKodAl7LM/s640/IMG_4506.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…<i>here is a tree, </i>wrote Donald Culross
Peattie, <i>that might have been created as
the friend of mankind.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">During
these drizzly October days, its camouflage bark gets a good, hard scrub against the washboard...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycyAMpY4BAkvOh71FFCptWiHI6KjQZbgQhkrvnjhlnqxXBmJv50wBKFzSuuAGH8JxGTsaTCNhSsD2NofUGe9E3owqn3pC1minw1Uq4AOWeOE5WHC2ItgRQUmUKvDr8EbZwGu_vW6wW-c/s1600/IMG_4512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycyAMpY4BAkvOh71FFCptWiHI6KjQZbgQhkrvnjhlnqxXBmJv50wBKFzSuuAGH8JxGTsaTCNhSsD2NofUGe9E3owqn3pC1minw1Uq4AOWeOE5WHC2ItgRQUmUKvDr8EbZwGu_vW6wW-c/s640/IMG_4512.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…first
sign of the motley autumn to come.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sycamores
and maples but then there’s more. From
underneath its thick green crown, the eastern ash is turning on, incandescent.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JYr5_bT13dDed5J2qsKjLL1NR5jlwF3byf4wdOiTKU81jkas4MF59fi06zkp8yIey9piOLTNC_fzvhRK-MUDHf2cMBJD26uCoCEyf3TqrvER6AqLD6Hpf08bOg7qO-qNl5FxPRuoxiQ/s1600/IMG_4490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JYr5_bT13dDed5J2qsKjLL1NR5jlwF3byf4wdOiTKU81jkas4MF59fi06zkp8yIey9piOLTNC_fzvhRK-MUDHf2cMBJD26uCoCEyf3TqrvER6AqLD6Hpf08bOg7qO-qNl5FxPRuoxiQ/s640/IMG_4490.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hunting yellow, are you? Then you must be in hog heaven, can’t steal
your eyes away from all those honey locusts.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK36d19gZ3s200KS9xQzq4uywqFCXYsuR2FXZCD23c_t2MxlRZtJsgzT2-ORh-FRpVzo8BtXvXbeagimZEEb91ZjIsjIT85M8jYTxQnZKUNpK4bFasCiJ6n6W3SSBCHyxMFLdlpOvZcB8/s1600/IMG_4473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK36d19gZ3s200KS9xQzq4uywqFCXYsuR2FXZCD23c_t2MxlRZtJsgzT2-ORh-FRpVzo8BtXvXbeagimZEEb91ZjIsjIT85M8jYTxQnZKUNpK4bFasCiJ6n6W3SSBCHyxMFLdlpOvZcB8/s640/IMG_4473.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
big trees are a-catching color but, Jon Spruce, don’t get too distracted, watching
that rustic quilt drop from the sky. Don’t
miss the understory.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00q45gkK-ZIZ6-h3EIB24IVfSd4ks6jbvfy5ruzy4w5wUTVnX_HabcuysFB5tyPrGsn8IHG_8bpEzdDzhCqEp2vUZHJNov07CEc_uCCorLzwCOKIU6WHOJ3HW4vtiOhETdo_2SUovoNM/s1600/IMG_5476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi00q45gkK-ZIZ6-h3EIB24IVfSd4ks6jbvfy5ruzy4w5wUTVnX_HabcuysFB5tyPrGsn8IHG_8bpEzdDzhCqEp2vUZHJNov07CEc_uCCorLzwCOKIU6WHOJ3HW4vtiOhETdo_2SUovoNM/s640/IMG_5476.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
the sumac, not the poisonous kind, one of the first small trees to blush.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiOHARUIteTw_y-BUCR7INxPUu80-cn8R2bmNTk8gD13Xn5ulvJlynwRJG5uMNeje_LUF1dLzeXoZtKxRLpQwmFYzxgRu1tNc5EpJ3ThgX_ANbDrwl5sg5iKfFcrQBZUcx7jkrzxAlxk/s1600/IMG_5477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiOHARUIteTw_y-BUCR7INxPUu80-cn8R2bmNTk8gD13Xn5ulvJlynwRJG5uMNeje_LUF1dLzeXoZtKxRLpQwmFYzxgRu1tNc5EpJ3ThgX_ANbDrwl5sg5iKfFcrQBZUcx7jkrzxAlxk/s640/IMG_5477.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
then see those golden coins, hanging in mid-air, catching color? </span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BbUGUOjv6makF4abNX2zxl-yNnxo8OXPCe8oSPYe1JunUqwwgnJbHSPf6f4Rrz6-e9FAcDfI7A4FtTxTqJ9ZEUo4B26Z2oJYmZdnd5T3yeyXE1XrjyupA73u1CcpioJy5AOvRRs-qvU/s1600/IMG_4448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BbUGUOjv6makF4abNX2zxl-yNnxo8OXPCe8oSPYe1JunUqwwgnJbHSPf6f4Rrz6-e9FAcDfI7A4FtTxTqJ9ZEUo4B26Z2oJYmZdnd5T3yeyXE1XrjyupA73u1CcpioJy5AOvRRs-qvU/s640/IMG_4448.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
the poison ivy, the poisonous kind…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigL0f0fWSYbYvJfKDa9_uVw728oK6OpMQxZeEvDEV4gpMpHNDFdHYKa2uqbbXYZMxjSSxb-yrjskVxWbKWPlhJH21Fg9dBBqftsdWDW5DrfcqOd-Oq231jPRFJHGYOtzE574IspqhZXNM/s1600/IMG_4548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigL0f0fWSYbYvJfKDa9_uVw728oK6OpMQxZeEvDEV4gpMpHNDFdHYKa2uqbbXYZMxjSSxb-yrjskVxWbKWPlhJH21Fg9dBBqftsdWDW5DrfcqOd-Oq231jPRFJHGYOtzE574IspqhZXNM/s640/IMG_4548.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…although
sometimes it flares red, don't know why.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And, Jon Spruce, quit your babbling for one minute and listen, listen while you walk…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVkRwLc5Qo2Lcqp0PjvYlTQimgMV9uOVqOGyozI61KfoJEn8smwp_kT_r7uyqk7u5ja9OnE5E_XE5bSDvMfhwJf5IxqcjbWBs1slZeHZQOTuiWkMON5OtHD74R1-Vwhfv98bZBzrBNwE/s1600/IMG_4453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxVkRwLc5Qo2Lcqp0PjvYlTQimgMV9uOVqOGyozI61KfoJEn8smwp_kT_r7uyqk7u5ja9OnE5E_XE5bSDvMfhwJf5IxqcjbWBs1slZeHZQOTuiWkMON5OtHD74R1-Vwhfv98bZBzrBNwE/s640/IMG_4453.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…<i>we should go forth on the shortest walk</i>,
Thoreau once wrote, <i>in the spirit of
adventure, never to return.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Never
to return.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now
that’s it. That’s the way autumn sounds
to me.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqVUIO7gSETybQ9wYz_6cnRQXeBhmHM4GjbuSt8PSNX_XRQzGFt-cPMUW93WBuR8DHjjppeIhaU2Dge2wjpMPcVmmO8qN8_Fa1W4_ZKrh3OTWVmCOyk4tpG8ioiyjS7UwE8N42-IEdpI/s1600/IMG_5582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqVUIO7gSETybQ9wYz_6cnRQXeBhmHM4GjbuSt8PSNX_XRQzGFt-cPMUW93WBuR8DHjjppeIhaU2Dge2wjpMPcVmmO8qN8_Fa1W4_ZKrh3OTWVmCOyk4tpG8ioiyjS7UwE8N42-IEdpI/s640/IMG_5582.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
world is a-creaking.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
the cracking of the horse chestnuts…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLXLBbdOF9fsnzBfQZrx-HfNPrTHflKTTUuLJuViWxlLZr2wRisvUPOWzK0RAl1-pOW0_xmnZdoKCn4-p4PVV9JEE9fIsrWbD7s9HZ8fLVfRmXpc-l1WC5aeiIPXOyy-r3gEjm16-J48/s1600/IMG_4458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLXLBbdOF9fsnzBfQZrx-HfNPrTHflKTTUuLJuViWxlLZr2wRisvUPOWzK0RAl1-pOW0_xmnZdoKCn4-p4PVV9JEE9fIsrWbD7s9HZ8fLVfRmXpc-l1WC5aeiIPXOyy-r3gEjm16-J48/s640/IMG_4458.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…the
way the acorns pop under my path.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimngb-URHKjwJPwcTDzHfelud7VVIPvqOkmMqpKy5ezmF4uUcmXr1czASoCnnL10GGKj67_Myux649Rj9L-YKBqzuzl6sk6LbjGnEm_Uc0qLE7EVrtmrCdBjlc03ESeQV0Bnq3R-dVLzQ/s1600/IMG_4529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimngb-URHKjwJPwcTDzHfelud7VVIPvqOkmMqpKy5ezmF4uUcmXr1czASoCnnL10GGKj67_Myux649Rj9L-YKBqzuzl6sk6LbjGnEm_Uc0qLE7EVrtmrCdBjlc03ESeQV0Bnq3R-dVLzQ/s640/IMG_4529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
the sound of my boots stirring the autumn carpet, the way those leaves whisper
against my jeans.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now
that’s the way you take a fall.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIZ9FOYbu5FaHFfcHZCuMxRe9U7fxVwhlGbX1wwl21rIgbCBVZwex_rkFw-3c7Wk7s7Eb8t5SWn8Kr3OriICNHWqfymWnCS2bnZWjBBGAAziK2otGyJrpVGupDubOHEbLiWq74Te4wTM/s1600/IMG_5475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIZ9FOYbu5FaHFfcHZCuMxRe9U7fxVwhlGbX1wwl21rIgbCBVZwex_rkFw-3c7Wk7s7Eb8t5SWn8Kr3OriICNHWqfymWnCS2bnZWjBBGAAziK2otGyJrpVGupDubOHEbLiWq74Te4wTM/s640/IMG_5475.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>FERNHILL FRUIT</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>It may be worth
the while to consider for a moment what a fruit is</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
another quote from Thoreau. Can’t help
it, the guy never stopped talking.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
that’s exactly what I was up to. I was
considering the fruit.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So I crawled back into the car and headed into the direction of the Northeast, as good a place as any, and better than most... </span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzDQ3fnRB0A-ObJwsiuf-aA9_TfQXqiRwz2nHEMp7vbIyzqDEKXBqlcSKQUpNdwCSzRniAoU9c7qnIUoOMbkzBAtdujpeStKq_oZHxcU39N9ahG_W6pUaOeNK0DtVJxoQqP17OJSxb38/s1600/IMG_4054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzDQ3fnRB0A-ObJwsiuf-aA9_TfQXqiRwz2nHEMp7vbIyzqDEKXBqlcSKQUpNdwCSzRniAoU9c7qnIUoOMbkzBAtdujpeStKq_oZHxcU39N9ahG_W6pUaOeNK0DtVJxoQqP17OJSxb38/s640/IMG_4054.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…to Fernhill
Park, at the intersection of the Roberts and Wissahickon Avenues.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
the distance, across the baseball field, the mulberry takes center stage.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBoUfIhQ5FEH2UmEyCnsDPHeQYpp2Ir-eSVMxFUlRFv42SeiRcW-9aV3VjdIMwdB258srzHe4Q51nPrM2jwyzTformB419RR8zRxGCzshZf2qmX4Xtn6qsUC_pcq2sKB_z23C91_CMGHs/s1600/IMG_4056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBoUfIhQ5FEH2UmEyCnsDPHeQYpp2Ir-eSVMxFUlRFv42SeiRcW-9aV3VjdIMwdB258srzHe4Q51nPrM2jwyzTformB419RR8zRxGCzshZf2qmX4Xtn6qsUC_pcq2sKB_z23C91_CMGHs/s640/IMG_4056.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
is a fabulous mulberry, not something
you’ll hear me say very often.
The mulberry is not one of my favorite trees, not by a long shot, but
that would change in a heartbeat if more mulberries looked like this.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhw9G-fRd4ArQShyBjJhyphenhyphen-vRW1v2e-vTnHobRg4OPAkle9cX1GqDUUNYew5ErAOJikNDqd2KVtU3ZQ1Mc_PI_WHXr6kAsNg8bKt52mJVIr3O2agh32-cVmeb4h5tUX1rhpgwmo28pFvkk/s1600/IMG_4067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhw9G-fRd4ArQShyBjJhyphenhyphen-vRW1v2e-vTnHobRg4OPAkle9cX1GqDUUNYew5ErAOJikNDqd2KVtU3ZQ1Mc_PI_WHXr6kAsNg8bKt52mJVIr3O2agh32-cVmeb4h5tUX1rhpgwmo28pFvkk/s640/IMG_4067.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nice
shadow too.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2jVHQDBoHCjVb5Ljq7x502VMU15jL6CnELoL46pyfDjsZR83xjvw0mgxnnmsbqVUvc5tksGGj_mIlyBYoQZkojf_8VL2p9y7oPWMV3J6PJa1TWc68v39UtPW28xlDOd23821WxsRZ8s/s1600/IMG_4070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2jVHQDBoHCjVb5Ljq7x502VMU15jL6CnELoL46pyfDjsZR83xjvw0mgxnnmsbqVUvc5tksGGj_mIlyBYoQZkojf_8VL2p9y7oPWMV3J6PJa1TWc68v39UtPW28xlDOd23821WxsRZ8s/s640/IMG_4070.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Around
the bend from this mulberry, the path ducks under the Roosevelt Expressway
overpass…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqQGLyPQREg94m-mjl4b7szbDkWJi86bzRvmrUwp5UbA5tvFpU2ehDIE9kct0xyZZ7wGWKSlh7xz0tDpokcia8HEHoYy9zNiKgd3tyaRXzhlHPM_7_ulD9SVvnr8ocHJiqXP-KUrEfA0/s1600/IMG_4072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqQGLyPQREg94m-mjl4b7szbDkWJi86bzRvmrUwp5UbA5tvFpU2ehDIE9kct0xyZZ7wGWKSlh7xz0tDpokcia8HEHoYy9zNiKgd3tyaRXzhlHPM_7_ulD9SVvnr8ocHJiqXP-KUrEfA0/s640/IMG_4072.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and,
there, you’ll find a colorful mural, a vivid and enigmatic consideration of the
fruit.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JwxTb8mipdIOSHk3gzeg4HP9hBxWOBVByYphKdzBJMdhwdgSkK3Nl8sKNp7yLDscHjgS7SZq8kSDkiC0BToFZmQYDlxNAyqNilL5kvo_Iq6PaSl1tE6vQq7EjaJ2pVMyH5wWvV46pYg/s1600/IMG_4078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JwxTb8mipdIOSHk3gzeg4HP9hBxWOBVByYphKdzBJMdhwdgSkK3Nl8sKNp7yLDscHjgS7SZq8kSDkiC0BToFZmQYDlxNAyqNilL5kvo_Iq6PaSl1tE6vQq7EjaJ2pVMyH5wWvV46pYg/s640/IMG_4078.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
don’t know, exactly, what that fruit is trying to be.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
can’t identify it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not
a good way to start a hunt.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Along
the mural, I found some of the fruit floating in the air, a-sprouting…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXa9ePqjVjmhgSr8RGhgZHRthQ0HHzbzcTW63hmkvtdl48uBb9XigPsvWESwNPwSGJcEL1qwuazUmUHOi5I1zqZcKHxPmCa140rNNQvIXWnB2GJU_VtYw25bEX30sOMZZQ6FnlOoCYZ8/s1600/IMG_4081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXa9ePqjVjmhgSr8RGhgZHRthQ0HHzbzcTW63hmkvtdl48uBb9XigPsvWESwNPwSGJcEL1qwuazUmUHOi5I1zqZcKHxPmCa140rNNQvIXWnB2GJU_VtYw25bEX30sOMZZQ6FnlOoCYZ8/s640/IMG_4081.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
that was just absurd.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some
of the fruit on the mural is cracked open…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6DIsgDk3xk9zhyphenhyphenorHLPRI3-rGw1slL6PfD4EXwrHvGKWuVqwuuLn2LOWyRSBfX3vm6U6OvFZxMNDd1SuOM4UgyyX4ANDUGAw7MYIDGC__cpRVJTKqcoPEzNxs1i0f7F7Tnzvg3tW_kE/s1600/IMG_4084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6DIsgDk3xk9zhyphenhyphenorHLPRI3-rGw1slL6PfD4EXwrHvGKWuVqwuuLn2LOWyRSBfX3vm6U6OvFZxMNDd1SuOM4UgyyX4ANDUGAw7MYIDGC__cpRVJTKqcoPEzNxs1i0f7F7Tnzvg3tW_kE/s640/IMG_4084.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
that still didn’t help.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe
an acorn?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Its
tree kind of looks like an oak…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUGJSzL9JMiN2KniB7gC8Ll84PyaXiEjir4jwmQtJR8zo5VDhMWitgKGUlSQVsxLDsAtw2VKh5OUb9dRRI3PuLGj22oFwZzYTV-H6txYxCGM7kqdLqAKr6msMxUgLHVpRAP9GKvAZJuRk/s1600/IMG_4085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUGJSzL9JMiN2KniB7gC8Ll84PyaXiEjir4jwmQtJR8zo5VDhMWitgKGUlSQVsxLDsAtw2VKh5OUb9dRRI3PuLGj22oFwZzYTV-H6txYxCGM7kqdLqAKr6msMxUgLHVpRAP9GKvAZJuRk/s640/IMG_4085.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
there’s no way to be sure.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If
only I could meet someone who knew for sure…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAheIaPy6zrnc_0d9m2eykUw3359eUlXiNTP3ddGnxBQl63PU3wUavuRJJ1X7MGWvWhLSv1zYg3l-eWO7c7dWUYfBDY0dfLgTPW2Ne9IXrNMCkg8SNN8f3bDjkfOT2xpYALAaBTAVfcOg/s1600/IMG_4077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAheIaPy6zrnc_0d9m2eykUw3359eUlXiNTP3ddGnxBQl63PU3wUavuRJJ1X7MGWvWhLSv1zYg3l-eWO7c7dWUYfBDY0dfLgTPW2Ne9IXrNMCkg8SNN8f3bDjkfOT2xpYALAaBTAVfcOg/s640/IMG_4077.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…someone
who had a hand in the sowing.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe,
in order to find the answer, it would be worth the while to look even deeper, to
get on my knees and to peer inside the fruit itself.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe
I should consider the seed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj547ZUtFzhLPrImghv-v19dDEt_I_qZBFf0Q4VO-Ryq3EmdnzVDB-6Ep-P_zsKjcQ5s3Lksj-UQhrh8QW79QugflpF6ueNA9ToStyBnE4x3OA5ft8gfwO0MF87hye_cISxUBokWLihTUU/s1600/IMG_4075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj547ZUtFzhLPrImghv-v19dDEt_I_qZBFf0Q4VO-Ryq3EmdnzVDB-6Ep-P_zsKjcQ5s3Lksj-UQhrh8QW79QugflpF6ueNA9ToStyBnE4x3OA5ft8gfwO0MF87hye_cISxUBokWLihTUU/s640/IMG_4075.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And,
for that, I recommend doing your reaping at a local farmers’ market.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LlrqIrR7d_z0H60L1WPlN-lvYSF-pbUM8qUxS7L7B9VMkGFKDdUHBmu0lDKOI2CxesoqqgMLHTfwUJQ-5upIS5TSChGxRNqIbxp_yj1tLlyQ3MrdlZQ-i66x8AeDBzyiYcfH2yhB1fg/s1600/October+22+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LlrqIrR7d_z0H60L1WPlN-lvYSF-pbUM8qUxS7L7B9VMkGFKDdUHBmu0lDKOI2CxesoqqgMLHTfwUJQ-5upIS5TSChGxRNqIbxp_yj1tLlyQ3MrdlZQ-i66x8AeDBzyiYcfH2yhB1fg/s640/October+22+032.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>CONSIDERING THE
SEED</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
most cultures and countries here along the northern slant of the world, this
part of the year is known as the Harvest Moon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRufhGv1vdJ0bM8783st6GxKu2gHwO6BstrBRKznh-zf7kDkxxZgwzqqJssW0G8CjWZUvJzbegxuKQkaukuLedEkyV6mrsdtzYiKeuh6EKemP6K6Pqz_cwPqhyphenhyphenaRxTmyjSfI_uuTaZhg/s1600/IMG_4311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRufhGv1vdJ0bM8783st6GxKu2gHwO6BstrBRKznh-zf7kDkxxZgwzqqJssW0G8CjWZUvJzbegxuKQkaukuLedEkyV6mrsdtzYiKeuh6EKemP6K6Pqz_cwPqhyphenhyphenaRxTmyjSfI_uuTaZhg/s640/IMG_4311.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Delicious,
nutritious, colorful, juicy and rich, but that’s the whole idea after all.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
how these fruits spread their seed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They’re
made to be irresistible.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
reality, these flavor-bombs are just the vehicle for its passenger, the seed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now, let’s
get dirty.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEjG5nVXQYOF85ogSQK2srQ_Ul5vrJDKPOdhkzKCkmCop7mQQAcwedvea977qphyphenhyphenA2JYT2hx3f5RrauwArhCqDJBO-bbiunK4faz48iq-LXtlrlsRbICO5K-zGvZ6YwW1jPSvjFwBm2M/s1600/IMG_4341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEjG5nVXQYOF85ogSQK2srQ_Ul5vrJDKPOdhkzKCkmCop7mQQAcwedvea977qphyphenhyphenA2JYT2hx3f5RrauwArhCqDJBO-bbiunK4faz48iq-LXtlrlsRbICO5K-zGvZ6YwW1jPSvjFwBm2M/s640/IMG_4341.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here
we have the inedible gourd, kept in the seed catalogs all these years for décor
and tradition. Many, many Harvest Moons
ago, these kinds of gourds were valuable material, whittled down to make spoons
or bowls, carved out to make water jugs or bird-feeders, or carved out and then
filled back up with dried corn to make musical instruments.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like
most winter squash, the gourd packs all of its seeds in a soft, doughy pocket
inside the fruit.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdshPF39xI6jQ3u-r_0b9hU1km2ZQCEo-8drMdqW-Db-IuAj4jcWCyfqTbtGGpOeSfGZNLkDe41TUSfzTN8W9G8ASvWiSKj4ZMPdx6bTiFXDKmPZg-gASUsrWlctmnR9mrh6ie1F_W9I/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdshPF39xI6jQ3u-r_0b9hU1km2ZQCEo-8drMdqW-Db-IuAj4jcWCyfqTbtGGpOeSfGZNLkDe41TUSfzTN8W9G8ASvWiSKj4ZMPdx6bTiFXDKmPZg-gASUsrWlctmnR9mrh6ie1F_W9I/s640/Untitled.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wet,
fleshy strings help keep them in place.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then
there’s the pome.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzNNoHwMvF51FNVnZIBygSZfZUqdMqrv4txpenDFmidKA2emytS6WIjLPWNW6qqBbiQU2I24TPvUaAbekk6xaJbL1q4Ehzfyb9ptJJvMxJXP-6AI-v1KAzhFZvnqFx7nDQa2fRtWq8VY/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzNNoHwMvF51FNVnZIBygSZfZUqdMqrv4txpenDFmidKA2emytS6WIjLPWNW6qqBbiQU2I24TPvUaAbekk6xaJbL1q4Ehzfyb9ptJJvMxJXP-6AI-v1KAzhFZvnqFx7nDQa2fRtWq8VY/s640/photo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unlike
the squash, the pome has a distinct core, right in the heart of the fruit.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxlIqF9ULBTgtTgYmW2GOpfmeH73EEMk-_nrnUxPou7hdl2QIzCvaDv5vaHbMJ19I4xhbJ0l6izWTOwkxHjN5aFQgPet6-hnqPCfwaptXjUB-gJAOKv2G2yvaE0aRwcqaodsAgRsdP1c/s1600/IMG_4332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxlIqF9ULBTgtTgYmW2GOpfmeH73EEMk-_nrnUxPou7hdl2QIzCvaDv5vaHbMJ19I4xhbJ0l6izWTOwkxHjN5aFQgPet6-hnqPCfwaptXjUB-gJAOKv2G2yvaE0aRwcqaodsAgRsdP1c/s640/IMG_4332.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And,
unlike the squash, the seeds are few and packed tight.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWm8Z0sNTUJXO_vgV83uGjlwXFon6g8afNxB_n5uPre4ZnZwucmIEiHBSuRu5KJacc_9ve32uW0j8hu6VghTYgQyOevVQZUKsxNGX1oAEcJG-geVf8KlPAZl3LNJprgn5AZSjkL1KLUg/s1600/IMG_4335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWm8Z0sNTUJXO_vgV83uGjlwXFon6g8afNxB_n5uPre4ZnZwucmIEiHBSuRu5KJacc_9ve32uW0j8hu6VghTYgQyOevVQZUKsxNGX1oAEcJG-geVf8KlPAZl3LNJprgn5AZSjkL1KLUg/s640/IMG_4335.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There’s
also the nightshades.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWalskPbEBRch3wWDu4jPS58XA40RrEXGGkBT6fO8Jh_irnkVKZVMhVut9qKuOP3_2PY18qSIwUfft7Ea3-SUMjnHSVawAtoicowp_PrZxshQNVLoJy6vwkQPjqtU_NeZiVbciUNPt65M/s1600/IMG_4322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWalskPbEBRch3wWDu4jPS58XA40RrEXGGkBT6fO8Jh_irnkVKZVMhVut9qKuOP3_2PY18qSIwUfft7Ea3-SUMjnHSVawAtoicowp_PrZxshQNVLoJy6vwkQPjqtU_NeZiVbciUNPt65M/s640/IMG_4322.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unlike
the squash and the pome, these seeds are packed inside watery pools known as <i>locular cavities.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
comes from the root word <i>loculus</i>,
which means <i>small space</i>, although in
archaeology, it means a small chamber set aside the antechamber of a catacomb.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9qE_FxPZhIdkMq52v1lYckz6hVY4Vjt2Fv_0rcw1AqDK5WM6a56i1nDSED_zu6WrGhVAc6aVzNQX4EPgP781yLWnWIYwdfHEHwftgeNWBrEyrXc5UPWSgVUIRCs1N3-E5xTu80va0T0/s1600/IMG_4323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9qE_FxPZhIdkMq52v1lYckz6hVY4Vjt2Fv_0rcw1AqDK5WM6a56i1nDSED_zu6WrGhVAc6aVzNQX4EPgP781yLWnWIYwdfHEHwftgeNWBrEyrXc5UPWSgVUIRCs1N3-E5xTu80va0T0/s640/IMG_4323.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">My
final seed vessel of the day’s harvest? The
capsicum.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlusCT15487hRONyiYMADGR8odEqIAg5EkdMkOVhEWMCJHsMeRhomSpmtU0rHG4_dEOHPoeEMHlCfpZA6xt3-Mn0WJY1yH064OXDeitZScfJKgllNRG1ULQXlJx2IMD0xdc9iyMBSljc/s1600/IMG_4314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlusCT15487hRONyiYMADGR8odEqIAg5EkdMkOVhEWMCJHsMeRhomSpmtU0rHG4_dEOHPoeEMHlCfpZA6xt3-Mn0WJY1yH064OXDeitZScfJKgllNRG1ULQXlJx2IMD0xdc9iyMBSljc/s640/IMG_4314.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unlike
all the rest, these seeds dangle on a weak hinge along the inner rim of the
fruit, hanging delicately from the soft, papery placental wall.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUO09ru0sT6S21t4u49ViFqfkybeIPqlI-K88bX-TwOBBFHbUyEZzOhHvbe_XLYniawzBYdEQ-kC0pBUwz5MnZUqTCs3-CvK8M1ViThh1Cbbc2TYDOniLyO-uSozVvjqIUQLXGi27690U/s1600/IMG_4319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUO09ru0sT6S21t4u49ViFqfkybeIPqlI-K88bX-TwOBBFHbUyEZzOhHvbe_XLYniawzBYdEQ-kC0pBUwz5MnZUqTCs3-CvK8M1ViThh1Cbbc2TYDOniLyO-uSozVvjqIUQLXGi27690U/s640/IMG_4319.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
good eatings with Jon Spruce but, in the grand scheme of things, edible fruit
makes up a very small population of the fruiting world.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If
you only got an appetite for edible seasonal fruit, you’re going to miss a
helluva show. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE HARVEST MOON</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGT_iKHMUoeyZoY384o6r0nUs0nDEnFt-QXi2L3RC9o1zPeXhGPnxDMaFWOAkq04ShyphenhypheniFghcDfg6pTJFAicmpXAVFBF0KEH3CviC0o-ebVv4Gtj79hptVpdnlmwdCwOvFcc11mfZIqoy8/s1600/IMG_4262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGT_iKHMUoeyZoY384o6r0nUs0nDEnFt-QXi2L3RC9o1zPeXhGPnxDMaFWOAkq04ShyphenhypheniFghcDfg6pTJFAicmpXAVFBF0KEH3CviC0o-ebVv4Gtj79hptVpdnlmwdCwOvFcc11mfZIqoy8/s640/IMG_4262.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
the black walnut, shelled and cracked and eaten by some friendly, neighborhood
Fernhill Park squirrel.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We’re
already deep here. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Its summery green
husk, which is technically the ovary, has already dried up and shed, revealing its
wrinkled pericarp shell.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmRoP_stzx9ux3gEvPZoTRu9JE2t7izGbrfZI6FHHgrbMnzkfR6UbwbDTH8boRMfkuYqu_41DodpscqPhckjrLlfVpyQQxEiX7x6EQ1S9ROKEoltKe6sepPn1w3XiXiPcOGFNjC0v83A/s1600/IMG_4258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmRoP_stzx9ux3gEvPZoTRu9JE2t7izGbrfZI6FHHgrbMnzkfR6UbwbDTH8boRMfkuYqu_41DodpscqPhckjrLlfVpyQQxEiX7x6EQ1S9ROKEoltKe6sepPn1w3XiXiPcOGFNjC0v83A/s640/IMG_4258.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
edible nut has already been savored but there is still value in that tough
shell.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ground
up into grit, walnut shells are used to clean and polish soft metals,
fiberglass, even jet engines. It’s even
used to clean off graffiti.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unlike
the walnut, the Kentucky coffeetree carries its seeds, not in a shell, but in a
pod.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDj8L20kivB6KvH2y6H0RdOkuP_0GogftB6NUbTF_2UV28NMMB08chHAqQENhGDDKzvKCw_HzjlUSMPN1jeZCDXb6gV7QWdmDjpqVUJzA8lRhpWCPGiwJWg9OFYdz4v3An0TOiN8pVi44/s1600/IMG_4249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDj8L20kivB6KvH2y6H0RdOkuP_0GogftB6NUbTF_2UV28NMMB08chHAqQENhGDDKzvKCw_HzjlUSMPN1jeZCDXb6gV7QWdmDjpqVUJzA8lRhpWCPGiwJWg9OFYdz4v3An0TOiN8pVi44/s640/IMG_4249.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And,
unlike the walnut, these seeds are wet…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlq5wETJm8ozbPienppD11dOJtvVqvj-kc3N5AQs9_UQyR6hhDA34p6Zs8y1zmUdVFcay922D6JnX4wpxJ17UCEy8VIVHvUnUXswGo-s6txx6D8i8hdvNj-vQI_AeeisgS6qYYolM8X00/s1600/IMG_4251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlq5wETJm8ozbPienppD11dOJtvVqvj-kc3N5AQs9_UQyR6hhDA34p6Zs8y1zmUdVFcay922D6JnX4wpxJ17UCEy8VIVHvUnUXswGo-s6txx6D8i8hdvNj-vQI_AeeisgS6qYYolM8X00/s640/IMG_4251.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…stuck
in place, slimed, in a swamp of green pulp.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Native
Americans and starving colonial armies used to crack these seeds for the beans
inside…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYVEehMR_CC6joFQpPthhce8W0AAqHHgzYFiQunsIAYwXHS2R3cjVyIW-hVax5IQeBcw7nlJ-qumfaGqJqu99LgrKEe2KzcLteQo798J49dtXEg-3Ka3-8_YodKB3mW3gzKbEXtFM1vQw/s1600/IMG_4255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYVEehMR_CC6joFQpPthhce8W0AAqHHgzYFiQunsIAYwXHS2R3cjVyIW-hVax5IQeBcw7nlJ-qumfaGqJqu99LgrKEe2KzcLteQo798J49dtXEg-3Ka3-8_YodKB3mW3gzKbEXtFM1vQw/s640/IMG_4255.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…roast
them and brew them into something that, supposedly, tasted like bad coffee.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Things
get even weirder when you consider the magnolia.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27tldveiXeAjpFevyCdqeZS8oIZGWsrG13eh_0jctw_zSahnYCJ90KPRgPj2AlcQoyHYiOcJUDSsiyvc_Ih0aGtuoSLBxyLxCwUMgs42GM4oN6hfjp8GXbe93mR7-EVOi6j02Vm_QG_w/s1600/IMG_4227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27tldveiXeAjpFevyCdqeZS8oIZGWsrG13eh_0jctw_zSahnYCJ90KPRgPj2AlcQoyHYiOcJUDSsiyvc_Ih0aGtuoSLBxyLxCwUMgs42GM4oN6hfjp8GXbe93mR7-EVOi6j02Vm_QG_w/s640/IMG_4227.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One
of our most ancient, oldest surviving trees, the magnolia fruit is called a <i>follicle</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That
means that the seed is encased inside the fleshy fruit, the <i>follicle</i>. The seed will eventually work
its way out, inching towards the soft wall until it breaks free of the fruit and
falls to the ground.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m
not waiting around for that.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiQgDf5qR07DNDpgkZXxOXeP3glTTBbDqAnpKG6HP21w33pVFFjKQ9IcNvI-bJ4yRQvSPLB8gJbbzXxKDZ3eEKXUw8zCqFC2zeqjUuEh82UmGgfZsspKkKROPLz1_IHnv9B9pafSguoM/s1600/IMG_4229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiQgDf5qR07DNDpgkZXxOXeP3glTTBbDqAnpKG6HP21w33pVFFjKQ9IcNvI-bJ4yRQvSPLB8gJbbzXxKDZ3eEKXUw8zCqFC2zeqjUuEh82UmGgfZsspKkKROPLz1_IHnv9B9pafSguoM/s640/IMG_4229.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4y96cONwVCiVDjLIjMdtJIUZ6qWaCqorlT30o6zX6TStHd5iHLWbvhSaqvA_TdUfA1SOchyphenhyphen_yz6DWHdRNUDM_LoP3kFiyPvBNpODuVfcTHhVm1iQ6Z4VMkklcossjeJI0pJqYQD9-Aao/s1600/IMG_4233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4y96cONwVCiVDjLIjMdtJIUZ6qWaCqorlT30o6zX6TStHd5iHLWbvhSaqvA_TdUfA1SOchyphenhyphen_yz6DWHdRNUDM_LoP3kFiyPvBNpODuVfcTHhVm1iQ6Z4VMkklcossjeJI0pJqYQD9-Aao/s640/IMG_4233.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4O3ZHBMXqZ0Wd39dEVC9XwfcdEaP6hLPMJeTqv3m5HDQxb9KR9gbNkCtVqqOS7JRrqArM4r0XRAlq_adobgHEjXpOdeWRTTSmj6VewsWT0MD_QhJ1T-Cyjs6dXYJjrzpmJWYyy3z8xDk/s1600/IMG_4236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4O3ZHBMXqZ0Wd39dEVC9XwfcdEaP6hLPMJeTqv3m5HDQxb9KR9gbNkCtVqqOS7JRrqArM4r0XRAlq_adobgHEjXpOdeWRTTSmj6VewsWT0MD_QhJ1T-Cyjs6dXYJjrzpmJWYyy3z8xDk/s640/IMG_4236.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClUz3SPQQVUaXpG-0mUwZvatGcp5VWx-NMKQ1JkUq9X8Lxs-Vukm8FDM7EQHGf5sj7GmaD2Gx8RK33HAgB8NLu8bRF1-PsGY98AU4LIAl9uigmDaZob8we45UVALX_zgGZ_fIloLZSBo/s1600/IMG_4241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClUz3SPQQVUaXpG-0mUwZvatGcp5VWx-NMKQ1JkUq9X8Lxs-Vukm8FDM7EQHGf5sj7GmaD2Gx8RK33HAgB8NLu8bRF1-PsGY98AU4LIAl9uigmDaZob8we45UVALX_zgGZ_fIloLZSBo/s640/IMG_4241.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
my favorite fruit of the hunt? It was
something even more peculiar, something even more fabulous and rare in these
here parts.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPKttWtj0GYi7C9qCU1nCNBJpf-IwFWN_S7n7eTAQbGSea4uyHODYKyxSTeJEeCnlrb-Fe2rD1KM9SPDMH7zjpJJs0KOIFkS1PYnidaC9abksniaEQIIFGv_dAYauYwWmaDz-453FS-c/s1600/IMG_4114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPKttWtj0GYi7C9qCU1nCNBJpf-IwFWN_S7n7eTAQbGSea4uyHODYKyxSTeJEeCnlrb-Fe2rD1KM9SPDMH7zjpJJs0KOIFkS1PYnidaC9abksniaEQIIFGv_dAYauYwWmaDz-453FS-c/s640/IMG_4114.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
the native persimmon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
much more common, although not common at all, in the southern part of the
Appalachian chain, flourishing in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, although
most field guides will include this part of the Delaware River Watershed as part of its
native range.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
is easily recognized by its spray of contorted branches and its distinctive,
blocky bark…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYm8ZNJEkHJL4vyNpOdYcK9L4JFRK1YKP9eatvbmPttvwtQ4If_8L5Vlee4iWlCOhPdYtiFBSdDrUu78RAGYbP19szJgulnbmgAEWQBTUUAav3zgnk1nyvE1kgiz81oR1H5sOqcaxjzU/s1600/IMG_4207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYm8ZNJEkHJL4vyNpOdYcK9L4JFRK1YKP9eatvbmPttvwtQ4If_8L5Vlee4iWlCOhPdYtiFBSdDrUu78RAGYbP19szJgulnbmgAEWQBTUUAav3zgnk1nyvE1kgiz81oR1H5sOqcaxjzU/s640/IMG_4207.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…described
in the field guides as <i>resembling
charcoal briquettes.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_4CSXhcGWIyOhlkm_tbDuX7KKFyA8mhnJ-SdW6O-JkNMjYiWNhi8O9wb8TceANepjCsxkbRaPQCjNdYaiHbEEx4pge4_eMBLD_XLvcRKAEJwWsVfrbpmciZ7fhXoQOA7K73z2NNh9co/s1600/IMG_4150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_4CSXhcGWIyOhlkm_tbDuX7KKFyA8mhnJ-SdW6O-JkNMjYiWNhi8O9wb8TceANepjCsxkbRaPQCjNdYaiHbEEx4pge4_eMBLD_XLvcRKAEJwWsVfrbpmciZ7fhXoQOA7K73z2NNh9co/s640/IMG_4150.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Charcoal. Now that’s what autumn smells like to me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
some parts, it’s called possumwood. That's because its fruit hangs and persists on the branches
during winter, a favorite food for Turtle Island’s only native marsupial,
the possum.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So
popular among the possums that, when John James Audubon painted the critter for
his collection, he depicted it climbing along a persimmon branch, winter on the tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwvDjeirOhtVOWrzxVFD8fbI5e0L6-JkU4bki1iG1gjavR4OdPftobryBMTqZr-_6nPxBnWlnThPUKAqNzSsilBPtZasxPV48C5Rs8A-svvz7ojAswDnBLNLdMVO2wg2MGDUHqDrDVV4/s1600/virginian-opossum-john-james-audubon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwvDjeirOhtVOWrzxVFD8fbI5e0L6-JkU4bki1iG1gjavR4OdPftobryBMTqZr-_6nPxBnWlnThPUKAqNzSsilBPtZasxPV48C5Rs8A-svvz7ojAswDnBLNLdMVO2wg2MGDUHqDrDVV4/s640/virginian-opossum-john-james-audubon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">These
are not the kind you find in the supermarket.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOmC7fYze-3zal13w5RiO1Kw3gWLBEDnp7SLnevDkCFqXJWZ_FSfyEh2vqCfSBmzDS5l69rbC2A0i9wOj_I9N70iIB-zbbS87FPdBinmUkcsj9AnacNiw-KYheU8v0qHBVMwIOlccs9Y/s1600/IMG_4272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOmC7fYze-3zal13w5RiO1Kw3gWLBEDnp7SLnevDkCFqXJWZ_FSfyEh2vqCfSBmzDS5l69rbC2A0i9wOj_I9N70iIB-zbbS87FPdBinmUkcsj9AnacNiw-KYheU8v0qHBVMwIOlccs9Y/s640/IMG_4272.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
the Chinese persimmon, although the Turtle Island persimmon does share the
same characteristic of fruiting and clinging close to the branch.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZmTnu3vvtYmeiRIe9qPGJldD-p3OB67rphyphenhyphenQOJH6p8olcLfl_dTlIYilxAFTJO5NFBuJ_pWXKP5hImNSvM1EXcQhUY_dREeh2txXw8YPsdg6FFdSEwhf4we8-14zBJNj2Ss6yZ4asHQ/s1600/IMG_4129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZmTnu3vvtYmeiRIe9qPGJldD-p3OB67rphyphenhyphenQOJH6p8olcLfl_dTlIYilxAFTJO5NFBuJ_pWXKP5hImNSvM1EXcQhUY_dREeh2txXw8YPsdg6FFdSEwhf4we8-14zBJNj2Ss6yZ4asHQ/s640/IMG_4129.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
an obstinate fruit.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
real trickster.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Have
you ever bit into an unripe persimmon?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-qjGu_Oom2im_w9vE4fN_1Xz_jfk0cWZNDUgNnqCVx6e3JFP6QruRRfAuX3-BB49wWDoyCRHyKPlKWZEzMCuMO2hpR7Xn5oXNZ8w2IgjzxPj0rfJEaqTTGPGpS6bIKLqpO7MBZybYfw/s1600/IMG_4134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-qjGu_Oom2im_w9vE4fN_1Xz_jfk0cWZNDUgNnqCVx6e3JFP6QruRRfAuX3-BB49wWDoyCRHyKPlKWZEzMCuMO2hpR7Xn5oXNZ8w2IgjzxPj0rfJEaqTTGPGpS6bIKLqpO7MBZybYfw/s640/IMG_4134.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You’ll
need a good five minutes to untangle your mouth. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
the words of colonial Captain John Smith, <i>if
it be not ripe, it will draw a man’s mouth awrie with much torment.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Instead,
you have to wait, wait almost all autumn long, at least until a first
frost. You have to wait until the skin
is wrinkled, until it’s soft and mushy to the touch, until it’s completely
unappetizing to the eyes, rotten to the mind.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBcDZiHx1h4bScsFwNCK6ifVEseCffeVzNOwpjwzJnFU_YjBXEL9OyK2RmNRKt78ejGtOodVaU-Z9KEYDSDTn6ogACx9lMOVoLJhfFkEVRUvCAu2PyjAMJTVozSDqiYK0Lyt_0xMWclQ/s1600/IMG_4154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBcDZiHx1h4bScsFwNCK6ifVEseCffeVzNOwpjwzJnFU_YjBXEL9OyK2RmNRKt78ejGtOodVaU-Z9KEYDSDTn6ogACx9lMOVoLJhfFkEVRUvCAu2PyjAMJTVozSDqiYK0Lyt_0xMWclQ/s640/IMG_4154.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then,
you eat it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
then you’ll know it by its true name, <i>Diospyros
viriginiana</i>, roughly translated to the <i>fruit
of the Virginia Zeus</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
it takes time, Jon Spruce, it may take even longer than you think to
ripen. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You got to leave this one on the branch.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnO13Kx3th39rJty_wMsk6psLlZC0BLC8cpeP2utHH_Uk3V5jKWF9sGHlxfYl13t-ZJ3J4ke52QSjnZwJkddV7q0T0JukEFzlVe9CY7Lp2o8F6OUIoCOI4XHQNGnkVIeV8vChSZ2WQSQ/s1600/IMG_4141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnO13Kx3th39rJty_wMsk6psLlZC0BLC8cpeP2utHH_Uk3V5jKWF9sGHlxfYl13t-ZJ3J4ke52QSjnZwJkddV7q0T0JukEFzlVe9CY7Lp2o8F6OUIoCOI4XHQNGnkVIeV8vChSZ2WQSQ/s640/IMG_4141.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
a fruit that rewards the patient, for the peaceful and the poised, a fruit not
to be rushed into or else you risk the chance of torment and awry.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Be
like the persimmon, Jon Spruce. Be
patient.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like
the Good Book says, you gonna reap just what you sow.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-63563285390108299052013-08-27T19:53:00.001-07:002013-08-28T09:54:38.727-07:00BEECH READINGS, PART TWO<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
got a bad feeling about this.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbqdJh3laeLHRW3D5BOzQWHKqvgli-102_7oq-8yLdJptcJM5IVOH2klTsXqeT955wSsRaSBStFvyJg-Yzd92XlaVS0hQr8JCVkYDeOsMsU8BfXkDQ5FcJMrjQe0YN96gqWYDv1eNT6w/s1600/IMG_2951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbqdJh3laeLHRW3D5BOzQWHKqvgli-102_7oq-8yLdJptcJM5IVOH2klTsXqeT955wSsRaSBStFvyJg-Yzd92XlaVS0hQr8JCVkYDeOsMsU8BfXkDQ5FcJMrjQe0YN96gqWYDv1eNT6w/s640/IMG_2951.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
was climbing down the rocky slopes towards the Catfish Creek when I caught
sight of this brown pod…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmwdb_2C7wh0Wc1P-bmqJTHQ1TJk4wojqrSk_kZdP1OsGLzMaeUcGwyuAm3O7t037Rt6bl0uAwyFlG_E4amb5DOl6ZIn_z4_Yzy2Wyep4J_gORmoNht-1wcNCye_Cynl81RIzXO1p39Y/s1600/IMG_2943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmwdb_2C7wh0Wc1P-bmqJTHQ1TJk4wojqrSk_kZdP1OsGLzMaeUcGwyuAm3O7t037Rt6bl0uAwyFlG_E4amb5DOl6ZIn_z4_Yzy2Wyep4J_gORmoNht-1wcNCye_Cynl81RIzXO1p39Y/s640/IMG_2943.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…attached
to a branch of that scrub chestnut oak.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
just plucked off, right into my hand, a snap of the fingers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
had almost no weight to it. I carried it
in a loose fist towards the beach…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0reQFxuW3R0mEmjjToLbVxpejA7guW7aihLyVQWQOjDjjwHulvxAXwds195RXt_SqlJgX-ju7tnCdfY5SbMKlJk2YcndtNu3oi0ck43_FLJoKI_QK0R7MZ39CKH2g2t7LeXIcUvcbRH0/s1600/IMG_2951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0reQFxuW3R0mEmjjToLbVxpejA7guW7aihLyVQWQOjDjjwHulvxAXwds195RXt_SqlJgX-ju7tnCdfY5SbMKlJk2YcndtNu3oi0ck43_FLJoKI_QK0R7MZ39CKH2g2t7LeXIcUvcbRH0/s640/IMG_2951.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
laid it out on the big rock for a little alien autopsy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m
not at all qualified to do this.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">My
first instinct? This must be some sort
of fungus or mold, not the most intelligent of life-forms but one that fills a
very important niche here in the forest biome.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fungus
is actually how the trees communicate with each other.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
true.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Alerted
to pests or diseases, even bad weather or fire, the trees will pump out
chemicals into the ground, signals to other trees.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
fungus is able to pick up these messages and send them through their wires to
the next tree…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaHtxHNLCzuwntVdhmBF1dJHkxYbO-s4sqGYzlGDG8nPyjj_xF630bbOKHjDRBRUHQJNHB7cDNkl-ySzHp1T5EPn7Q_tAKaF0NBQT3qPKT_pLGZQI6GqDljDGBcIfgAPUBvz5lR5NYWQ/s1600/myce11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaHtxHNLCzuwntVdhmBF1dJHkxYbO-s4sqGYzlGDG8nPyjj_xF630bbOKHjDRBRUHQJNHB7cDNkl-ySzHp1T5EPn7Q_tAKaF0NBQT3qPKT_pLGZQI6GqDljDGBcIfgAPUBvz5lR5NYWQ/s640/myce11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…an
underground and undercover communication grid that connects root to root, the
fungus playing the role of the long-distance operator.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
happening right below my boots and yet I can’t see it, can’t hear it, can’t
feel it no matter how hard I try.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGL4UIs-Zq7eHHnHFw3TDji1_JhjJA5uOs9d80BrcVrmGedmDHdExXL8SeZVc1m9NNsrVGhygmQoGFEFyT8t-kuD6Pmm8jkuaFgDAHmLZ-b6WLM-dVM6DxdhMYI4IbV2dUlofdtkU2OLM/s1600/IMG_3216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGL4UIs-Zq7eHHnHFw3TDji1_JhjJA5uOs9d80BrcVrmGedmDHdExXL8SeZVc1m9NNsrVGhygmQoGFEFyT8t-kuD6Pmm8jkuaFgDAHmLZ-b6WLM-dVM6DxdhMYI4IbV2dUlofdtkU2OLM/s640/IMG_3216.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
have to admit I was a little jealous.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So
the trees <i>can </i>talk to each
other? They just won’t talk to me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is
it too much to ask for a simple hello?
After all we’ve been through together?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
answer, for the time being, is <i>no</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
maybe inside this pod…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0reQFxuW3R0mEmjjToLbVxpejA7guW7aihLyVQWQOjDjjwHulvxAXwds195RXt_SqlJgX-ju7tnCdfY5SbMKlJk2YcndtNu3oi0ck43_FLJoKI_QK0R7MZ39CKH2g2t7LeXIcUvcbRH0/s1600/IMG_2951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0reQFxuW3R0mEmjjToLbVxpejA7guW7aihLyVQWQOjDjjwHulvxAXwds195RXt_SqlJgX-ju7tnCdfY5SbMKlJk2YcndtNu3oi0ck43_FLJoKI_QK0R7MZ39CKH2g2t7LeXIcUvcbRH0/s640/IMG_2951.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…I
can catch some sort of signal, some sort of contact. Maybe there is some message, once intercepted,
that can crack the code.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
Rosetta Stone of tree-talk. It could be
right there under my knife, a discovery that would secure Jon Spruce’s place in
the pantheon of champion tree-hunters.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">First
man to talk tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But,
like I said, I got a bad feeling about this.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFAL58_6gwb4h4Djzu8fGnUWYh3IPm7bJ5WDioMhNsHLiGs4l8XxWn7PBMOaTTCQSE_VEWJGc5RopIc6vop6UQRt2zt5bAYxH1XTCJNw4ogNwu3vmVJWy0HXXXsoWtkhL_KtY7hod_8k/s1600/IMG_2959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFAL58_6gwb4h4Djzu8fGnUWYh3IPm7bJ5WDioMhNsHLiGs4l8XxWn7PBMOaTTCQSE_VEWJGc5RopIc6vop6UQRt2zt5bAYxH1XTCJNw4ogNwu3vmVJWy0HXXXsoWtkhL_KtY7hod_8k/s640/IMG_2959.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
hate it when I’m right.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE HUNGER GAMES</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
a classic science fiction short story, written by Terry Bisson, two aliens
argue about the recent discovery of Earthlings.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“There’s no
doubt about it. We picked up several
from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, and
probed them all the way through. They’re
completely meat.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“That’s
impossible. What about the radio
signals? The messages to the stars?”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“They use radio
waves to talk, but the signals don’t come from them. The signals come from machines.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“So who made the
machines? That’s who we want to contact.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“They made the
machines. That’s what I’m trying to tell
you. Meat made the machines.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“That’s ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You’re asking me to believe in sentient meat.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Funny,
I don’t feel like meat.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
yet, here under the gluttonous tides of the Ripe Berry Moon, I am surrounded by
meat.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaNIBdIdQTuH2wTwu2o-UhbzPaZeZWcHnlaTYXJFBnSc8RrSvlHcCo7DB1ZrgRChtPnEh-xJHbDEJscnz-0BfA74B4AESi2ZydKy1a8vHVyEDBEDOzJBiPowXAJNteHTPs40QDRiVrTA/s1600/IMG_2104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaNIBdIdQTuH2wTwu2o-UhbzPaZeZWcHnlaTYXJFBnSc8RrSvlHcCo7DB1ZrgRChtPnEh-xJHbDEJscnz-0BfA74B4AESi2ZydKy1a8vHVyEDBEDOzJBiPowXAJNteHTPs40QDRiVrTA/s640/IMG_2104.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">These
are the dog days of summer and that heartless Wheel is out of control, berserk,
spinning around its savage hub, ringing the dinner bell…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_x7381O9Qu7tajxBuQ7flZGz_jaRaKbhR454v8yN9KJKicrFRYveqs97JoXWcl0m4VOZSKLFXeS07qt2gI50JfYOhOnmbTPPHe8we2uTBoZ_porixo9k6BAF99mpRzEoRKTGnR1czPs/s1600/IMG_2913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_x7381O9Qu7tajxBuQ7flZGz_jaRaKbhR454v8yN9KJKicrFRYveqs97JoXWcl0m4VOZSKLFXeS07qt2gI50JfYOhOnmbTPPHe8we2uTBoZ_porixo9k6BAF99mpRzEoRKTGnR1czPs/s640/IMG_2913.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
some things aren’t going to make it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If
I look closely, if I can peer past the shimmering façade, I can see the Wheel
itself…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIMuW88N1GkOZjlvdyMDrPBoi0snwxWaoOq8gHnV2i-LWtysRCQVXxwbMTKVRZnFyyjXcoeH3onqYXq3gL91wLG56deRV-JjyfIJ1ne0OU-I0dvxFvMk3hRBSXLttghg0T-TE7gYcF-E/s1600/IMG_2901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIMuW88N1GkOZjlvdyMDrPBoi0snwxWaoOq8gHnV2i-LWtysRCQVXxwbMTKVRZnFyyjXcoeH3onqYXq3gL91wLG56deRV-JjyfIJ1ne0OU-I0dvxFvMk3hRBSXLttghg0T-TE7gYcF-E/s640/IMG_2901.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…maybe
catch some of its leftover scraps.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ah,
summer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Eat
or be eaten.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hhpj2bpj0vTQEueR9HXs1mQlyLqsUK9MXSYshyKnvJxhzGhJGmExNGLv076eQafRVGBNs8_h2xsbfODCTIdDC-zxX3i51IzDEiEpExX_3wieek_Tb-NiLxYNu9r1bnMT-w5OWEAmcdQ/s1600/IMG_3040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hhpj2bpj0vTQEueR9HXs1mQlyLqsUK9MXSYshyKnvJxhzGhJGmExNGLv076eQafRVGBNs8_h2xsbfODCTIdDC-zxX3i51IzDEiEpExX_3wieek_Tb-NiLxYNu9r1bnMT-w5OWEAmcdQ/s640/IMG_3040.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“I’m not asking
you, I’m telling you. These creatures
are the only sentient race in that sector and they’re made out of meat.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“Maybe they’re like
the orfolei. You know, a carbon-based
intelligence that goes through a meat stage.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“Nope. They’re born meat and they die meat.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And,
if you’re not being eaten alive by something else alive, chewed up and digested,
broken down and refused, then you’re being eaten by something far more
heartless, far more savage.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYz9T9lxyRZ_5FlUU-v1DBV2CmkWlfVYOFquzcXdt8ft9oQiRSiCu1z1U9XYBjjuMKoWzD7YdflZlYzhsPIKuo7nXr_i4RSxMsFFfhou1fdiOy1cVbmS266OPlsvIeAO0ab3r-zdiMHms/s1600/IMG_3003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYz9T9lxyRZ_5FlUU-v1DBV2CmkWlfVYOFquzcXdt8ft9oQiRSiCu1z1U9XYBjjuMKoWzD7YdflZlYzhsPIKuo7nXr_i4RSxMsFFfhou1fdiOy1cVbmS266OPlsvIeAO0ab3r-zdiMHms/s640/IMG_3003.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You’re
being weathered.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ah,
summer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
a hungry world…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKBPQ4S6QsH20bUz1shggoCETX_xMeFv-O9peGzhamCwe7TREKi0GgnMhJJtC0wcZ_XZHUqyAp1FZYiEIZYnADWecfXcbqkTqtSWzZVfRTmG2QAcOTPoeZyLB6lCzf49zcvLSme76KkI/s1600/IMG_3052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipKBPQ4S6QsH20bUz1shggoCETX_xMeFv-O9peGzhamCwe7TREKi0GgnMhJJtC0wcZ_XZHUqyAp1FZYiEIZYnADWecfXcbqkTqtSWzZVfRTmG2QAcOTPoeZyLB6lCzf49zcvLSme76KkI/s640/IMG_3052.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…only
getting hungrier.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“Omigod. So what does this meat have in mind?”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“First it wants
to talk to us. Then I imagine it wants
to explore the universe, contact other sentiences, swap ideas and
information. The usual.”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“We’re supposed
to talk to meat?”</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>“That’s the
idea. That’s the message they’re sending
out by radio. ‘Hello. Anybody there. Anyone home.’
That sort of thing.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe
this is why I feel so out of place.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe
this is the source of my alienation.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhqoKIL0Qa0TcQQ6Y-BoQk1mWUvDrSc6BAaHFnlS_Y6IvBpR6dytfX3wHJCF61FfLcWHMW7l06mnq_JbczRnqTKkGIuO2lcVNKXkTylNyfc3UHGmcQjCaIHQpwjRvO94bEiVYyrcYTm8/s1600/IMG_3220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhqoKIL0Qa0TcQQ6Y-BoQk1mWUvDrSc6BAaHFnlS_Y6IvBpR6dytfX3wHJCF61FfLcWHMW7l06mnq_JbczRnqTKkGIuO2lcVNKXkTylNyfc3UHGmcQjCaIHQpwjRvO94bEiVYyrcYTm8/s640/IMG_3220.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here
on the beach, I can’t be eaten and I don’t eat what’s on this menu.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd45esxkgIT47flgZfoNn8kLxTFMGYGnIGm7HwBafmzzURvQNE8OUA77hT_KfRNIkXb2FdqHqgzBjwlkbdFLq2l_Wgfv41x5UE-LtDd_L5REsPTO4g-R1B675voNo2zCgPgGsI7DkJF0/s1600/IMG_2968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd45esxkgIT47flgZfoNn8kLxTFMGYGnIGm7HwBafmzzURvQNE8OUA77hT_KfRNIkXb2FdqHqgzBjwlkbdFLq2l_Wgfv41x5UE-LtDd_L5REsPTO4g-R1B675voNo2zCgPgGsI7DkJF0/s640/IMG_2968.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
don’t go here anymore. It’s too popular.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here
in the woods, I’m the bum looking through the restaurant window…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirryrB4lySyDQ1NstpSKGQ-nyZOz4JkQ0jjUlCpCwzloR6Yr4XlzfMfd33_bd8soUouQDG2kYPy_03HE6jC7_wGAra7_JB3sGuqPp64gcObZ8JOYwsTaHUnRdIRz8TPhAxALHGcdN5EC8/s1600/IMG_3222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirryrB4lySyDQ1NstpSKGQ-nyZOz4JkQ0jjUlCpCwzloR6Yr4XlzfMfd33_bd8soUouQDG2kYPy_03HE6jC7_wGAra7_JB3sGuqPp64gcObZ8JOYwsTaHUnRdIRz8TPhAxALHGcdN5EC8/s640/IMG_3222.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…watching
the platters of food circle from the hot kitchen to the candlelit table.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
like I’m not even there.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-IfuSphzaOk_n8ujKLIosrdfSqSgpKirJKgpdurpFIsQoayEhfafOwAue0KN5FpZa9EPorKlgeOqtX8hsnV18tpnwmpeAQSTkpTTxy0NDgEkr0p4MVr4pdECY4uIrAM57uwGu5Pv3Ew/s1600/IMG_3237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-IfuSphzaOk_n8ujKLIosrdfSqSgpKirJKgpdurpFIsQoayEhfafOwAue0KN5FpZa9EPorKlgeOqtX8hsnV18tpnwmpeAQSTkpTTxy0NDgEkr0p4MVr4pdECY4uIrAM57uwGu5Pv3Ew/s640/IMG_3237.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m
way too removed from this hunger game. I’ve
tapped out a long time ago.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
win the game by not playing at all.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSvLcy5QJpP5IjtIRexv6YkcNBe3aKqw4dYONjYSQHiZfdh9lGZqcl9Ja9xbi5BQA7wImEu3JEmSj2-maUt4U3KHollGAdKWeKmvq9x59ZEZ4GcjNbU7htPN3g-S3P_1OBgM6Dek-ifU/s1600/IMG_3241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtSvLcy5QJpP5IjtIRexv6YkcNBe3aKqw4dYONjYSQHiZfdh9lGZqcl9Ja9xbi5BQA7wImEu3JEmSj2-maUt4U3KHollGAdKWeKmvq9x59ZEZ4GcjNbU7htPN3g-S3P_1OBgM6Dek-ifU/s640/IMG_3241.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What
do I play? It’s a hunger game more
suited for my people.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We
like it when the stakes aren’t so high.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RLcA8Qt-YpkXBbDrxT2rGfzatT3p6aKyy9kvkUMruqjuZtPH4tpSkH0dJIqqtG2b8nCSW65J92U9YtvirzJZvrTIqVTvgPhULPAhWOV420HErv13QHaM0CAQWTNHyGqfQD8hHSq2XAU/s1600/IMG_3009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RLcA8Qt-YpkXBbDrxT2rGfzatT3p6aKyy9kvkUMruqjuZtPH4tpSkH0dJIqqtG2b8nCSW65J92U9YtvirzJZvrTIqVTvgPhULPAhWOV420HErv13QHaM0CAQWTNHyGqfQD8hHSq2XAU/s640/IMG_3009.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And,
as much as I enjoy watching that other hunger game from afar, I have to admit:
I don’t miss the food chain at all.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Except
for one thing. There’s one level to that
game that I miss a lot.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSbFMHzcmZ5j5OSTuW0s-eKp5W2EWP0-m0wnjTLbV962_5oaHWRPQCBGkmqAz76Fcdn1NnGbqWsP1Vd_n1fxNqJ1tG81zIgkV1a6-1lEb87AKXRbi9e_ko_tRVMEstSGMF7LdvSexex0/s1600/IMG_3013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSbFMHzcmZ5j5OSTuW0s-eKp5W2EWP0-m0wnjTLbV962_5oaHWRPQCBGkmqAz76Fcdn1NnGbqWsP1Vd_n1fxNqJ1tG81zIgkV1a6-1lEb87AKXRbi9e_ko_tRVMEstSGMF7LdvSexex0/s640/IMG_3013.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Transformation.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We
never take the time to molt anymore.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEiV7yKdd1BDSuqlEz8xpNCtPs9CktpPOYfpXsrSWsGCjhwOZZAKTDljQTvAs4n2X7GTtJBJ9si_BNMZn_Iz0Pv3auzbHhnCXi976m3syRdZIZBinnx_2jgia_LiOkHRiQhGCp1mON6JI/s1600/IMG_3015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEiV7yKdd1BDSuqlEz8xpNCtPs9CktpPOYfpXsrSWsGCjhwOZZAKTDljQTvAs4n2X7GTtJBJ9si_BNMZn_Iz0Pv3auzbHhnCXi976m3syRdZIZBinnx_2jgia_LiOkHRiQhGCp1mON6JI/s640/IMG_3015.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shape-shifting
is a game of the past. Only a few people
left can even remember the rules. Metamorphosis? So primitive.
Shedding skin? So messy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although
costumes are big for us. Masks too. But doing it honestly? Playing fair?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvvTuSuLWJJwk0dtc4AbNxQBxqLScFgFCJtxjPwBuUCV_vWn5jOeZaM5LZ50c4qM2uqe78LW1F62FSQoiPRR38uboD8EdcwxdVZfuaksekWC3amKba83-yTBg2l-armrq2Zn3xFV_xR4/s1600/IMG_3021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXvvTuSuLWJJwk0dtc4AbNxQBxqLScFgFCJtxjPwBuUCV_vWn5jOeZaM5LZ50c4qM2uqe78LW1F62FSQoiPRR38uboD8EdcwxdVZfuaksekWC3amKba83-yTBg2l-armrq2Zn3xFV_xR4/s640/IMG_3021.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s
for suckers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve
moved on to the next level. I’m
wrestling with the gods.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Instead
of battling for the quick meat, I’m on the long quest for contact…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZ4TLuMTegbSGOjjC-7UnpUhUttRSJelqFzxZxxjQ1AeVjc8DkmRMZUwP57g1UXntb2JD0XaeQ4SwtMiTXIQVbmoZ_7AAONsoADy_9caDjyCdGxMTskMED-4KIO4hGMOVNDj46ZNXUsU/s1600/IMG_3213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZ4TLuMTegbSGOjjC-7UnpUhUttRSJelqFzxZxxjQ1AeVjc8DkmRMZUwP57g1UXntb2JD0XaeQ4SwtMiTXIQVbmoZ_7AAONsoADy_9caDjyCdGxMTskMED-4KIO4hGMOVNDj46ZNXUsU/s640/IMG_3213.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…combing
the overcrowded universe for one <i>hello</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Compared
to the Wheel, this game’s a cinch. The
biggest enemies on this level?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_prAK7tZ20LuQ6m5FL2i1Br_jp6oufnmQTJGxgSg2Ed7gLkYFOayYsDihez7pnZIWFrUEyHQ2ptJEWLBeYm3rwI9z912T2NW88Q2PHDuJnecjZd7khUNqP18m8Nj-oqg1IOI62y_izD0/s1600/Alien+Abduction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_prAK7tZ20LuQ6m5FL2i1Br_jp6oufnmQTJGxgSg2Ed7gLkYFOayYsDihez7pnZIWFrUEyHQ2ptJEWLBeYm3rwI9z912T2NW88Q2PHDuJnecjZd7khUNqP18m8Nj-oqg1IOI62y_izD0/s640/Alien+Abduction.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
nothing to worry about.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
little bit of loneliness, a little bit of boredom, some dreams deferred, a few
bad Mondays.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What
we like to call <i>the blahs.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Well,
what did you expect from a meathead?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vCoTMCpb-9gZkowDYV8kPrmIdbs6PzWc-EHqbQcrhS5xkhyphenhyphenqCFlwcTAVhA1pmWVxS2XwrNjiWIxLfuVRPVBKRZ3jX-8ok5yWDyF2I6BzSGdA67vpgNGVaIIuMwi-oYLiphEzKhsL-dA/s1600/IMG_3204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vCoTMCpb-9gZkowDYV8kPrmIdbs6PzWc-EHqbQcrhS5xkhyphenhyphenqCFlwcTAVhA1pmWVxS2XwrNjiWIxLfuVRPVBKRZ3jX-8ok5yWDyF2I6BzSGdA67vpgNGVaIIuMwi-oYLiphEzKhsL-dA/s640/IMG_3204.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THROUGH THE
WORMHOLE</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Next
to me on the beach, the Catfish Creek rolled on and on.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqavx_2uA8-fCtiwTrQhY1ZeSgqMaMXTfIUnlS37Imvblwv7tDlZpkEDMjwdOqBHsMCrAVJVt8oYNUC_8rPJzZbKvAB0bTBZ8VnAoqi621ZJN_q93DRU-nAx73zfQeKiY-JRSBH-lbKY/s1600/IMG_3002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqavx_2uA8-fCtiwTrQhY1ZeSgqMaMXTfIUnlS37Imvblwv7tDlZpkEDMjwdOqBHsMCrAVJVt8oYNUC_8rPJzZbKvAB0bTBZ8VnAoqi621ZJN_q93DRU-nAx73zfQeKiY-JRSBH-lbKY/s640/IMG_3002.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Feeling
lucky, I reached into the cool waters and pulled out a rock.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not
the most intelligent of life…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OnAsWVy2omvBnaG8q2cWf96S49QwzkdUQ6-mIAopY9DwpqHI8xfNXFzPH_iND7HWx-_jKy0H2IfG1ep97m_TZ9UjwngxUKs3Zwe6k6AUsAdCQKdGGWQdo6vkEpb-VosGVScae_AUh9Q/s1600/IMG_2973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OnAsWVy2omvBnaG8q2cWf96S49QwzkdUQ6-mIAopY9DwpqHI8xfNXFzPH_iND7HWx-_jKy0H2IfG1ep97m_TZ9UjwngxUKs3Zwe6k6AUsAdCQKdGGWQdo6vkEpb-VosGVScae_AUh9Q/s640/IMG_2973.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…but
life nonetheless.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
was careful…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gkfkyfrcuR6lCN0XEviYSrt4umedLWNJCeNn7UhAjOHQEAKA2yR5yr2w7h6iMGQuTDoWSQRr5Lla8iCWgzoI_9J3pbSCSTE7naV_Mhp7U3_WKO-qpjB8kKpT59T_QkfDyVizkqJTzS4/s1600/IMG_2977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gkfkyfrcuR6lCN0XEviYSrt4umedLWNJCeNn7UhAjOHQEAKA2yR5yr2w7h6iMGQuTDoWSQRr5Lla8iCWgzoI_9J3pbSCSTE7naV_Mhp7U3_WKO-qpjB8kKpT59T_QkfDyVizkqJTzS4/s640/IMG_2977.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…one
wrong move and this whole meeting of the minds could end in disaster.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve
known about worms my whole life.
Somewhere, deep in the stacks, there are whole books about the worm.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Its
life is at my fingertips.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohlhcTBIOnczXtr8WAavSpYwGUXP3lQ02FkYSMfdP9jhL7wQcVAiEZCycVKiaaPXhT0egPbc5iUftuhA_XCN31TstqsgZ0qJ5UwXr8q11f8VFgrlSyOV7ISNSjTb1opWt74igTKoLfwI/s1600/IMG_2981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohlhcTBIOnczXtr8WAavSpYwGUXP3lQ02FkYSMfdP9jhL7wQcVAiEZCycVKiaaPXhT0egPbc5iUftuhA_XCN31TstqsgZ0qJ5UwXr8q11f8VFgrlSyOV7ISNSjTb1opWt74igTKoLfwI/s640/IMG_2981.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
yet, it might know nothing about my people.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
is the biggest moment in the history of blobs.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Such
a lucky worm.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where
did it even come from?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
hard to tell. Such a soft life leaves
few fossils. It’s either a snake that
gave up its bones or a mollusk that gave up its shell.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
watched the worm.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4lNmnT4Y7Ms_3IFcsdhj7hUvFXQNPzH46yi7KxCc0YCojJyah4oq-glOXdTcuALVM5XAHklpgVwa3pqgicyCp1dsLQtOROEGnqnI93g_4FIm1cWhvr9Zlg3yHQaqIPRCwM-MGxfPG18/s1600/IMG_2986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4lNmnT4Y7Ms_3IFcsdhj7hUvFXQNPzH46yi7KxCc0YCojJyah4oq-glOXdTcuALVM5XAHklpgVwa3pqgicyCp1dsLQtOROEGnqnI93g_4FIm1cWhvr9Zlg3yHQaqIPRCwM-MGxfPG18/s640/IMG_2986.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
moved in waves, sliding up the sleek blade.
Its tail tightened and rattled in the air. It curled around an invisible axis.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
could see a faint heartbeat, thumping under the soft pink flesh, and I watched
it roll all the way up to its inquisitive head.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQN9TR0l_QtxIknLEUUFyxm9VB2LrSGggatVFoD1AJNiVCuEK9TY5G2faAwKNORx_uTQAQaWbdSpQkhEyhoQ7Z921QYUtDwzMYNUq5FYjU5TrsZyga4OVmIlHUp1jhx7uCWB5cvVuEUig/s1600/IMG_2985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQN9TR0l_QtxIknLEUUFyxm9VB2LrSGggatVFoD1AJNiVCuEK9TY5G2faAwKNORx_uTQAQaWbdSpQkhEyhoQ7Z921QYUtDwzMYNUq5FYjU5TrsZyga4OVmIlHUp1jhx7uCWB5cvVuEUig/s640/IMG_2985.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
was fast, for a worm, and eager to return to earth, darting for the thin edge
of the knife.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Was
it worried about the fall?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Or
was it so terrified that the fall didn’t matter?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
turned the knife, keeping the worm on the razor’s edge.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_NjBD8LRmuy7ETBtJXh8tFdTIXrD1VdJQLcJYnRTopZ-tcKFMDI5ZqT5z1Cop7BQfsV_4ZIYE7TfEZxxBKmgep6HQP5exdSiFNpFKpsmez8dcYUmeMOk1FuzCpiSUeu1H4y3KDvVRVI/s1600/IMG_2987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_NjBD8LRmuy7ETBtJXh8tFdTIXrD1VdJQLcJYnRTopZ-tcKFMDI5ZqT5z1Cop7BQfsV_4ZIYE7TfEZxxBKmgep6HQP5exdSiFNpFKpsmez8dcYUmeMOk1FuzCpiSUeu1H4y3KDvVRVI/s640/IMG_2987.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
was important to me to follow the rules of contact.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">First,
show no harm.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
come in peace.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFg3G4b52xYHRKA01EJhw40vueDMeIKnkGjAzDbM-JQsTTpe_csLaPBLrjHqxZkFJLc3vNrVxgcb2a_43U52uu0NHHwBQ6az320PV0NXbBmRxT4oS5iChGJpKw03_d3TdShmNampiFrM/s1600/IMG_2974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFg3G4b52xYHRKA01EJhw40vueDMeIKnkGjAzDbM-JQsTTpe_csLaPBLrjHqxZkFJLc3vNrVxgcb2a_43U52uu0NHHwBQ6az320PV0NXbBmRxT4oS5iChGJpKw03_d3TdShmNampiFrM/s640/IMG_2974.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
then?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then,
we’re supposed to share some sort of contact.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We
must react to each other.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So
I twisted the blade…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-weG7bAsuQqoTkeGueZLQIjhcGgaruO9NWxaLLzC2XCIjbyI4XbV2agbGN7PWrzawCrqLrR3fuLJ8siwyXc1jOV7jkUbV_YXYyIBZ8rtl1I596Vz1jlsYFSJpvhJ39A5jVNiAgV2T2g0/s1600/IMG_2978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-weG7bAsuQqoTkeGueZLQIjhcGgaruO9NWxaLLzC2XCIjbyI4XbV2agbGN7PWrzawCrqLrR3fuLJ8siwyXc1jOV7jkUbV_YXYyIBZ8rtl1I596Vz1jlsYFSJpvhJ39A5jVNiAgV2T2g0/s640/IMG_2978.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
watched it follow the harmony between my mind and my muscle…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgJy9Zm1oG_fPsuLWW9gstykj7UWG9L1MZP9kIVhMm4k4FtQjKw965gO7lRL1hFC97oZJT1_GfDz1_0uD5N5yrPsJmPf9muxqDj9Y_Z9zn60N190UuOrGF-HnYPxxjZ_9bIhlWcOJk70/s1600/IMG_2975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgJy9Zm1oG_fPsuLWW9gstykj7UWG9L1MZP9kIVhMm4k4FtQjKw965gO7lRL1hFC97oZJT1_GfDz1_0uD5N5yrPsJmPf9muxqDj9Y_Z9zn60N190UuOrGF-HnYPxxjZ_9bIhlWcOJk70/s640/IMG_2975.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…slithering
back and forth to the safest angle, tripling in size, reading my thoughts,
trusting my intentions.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
next step to contact?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m
supposed to offer it advice.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Since
I’m the bigger man.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’d
try to tell it to enjoy this moment, this contact, that probably not many worms
get to meet the top of the food chain, face to face, and live to tell the tale.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’d
tell the worm that, after this encounter, your whole life could change. And the life of your other worms.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
is a gift that my people are craving for: proof positive that there is
something bigger, something smarter, something more advanced than anything you’ll
ever find in your microscopic, meaningless little worm-world.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-APA79dNyRAXineQnK2aTXDWUdRWFn9LRd1bjcjQoJZbNEdw92qOiETypiinRVWwY7GgaYaykl2Fuv0vG5Rag4ED_Bhw_fG_B7vL-jI1kbqxMWKIl1bXL63uOvswEVkJ8w7P7n_53nlk/s1600/IMG_2989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-APA79dNyRAXineQnK2aTXDWUdRWFn9LRd1bjcjQoJZbNEdw92qOiETypiinRVWwY7GgaYaykl2Fuv0vG5Rag4ED_Bhw_fG_B7vL-jI1kbqxMWKIl1bXL63uOvswEVkJ8w7P7n_53nlk/s640/IMG_2989.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
is the kind of news that shakes a civilization.
Your civilization, worm. Tales of
this encounter will be told, or transmitted, for generations to come.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Worm,
I’d say, I am worlds beyond you. I’m
light-years ahead but I see you. Isn’t
this what you always wanted to hear?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
are not alone.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But,
in the end, this has always been the problem with worms.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlaWAmAmKbL9bW9Q0KFbF3s7DXW1zLvai2Dq-jtDd391zSr2eeogGU8SUUV1oO_D4zqhlpJEKK9x_v61L8ROnpoY5oGcJbcXDejvhyphenhyphenD66-jwPLW6VTynrRAyIPa9HGj6HHUfgaeLAjzA/s1600/IMG_2999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlaWAmAmKbL9bW9Q0KFbF3s7DXW1zLvai2Dq-jtDd391zSr2eeogGU8SUUV1oO_D4zqhlpJEKK9x_v61L8ROnpoY5oGcJbcXDejvhyphenhyphenD66-jwPLW6VTynrRAyIPa9HGj6HHUfgaeLAjzA/s640/IMG_2999.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No
manners.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
polite thing would be to say <i>you’re
welcome</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>CLOSE ENCOUNTERS</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Summer days aren’t meant to last forever.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So
I packed up my gear and erased my footprints…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrCb8-0k9yAr8ntw27mT8SwKDH7OVhW9aRufnxdYbPvBcwc5Eo4SAP24mPRFeRYDd2OYjw-DCDC2RICMYjm2p5G7p0JlzxHrsOUzXJ7pHH4kTRHN4namPG2cw4NJiUD9BjMWH_k1Ox5Y/s1600/IMG_2910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrCb8-0k9yAr8ntw27mT8SwKDH7OVhW9aRufnxdYbPvBcwc5Eo4SAP24mPRFeRYDd2OYjw-DCDC2RICMYjm2p5G7p0JlzxHrsOUzXJ7pHH4kTRHN4namPG2cw4NJiUD9BjMWH_k1Ox5Y/s640/IMG_2910.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…then
leaned against the big rock and stuffed my wet feet into my sandy boots.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">My
socks? They go in my pocket.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
climbed back the way I came, through the groves of umbrella magnolias, to the
top of the trail.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SMVEKuWLd4hJR8v-2CtRJbccaS5tV56yEB7njZPlrBruz-SUve0g4Fg0T-S0LDT2L1iwkB9Iyq0MTrJBa3QRratmumvO_CPMx2KECLGKOCkxwj_8xxkddINLa0ecMj_uFML-CfvJXCs/s1600/IMG_2831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SMVEKuWLd4hJR8v-2CtRJbccaS5tV56yEB7njZPlrBruz-SUve0g4Fg0T-S0LDT2L1iwkB9Iyq0MTrJBa3QRratmumvO_CPMx2KECLGKOCkxwj_8xxkddINLa0ecMj_uFML-CfvJXCs/s640/IMG_2831.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
stopped in the shadows of the cherries and the chestnut oaks. It was cooler standing next to the rocks... </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUHywsYnHYPBJlgammS82hIFu_lhf92mW0phZs3lFVKYliQ23yUdKxKAzqR0AhQwmk1chUa_lQDIqgk-EdAOiOfKhh1EkidoD92bnrYu_Fvny3nSYv44mof8gMdLCyqYlDOLGLtWRpNw/s1600/IMG_2841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUHywsYnHYPBJlgammS82hIFu_lhf92mW0phZs3lFVKYliQ23yUdKxKAzqR0AhQwmk1chUa_lQDIqgk-EdAOiOfKhh1EkidoD92bnrYu_Fvny3nSYv44mof8gMdLCyqYlDOLGLtWRpNw/s640/IMG_2841.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
it was time to steal one final glimpse of the Catfish.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNO5r6K8XZd2U6A8FGgCgPo0mYDA05asELjOsXArOb37JQ9YoFxiLbryeY1vQEPHVDX1hzIJjMOGNX9quqPmM3q6BxVTEq3xAvvwdoQVt7T5yUAkZ08wgzy7JD7-kcj4gmD6ib1MYuhTk/s1600/IMG_2934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNO5r6K8XZd2U6A8FGgCgPo0mYDA05asELjOsXArOb37JQ9YoFxiLbryeY1vQEPHVDX1hzIJjMOGNX9quqPmM3q6BxVTEq3xAvvwdoQVt7T5yUAkZ08wgzy7JD7-kcj4gmD6ib1MYuhTk/s640/IMG_2934.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Do
you ever get the feeling that you’re being watched?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXpqZdT9c8uvyaHuEHNf9S8ibRvmLNJYJA07qYm-YGXDB3kRoUz2C2yxU0hZRN46NcgdwVrk-uRbNik6-xlHuFmhyphenhyphenhRAebqG24SK0E5SdXVMA7MaZ7-w7aaWvo99cjhCFo7WwUoKed8M/s1600/IMG_2862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXpqZdT9c8uvyaHuEHNf9S8ibRvmLNJYJA07qYm-YGXDB3kRoUz2C2yxU0hZRN46NcgdwVrk-uRbNik6-xlHuFmhyphenhyphenhRAebqG24SK0E5SdXVMA7MaZ7-w7aaWvo99cjhCFo7WwUoKed8M/s640/IMG_2862.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
hobbled after it, around and around the tree.
When it stopped, I stopped. It
hopped at right angles and, when it landed, it turned to stone, alert and
frantic but completely still.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
let it flank me, thinking that it got away, foolish frog.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then
I jumped past it, landing on my fingertips and toes, spread eagle in order to
appear larger and more menacing, and gotcha, scooped it right up in my old
tomato jar.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoLCuFbeU89QESyxaW6xHwYAv_j_xWIo1AiKDhdD8yK1M6Oz98EWFLBBNq-dHBv7SIi8ya8kc29AFmg4vkrQWI3hAfykWHV7_aysoWkpXUik1e-ZWcGZr2QWKeI7LHTXqPanR5gM4uX8/s1600/IMG_2855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoLCuFbeU89QESyxaW6xHwYAv_j_xWIo1AiKDhdD8yK1M6Oz98EWFLBBNq-dHBv7SIi8ya8kc29AFmg4vkrQWI3hAfykWHV7_aysoWkpXUik1e-ZWcGZr2QWKeI7LHTXqPanR5gM4uX8/s640/IMG_2855.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
told you I’d be back, you overgrown tadpole.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
kept absolutely still. Playing possum? I can play this waiting game too.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
clutched the sides of the inside of the jar…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2Qls0YhVIKT0XalRk4yfVQUOXA4obHp2nmAK2lR6WunY5P_3JQ1-dHhLhvQCqD_K1OWjKMHwLUnDmFo9dNkmqOiYdIh7GP3XsVWzItVSFa4nFoRTNhqgARDMA11kD3LFZDrAx2RsrnA/s1600/IMG_2858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2Qls0YhVIKT0XalRk4yfVQUOXA4obHp2nmAK2lR6WunY5P_3JQ1-dHhLhvQCqD_K1OWjKMHwLUnDmFo9dNkmqOiYdIh7GP3XsVWzItVSFa4nFoRTNhqgARDMA11kD3LFZDrAx2RsrnA/s640/IMG_2858.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…ready
to run.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
lifted the jar, holding it upright, and the frog fell to the bottom.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
couldn’t stop blinking.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdCRdGwMG5e-Y_ygueXlhTh_YNIn638nlWlZZOucszcirN5zDpFvxdBo7Q-Bzqnt61hJuIwo2u4LiI-GxpDLqJcrkRx-QXkqPS0Ae7EHAYt4a9pACaanSr3ZtRAL3UkPQyam-CvmJ668/s1600/IMG_2853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdCRdGwMG5e-Y_ygueXlhTh_YNIn638nlWlZZOucszcirN5zDpFvxdBo7Q-Bzqnt61hJuIwo2u4LiI-GxpDLqJcrkRx-QXkqPS0Ae7EHAYt4a9pACaanSr3ZtRAL3UkPQyam-CvmJ668/s640/IMG_2853.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
raised it higher.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
smart enough to know the danger. It’s
just big enough to know it’s not big enough.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
could see its heart hammering.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrYhMK2etQ2oMr95TDgRTxQwcqTVimGxLIGPXdo180AskhO9ME2bGpYLRGkVtxvwBcxiYA0bBl6kS-qu0Pm8cv4WH3BV8-NUV0ykt8kMJ_h6-7c6x85rY24cJF3bcAHvRYCwIHAFDMbo/s1600/IMG_2860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrYhMK2etQ2oMr95TDgRTxQwcqTVimGxLIGPXdo180AskhO9ME2bGpYLRGkVtxvwBcxiYA0bBl6kS-qu0Pm8cv4WH3BV8-NUV0ykt8kMJ_h6-7c6x85rY24cJF3bcAHvRYCwIHAFDMbo/s640/IMG_2860.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
held it higher. It pivoted in circles, flashing
his ass to me. I jiggled the jar until
it finally turned to meet its captor, face to face…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKNMndvZXcRc1-7IlvrWsSvSqpMmu18XQZ6XHzkeCMwNrLDWzaoi19WNwfDzXfincOSUqpVJuHqjYaX_bHf2EsKyPiR5zLHDaWcJtInMCeKU-iDA9FTRi0FuEKlOOkEsaH46YwZU3zNo/s1600/IMG_2849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKNMndvZXcRc1-7IlvrWsSvSqpMmu18XQZ6XHzkeCMwNrLDWzaoi19WNwfDzXfincOSUqpVJuHqjYaX_bHf2EsKyPiR5zLHDaWcJtInMCeKU-iDA9FTRi0FuEKlOOkEsaH46YwZU3zNo/s640/IMG_2849.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…and
we held the gaze.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
thick glass kept him blurry and smoky but, from what I know about frogs, I was
just a shadow, a discoloration of blue and green.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
wonder if he can tell that I have eyes too.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
tried my hardest to think like a frog. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I had to unlearn.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If
I could forget, for one moment, that I am this person, then I’ll be able to see
through the eyes of another…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2VYWCHUy7JgEmhKMyajHz1ZhGm99y1_cAN2dV8bKHxKAneiISgrC_ufNqigMPlOHOcivujJlUIDGxUTrrldckWJOl6tD-fV53_gWB0jFVtzPNZSk5XKDNZKQcajYeuVseyfB7m6BJ3A/s1600/IMG_2850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2VYWCHUy7JgEmhKMyajHz1ZhGm99y1_cAN2dV8bKHxKAneiISgrC_ufNqigMPlOHOcivujJlUIDGxUTrrldckWJOl6tD-fV53_gWB0jFVtzPNZSk5XKDNZKQcajYeuVseyfB7m6BJ3A/s640/IMG_2850.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">…if
I could only hold the gaze.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If
I could only step back into the Wheel.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>This is the
Earth of which we have heard</i>, Thoreau once wrote, <i>made of Chaos and Old Night.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">He
wrote that when he was on top of Mount Katahdin, highest point in Maine.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
the greatest science fiction story ever.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There,
on the top of the world, he leaves Earth, transcends the planet and enters some
sort of higher astral plane.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">He
sees the entire planet as an <i>unhandselled
globe</i>. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unhandselled? It means never been tooled, unripe, maiden, untamed, not even
touched.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
his most daunting adventure. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thoreau
was a champion woods-watcher and, yet, the top of the mountain was uncharted
territory, the final frontier.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
wilds.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>It was a place for
heathenism and superstitious rites -- to
be inhabited by men nearer of kin to the rocks and to the wild animals than we.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSVKSwA1LM7PQK1AREJxeBy556_1On4kDSGzBZxS8ssy7DSv21PJJWF72D_NdHaSI9tTk4JaU3n06pOLwU63smcfKOdu8excLp-JOdNiSCmOEtLOrtScfmlowrD_07rBOKrxc0DstEMw/s1600/IMG_2851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSVKSwA1LM7PQK1AREJxeBy556_1On4kDSGzBZxS8ssy7DSv21PJJWF72D_NdHaSI9tTk4JaU3n06pOLwU63smcfKOdu8excLp-JOdNiSCmOEtLOrtScfmlowrD_07rBOKrxc0DstEMw/s640/IMG_2851.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">These
moments aren’t meant to last forever.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
knew that going in.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
tilted the jar, with its mouth to the moss, and I pounded the bottom until the
frog hopped out and disappeared into the woods.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You’re
welcome.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAK0N9x1FOIfAYMDdl-_jyKfALsXVoLA81DnI2ggtS-5wzdRLtDEl-bpdcYE0ZlRSNnEKXzKTN4PyeLKOZxaHqUbupofSO4EEZ1xNZzSXHhCHJh1jBPLhM92CoY9UchdXCt9ZTn0eOoI/s1600/IMG_2824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAK0N9x1FOIfAYMDdl-_jyKfALsXVoLA81DnI2ggtS-5wzdRLtDEl-bpdcYE0ZlRSNnEKXzKTN4PyeLKOZxaHqUbupofSO4EEZ1xNZzSXHhCHJh1jBPLhM92CoY9UchdXCt9ZTn0eOoI/s640/IMG_2824.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>I stand in awe
of my body</i>,
Thoreau wrote on the top of the mountain, <i>this
matter to which I am bound seems so strange to me.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Talk of
mysteries.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
walked back through the trail with his epiphany running through my head.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">How
did he do it? How did he escape?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7HIJOiMfI745hBjNlc16TgNjm4l2-oieuQ6rH07akGkum1Clh7cOuM1lIAlVc4DPkL52IUG5MZOA-KvVIb7q0HHK5HIldR6h8f1eruYReV0GmamFg1ZvJrEo4CmGdlwDB6FHeqz7uUQ/s1600/IMG_3095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7HIJOiMfI745hBjNlc16TgNjm4l2-oieuQ6rH07akGkum1Clh7cOuM1lIAlVc4DPkL52IUG5MZOA-KvVIb7q0HHK5HIldR6h8f1eruYReV0GmamFg1ZvJrEo4CmGdlwDB6FHeqz7uUQ/s640/IMG_3095.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">How did he get inside the jar?<i> </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>I think of our
life in Nature – daily to be shown matter, to come in contact with it.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNWZch9H1Z5eSZQrSpf0edhy0u3By7e-mQIOEq0vnPgc4DnX73mDlPXWrGrVxtQjaU0Gn2tZCd0usrTVFEsm1IvfW4sW9Eb6h-nrI-ZwA_RkQBrvooXffnxArJ0mbAfP0rs5MQbiYZnk/s1600/IMG_3245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNWZch9H1Z5eSZQrSpf0edhy0u3By7e-mQIOEq0vnPgc4DnX73mDlPXWrGrVxtQjaU0Gn2tZCd0usrTVFEsm1IvfW4sW9Eb6h-nrI-ZwA_RkQBrvooXffnxArJ0mbAfP0rs5MQbiYZnk/s640/IMG_3245.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…rocks, trees,
wind on our cheeks! the solid earth!</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvxJNfYMhmKLNru1DLCmy3BM0BTFTThnHQ1sY5yP-R48mhxKyhN9LAos30JPBnC6Zy0eTjyiE1HHenDqs_ckHUCfp7TCqs8kP3jiYHhs3VhLa-0S1YOC6qopWm0Z3IjWR0dbTyqCTN08/s1600/IMG_3247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvxJNfYMhmKLNru1DLCmy3BM0BTFTThnHQ1sY5yP-R48mhxKyhN9LAos30JPBnC6Zy0eTjyiE1HHenDqs_ckHUCfp7TCqs8kP3jiYHhs3VhLa-0S1YOC6qopWm0Z3IjWR0dbTyqCTN08/s640/IMG_3247.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>…the actual
world! the common sense!</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Contact!</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Contact! Who are we?
Where are we?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPohlqfptUt8R9Pg2GvOPxBxdmsVkb-Kapjj0aOHf4EfJkVzWAoNnQm5ZdJZ3-OnwklDXShJ4F1e-VnU7ISzPYLAGW96y_ntOosGzfQRA_455ybOMCMUT8Y2dfM5nGq3zCLnVjwTdzbw/s1600/warp+speed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPohlqfptUt8R9Pg2GvOPxBxdmsVkb-Kapjj0aOHf4EfJkVzWAoNnQm5ZdJZ3-OnwklDXShJ4F1e-VnU7ISzPYLAGW96y_ntOosGzfQRA_455ybOMCMUT8Y2dfM5nGq3zCLnVjwTdzbw/s1600/warp+speed.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE VOYAGE HOME</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
search for contact is a lonely enterprise.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It
was a strange feeling, driving home, like I was sitting in the passenger seat
of my own car, but I made record time weaving through the traffic. Nothing got in my way.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
coast was clear.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ragged
and dirty, I arrived home to a pleasant surprise.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBaGFJxKBzqhg9eZoICiEz-LCSqFME23ob-REUn-iSCgvMfduOPy2hNmZKqbGf37cDGZH7vKXdaPBxpK4GexT7YfQWbfDuI6U0t83e2RaH50B7DdvVWTYSqOjVukZevkCRdOgtptKxVQ/s1600/IMG_3149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBaGFJxKBzqhg9eZoICiEz-LCSqFME23ob-REUn-iSCgvMfduOPy2hNmZKqbGf37cDGZH7vKXdaPBxpK4GexT7YfQWbfDuI6U0t83e2RaH50B7DdvVWTYSqOjVukZevkCRdOgtptKxVQ/s640/IMG_3149.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
gift from Farmer Gina.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Was
it the Harvest Moon already?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where
does the time go?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPYxTI8vLJvzYomcd8KMcfJHI29Me5HeV0vkyB5CihU2BQgZzSuSGWqnOAsEbCDoyjE6Y8RqOFAzd-aORY5mFE_9UW2-ao5YPxSTfG1KY5QIFFkIACh0Idp5N3h6qtwDErj9nKRdtmpc/s1600/IMG_3133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPYxTI8vLJvzYomcd8KMcfJHI29Me5HeV0vkyB5CihU2BQgZzSuSGWqnOAsEbCDoyjE6Y8RqOFAzd-aORY5mFE_9UW2-ao5YPxSTfG1KY5QIFFkIACh0Idp5N3h6qtwDErj9nKRdtmpc/s640/IMG_3133.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ll
have to call her and thank her.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks to her, I get one more free ride through the hunger games. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But better
yet, I’ll just clean up and walk the few blocks to her gate and express my
gratitude in person.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">After
all, this doesn’t happen often.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Message
received.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0uuXaIPZkMq2dc4lXK_VX_dhFr7TBcg_h6xUaAF84IxmtJvchF24O6c15lQ640yGXMMMysPqyGdHbPCFZlapLBINiT2B5SHieIv85LG4EIYZJbuQv9AlFfj74mOWYtY3SWY1Mtgt4Q0/s1600/voyager2_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0uuXaIPZkMq2dc4lXK_VX_dhFr7TBcg_h6xUaAF84IxmtJvchF24O6c15lQ640yGXMMMysPqyGdHbPCFZlapLBINiT2B5SHieIv85LG4EIYZJbuQv9AlFfj74mOWYtY3SWY1Mtgt4Q0/s640/voyager2_large.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ten-four,
good buddy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ah,
summer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One
long afternoon on the beach, the dog days of August, and it turns out that
science fiction’s most frequently asked question has one easy answer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
big, fat no.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We
are not alone.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-2025342178903450722013-08-10T16:56:00.002-07:002013-08-26T22:20:38.288-07:00BEECH READINGS, PART ONE<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Awakening
this morning from uneasy dreams, I realized that I had the whole day to myself,
no promises, no obligations, no errands, no dues.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ah,
summer.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So,
like most people with a summer day to burn, I went down to the beach…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aAdzJXoZu-8Puq-3Q6fLZ6SKtCp7wcGiNl4n_FHMMuBYY-0QnHZVc7aDE8TSFY1l5He6b4or_16XQoKgFYqCHEpBDR46yHQye68p3hggSIf8UK-zYFGChIcBJE0zYGWq5wNDaUBB2Ik/s1600/IMG_2801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aAdzJXoZu-8Puq-3Q6fLZ6SKtCp7wcGiNl4n_FHMMuBYY-0QnHZVc7aDE8TSFY1l5He6b4or_16XQoKgFYqCHEpBDR46yHQye68p3hggSIf8UK-zYFGChIcBJE0zYGWq5wNDaUBB2Ik/s640/IMG_2801.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…to
the banks of the Schuylkill River to catch some rays, a new paperback in hand.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was a typical day under the Ripe Berry Moon, although a little bit cooler than
usual for this time of year, not something I’m complaining about.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLxKPLrlMx5eiLkJkkD2sSQKUqfnr4RKmDSpMcBG2W1k7wmDjBAAirKKYo3ZVhHC4VTYE-PCiNGHsNRUKImbFYS6TzmNlRJ2sTK96Hc2AAe4-hQ6XsfL7ZVbFgoDJFoAqiJwby2gj9Bw/s1600/IMG_2797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLxKPLrlMx5eiLkJkkD2sSQKUqfnr4RKmDSpMcBG2W1k7wmDjBAAirKKYo3ZVhHC4VTYE-PCiNGHsNRUKImbFYS6TzmNlRJ2sTK96Hc2AAe4-hQ6XsfL7ZVbFgoDJFoAqiJwby2gj9Bw/s640/IMG_2797.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
sunshine glared off the muddy shore, lighting up every little pebble, every
half-buried rock, every stray two-by-four and soda can washed ashore. The wind was blowing both jasmine and diesel,
pulling the waves towards the beach on a string.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
the best part? I was entirely
alone. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Unlike
most beaches, this was a secluded place away from the noisy masses, a hidden
cove.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Next
to me, there was a large patch of high plants, no idea what they’re called.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQtNJp0M8ZnLfyr4S1jGc18Pq2zGMGT0FLDoOFSKJAhT-FBMe1bB1Fic6QivVA71xlC1Sfy3jlWT6RxPov_6e2LpS7Hv8KZH7bNc9gtISxETbG-4jP_IcTT7kk5LOqy8OPlOI4fU__wM/s1600/IMG_2106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQtNJp0M8ZnLfyr4S1jGc18Pq2zGMGT0FLDoOFSKJAhT-FBMe1bB1Fic6QivVA71xlC1Sfy3jlWT6RxPov_6e2LpS7Hv8KZH7bNc9gtISxETbG-4jP_IcTT7kk5LOqy8OPlOI4fU__wM/s640/IMG_2106.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
usually don’t like sitting so close to strangers but, to be honest, they didn’t
look very friendly or inviting…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVm5JLOTUiAL3eSiuIOJWXkPR7OSIPzTjgi4EEvbTh_GRTnm2WczhgU0pE31T0DndfNh1urNiDrDh95Mq4KYnRc_p4gfrqlKQC6ze7PxTy0TKwBivKS0e3g9H49qS-p2_GzmnVbdYxBTw/s1600/AAAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVm5JLOTUiAL3eSiuIOJWXkPR7OSIPzTjgi4EEvbTh_GRTnm2WczhgU0pE31T0DndfNh1urNiDrDh95Mq4KYnRc_p4gfrqlKQC6ze7PxTy0TKwBivKS0e3g9H49qS-p2_GzmnVbdYxBTw/s640/AAAA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…those
puckered mouthpieces inching their way towards me and my summer repose.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Unable
to resist, I did grab one of those gaping maws and pulled back the thick lip of
leaves…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiqxHfUCAIG5o4k75byiWt58NYwFYt73KnYUe2X081EhQ6V0u0U1bwy2e-YVd8MOyMbaDV0bWysENOvApjr0_V3dK-461vLrDE-52CHZNZhractLvwe_4KP0kj1ppbCiccKKx744ABz0/s1600/IMG_2111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiqxHfUCAIG5o4k75byiWt58NYwFYt73KnYUe2X081EhQ6V0u0U1bwy2e-YVd8MOyMbaDV0bWysENOvApjr0_V3dK-461vLrDE-52CHZNZhractLvwe_4KP0kj1ppbCiccKKx744ABz0/s640/IMG_2111.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…only
to reveal the cranks and gears of their peculiar engineering.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Such
odd parts…but, then again, I’m sure if something ripped open my own fleshy
envelope, it would also reveal some odd parts, a strange system of beating sprockets and
mammalian machines.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Those
tangled stalks dominated half the beach here and seemed to catch the entire
spectrum of Philly’s flotsam and jetsam: beer cans, plastic bags, trash and
refuse and litter, two car batteries and one dead, bloated fish.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9C1se0P-fOwpw8NZbLI72PDE3Tc4waqUuS-TF2iuaEcrS4hLclTfxnhtofGiFcFk7szQ9Tvz1_AiPxkJXtIdET_XJPzY68DHnBNpZFIcEjw0b6nFEB6YmeTdA-l5OJcbb3vkFvvOVlcw/s1600/IMG_2104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9C1se0P-fOwpw8NZbLI72PDE3Tc4waqUuS-TF2iuaEcrS4hLclTfxnhtofGiFcFk7szQ9Tvz1_AiPxkJXtIdET_XJPzY68DHnBNpZFIcEjw0b6nFEB6YmeTdA-l5OJcbb3vkFvvOVlcw/s640/IMG_2104.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Warning:
August is not for the squeamish.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is Nature’s most efficient season, when it’s at its reddest in tooth and claw,
the hunter and the hunted dancing around the arena of Survival, the predator
and the prey in high pursuit, life and death around every bend in the trail. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
most dangerous of hunger games.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
Wheel right now is cranking away at a breakneck speed, around and around the lifeless
Void that lies at the very center of its heartless hub.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ah,
summer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Do
or die. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
a cold thought for a summer day and I shouldn’t let one patch of unfriendly
plants, and one dead fish, ruin my summer day at the beach, or ruin the
experience of sinking into the curious novel I found stacked away at a local
used book store.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJWI6KEpOX1czyief8535RZxKiYpqCTAUvF2Ctyg0mNZuosETrYuCN4AwRvxeUw8gYrzaWkyBXXanJGChZmFr-yZ_5iAAOy3oNu8XsfU1lCSbh0d5F4QlRVJrTVXFfDhmcTSi_lcK7pM/s1600/IMG_2798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJWI6KEpOX1czyief8535RZxKiYpqCTAUvF2Ctyg0mNZuosETrYuCN4AwRvxeUw8gYrzaWkyBXXanJGChZmFr-yZ_5iAAOy3oNu8XsfU1lCSbh0d5F4QlRVJrTVXFfDhmcTSi_lcK7pM/s640/IMG_2798.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was love at first sight.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>TREE HUGGING</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>On an alien
world, a bizarre and intelligent plant offers more than just
companionship…Strange Relations.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
got a classic opening, a premise fit for the greatest of adventures.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
mother and son are the only survivors after a meteor crashes into a scientific
spaceship, forcing a crash landing on a distant, unexplored planetoid spinning
away on the far side of the Horsehead Nebulae.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After
burying their dead shipmates, the mother and son set off to find other life,
and food, across the alien landscape of lush plants and multi-colored
mountains, under a pair of twin red suns.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Their
hunt proves unsuccessful so they decide to embark higher into the mountainous
ravines.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Half-way up,
they stopped to sniff in puzzlement at a gust of some heavy odor coming downwind.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>“Smells like a
cageful of monkeys,” he said.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>“In heat,” she
added.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">By
then, it’s too late. It turns out that the
monkey-smell is bait, meant to lure these human primates deeper into the cracks
of the canyon, and the son is whisked away by strong tentacles into the very
heart of the mountain chain.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
here the novel takes a very interesting and, in the end, a disappointing turn.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Much
to my own puzzlement, this is not a love story between a man and a plant. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja22yj_4PpEPOAMr461Tyut8o-kB0fBC4EEgxgnYW0tkrqsVuYoxmMaNndxTGkZh-weD6aLHnw_oO94oyZpwlm1idddggNKE1ykRUkwdImONuFLHm5bQV9s1RriG8We3DVz5Sn_UHMrs8/s1600/IMG_2804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja22yj_4PpEPOAMr461Tyut8o-kB0fBC4EEgxgnYW0tkrqsVuYoxmMaNndxTGkZh-weD6aLHnw_oO94oyZpwlm1idddggNKE1ykRUkwdImONuFLHm5bQV9s1RriG8We3DVz5Sn_UHMrs8/s640/IMG_2804.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
turns out that the inside of the mountain is an embryonic chamber that is
half-slug-half-rock and, after a long but charming seduction, the son willingly
participates in a reproductive process that begets a litter of small, cute
space snails.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Calling
the process <i>sex</i> doesn’t quite do it
justice. The way the author writes the
mating chapter, it’s not as intimate as that.
It’s much more mechanical, not as much fun. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
perhaps even more disappointing, it turns out that the Mother Slug speaks
English. That seems unfair, a little too
convenient, like the author, whose other books I’ve enjoyed in the past, took
the easy way out of the woods.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">English? Really?
That was a big letdown.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the final analysis, I felt duped. I
don’t know why the publisher commissioned that cover art but it’s very
misleading.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Based
on the cover, I was expecting to read about the love story of a man and a
plant, an uninhibited romance between two members of different kingdoms of life,
the ultimate taboo.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
wouldn’t have even mattered much that the two beings are alien to each other,
that the man is an Earthling and that the plant is a Baulderasian.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
difference would that make? Even here on
Spaceship Earth, man and plant are divided by just as many worlds, the ultimate
long distance relationship.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
had to ask myself: what did I expect from a love story between a man and a
plant?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OeZFr-PJVWi6fNjtghyphenhyphenc97qqqXR06-IFzouDIDGnSvaG1d9BdkIvCqZE9NXIDTyPRzBskHO2zJJZVi3zpIHpLKLLVHm3EgMZsHqRDinRU5n9NDxYgkzi6Ry2dNYp02JOhumHLRUnZPA/s1600/IMG_2794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OeZFr-PJVWi6fNjtghyphenhyphenc97qqqXR06-IFzouDIDGnSvaG1d9BdkIvCqZE9NXIDTyPRzBskHO2zJJZVi3zpIHpLKLLVHm3EgMZsHqRDinRU5n9NDxYgkzi6Ry2dNYp02JOhumHLRUnZPA/s640/IMG_2794.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well,
I guess I wanted the author to explore communication. How does one communicate with a plant?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or
what if, this whole time, the plants have been trying to communicate with
me? How do I receive their message?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
have control over this complex machine called a <i>body</i> but, among its many parts, do I have some sort of dormant radar
that can actually pick up a signal from a plant?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">How
could I turn that on?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Language,
sounds, howls, yawps and grunts, they would all be useless, although some
people claim music is able to span the gulf.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Would
gestures work? Acts of kindness, acts of
cruelty? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or
would it be all about touch?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-QzdQDb5eU15kEjSGVZIJ4CQ_jckL4wDQDc_hmsMssv0xCMX4WP1aY21MkcZ217YtD5rgfXXEhEyWDI6_1VlNOyPUHmG4ip86p_mLsgqLOSxDbN6xHy2asLsrZXa5zzFCc6CqwhvWFI/s1600/IMG_3165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-QzdQDb5eU15kEjSGVZIJ4CQ_jckL4wDQDc_hmsMssv0xCMX4WP1aY21MkcZ217YtD5rgfXXEhEyWDI6_1VlNOyPUHmG4ip86p_mLsgqLOSxDbN6xHy2asLsrZXa5zzFCc6CqwhvWFI/s640/IMG_3165.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
I guess I wanted the author to explore intimacy. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
I love a certain plant, how would I know it loves me back? If, for some reason, I find myself alone in
the universe…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVnxeI4NLkYf0wYbtfrsbJsagMSr2XXZ1xxqCbkjZwThks3Qp70Qoihc8PyWKYta-PL7gefjzAdmq6Yxd0rSKX_kJFONMnCY2gYLWfCfzCSjfOyHmo5WIcWBC5bUp8QWECHWtV6GfD0c/s1600/IMG_2790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVnxeI4NLkYf0wYbtfrsbJsagMSr2XXZ1xxqCbkjZwThks3Qp70Qoihc8PyWKYta-PL7gefjzAdmq6Yxd0rSKX_kJFONMnCY2gYLWfCfzCSjfOyHmo5WIcWBC5bUp8QWECHWtV6GfD0c/s640/IMG_2790.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
if I am bold enough to cast away society’s taboo and actually embrace a plant…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6rPpPIgH8uJpWM7NdJzXHQ5adHm9ieQuEjAsln_Z_hRKfem19pGGnZBFLm_ZD6PXMrOd6OYM1Dv7K66enbmaMBUTG7kdnRvGNwEh9RheUOTSacsnD26MXTF39-UciIBb9GUGG24ZdFo/s1600/IMG_3155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho6rPpPIgH8uJpWM7NdJzXHQ5adHm9ieQuEjAsln_Z_hRKfem19pGGnZBFLm_ZD6PXMrOd6OYM1Dv7K66enbmaMBUTG7kdnRvGNwEh9RheUOTSacsnD26MXTF39-UciIBb9GUGG24ZdFo/s640/IMG_3155.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…will
it hug me back?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
finally, I guess I wanted the author to explore beyond communication and
intimacy. I wanted him to take the story
to the next logical level.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
a man and a plant were actually able to requite each other’s love, I wanted to
read about their ecstasy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZM9cpSDZdL6gVxk5uYVo1-zoKyRmjTB9Bf7YLBGY6Zqh0606lhWdM_xuJ0dHRHzGFDZmh-84bF53cfT1ZtwVItM8cOwaah-w2_JNV1ThYwYYAvsW1QoOLZFkiXQUokfjcZ69BG4wXao/s1600/IMG_3150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZM9cpSDZdL6gVxk5uYVo1-zoKyRmjTB9Bf7YLBGY6Zqh0606lhWdM_xuJ0dHRHzGFDZmh-84bF53cfT1ZtwVItM8cOwaah-w2_JNV1ThYwYYAvsW1QoOLZFkiXQUokfjcZ69BG4wXao/s640/IMG_3150.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well,
that wasn’t what the book was about.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
felt like the book…well, really, just the cover of the book…had raised all
these questions and promises and, now, I was left unfulfilled.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Stood
up.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So
that’s exactly what I did. I stood up,
packed up my camping chair and walked away from the Schuylkill shore, back into
the car and back on the road, on my way to another Philly beach.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
would embark on my own adventure, a summer trek, like the shipwrecked mother
and son, out into the great beyond, to the wild frontier that runs like a green
vein through the city map…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkQkruQiE8X08kR4hsA_I7jGvoUn_Kdysg0LHvpZyqd_C22FB5YxBxSaKeIlmSIDwnH9F8MvSm7e4VIUqH4UH_UwRMszCCk44xmHJtSvmpH2OuwR5aSb6Um3r8qhFxkxxlDVuDGznzfc/s1600/IMG_2815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkQkruQiE8X08kR4hsA_I7jGvoUn_Kdysg0LHvpZyqd_C22FB5YxBxSaKeIlmSIDwnH9F8MvSm7e4VIUqH4UH_UwRMszCCk44xmHJtSvmpH2OuwR5aSb6Um3r8qhFxkxxlDVuDGznzfc/s640/IMG_2815.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…to
the beaches of the Catfish Creek, the main tributary of the Schuylkill River, and
into the rocky, mossy woods we call the Wissahickon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QZnDx4C3AX0NGFNmLsn8vGgcOFQa5grF-aQ_2E-mQnc2yvxpSUQU5v1dsXtjWSLTFVGAKpcOvOOCsrTWQB8g2B2ChSGlnv5eErNo4FWdwUNArw2VdZRlS8RwmE1neepDBTAKkpHJbAE/s1600/IMG_2868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QZnDx4C3AX0NGFNmLsn8vGgcOFQa5grF-aQ_2E-mQnc2yvxpSUQU5v1dsXtjWSLTFVGAKpcOvOOCsrTWQB8g2B2ChSGlnv5eErNo4FWdwUNArw2VdZRlS8RwmE1neepDBTAKkpHJbAE/s640/IMG_2868.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Open
the pod bay doors, HAL, and set the phasers to stun, this is a diplomatic
mission, Jon Spruce and the search for intelligent life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>“TO EXPLORE NEW
STRANGE WORLDS, TO SEEK OUT NEW LIFE…”</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
Wissahickon is an old and storied woods.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
creek and the surrounding forest are part of the Piedmont Province, that rising
stretch of land between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains,
formed from the stretching and banging of tectonic plates four to five million
years ago…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxq43abzHsRajXIRIpLKFx3yLpaQRzjVnMHCircN_Qn5pwTXiWG1BM8qN2j1dY1S1IDXrPMP3y8Qk_usj_axybH28WWQgneuqtce-NwWwOYtaLj_XdX0nGHSvEW-57tWkLEC9suPUqMsY/s1600/IMG_2830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxq43abzHsRajXIRIpLKFx3yLpaQRzjVnMHCircN_Qn5pwTXiWG1BM8qN2j1dY1S1IDXrPMP3y8Qk_usj_axybH28WWQgneuqtce-NwWwOYtaLj_XdX0nGHSvEW-57tWkLEC9suPUqMsY/s640/IMG_2830.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…an
epic battle of water and rock, when the land tried to wrestle its way to higher
ground, the war between ocean and continent.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here,
you can still see signs of that violent upheaval in the exposed boulders…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08nPiVwuRJWrAqrUOOT6sanBkAWXuEDUN4iYRjwwx2ndJZGasEmcJqZ3doB4dM0hYnSA7mpsv9gmVt7GJf1ypGQg40w7y_O9o02u537oqrmUjJ_N9ryQxYoAozJsT4fHz1sln24KKz24/s1600/IMG_3041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08nPiVwuRJWrAqrUOOT6sanBkAWXuEDUN4iYRjwwx2ndJZGasEmcJqZ3doB4dM0hYnSA7mpsv9gmVt7GJf1ypGQg40w7y_O9o02u537oqrmUjJ_N9ryQxYoAozJsT4fHz1sln24KKz24/s640/IMG_3041.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…you
can still see the battle scars, writ in waves on the stonescapes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is home to Philadelphia’s oldest rocks and probably some of Philadelphia’s
oldest trees. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here,
high above the Catfish Creek on a trail that begins right near the Henry Avenue
Bridge, roots grow side by side next to rocks…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqwlnofL0iXu1305TwebQUX-pQ8RLsh0Kp9zshVuKzKGq_bEXvN3CTtEOueHzy71h0FS6fiRlRRK3mEuL56MSfYFQqmIn8HGBkPbolYG_LaieA8K6IEu7A-qRTKs7cOVKCrk3GWwDgUU/s1600/IMG_3085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqwlnofL0iXu1305TwebQUX-pQ8RLsh0Kp9zshVuKzKGq_bEXvN3CTtEOueHzy71h0FS6fiRlRRK3mEuL56MSfYFQqmIn8HGBkPbolYG_LaieA8K6IEu7A-qRTKs7cOVKCrk3GWwDgUU/s640/IMG_3085.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and,
in some places, it’s hard to distinguish where tree ends and rock begins.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOqTZNKNG-kQuvbKWSc4lRIbtPuREBFwtxZnGyxMwQXHzgkKJbUu8pVcBlD2ARPM0enKKZvGxuJI96d9AK3rZ_Jxx9TYoNRMqnCSHXXHxa2PK0uazGaJ3a49iIbMF4-pr8qCrWMyn3jw/s1600/IMG_3101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOqTZNKNG-kQuvbKWSc4lRIbtPuREBFwtxZnGyxMwQXHzgkKJbUu8pVcBlD2ARPM0enKKZvGxuJI96d9AK3rZ_Jxx9TYoNRMqnCSHXXHxa2PK0uazGaJ3a49iIbMF4-pr8qCrWMyn3jw/s640/IMG_3101.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
might think these are the kinds of trees with such monumental names as <i>hickory </i>or <i>hemlock</i> or <i>pine</i> but, no,
these are cherries.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkHIvGYHmCZ4sb4fVQcliQT1jQsqzejcMEjSE649cQryoMe_rWi8peyt8EwLVtSeqlT20xUuMIaqe4km_f8puP9C-RTRo3lNYzru1YrNFKkFhTRXyMcMbPV7HfDiFYTAmUgXDid8sIow/s1600/IMG_2834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkHIvGYHmCZ4sb4fVQcliQT1jQsqzejcMEjSE649cQryoMe_rWi8peyt8EwLVtSeqlT20xUuMIaqe4km_f8puP9C-RTRo3lNYzru1YrNFKkFhTRXyMcMbPV7HfDiFYTAmUgXDid8sIow/s640/IMG_2834.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As
I climbed down from the high trail towards the banks of the Catfish Creek, I
saw groves of the umbrella magnolia…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5-uhFI_hC4rrRmCo7-VqrnC2UOS84ahNr8BaYdrHxZyWk5tVr79-54gnI2x7W94kWYBtpCsAs_4KOay2E5obfUTq6YeyMnkkmqGDvRD4vQ1SPNjmOFcFOrqPt9GoSgAvAhDUo_aWYPI/s1600/IMG_3067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5-uhFI_hC4rrRmCo7-VqrnC2UOS84ahNr8BaYdrHxZyWk5tVr79-54gnI2x7W94kWYBtpCsAs_4KOay2E5obfUTq6YeyMnkkmqGDvRD4vQ1SPNjmOFcFOrqPt9GoSgAvAhDUo_aWYPI/s640/IMG_3067.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…distinct
for those dog-faced knobs swelling from its smooth gray bark…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCp9Jdxkq0mvvWGKru0V5OAZpZnqDplINA0RfwS3hJPB_IWei_5itVguIO9JskUTrmL0JI3zyZOLHs4OTgsPjv6yDDPGKivHq_YhqTCsczVU8usjkUY_UmBP95APS3Oq6sjXRR6fz_b20/s1600/IMG_3070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCp9Jdxkq0mvvWGKru0V5OAZpZnqDplINA0RfwS3hJPB_IWei_5itVguIO9JskUTrmL0JI3zyZOLHs4OTgsPjv6yDDPGKivHq_YhqTCsczVU8usjkUY_UmBP95APS3Oq6sjXRR6fz_b20/s640/IMG_3070.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
for its umbrella-like fountain of large leaves…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUpDKuPeo2zFdcpku2j1XuqamXKVnnmAf10rk5oeFnZvCq_zaiyc8wFtBBKeuw1l3uD_W3gysHRFj9fabMzv18sCCQnhIn7Jb8SVniXvbgodYin8eL_yScQn4wrJmY3Mp1crmbZFimcQ/s1600/IMG_3055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUpDKuPeo2zFdcpku2j1XuqamXKVnnmAf10rk5oeFnZvCq_zaiyc8wFtBBKeuw1l3uD_W3gysHRFj9fabMzv18sCCQnhIn7Jb8SVniXvbgodYin8eL_yScQn4wrJmY3Mp1crmbZFimcQ/s640/IMG_3055.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…each
one averaging eighteen inches.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIijYFyh23ZtfPJ8P9-2_9H8TxstakZ5EqqYL_xgPGDOe40spD40LHXENtnyfUtVbD0JdN5gXiDkVQIYZp8wQylJlRTJuIBctntkeyQjfbT-yptuQHEwLUXOkLcwnRIbRF9UDyNFKO4Y/s1600/IMG_3080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIijYFyh23ZtfPJ8P9-2_9H8TxstakZ5EqqYL_xgPGDOe40spD40LHXENtnyfUtVbD0JdN5gXiDkVQIYZp8wQylJlRTJuIBctntkeyQjfbT-yptuQHEwLUXOkLcwnRIbRF9UDyNFKO4Y/s640/IMG_3080.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If,
at first glance, your instinct is to call this a <i>tropical plant</i>, you wouldn’t be too far off the mark, although it’d
be more accurate to call this tree <i>prehistoric</i>. If it shares some characteristics of a
tropical tree, especially those large leaves, then that’s because it comes from
a world that was much hotter, full of tempestuous weather and
violent monsters.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As
I approached the creek, I could feel the ground under my boots changing its
composition. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Higher
up in the rocky bluffs, the surface of the planet was craggy and mossy, jagged with unearthed
boulders and roots…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-6jxlsub8ixTVzXlZPIvvoOxZoM9MJ1mxrsWb_B8I44ODv7ikc9Hol3Pd13eKSVHhaowNVZtbuvtZK17XBtnQ8ldWmavIdA0KHfytp3bllAiz52UL-4BzQFFSX8W-akrDhCbXUGkCfU/s1600/IMG_2833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp-6jxlsub8ixTVzXlZPIvvoOxZoM9MJ1mxrsWb_B8I44ODv7ikc9Hol3Pd13eKSVHhaowNVZtbuvtZK17XBtnQ8ldWmavIdA0KHfytp3bllAiz52UL-4BzQFFSX8W-akrDhCbXUGkCfU/s640/IMG_2833.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but,
on the descent, the ground was slippery with a layer of wet leaves, bark, twigs, fallen trees
and the occasional fern.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFSosrijGebyoQCpLI_88dcVcWRJA3A6l3Pe5cPZQOmnSqdnScwVzbZhL5RUxgQ4M8DviBAeWvw0H2goo1_tJYS9cJ3VhBC9DJXVY3jFRTqUu3aKhsaJK_9mB5p825_3Rdgqy9JRTn-g/s1600/IMG_3059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFSosrijGebyoQCpLI_88dcVcWRJA3A6l3Pe5cPZQOmnSqdnScwVzbZhL5RUxgQ4M8DviBAeWvw0H2goo1_tJYS9cJ3VhBC9DJXVY3jFRTqUu3aKhsaJK_9mB5p825_3Rdgqy9JRTn-g/s640/IMG_3059.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Closer
to the creek, the ground turns to sand…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and,
hidden right underneath the sand, I found the sunken bodies of mollusks and clams.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadp3I52F0VheRkAY_OuWQY_WtDk9Qm6UMot6GssHjvdvM9qdFmd1ZcQD18KwihI-LboqofYypVLPF0zQZzQvVCbPDzG9YXvSQpAYaVViy0QGqtGJCwd0SAxEADQfToDQjiCLYLqfYmeQ/s1600/IMG_2903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadp3I52F0VheRkAY_OuWQY_WtDk9Qm6UMot6GssHjvdvM9qdFmd1ZcQD18KwihI-LboqofYypVLPF0zQZzQvVCbPDzG9YXvSQpAYaVViy0QGqtGJCwd0SAxEADQfToDQjiCLYLqfYmeQ/s400/IMG_2903.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
how in the world would you even begin to communicate with a clam?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
clam has no eyes but it does have a heart, a kidney, a mouth and, one of the
most important characteristics of an animal, an anus. It begins life the size of a grain of sand
and, much like a tree, there is a way to tell the age of a clam by counting the
number of rings in its shell.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzc6bCy2B5wGkEtdXsSttVuOxeWVTr2rJ1GRKvxIPsDidEHRmH4PkK-C9Yz9dxXYdZJ_Vwf5svMbeFKJFpnzh-VtxrEIxYp5lkpyywI4KsJvPHBxD6wTCnLWlCnp8gQsZ0iotcZY5ayc/s1600/IMG_2909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzc6bCy2B5wGkEtdXsSttVuOxeWVTr2rJ1GRKvxIPsDidEHRmH4PkK-C9Yz9dxXYdZJ_Vwf5svMbeFKJFpnzh-VtxrEIxYp5lkpyywI4KsJvPHBxD6wTCnLWlCnp8gQsZ0iotcZY5ayc/s640/IMG_2909.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even
closer to the creek, I found a puddle of water floating in the smooth pocket of
a giant rock…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJC_Ux79VXODVgluV3l4b3BH4Z1P7Bmz7GUQfIJ-gb-5Zy7K1dmuyHOcQd5p9mWdygneS0m9mxMtuL7l624C2GBN-DeMzpVYCkfWuNisbNY4XT0YWq-DcTjTMNlHmAPAXYYE-Qs2ipm8o/s1600/IMG_2884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJC_Ux79VXODVgluV3l4b3BH4Z1P7Bmz7GUQfIJ-gb-5Zy7K1dmuyHOcQd5p9mWdygneS0m9mxMtuL7l624C2GBN-DeMzpVYCkfWuNisbNY4XT0YWq-DcTjTMNlHmAPAXYYE-Qs2ipm8o/s640/IMG_2884.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
I took the time to catch the reflection of the high trees and the bright sky…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuN2e0vnUsnp9RI1x9BAvwMr7-xes-BVHm9Hxre_bHiZ_mfBwUmc7RCKt2K535gnC0MLJ7K76bqqajW3w52BPxVzMDnfsGHW0D0k7Op-Jb5Gyb2OIdsJJjWNCE-N2buhoPWoUiSSH3d8/s1600/IMG_2888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuN2e0vnUsnp9RI1x9BAvwMr7-xes-BVHm9Hxre_bHiZ_mfBwUmc7RCKt2K535gnC0MLJ7K76bqqajW3w52BPxVzMDnfsGHW0D0k7Op-Jb5Gyb2OIdsJJjWNCE-N2buhoPWoUiSSH3d8/s640/IMG_2888.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…Jon
Spruce and Water, eyeball to eyeball.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My
favorite science fiction writer, Stanislaw Lem, wrote his most successful novel
about water.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
called <i>Solaris</i> and it’s one of the
most thought-provoking and evocative stories ever written about first contact
with an alien. It takes place on a space
station high above a large planet in a faraway galaxy. The whole planet is just one giant ocean.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmcpEJMh9LoiF6XMDy6K6z3j9b7HDtpedLCU_clN4_2A1lHBidpH3LT-lYJIISJtX755614CIiSA0wjz-y1qHNjpNy21Rve8iz2uWCVTHbtBSzyMKj6kC9xvExxXTzdPLLvezjTW40VM/s1600/IMG_2889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmcpEJMh9LoiF6XMDy6K6z3j9b7HDtpedLCU_clN4_2A1lHBidpH3LT-lYJIISJtX755614CIiSA0wjz-y1qHNjpNy21Rve8iz2uWCVTHbtBSzyMKj6kC9xvExxXTzdPLLvezjTW40VM/s640/IMG_2889.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Spoiler
alert: that’s the alien, the ocean itself, one large organism, its waves the
equivalent of muscle contractions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
how are you supposed to communicate with that kind of alien?
How do you talk to an ocean?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnboZSvaZbZMwPVlwxI8c_3GDYMm2CLcub8T_t7a9DL5YaN7ZMB-0S5k1TFe59dMqtLiQhwhjL3L-_Z9OQnHcIfDmLiLO6c4yKUYpKb8_wlwuCVF7gc0bK-kzptQwOlrsQNbleKwjoU3c/s1600/IMG_2893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnboZSvaZbZMwPVlwxI8c_3GDYMm2CLcub8T_t7a9DL5YaN7ZMB-0S5k1TFe59dMqtLiQhwhjL3L-_Z9OQnHcIfDmLiLO6c4yKUYpKb8_wlwuCVF7gc0bK-kzptQwOlrsQNbleKwjoU3c/s640/IMG_2893.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
novel ends on a beguiling question: what if the alien is so alien that we will
never be able to communicate with it, understand it, learn from it, begin a
relationship?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygcTgYnKsg7vD6Oz6MV_bnYTHPBwuTFmSmogJzEA34IqrmemFt7YmiwSbqleQFQxbRFl20dzBcVSE_EFVukX3ix6hmoStJI74JhNnIk5ap34GZOM6Qlk6Jmxrn1INESCkbDdw06Z2BQY/s1600/IMG_2891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygcTgYnKsg7vD6Oz6MV_bnYTHPBwuTFmSmogJzEA34IqrmemFt7YmiwSbqleQFQxbRFl20dzBcVSE_EFVukX3ix6hmoStJI74JhNnIk5ap34GZOM6Qlk6Jmxrn1INESCkbDdw06Z2BQY/s640/IMG_2891.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">We
think that the discovery of an alien species would help the human race shake
off its galactic loneliness but, in the case of <i>Solaris</i>, it only makes us feel even more stranded, even more alone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>We go in quest
of a planet, </i>Lem
writes, but <i>we are only seeking man…we
have no need of other worlds. We need
mirrors.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMHO8VD30o08Mg9yFqRdjaX9Qt0JbMWQarx4L3TVTmH1A72chb1sFVwtive5tmx-cPuRgEVFAhGX9izKlt9ORlbJ7YwmaCwzSJ2s5ijroxPkTi5aG_vYLa_D188y5qiw_ansCx48O15s/s1600/IMG_2892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMHO8VD30o08Mg9yFqRdjaX9Qt0JbMWQarx4L3TVTmH1A72chb1sFVwtive5tmx-cPuRgEVFAhGX9izKlt9ORlbJ7YwmaCwzSJ2s5ijroxPkTi5aG_vYLa_D188y5qiw_ansCx48O15s/s640/IMG_2892.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I poured the water back into the puddle and scrambled over the rock, landing on my second beach of the day...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__nhDGNtgKJilm2C_tdDwKPO5TRIfCBUDO0uGmIqTjbvLpr-x-uiXclJqqCvF46ZjqRd1yOKpCxP9IAz-pjvFqbICruN0amrs6xPGR6faTyNg9_NXwcE1uBW_w3ZAYMV8YQn7547L8aE/s1600/IMG_2875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj__nhDGNtgKJilm2C_tdDwKPO5TRIfCBUDO0uGmIqTjbvLpr-x-uiXclJqqCvF46ZjqRd1yOKpCxP9IAz-pjvFqbICruN0amrs6xPGR6faTyNg9_NXwcE1uBW_w3ZAYMV8YQn7547L8aE/s640/IMG_2875.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b>...and here my search for intelligent life took a most interesting, strange and dangerous turn.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>To be continued…stay
tuned for Episode Two of Beech Readings…the thrilling adventures of Jon Spruce in the deep space of the Wissahickon
Woods, surviving against all odds in the Hunger Games, through the Wormhole, face to
face with Close Encounters of the Animal Kind, then the long voyage back home
to Spaceship Earth…spoiler alert, I’ve been on the planet of the apes the whole time…coming
soon to an internet near you!</b></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-66703090534131215322013-07-18T10:49:00.001-07:002013-07-19T16:43:34.676-07:00THE STRONG SUN MOON<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
a jungle out there.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iBApeCspNIRI1Go0G9AVipQBDzzkX9Dymo2OqHfTsDOKhxNvMXUcgUP3dtLLthi7AZn__iXz83EfQqSxgf43EO8LYmRO6s7E5FzosL2CEkqYMNZymfDasbqNAWb_Pxo6HE8KPhyrXCg/s1600/IMG_2604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iBApeCspNIRI1Go0G9AVipQBDzzkX9Dymo2OqHfTsDOKhxNvMXUcgUP3dtLLthi7AZn__iXz83EfQqSxgf43EO8LYmRO6s7E5FzosL2CEkqYMNZymfDasbqNAWb_Pxo6HE8KPhyrXCg/s640/IMG_2604.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
city is stewing. The streets are
roasting. The roof is on fire. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Baby,
it’s hot outside, during these final days of the Strong Sun Moon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Citybillies,
take cover wherever you can.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIfkDM5tc9pFCfTk-U5JMs-O25WPUJop81cUr28SkSiylpy7GrjZuY0nRIWV1gF2g4n_FWgEylCMr6KMymSulvfaAf-EmFMwtX1GL61Tcqk_7gnlbnLrOWO5KB51MYtyXLqGq7AIy8gQ/s1600/IMG_0811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIfkDM5tc9pFCfTk-U5JMs-O25WPUJop81cUr28SkSiylpy7GrjZuY0nRIWV1gF2g4n_FWgEylCMr6KMymSulvfaAf-EmFMwtX1GL61Tcqk_7gnlbnLrOWO5KB51MYtyXLqGq7AIy8gQ/s640/IMG_0811.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is not my weather of choice, this is not my season. After all, I am an Elk of the Thunderbird
Clan, born under the Long Snow Moon of mid-Decembertime, but I refuse to stay
inside.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Can’t
let this brutal heat wave keep me off these scorching streets and away from
those steamy woods, still lots to catch and hunt.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Nice
try, Coyote.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Windows
down and sunglasses on, I’m going out, through the swelter and into the sizzle,
head-first into the fever.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Gotta
love the burn.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
might make me sound like a glutton for punishment but I’m going straight for
it. I’m going hunting for the highest,
hottest totem of this season.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Set
the controls for the heart of the sun.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RDQ289Ci_QNyLhh6YO_9Pomsna4cB9Kd875Vf47e5bsqolct0H9s-sz9XmSRHx9XQhcKDC-d_bYGq9i8vp4Tw8WttNEsro-QDYIPg9i9CIC-4c8x-t07uWasK31UbCuJTFRMMq_RaFc/s1600/IMG_2606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RDQ289Ci_QNyLhh6YO_9Pomsna4cB9Kd875Vf47e5bsqolct0H9s-sz9XmSRHx9XQhcKDC-d_bYGq9i8vp4Tw8WttNEsro-QDYIPg9i9CIC-4c8x-t07uWasK31UbCuJTFRMMq_RaFc/s640/IMG_2606.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE HELIOANTHUS</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sorry,
rose, but if I was ever elected Big Chief of Turtle Island, this would be our new
national flower...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4mAHt5ErXScYWvk3WXhoqBxBPdHFNLWMbQT68UOudLHxefM2rkSJImFPS5Uq-bXGJJTWTB1E2s916HwtSzRNNSRoSAkZ-nVZsB8wSmGAVsj_Q_WsO6EBB11kJlqn980ZiNdr9j79CXI/s1600/IMG_2614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4mAHt5ErXScYWvk3WXhoqBxBPdHFNLWMbQT68UOudLHxefM2rkSJImFPS5Uq-bXGJJTWTB1E2s916HwtSzRNNSRoSAkZ-nVZsB8wSmGAVsj_Q_WsO6EBB11kJlqn980ZiNdr9j79CXI/s640/IMG_2614.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
<i>helioanthus</i>, which translates to, of
course, the sunflower.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is one of the few flowers native only to this continent. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sure,
nowadays, the largest populations of sunflowers live in Canada or Russia,
farmed and harvested for their nutritious seeds full of rich oil, but the
primitive sunflower was one of the very first crops raised by the Native Americans
here on North and South Turtle Island.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
Incas, the Mayans, the Otomi tribe of Mexico, the Cherokee and the Lenape and the
many more leagues of native Turtle Islanders…they were farming sunflowers even
before they started cultivating corn.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEkPzh2ke3HmZPE_LAYV8-ppgHlkSry0qsw0dsZKEpWVgCmgKyIGkwF0rzWQS3uD9QjLId5Mj9Op3SVsd2p3nvOOZzc6ojYSDIC6NB-9r9FfesZlrNUF-UvJr29LCgplquINg3zo6yuQ/s1600/sunflower+fossil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEkPzh2ke3HmZPE_LAYV8-ppgHlkSry0qsw0dsZKEpWVgCmgKyIGkwF0rzWQS3uD9QjLId5Mj9Op3SVsd2p3nvOOZzc6ojYSDIC6NB-9r9FfesZlrNUF-UvJr29LCgplquINg3zo6yuQ/s640/sunflower+fossil.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
the Aztecs? They worshipped the plant,
their high priests wearing ceremonial sunflower headdresses while marching
their fellow sun-worshippers towards their temples of the sun.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MTbOwtGlPymAXW1nHwz0OkGWVCkFqYL4w4AaDgkezgRr4PQ8eAHTqnhcfKZCsfG4cA4xSkzdUSG8FEdrcBPKKM4CEStl-i6_ifR1HEwIsvYKpU7fjXpcakEa1KZ_w2bdiA8FJbrOfiU/s1600/aztec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MTbOwtGlPymAXW1nHwz0OkGWVCkFqYL4w4AaDgkezgRr4PQ8eAHTqnhcfKZCsfG4cA4xSkzdUSG8FEdrcBPKKM4CEStl-i6_ifR1HEwIsvYKpU7fjXpcakEa1KZ_w2bdiA8FJbrOfiU/s640/aztec.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
sunflower and the sun…they’re eternally linked together, bridging the gap
between earth and sky on one long, tight yoke…but not in the way most people
believe.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to most people, the sunflower tracks the sun during the day, its flower-head
turning and facing the sun as it moves east to west across the long summer
skies, a distinctive trait called <i>heliotropism</i>. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
turns out that this story is bunk.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
sunflower stalk does twist and turn its top while it grows, chasing sunlight,
but most sunflowers stop doing this once it blossoms…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27eT3HdJAwO_S_A9rsyE3J3MUF3YkNZv-8ASfbotU1-QitGeGoWckub5oiCbAsF7Q0nDiHWrzAiz5uIFELydQhlE1H6-QwOFjExbPwHSDlgr4_drAOyUeeSJzBEQQNAxZQK-EeXzBlRA/s1600/IMG_2318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27eT3HdJAwO_S_A9rsyE3J3MUF3YkNZv-8ASfbotU1-QitGeGoWckub5oiCbAsF7Q0nDiHWrzAiz5uIFELydQhlE1H6-QwOFjExbPwHSDlgr4_drAOyUeeSJzBEQQNAxZQK-EeXzBlRA/s640/IMG_2318.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…finally
resting eastward. Just about all
sunflowers face east, the direction of the rising sun.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
comes from a big family, the Asteraceae family, which translates to <i>star flowers</i>. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is one of the largest plant families in the entire world, second only to the
orchids for variety, and it includes such star-studded beauties as the aster,
the dandelion, the black-eyed susan, the daisy and the zinnia and the dahlia,
the yarrow and the marigold, the chrysanthemum and the Joe-Pye weed…and it even
enters the vegetable world in the form of artichokes and lettuce.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
family has only two woody trees…the giant lobelia of east Africa…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSAhTI4VXftN606M6J6LZzWkHYA4UTvEuhee6uuMyv8GwBdN84L3dDrDaSt6KqJ845ttR6Sla2Ys9iWOj4BYRQTY1sCdrfXo2eiE7KlObK1c4sAuUzEsjyu2aplE2lkq0XnJ44xeoym4/s1600/Giant-lobelia-deckenii-7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSAhTI4VXftN606M6J6LZzWkHYA4UTvEuhee6uuMyv8GwBdN84L3dDrDaSt6KqJ845ttR6Sla2Ys9iWOj4BYRQTY1sCdrfXo2eiE7KlObK1c4sAuUzEsjyu2aplE2lkq0XnJ44xeoym4/s400/Giant-lobelia-deckenii-7.JPG" width="333" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
the senecio, those shaggy groundsels that freak out the scenery while climbing Mount
Kilimanjaro.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4PPhyphenhyphend6u8HfI83jq_xHsTy_vXSZ4-yI7PRBseXhg5_1pss9C5NHh9woCawnheHNs15NXZpEYn0KV8hIs2pXaStaYaXEjv_rB3ZIkQd4QAxIDZ4X5IjiLH-lNWA8h4uBQMkLLnxu_vGY/s1600/senecio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4PPhyphenhyphend6u8HfI83jq_xHsTy_vXSZ4-yI7PRBseXhg5_1pss9C5NHh9woCawnheHNs15NXZpEYn0KV8hIs2pXaStaYaXEjv_rB3ZIkQd4QAxIDZ4X5IjiLH-lNWA8h4uBQMkLLnxu_vGY/s640/senecio.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All
these plants belong to the Star Flower Family but only Turtle Island got the
sunflower.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My
favorite part of the sunflower has got to be right there in the heart of its
halo…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqFp9nzHZ90gRWqGMZPJ9srLAtvZReIlC0UoECvAawWMKmtQCwxwL2K4XGRXC5Kzu30mS7xp8jk2I7ymDW2IpkvbbwpLysxrYZGjP7GpbsDtiyCbjWgY0SCg-Ug9doGR-8S7jiB8GHbc/s1600/IMG_2331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqFp9nzHZ90gRWqGMZPJ9srLAtvZReIlC0UoECvAawWMKmtQCwxwL2K4XGRXC5Kzu30mS7xp8jk2I7ymDW2IpkvbbwpLysxrYZGjP7GpbsDtiyCbjWgY0SCg-Ug9doGR-8S7jiB8GHbc/s640/IMG_2331.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that
beautiful, rhythmic, twisted swirl of florets going to seed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Behold
the golden spiral, one of the most harmonious and most hypnotizing patterns
found in nature, a symmetrically perfect mathematical weave, tight as a knit,
each piece of the puzzle synchronized to an ever-expanding golden ratio…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrusbK10D4cGWh6JTOZb__6Kb4jJcBp6tP5YRXnPXl7zKkhiP3MLsylwgytcPtqRWkg3xnw2mtTERNQPlOp8WRRNG7GAp8cWQrSrtB9jv-jdiYpZb6-IFeb9NjAWVG4LkCD0EEplMUZk/s1600/600px-SunflowerModel.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrusbK10D4cGWh6JTOZb__6Kb4jJcBp6tP5YRXnPXl7zKkhiP3MLsylwgytcPtqRWkg3xnw2mtTERNQPlOp8WRRNG7GAp8cWQrSrtB9jv-jdiYpZb6-IFeb9NjAWVG4LkCD0EEplMUZk/s400/600px-SunflowerModel.svg.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…a
marvel of design, a wonder of efficiency.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Engineers
weep at such a sight. Mathematicians bow
down in reverence. Architects go back to
the drawing board. Professional
organizers just look the other way. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Why? Because that golden spiral is the most
efficient way to pack all that fruit.
The space in between each dot in that matrix is room enough for one snug
sunflower seed.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBlZuWU7WdxWy5KlTAXWqKCqZWA9Ar1q7RotT-V07RU_iztJORVk4EXIOfNBDbKcgOwDU2piKtDNsIDuBwG7L67T_jsbOkEx82nDDosuLyQWZZmcKYUekfJXPBm8niWgZacYK2pKigf4/s1600/IMG_2612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBlZuWU7WdxWy5KlTAXWqKCqZWA9Ar1q7RotT-V07RU_iztJORVk4EXIOfNBDbKcgOwDU2piKtDNsIDuBwG7L67T_jsbOkEx82nDDosuLyQWZZmcKYUekfJXPBm8niWgZacYK2pKigf4/s640/IMG_2612.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
is, botanically and mathematically speaking, perfect.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
funny. The more primitive the plant, the
more it succeeds in such distinctive traits as <i>perfect</i> and <i>symmetrical</i>,
the more it edges closer to the fields of geometry and mathematics.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Only
later do plants start veering towards chaos.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
that’s a thought for a different day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
time…time to brave the blazing heat, time to go hunting for sunflowers…and yet,
I tarry.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
can hear Coyote giggling away, high up there in the angry, boiling sky. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
knows.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
knows exactly where this hunt will end. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
knows that you can’t go hunting sunflowers without running into a few gods and
I don’t like messing with those kinds of people, especially those sun gods.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Call
him Shapash or Malakbel or call him Ravi…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-oFxa9gvMDED6-YnDxH2TqciqRVbsNDyvAv75EXCTxz5myhZRnfUaOVGc4cZDSPNsxxR2G0uqEJEuB3HLQwwQKFkwpkTnLXnuVLSbzhSDr3TB63WCvCM5TCWobiLFauj6znF_6viR_0/s1600/sun-god-surya-bhagwan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-oFxa9gvMDED6-YnDxH2TqciqRVbsNDyvAv75EXCTxz5myhZRnfUaOVGc4cZDSPNsxxR2G0uqEJEuB3HLQwwQKFkwpkTnLXnuVLSbzhSDr3TB63WCvCM5TCWobiLFauj6znF_6viR_0/s400/sun-god-surya-bhagwan.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…call
him Wala or call him Helios…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1UpjzsyEwSjoGb6e-XIjv3mjdzNpuAoYCTa_tdefEUG8bvvYouKU_Z1ew8kxgrrex1HmQkyEGP4D3a6cObaQGl50pIKPa9VHN8B7MCq_LD3FYvF68iDPaafo_A9ST9vXbkIMEi9QaaQ/s1600/Helios-god.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1UpjzsyEwSjoGb6e-XIjv3mjdzNpuAoYCTa_tdefEUG8bvvYouKU_Z1ew8kxgrrex1HmQkyEGP4D3a6cObaQGl50pIKPa9VHN8B7MCq_LD3FYvF68iDPaafo_A9ST9vXbkIMEi9QaaQ/s400/Helios-god.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or
just call him Ra…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkT8k-zbPXgeuo2ggWDgpbVs3R0UKZrFIUs9k0c08Moh1MmDug3BDXBZii2_2t0ywF_BG9Rb_qjwsOLWAGqov398gW8nSzlAuHnxsubpDcgVMuIYumymA976lTpBPfUSjN8AwumhCQ9SY/s1600/tumblr_mak6490lA01rui49ao1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkT8k-zbPXgeuo2ggWDgpbVs3R0UKZrFIUs9k0c08Moh1MmDug3BDXBZii2_2t0ywF_BG9Rb_qjwsOLWAGqov398gW8nSzlAuHnxsubpDcgVMuIYumymA976lTpBPfUSjN8AwumhCQ9SY/s400/tumblr_mak6490lA01rui49ao1_1280.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">….whether
he rides a fiery chariot or a solar ark, whether he comes in the form of a bird
or a dragon, every culture and every people have some sort of god living behind
that old, reliable Sol, the namesake of the sunflower. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Just
look at Xiuhtecuhtil, the Aztec god of the sun…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzX9vIgPfecbAHBm3LxLkxnl26LU7ykEDW_NIygjVP9nB8eq_QvnB60chQoHy5O64nlLywYhyphenhyphen9Mm1aOmS7qiIo4VWYAw73Irc9ymbqnaQ_knICxHJM3bfVSbIeLAKInwyO135Gj1kOaY/s1600/230px-British_Museum_Xiuhtecuhtli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzX9vIgPfecbAHBm3LxLkxnl26LU7ykEDW_NIygjVP9nB8eq_QvnB60chQoHy5O64nlLywYhyphenhyphen9Mm1aOmS7qiIo4VWYAw73Irc9ymbqnaQ_knICxHJM3bfVSbIeLAKInwyO135Gj1kOaY/s400/230px-British_Museum_Xiuhtecuhtli.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…not
that friendly.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
really need a vacation.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
that’s another thought for another day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Laugh
it up, Coyote. For now, it’s flame on!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>“A HIGH YELLOW
NOTE…”</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Philadelphia
actually has one of the most famous sunflowers in the entire world.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was on my way to catch it, it was going to be my first sunflower of the hunt,
but as I was leaving my neighborhood, out of the corner of my eye, I bumped
into a sunflower right on the corner of 47th Street and Woodland Avenue…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrXUMpDCl9qkb74Lavyvyh6TZ9E1H8LgGnrKxCEoszKy735svTEBmotCV-6cfhDfV8kmSoDWjhs-_q0-3zaxcuQbI_dqbc_lJQRJp-mrm4_MKYYQrGj2G_juNlJdHMbKX2QuX4culif8/s1600/IMG_2355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrXUMpDCl9qkb74Lavyvyh6TZ9E1H8LgGnrKxCEoszKy735svTEBmotCV-6cfhDfV8kmSoDWjhs-_q0-3zaxcuQbI_dqbc_lJQRJp-mrm4_MKYYQrGj2G_juNlJdHMbKX2QuX4culif8/s640/IMG_2355.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…in
the parking lot of the Gold Star Chicken Pizza restaurant.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
part of the plan but this would be my first sunflower of the day…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-MLrhuv1I1HKMilJp__M2367E8DWCRG1QNzSoEanVTcQAqywiXYx6HXdFfSZ_UXvRsc9PdYQ5WP5OA_9i0OYT_lBqPTRRvcZeec9pJbv6t2a-jTSqDf1Fu9FveD-Iqgk1ONNVEoFVF8/s1600/IMG_2347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-MLrhuv1I1HKMilJp__M2367E8DWCRG1QNzSoEanVTcQAqywiXYx6HXdFfSZ_UXvRsc9PdYQ5WP5OA_9i0OYT_lBqPTRRvcZeec9pJbv6t2a-jTSqDf1Fu9FveD-Iqgk1ONNVEoFVF8/s640/IMG_2347.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
I spared a moment to take in that golden ring of solid yellow petals and that
fuzzy matrix of ripening seeds, ignoring that age-old advice about staring
right into the sun.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Blooming
in the same street-side patch, I found the sunflower’s sister, the black-eyed
susan.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7ZNXcv_rNSexZ8-zbvT83V72sIxKDbUNcUukmCTL8VIqrQX6_NGUl4DA5KUx1KmGw4TILKtp6yKfQrM5QEVwSJgYwF0gAw247omY2FnNBHAapHw_uhhi2tERZ_6xnACrziqAfSOTCgA/s1600/IMG_2350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7ZNXcv_rNSexZ8-zbvT83V72sIxKDbUNcUukmCTL8VIqrQX6_NGUl4DA5KUx1KmGw4TILKtp6yKfQrM5QEVwSJgYwF0gAw247omY2FnNBHAapHw_uhhi2tERZ_6xnACrziqAfSOTCgA/s640/IMG_2350.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Wait
just one second. This was a little too coincidental,
just a little too perfect.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
are the chances? Two members of the Star
Flower Family just sitting there, blazing away, under a sign that reads Gold
Star…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUghGYiG2_3w9LluuMb7puFTkD2Rw9jP_qtUqU7yANzyfbhAZce9jhUcnK1K01ZeFkUK8rJEsTbKgvE8hYZiO5EM0QhHkS-EESwN3f-3JHTVLLgg2DE1aIEabAgGMvMpwx_RfNGogHog/s1600/IMG_2352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUghGYiG2_3w9LluuMb7puFTkD2Rw9jP_qtUqU7yANzyfbhAZce9jhUcnK1K01ZeFkUK8rJEsTbKgvE8hYZiO5EM0QhHkS-EESwN3f-3JHTVLLgg2DE1aIEabAgGMvMpwx_RfNGogHog/s640/IMG_2352.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…Coyote
was already watching me closely.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Not even a mile down the road and I was
already falling for his tricks.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
then, as I was making a u-turn through the neighborhood to head back to the
highway, I drove by this mural…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifk8D2phtXzktMnr4tAhX2aUN28iUhRABykVPNbRk79hSY7W8Z0aHegzT8dB-SmjEfDoQupV7lji-bmGSPBpfGkEC3nT_e-m7sIqpD54whwhudNpi9bD0DSjdzKH6FVGQZcnfDY1wIaoQ/s1600/IMG_2362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifk8D2phtXzktMnr4tAhX2aUN28iUhRABykVPNbRk79hSY7W8Z0aHegzT8dB-SmjEfDoQupV7lji-bmGSPBpfGkEC3nT_e-m7sIqpD54whwhudNpi9bD0DSjdzKH6FVGQZcnfDY1wIaoQ/s640/IMG_2362.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…Coyote
breathing down my neck around every corner, sun gods everywhere I go.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
is a long, long tradition of planting sunflowers and suns in murals, paintings,
architecture, furniture, pottery and graphic design.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
goes all the way back to the Aztecs, the Incas and the Mayans.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0UhRLeOwIzjv3qmZhBs_Vk14LL87vF4jyAHl34ydtupXJIMGLESSxrqJ_7dnXDb_U6gUX2nqVMQ5WuQ7gua5dO1w9ymn4ldJd1zxpV87o7HO7n_HrANebxAHMUC-RIv1TDSuCxYeh0Y/s1600/sunflower1_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0UhRLeOwIzjv3qmZhBs_Vk14LL87vF4jyAHl34ydtupXJIMGLESSxrqJ_7dnXDb_U6gUX2nqVMQ5WuQ7gua5dO1w9ymn4ldJd1zxpV87o7HO7n_HrANebxAHMUC-RIv1TDSuCxYeh0Y/s400/sunflower1_f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
mural wouldn’t be out of place in any of those cultures but it would find its
most proper home among the Incas, who worshipped their king as a descendant of Sol,
a <i>child of the sun</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSK3DH9gYS-ZhZD7A3q295vAm_4VeSjhVe6_Oz6T8L0WssmlIuZyFqdk3BeTzn8wvPXIwtNPbpLT6rzwuaHcI22hacCNJQE4DpQlwMS0Et-GZcHQON_Bc9jecr5ZJscnN6umGJhgr7WU/s1600/IMG_2358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSK3DH9gYS-ZhZD7A3q295vAm_4VeSjhVe6_Oz6T8L0WssmlIuZyFqdk3BeTzn8wvPXIwtNPbpLT6rzwuaHcI22hacCNJQE4DpQlwMS0Et-GZcHQON_Bc9jecr5ZJscnN6umGJhgr7WU/s640/IMG_2358.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Philadelphia’s
most famous sunflowers also follow the same tradition, locked up on the other
side of the Schuylkill River in a golden palace that wouldn’t be out of place
in Ancient Greece or Rome.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
entrance to this building gets all the fanfare but I always prefer going
through the back door.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-KsldIYDame0b1FvLhdOLenKZFXC6MAHRdzoefCMvVBVpgHOw6cwkx6jthpf3JLqc88sIzUp4AW899oDwYKdNnMnBrBqpgfHk2pJdpFy0UxiQUJDL82VMbLLNnYRRTNlPZEX842QQQQ/s1600/IMG_2533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-KsldIYDame0b1FvLhdOLenKZFXC6MAHRdzoefCMvVBVpgHOw6cwkx6jthpf3JLqc88sIzUp4AW899oDwYKdNnMnBrBqpgfHk2pJdpFy0UxiQUJDL82VMbLLNnYRRTNlPZEX842QQQQ/s640/IMG_2533.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
even the Art Museum was no relief from the current heat wave. Right there at the first stairs, just past
the ticket desk, I was greeted by another monument to the sun god…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFogMprwyLUbj7q2i7DTzStJbP-6VYKCFiNs1JxzuhPTkdGh20bQ2rrlN2TyZdd-Hw6nl-BOcOtMG14tzNqAmHFxrbA7EzM33jHIGat721gIk-d5RwHsHgxsrC3RUqw7_feLwBABPa0jA/s1600/IMG_2537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFogMprwyLUbj7q2i7DTzStJbP-6VYKCFiNs1JxzuhPTkdGh20bQ2rrlN2TyZdd-Hw6nl-BOcOtMG14tzNqAmHFxrbA7EzM33jHIGat721gIk-d5RwHsHgxsrC3RUqw7_feLwBABPa0jA/s640/IMG_2537.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…Coyote
with one more trick up his sleeve.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was too close to turn around now. Just
around the corner, up the marble stairs and down the long corridor, it was time
to catch the most famous, the most expensive sunflowers in the world.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTHNSnYLGqJsirPvel1N3q_b-jI1p7c1oFDsi3bMb3ghuXBv-Ihr1z3isxv15hv01d65RAja4k6GToJnQyUpbLxKUZcn1TZ5IP2m7YOjvri7ZF6ddGY53k3mIbnwk3edNc70jRRoBx3I/s1600/IMG_2540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTHNSnYLGqJsirPvel1N3q_b-jI1p7c1oFDsi3bMb3ghuXBv-Ihr1z3isxv15hv01d65RAja4k6GToJnQyUpbLxKUZcn1TZ5IP2m7YOjvri7ZF6ddGY53k3mIbnwk3edNc70jRRoBx3I/s640/IMG_2540.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Poor
Vincent Van Gogh. Now there’s a guy who
really tests your sense of empathy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
one hand, I wouldn’t wish his pain and his misery on anybody, friend or
foe. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want
a world without his suffering soul.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
his letters to his brother Theo, he talked many times of chasing that <i>high yellow note</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgBaEhcYiTXnNCNmPNDBANtweFbEib56V-DfWf7WJ3OXlxpgpGt01d7M4WVHW9mONa8vt7eB_XSdwlVUMkgshGujL2L-KeWgEsnfz54A_ohr5v3RONrexq6paqDz842_H55XOQguxbMc/s1600/IMG_2546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtgBaEhcYiTXnNCNmPNDBANtweFbEib56V-DfWf7WJ3OXlxpgpGt01d7M4WVHW9mONa8vt7eB_XSdwlVUMkgshGujL2L-KeWgEsnfz54A_ohr5v3RONrexq6paqDz842_H55XOQguxbMc/s640/IMG_2546.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
became obsessed with the color yellow.
There is a popular modern theory that claims this obsession had a
biological source, that Van Gogh was beset with a brain lesion that he self-medicated
with absinthe, a wormwood concoction that contains the toxin thujone.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thujone
has a very strange side-effect. It makes everything appear more yellow.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1wp_EyolitEYkV7nhy5Pru4bqo3V7fgNQM2_iGl4HHnQ_fvBHrqGs-3uxtk-c3uuCsr2zGfX-PAGcVkFFYKU_Bj_7JcJvqfRFBZ3uEMgP8wWn4mjETQcb8OrAGJ5rvEiuAt4ebri9l8/s1600/IMG_2542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1wp_EyolitEYkV7nhy5Pru4bqo3V7fgNQM2_iGl4HHnQ_fvBHrqGs-3uxtk-c3uuCsr2zGfX-PAGcVkFFYKU_Bj_7JcJvqfRFBZ3uEMgP8wWn4mjETQcb8OrAGJ5rvEiuAt4ebri9l8/s640/IMG_2542.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
another letter to Theo, he once wrote what could be the tree-hunter’s mantra: <i>it is looking at things for a long time…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5s5ttN5skTwJHI17cC_YAUYFv4n61xioEVXHWDvdDo1B5gmz37v_HdzZ4lV129-bMfvRFzsOFwgkLvfU_fXxvpiSG1zN9FzQTg7teK_XDpGQdjEPoC9H-xndj1WvZUFT4gi61NM5U7I/s1600/IMG_2543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5s5ttN5skTwJHI17cC_YAUYFv4n61xioEVXHWDvdDo1B5gmz37v_HdzZ4lV129-bMfvRFzsOFwgkLvfU_fXxvpiSG1zN9FzQTg7teK_XDpGQdjEPoC9H-xndj1WvZUFT4gi61NM5U7I/s640/IMG_2543.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>…that ripens you
and gives you a deeper meaning.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWNy59MM7GCuy_tgQ4IuDUixS7iRtmmTEQrasp09pwKIwYR83sqddSgdEPHk5-u9jeofe6EoaJrrYjRXezvgWfKo8RqF6Nuef3TMmkY0QiHmpk5Y_eItvWho-zAYJRTyASypNKE-L96U/s1600/IMG_2544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWNy59MM7GCuy_tgQ4IuDUixS7iRtmmTEQrasp09pwKIwYR83sqddSgdEPHk5-u9jeofe6EoaJrrYjRXezvgWfKo8RqF6Nuef3TMmkY0QiHmpk5Y_eItvWho-zAYJRTyASypNKE-L96U/s640/IMG_2544.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> </i><b>“HERE
COMES THE SUN KING…”</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
thought the Art Museum would be a good place to beat the heat for a few
hours. Outside, the temperatures were
soaring, the air was thick with hot breath and the whole city seemed to be
turning on a spit.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Inside
the Art Museum, the climate was perfectly controlled, a pleasant day in
May. The ceilings were high, the walls
were thick, the lighting cool and refreshing, the marble floors cold as ice. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I even found a moon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6xwjgMxZ2yig5-cSx-3eNWxOD1qtm73Xh8dLvsLCRmT8a9cAQ53iGc_eOIY3LfstTEcVK4FOIywWK7rYu2nrjMRD-xnZjs3Ch_5V9mSo0zOGxCU_2rQnW1BI0u2P1yJuQcAp1CYBYuQ/s1600/IMG_2574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6xwjgMxZ2yig5-cSx-3eNWxOD1qtm73Xh8dLvsLCRmT8a9cAQ53iGc_eOIY3LfstTEcVK4FOIywWK7rYu2nrjMRD-xnZjs3Ch_5V9mSo0zOGxCU_2rQnW1BI0u2P1yJuQcAp1CYBYuQ/s640/IMG_2574.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But,
in the end, the sunflower finds a way to breach any wall and storm any castle.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Down
every corridor and in every exhibit, I found a sunflower…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQ4rcDclVD81bR9BqGYefHvlCD52hM-_EHyY6IQq81aMdbXhXCMg05q66obwJZOoLpCnzm5-cu_d-hA0LUt_j_H2EjjdQGPtu9PWQnpdbmR2TR0YDEDUapdexF4WfQhnNr3Ob65h7Jsg/s1600/IMG_2548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQ4rcDclVD81bR9BqGYefHvlCD52hM-_EHyY6IQq81aMdbXhXCMg05q66obwJZOoLpCnzm5-cu_d-hA0LUt_j_H2EjjdQGPtu9PWQnpdbmR2TR0YDEDUapdexF4WfQhnNr3Ob65h7Jsg/s400/IMG_2548.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…there,
right in the center of a Florentine dishware…or here, right on top of this
fancy end-table…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-OcVB6-MBp3eV2CcjMpRgb9nwJ2udwUBswSTn3x1IIgFmAlWBvNJFyJlwgUtKxI_MUevrmco6KXPsQqn_rAdF7wN4aJYMVNRluSdulDivvNzy6jgiHOErUDApGJXY5lTS6I2TVa9IJk/s1600/IMG_2554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-OcVB6-MBp3eV2CcjMpRgb9nwJ2udwUBswSTn3x1IIgFmAlWBvNJFyJlwgUtKxI_MUevrmco6KXPsQqn_rAdF7wN4aJYMVNRluSdulDivvNzy6jgiHOErUDApGJXY5lTS6I2TVa9IJk/s400/IMG_2554.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…on
glass vases or terra cotta platters…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIl6RQgu3r64wJfcGkslnsx3b08H-iVEP9FbDLxS5YsbY-1Zjy7ePyXJIMqUZ_8rBodTCZH3fmAyzULPtL6iIOUHESGLVFc5nb6qtwKvxFCgrFKKLMZU7Y8SOisjueo1o4H_NmQw4JyrA/s1600/IMG_2553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIl6RQgu3r64wJfcGkslnsx3b08H-iVEP9FbDLxS5YsbY-1Zjy7ePyXJIMqUZ_8rBodTCZH3fmAyzULPtL6iIOUHESGLVFc5nb6qtwKvxFCgrFKKLMZU7Y8SOisjueo1o4H_NmQw4JyrA/s400/IMG_2553.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFuLvXnJeZB7e_j5y207KU6UDhyphenhyphenNAoWTCJW707oeKB_Orp7nGPiai61_il7c4DpSBvN4vyJa4RasBd4KG9Q85-B9Mghcdx3tJMLgfrKyWlZle7GvSnguU3yn5i1HmdEwrSkPCwrVkSPQ/s1600/IMG_2565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFuLvXnJeZB7e_j5y207KU6UDhyphenhyphenNAoWTCJW707oeKB_Orp7nGPiai61_il7c4DpSBvN4vyJa4RasBd4KG9Q85-B9Mghcdx3tJMLgfrKyWlZle7GvSnguU3yn5i1HmdEwrSkPCwrVkSPQ/s400/IMG_2565.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or
hidden in the handiwork of a medieval fireplace…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTr7eCewwfzAakpolYt-QP_yEaCaz_tB152HIH3KnN2yInLTWa1GmbxGVQltSWSTfnEqHDndxgV4zaZKk_VRctIK654WAf8Y63MWt-BNOVrnxLBCAaYr96phBn_VOlmgra1ughVD2dNI/s1600/IMG_2573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTr7eCewwfzAakpolYt-QP_yEaCaz_tB152HIH3KnN2yInLTWa1GmbxGVQltSWSTfnEqHDndxgV4zaZKk_VRctIK654WAf8Y63MWt-BNOVrnxLBCAaYr96phBn_VOlmgra1ughVD2dNI/s640/IMG_2573.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or
a whole field of them running up the wall of a dusty old tapestry.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsp5IidikCtYSlKHvtwhUljubZZl-x7a16vvETKqDrjH8nqiSbAyGInykkggJHpcHL53oG47H_hBmv4yXGl28x0BX9t7qP-ThC3qixDib3EwZlJBApteJGI86rf8BoQ_RaWEkWGru_ac/s1600/IMG_2568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsp5IidikCtYSlKHvtwhUljubZZl-x7a16vvETKqDrjH8nqiSbAyGInykkggJHpcHL53oG47H_hBmv4yXGl28x0BX9t7qP-ThC3qixDib3EwZlJBApteJGI86rf8BoQ_RaWEkWGru_ac/s640/IMG_2568.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
even found sunflowers on a grandfather Swiss clock.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yPTt5WWdmvKVXw3Sfq9zoG7fNquCGDLF9dJwH223j2sOPkCr3tlp78J5YdXOT1cZQuAA0Qz6nOA_mm65jVPg7tsQxU8ccwT9eSj4bN8xPUdCUo5hFAWZz7StF7_F63Z-W-vXBag5eXE/s1600/IMG_2582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yPTt5WWdmvKVXw3Sfq9zoG7fNquCGDLF9dJwH223j2sOPkCr3tlp78J5YdXOT1cZQuAA0Qz6nOA_mm65jVPg7tsQxU8ccwT9eSj4bN8xPUdCUo5hFAWZz7StF7_F63Z-W-vXBag5eXE/s640/IMG_2582.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So
let it be written: there is no relief from the sun, nowhere safe from the merciless,
all-knowing watch of the sun kings. </span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTTaQEXg64zw7pCdhO75nBszVrjkjhqqvCI4MwHM7zfvW2I8j9X_lEQzKGmLbP5vtDIZssLPdTE-mvCv6sWyTwS_kvDzDiXDRuIAYeU9X05djKbDnEbyFBiOwTSj2R_RE3xuAJSVFuEo/s1600/IMG_2576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTTaQEXg64zw7pCdhO75nBszVrjkjhqqvCI4MwHM7zfvW2I8j9X_lEQzKGmLbP5vtDIZssLPdTE-mvCv6sWyTwS_kvDzDiXDRuIAYeU9X05djKbDnEbyFBiOwTSj2R_RE3xuAJSVFuEo/s400/IMG_2576.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2wprcxOxcCX0VtOYChGN00VXWfwQ42lm6fLh8cWJglGP4hAN6V60XvQ7jOxsho23S_5j6eQFx3FIFcoGSxDLr68tUHFxVpDvP2KEMdJLOEbiGcYyh6t_gNBciJX_TaJB1O-f_LMQ4EU/s1600/IMG_2577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2wprcxOxcCX0VtOYChGN00VXWfwQ42lm6fLh8cWJglGP4hAN6V60XvQ7jOxsho23S_5j6eQFx3FIFcoGSxDLr68tUHFxVpDvP2KEMdJLOEbiGcYyh6t_gNBciJX_TaJB1O-f_LMQ4EU/s400/IMG_2577.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There is no room that is beyond his realm, no place impervious to his command and no escape from his glare.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfv1Rfdd7j-31c3vSvjcxVZdqscdRSErnQ19sX2hAzHf03M6ietxHzh78h3dXHBnk497RsNaErWt9UZux0D_ZG2vudJcp9pdWlXTnVLfSM8ysjYWOw7OCLRZ3LtGA6UbaR3lnjphbTHM/s1600/IMG_2564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfv1Rfdd7j-31c3vSvjcxVZdqscdRSErnQ19sX2hAzHf03M6ietxHzh78h3dXHBnk497RsNaErWt9UZux0D_ZG2vudJcp9pdWlXTnVLfSM8ysjYWOw7OCLRZ3LtGA6UbaR3lnjphbTHM/s640/IMG_2564.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And if
you think this sun-worship is only a relic of the past, found only in museums,
then you are wrong.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
need to think again.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Because
everywhere you go in this city, in every neighborhood, in every language, you
can find some sort of temple of the sun…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxriMna9lMUQ6IN0joUelNHnxTtHfg6XCK1LVsxyytxbX6rX_zg8bTe3_k1g5-4lfaIrjLzKNbLm8EZ-PegXfyOGxdzyZ32ZKAEj47_CQ3suV7ztom7g6MU0gxOxi21EJW2ddPFjlgYus/s1600/IMG_2491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxriMna9lMUQ6IN0joUelNHnxTtHfg6XCK1LVsxyytxbX6rX_zg8bTe3_k1g5-4lfaIrjLzKNbLm8EZ-PegXfyOGxdzyZ32ZKAEj47_CQ3suV7ztom7g6MU0gxOxi21EJW2ddPFjlgYus/s640/IMG_2491.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…some
sort of monument built to continue the cult.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYO7qmSxKFoUato1qq2Qmyd0GIT35z9-gdTvV8rgkHR5Dks2jP6n20_3IMElcmPV-ttT6nW0uQ_Pp1X8cTYGIpbKnl6S3JLGEJ5-ULqmyKcYSf39acQKPFAu_HBolGzxTu5XHxp11Y4mU/s1600/IMG_2500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYO7qmSxKFoUato1qq2Qmyd0GIT35z9-gdTvV8rgkHR5Dks2jP6n20_3IMElcmPV-ttT6nW0uQ_Pp1X8cTYGIpbKnl6S3JLGEJ5-ULqmyKcYSf39acQKPFAu_HBolGzxTu5XHxp11Y4mU/s640/IMG_2500.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Everywhere
I turned, there was the sun…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwqAaJpq8fVRLvVxFFFDa9hsBxh8_9Crdko3SjXktNCP3muWDJhnLpDwXrWnsNncfsy6PW5X4PcKlK2IKmE2KblAzCzYeBnvEgM3XPztIw_QG1hgA7VI-p3HfkzYTsXlDoh_BXRORjSg/s1600/IMG_2518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwqAaJpq8fVRLvVxFFFDa9hsBxh8_9Crdko3SjXktNCP3muWDJhnLpDwXrWnsNncfsy6PW5X4PcKlK2IKmE2KblAzCzYeBnvEgM3XPztIw_QG1hgA7VI-p3HfkzYTsXlDoh_BXRORjSg/s640/IMG_2518.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…down
every sweltering street, around every hot corner…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyazejDskVDbb-wEsPm9AnBdTYXSbvwNIX6DfuWGla13gt3yjgPME-KrKvpnUk49w7ixLan33DZsdOUYHM9cEz4xmdeK_Vf_q3L5Zi93mRMTfPxhG1cxno53KTes3_q7xBI4BR-ILRx-g/s1600/IMG_2509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyazejDskVDbb-wEsPm9AnBdTYXSbvwNIX6DfuWGla13gt3yjgPME-KrKvpnUk49w7ixLan33DZsdOUYHM9cEz4xmdeK_Vf_q3L5Zi93mRMTfPxhG1cxno53KTes3_q7xBI4BR-ILRx-g/s640/IMG_2509.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…some
sort of sun beaming back at me.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_GJlyi0D5iDteSg56uJ00PnIWdTaaPHYZDgBiU4eXZ4zfdJbFZ1sIFFv3cQeTaz-aweVpoKC7k_QEMmLs2YqXxeAHd_bIZqxd2wQH5h0yrIMqZG361P8kNvS1O7eofae3g-ySyehfic/s1600/IMG_2524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga_GJlyi0D5iDteSg56uJ00PnIWdTaaPHYZDgBiU4eXZ4zfdJbFZ1sIFFv3cQeTaz-aweVpoKC7k_QEMmLs2YqXxeAHd_bIZqxd2wQH5h0yrIMqZG361P8kNvS1O7eofae3g-ySyehfic/s640/IMG_2524.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
North Broad Street, I tried to duck into a pizza parlor, just for a little
break, but there he was again.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6svKnZCP01CBc8-_m7VCCtA6ZSrOXndOCoYMOZwobc_6d2GjMTIJq5CvpdSqQU3VKWWbTMMG1ucgwGYJAs343X7abXXQ__gccNjgXYXFEJA-PV2OwsV8n22mGMNLlAMBFnRAx0Ja3fw/s1600/IMG_2584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6svKnZCP01CBc8-_m7VCCtA6ZSrOXndOCoYMOZwobc_6d2GjMTIJq5CvpdSqQU3VKWWbTMMG1ucgwGYJAs343X7abXXQ__gccNjgXYXFEJA-PV2OwsV8n22mGMNLlAMBFnRAx0Ja3fw/s640/IMG_2584.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Citybillies,
resistance is futile. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
might as well just join the crowd and follow the flock. No relief in sight. There is no retreat, only surrender.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
sun gods see all. We’ve put their
ever-watchful eye all over this city…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7sCr4W81iyMbhEJgxOU9rojuSqnN73hBWnOmm-4YfSDI6Ouiuo3Sc0K526A1J6jaDJSMmkDjbBYxXNhBAqLVjMO24JtE-bzUDIbYl44teWb53iKRVHh08wgY1vOR5kschfXCv-z6GeA/s1600/IMG_2588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7sCr4W81iyMbhEJgxOU9rojuSqnN73hBWnOmm-4YfSDI6Ouiuo3Sc0K526A1J6jaDJSMmkDjbBYxXNhBAqLVjMO24JtE-bzUDIbYl44teWb53iKRVHh08wgY1vOR5kschfXCv-z6GeA/s640/IMG_2588.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…you
can run, but you cannot hide…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsdaajDNf3yDhkTvfrsyj9-t4_RxQ4ITkQ_Z-PKwVhrhZ7tL8UwACBFzDafhEYT3-_dIGiEhIxS3SlPL2NK64iQneZ57RhF4_zti_mn0qci8mdgWaq1KJj109mdTdvHZnAcH_zgl5Xtc/s1600/IMG_2598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsdaajDNf3yDhkTvfrsyj9-t4_RxQ4ITkQ_Z-PKwVhrhZ7tL8UwACBFzDafhEYT3-_dIGiEhIxS3SlPL2NK64iQneZ57RhF4_zti_mn0qci8mdgWaq1KJj109mdTdvHZnAcH_zgl5Xtc/s400/IMG_2598.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…no
break from the heat wave.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
no time at all, I was under their spell, seeing suns everywhere I went…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJjecUgIvE8l1bGlcTiLNX6qniMF73pd1pXOMuroeAHMFtrTUBUV0lE5RB9jaR7XaBJd3vbOs5hbCNJKjC9GVkAA7xQgpImnkSxY1wnnXt8V4tspLkbGFXsF6cC9pk7hM-hPEA8w7N98/s1600/IMG_2507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJjecUgIvE8l1bGlcTiLNX6qniMF73pd1pXOMuroeAHMFtrTUBUV0lE5RB9jaR7XaBJd3vbOs5hbCNJKjC9GVkAA7xQgpImnkSxY1wnnXt8V4tspLkbGFXsF6cC9pk7hM-hPEA8w7N98/s640/IMG_2507.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMUnCj7p22_cfNBNgClthWl8KV_12zmlsROBdrZiuE0hZyytGJiRAStlOjFjLVt73wU4SabnkLgRWjGO-O-zaYsNWu4hTpXOQwbgRNeAbGVKk6rMcWBDrbHRaukZBmPafIk3bdvxLIPc/s1600/IMG_2510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMUnCj7p22_cfNBNgClthWl8KV_12zmlsROBdrZiuE0hZyytGJiRAStlOjFjLVt73wU4SabnkLgRWjGO-O-zaYsNWu4hTpXOQwbgRNeAbGVKk6rMcWBDrbHRaukZBmPafIk3bdvxLIPc/s400/IMG_2510.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrmNsDjhmfKCC-8xKBLlR9rgSGf5dF_EBKVbYvHlNTsZ6i7DqsTzT21lIGtIkTQKIU3QIe-QTgs-6a758nTm5IUQpCToRIdEa4X5oVTFUOkiwmlu_iMr-GQ8h2zCSzirk7fwZIBbvWZo/s1600/IMG_2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrmNsDjhmfKCC-8xKBLlR9rgSGf5dF_EBKVbYvHlNTsZ6i7DqsTzT21lIGtIkTQKIU3QIe-QTgs-6a758nTm5IUQpCToRIdEa4X5oVTFUOkiwmlu_iMr-GQ8h2zCSzirk7fwZIBbvWZo/s400/IMG_2521.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRku903uTxYPM5rZDdla1G9ENSwg6Ktvd8rmHLp2tJ7gjrP6y1wAMaW_92O_LwYUlBBan31mZTs8LfSdmBWEXgB66WMOQ6RD8EtLXx25XpLLB7_9jkvUFyMuPFpER_AsrNypOD33Gtgk/s1600/IMG_2499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRku903uTxYPM5rZDdla1G9ENSwg6Ktvd8rmHLp2tJ7gjrP6y1wAMaW_92O_LwYUlBBan31mZTs8LfSdmBWEXgB66WMOQ6RD8EtLXx25XpLLB7_9jkvUFyMuPFpER_AsrNypOD33Gtgk/s640/IMG_2499.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMvEBB-_05-XOR9ivow2q-IipRAWJfdu0ITx4NcPNzt-hvoD17TWzK7wUdDj3jQJUuvfgz2MOaoK_MsDAJlb1lZurIUqvtKvtNpGb79Td8BF8TR-lNcDr9RSAmYWfRvlFprDAsztPApI/s1600/IMG_2517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiMvEBB-_05-XOR9ivow2q-IipRAWJfdu0ITx4NcPNzt-hvoD17TWzK7wUdDj3jQJUuvfgz2MOaoK_MsDAJlb1lZurIUqvtKvtNpGb79Td8BF8TR-lNcDr9RSAmYWfRvlFprDAsztPApI/s400/IMG_2517.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBk8XYSU3kh1dSQFzCGNC4edQvQiqS2_5SsTIkpopVBkJkSkLRna4DTppoMb9yL1dyCQKjO1FJGEwtDW89FJZcU_CIhXqj5fM05dlRp7CzBjkXK-MOotjMHcdJ-RZvowUNTH5HUdHFkkE/s1600/IMG_2512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBk8XYSU3kh1dSQFzCGNC4edQvQiqS2_5SsTIkpopVBkJkSkLRna4DTppoMb9yL1dyCQKjO1FJGEwtDW89FJZcU_CIhXqj5fM05dlRp7CzBjkXK-MOotjMHcdJ-RZvowUNTH5HUdHFkkE/s400/IMG_2512.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">...and,
no matter where I turned or how fast I ran, there he was too…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVxmGls2msAA00ZGfs5Spwg1ZpxM3A30hihWMXZH6Lih1vJNgVX7MQQUgjLV1dGSba-oW1DwGYDj1aQla46DAIoup7_NX3nlFFdzmSzBUBWymX3tvZ4nrg0DxiY75bQEqYdS7h8G4vfQ/s1600/IMG_2501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVxmGls2msAA00ZGfs5Spwg1ZpxM3A30hihWMXZH6Lih1vJNgVX7MQQUgjLV1dGSba-oW1DwGYDj1aQla46DAIoup7_NX3nlFFdzmSzBUBWymX3tvZ4nrg0DxiY75bQEqYdS7h8G4vfQ/s640/IMG_2501.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that
cunning Coyote, looking down from his high totem throne, laughing at me.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Eq5a-A5ILf7pzKajU5dVTEstSKDH_h5oPbMyUMoKG4641Z_HXIGuHMyy5Y5IRTteCmWiMdLN7cyNQfjPm1W_yprY7o0X4EqOvGvVcfHAhRBwXfjHV-mHEK7AyttOn-BKMXZOq0QA8NA/s1600/IMG_2505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Eq5a-A5ILf7pzKajU5dVTEstSKDH_h5oPbMyUMoKG4641Z_HXIGuHMyy5Y5IRTteCmWiMdLN7cyNQfjPm1W_yprY7o0X4EqOvGvVcfHAhRBwXfjHV-mHEK7AyttOn-BKMXZOq0QA8NA/s640/IMG_2505.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
means war.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Nobody
makes a monkey out of old Jon Spruce.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
so, in a tradition that hearkens back to the hero adventures of Greek
mythology, I decided to fight back against the gods, to storm head-first up
Mount Olympus and to knock, ever so politely, on the gates of Philadelphia’s highest,
hottest temple of the sun.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHJL_8w1lNhRL93Z2ANuWjDL2hUO9sJyrLPqbGc7CppFNrepUIXQT5Yq76-PUNZqCvAyKUh-xUpSKjlkKru-Ft7lmdHxDt_aFaUKw97Tb2UBNSV4aYdb8FY9F7sQih6-L83az0MMM1Ko/s1600/IMG_2364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHJL_8w1lNhRL93Z2ANuWjDL2hUO9sJyrLPqbGc7CppFNrepUIXQT5Yq76-PUNZqCvAyKUh-xUpSKjlkKru-Ft7lmdHxDt_aFaUKw97Tb2UBNSV4aYdb8FY9F7sQih6-L83az0MMM1Ko/s640/IMG_2364.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Think
of me as a shorter, slightly plumper version of Perseus.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>SUNFLOWER DRIVE</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sunflower
Drive is only one of seven streets in the housing development known as Arbour’s
Way, off Southampton Road, way way down the Roosevelt Boulevard.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Every
street in this small neighborhood is named for a flower: Honeysuckle Lane, Foxglove Lane, Iris Lane,
Dahlia, Marigold and Veronica.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
a community built for the 55 and over crowd but, since there was no gate and no
admission needed, I drove right in and parked on Sunflower Drive.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxPgQnYeafWKGtdvK8M0kAvjM-aI0fr5OdExriDEfSa9HG74GIvo3W0Bmn0umZ1w0vh29sYqjneSqu-mKMfTYBmqlxdmWeDDUmsLAroVP4umn2nc7mBY8RZu6zeN9Mj9ZL4siZmDP4vk/s1600/IMG_2365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxPgQnYeafWKGtdvK8M0kAvjM-aI0fr5OdExriDEfSa9HG74GIvo3W0Bmn0umZ1w0vh29sYqjneSqu-mKMfTYBmqlxdmWeDDUmsLAroVP4umn2nc7mBY8RZu6zeN9Mj9ZL4siZmDP4vk/s640/IMG_2365.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
picture-perfect street, basking under the bright glare of the sun, I had the
funny feeling that I’d been miniaturized…that this was some sort of full-scale
toy model sitting in some real estate mogul’s board room.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
most popular tree on Sunflower Drive?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cQBJLMMVUFcWigSg6nnJJQI_-gYQLcBH4dbCt5K-cVjy0KlKcQJcnlN9PjAtyWGSj6OPyf9GnopIkhvpVEasBKqAZKdjQcbLuoMlKCKk8lc_8_M6ZOLGcpsPLjDAzYpNtSFCzOgblu0/s1600/IMG_2477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cQBJLMMVUFcWigSg6nnJJQI_-gYQLcBH4dbCt5K-cVjy0KlKcQJcnlN9PjAtyWGSj6OPyf9GnopIkhvpVEasBKqAZKdjQcbLuoMlKCKk8lc_8_M6ZOLGcpsPLjDAzYpNtSFCzOgblu0/s640/IMG_2477.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
goldenrains. Just a few weeks after
catching its flowers, this tree is already in full fruit mode…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiV4I8NODbHhpQt2W73qc6KZ1VOf0XpRkCGQFFXpssYN42rVG_fIoALtVULHDzKmOf7rLHvC1YzTmh42o1chbaYlV7yeL6YyKh-nD6Q2kNnRjXx2nRr5hnXnhJUjdH4PSdanEhzWr25QM/s1600/IMG_2486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiV4I8NODbHhpQt2W73qc6KZ1VOf0XpRkCGQFFXpssYN42rVG_fIoALtVULHDzKmOf7rLHvC1YzTmh42o1chbaYlV7yeL6YyKh-nD6Q2kNnRjXx2nRr5hnXnhJUjdH4PSdanEhzWr25QM/s640/IMG_2486.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…those
papery capsules described in the field guides as <i>Chinese lanterns</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Coyote’s
at it again. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lanterns, another light source. That means I was on the right track, despite the way
that Sunflower Drive just unceremoniously ends with a bunch of parched concrete
barriers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1cCVnRC4VXYfnnwpZI00mX5ZPvQvW7bdmYc1QCEJoaVPA5WM6yrAj0483YxArtVfVOFePMlBRTR-0RE5hAAeubwrn_q-olPbD-_7Bqch9cYrpvQVEecxiOfcg_qY24puDpE0wdGaJfk/s1600/IMG_2373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1cCVnRC4VXYfnnwpZI00mX5ZPvQvW7bdmYc1QCEJoaVPA5WM6yrAj0483YxArtVfVOFePMlBRTR-0RE5hAAeubwrn_q-olPbD-_7Bqch9cYrpvQVEecxiOfcg_qY24puDpE0wdGaJfk/s640/IMG_2373.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
a feeble defense, meant to scare away the wimps and the cowards, and it’s
nothing but temptation for a stout, elk-hearted tree-hunter like myself.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
simply stepped over, into the under-developed Blue Bell Court, took quick note
of the wilds taking over the suburban infrastructure…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFt6zLFdD50h_GIxrQhxlHE0vbgEzrnk3-8oMXf7LoHGRMJ7YiRM5ZRNUu9ki9CKYZHwsk77dPXh925QeU57v_hB71j-2HX7a3kCcOZHcfGCvt5OxsWR_vD3PjA6LwxbPSZwWbykASXk/s1600/IMG_2463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFt6zLFdD50h_GIxrQhxlHE0vbgEzrnk3-8oMXf7LoHGRMJ7YiRM5ZRNUu9ki9CKYZHwsk77dPXh925QeU57v_hB71j-2HX7a3kCcOZHcfGCvt5OxsWR_vD3PjA6LwxbPSZwWbykASXk/s640/IMG_2463.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
then headed down the trail towards the nearby run of woods.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
the way to the woods, I found another sister of the sunflower…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibS4mbNuQQPfMsKM-ETP2jDcTCnxPCofKgGTVcuB1bFqBdORUWm9j1198hAd8XvV_lN-MY2Wd9TqiBqgPFCdytU7KBm22e3lHj8hbEkJe4BxH1FifWnK9t6GABwX6g-QvoIfGRxfWawrQ/s1600/IMG_2449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibS4mbNuQQPfMsKM-ETP2jDcTCnxPCofKgGTVcuB1bFqBdORUWm9j1198hAd8XvV_lN-MY2Wd9TqiBqgPFCdytU7KBm22e3lHj8hbEkJe4BxH1FifWnK9t6GABwX6g-QvoIfGRxfWawrQ/s640/IMG_2449.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that’s
the yarrow. I also took quick note of
the dried plants, already gone to seed…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNbuXXBHOAGyPgJIOgZlyO7N41FbRkg0et8uOtWqusv_daidEKPRjOM_2p1qn0j0XTPXMc7IpG5ofTABt0DWuOfW6hpvEcGr60p8cCV9hzGi0VGENMOEcSnbFypYpGmfVISUIPudNGF4/s1600/IMG_2457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNbuXXBHOAGyPgJIOgZlyO7N41FbRkg0et8uOtWqusv_daidEKPRjOM_2p1qn0j0XTPXMc7IpG5ofTABt0DWuOfW6hpvEcGr60p8cCV9hzGi0VGENMOEcSnbFypYpGmfVISUIPudNGF4/s640/IMG_2457.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…their
short season already completed in mid-summer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Under
the veil of sticky shade, I walked through the hot and steamy woods…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYb6LUPojEb0dPWQ9y7VbLTfBOl5ADcW_jryI5LaYLJJQ2Zjh8llHtHiY17j9EtRCSeKA2H8DzSuBaFPJEIM0Qn-wQh5WOte86EgNE6mO8MqLV-G8UPY0GH5vGSPmDmBkLYh-weVXcWng/s1600/IMG_2380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYb6LUPojEb0dPWQ9y7VbLTfBOl5ADcW_jryI5LaYLJJQ2Zjh8llHtHiY17j9EtRCSeKA2H8DzSuBaFPJEIM0Qn-wQh5WOte86EgNE6mO8MqLV-G8UPY0GH5vGSPmDmBkLYh-weVXcWng/s640/IMG_2380.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…catching
the wild raspberry…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxH9mv6gkr-ss-WoHWL3NQL8mkGj5_0cBEObmmAUI9nO6IWAYJ_TEIpyLDjHOEd45OpySA_cZdOhZYj-Rr41oHLE4w6TaSS6iTMlRNeTI2jW2yy5qx0fxZd1q503CfoyLWyCYErhLhJQ/s1600/IMG_2446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxH9mv6gkr-ss-WoHWL3NQL8mkGj5_0cBEObmmAUI9nO6IWAYJ_TEIpyLDjHOEd45OpySA_cZdOhZYj-Rr41oHLE4w6TaSS6iTMlRNeTI2jW2yy5qx0fxZd1q503CfoyLWyCYErhLhJQ/s640/IMG_2446.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
the black walnuts already falling to the ground…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQxU51OaFeSAyr_YyTzfpYUAzwghMMZQztbBBY-i8m-r4aECpFbDqHKEKMd4WEGlZXSB67LzObz_CRJw-ay8Mo8d-bcf0KNu2VKTaSNylEtAbccX3lZvaqbgLXXKY3IeNCm_qG_UspcQ/s1600/IMG_2409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTQxU51OaFeSAyr_YyTzfpYUAzwghMMZQztbBBY-i8m-r4aECpFbDqHKEKMd4WEGlZXSB67LzObz_CRJw-ay8Mo8d-bcf0KNu2VKTaSNylEtAbccX3lZvaqbgLXXKY3IeNCm_qG_UspcQ/s640/IMG_2409.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…little
green suns in the palm of my hand.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
found something that I think Van Gogh would’ve appreciated…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbH_z7U66WKLg2TK-SHEpmAsEJNDIJFZsLGnDzjFW25GL1dMtazcESTfCggafPUj04A6LaU_9zt1twvPHxJMEOE13Xp7W-xAgUEyMsDXVSP4zpXUDrbpXexYn-pseSikXkjQ7PAIJGyHs/s1600/IMG_2415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbH_z7U66WKLg2TK-SHEpmAsEJNDIJFZsLGnDzjFW25GL1dMtazcESTfCggafPUj04A6LaU_9zt1twvPHxJMEOE13Xp7W-xAgUEyMsDXVSP4zpXUDrbpXexYn-pseSikXkjQ7PAIJGyHs/s640/IMG_2415.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…wild
rose leaves splattered with dried mud.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Whose woods
these are I think I know</i>, I chanted inside my head, although that is a poem for an entirely different season.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The air was speckled with cottony wisps and thin
spiderwebs, as I stepped into deep patches of cool shade and warm pockets of
hot belches. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Creatures
and critters rustled the long grass in front of me, always out of sight. Paper moths and clumsy butterflies flitted in
and out of the sunbeams breaking through the greeny crown. I heard the whirring song of the cicadas, the
curt shriek of unfriendly birds, the splash of frogs.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
trail took me right to the banks of the Poquessing Creek.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1vUt9Gls0pRaIP3cTD_N2PXQeQMghyphenhyphenknX8GZyQuNhwA3ZDaWUh55iluX-mTRBlFtMUs-RvdPXcSok9bi_9iXJ5JMd4MkP73aNrgzbe3P-Fdqno2aPn_s-4aicY7Wz150vkGsH3ZL9nU/s1600/IMG_2434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1vUt9Gls0pRaIP3cTD_N2PXQeQMghyphenhyphenknX8GZyQuNhwA3ZDaWUh55iluX-mTRBlFtMUs-RvdPXcSok9bi_9iXJ5JMd4MkP73aNrgzbe3P-Fdqno2aPn_s-4aicY7Wz150vkGsH3ZL9nU/s640/IMG_2434.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the end of the line. This creek marks
the northeast boundary of Philadelphia, the city limits.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
took another trail back through the woods, back towards the civilized world...and there, humming away in a sunlit grove, I found exactly what I was meant to find…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8YI0g8ubGtXJo5tOQrS3UaWqWu33VkEe7z0KF0Zs7e3E_qIAnzT9Itoy0C2jDw8QloDpUrvIqQCFRkCZObDUeprO-FCNZhIXnOmcKOMQgbhqS_j39BcNAzek7ZrVvQ7st4fs7cDGQqE/s1600/IMG_2397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8YI0g8ubGtXJo5tOQrS3UaWqWu33VkEe7z0KF0Zs7e3E_qIAnzT9Itoy0C2jDw8QloDpUrvIqQCFRkCZObDUeprO-FCNZhIXnOmcKOMQgbhqS_j39BcNAzek7ZrVvQ7st4fs7cDGQqE/s640/IMG_2397.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
modern day sunflower.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Citybillies,
I’ve been all around this city, up and down and all around this urban
grid. I’ve hunted champion beech,
champion ginkgo, champion Chinese scholar tree.
I went head to head against catalpa, toe to toe with the honey locust…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Nf5nD3DxTT6gFoqy-OPe8_KrFHo4vLa-dEIt5GnaV2mPswrmQFqPPK8q_tkSX3gtrkKu32EkMhFuOE5YKfd6Oq0qh1NRd07CH61Os138QY4GolNfZxLGQABfPqqDz9QryKuVwzWg818/s1600/IMG_2389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Nf5nD3DxTT6gFoqy-OPe8_KrFHo4vLa-dEIt5GnaV2mPswrmQFqPPK8q_tkSX3gtrkKu32EkMhFuOE5YKfd6Oq0qh1NRd07CH61Os138QY4GolNfZxLGQABfPqqDz9QryKuVwzWg818/s640/IMG_2389.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but
I never thought I’d find myself face to face with an actual sun god, may he have mercy on my rebellious heart.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now I've seen it all.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ve
walked these mean streets alone and unafraid.
Eraserhood, Feltonville, down the back-alleys of Olde City and West
Philly and North Philly. I went
head-first into the Cave of Kelpius and lived to tell the tale. I climbed to the top of Philly Mountain…but I
never thought I’d be here…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiII8szOobAtX1DhOtX3xQDu-bwwfTh3Mu3m1c7BgylkCzyPh05C1kpD40LhXFsIAxB8S-aZhNWGf7tv1iXD_1OMueevMLGK61a9W1YKnnqw5DJLl3Q-WYTa75fcoI-NTQh7WFOT_nxwyA/s1600/IMG_2384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiII8szOobAtX1DhOtX3xQDu-bwwfTh3Mu3m1c7BgylkCzyPh05C1kpD40LhXFsIAxB8S-aZhNWGf7tv1iXD_1OMueevMLGK61a9W1YKnnqw5DJLl3Q-WYTa75fcoI-NTQh7WFOT_nxwyA/s640/IMG_2384.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…stumbling
into the sacred grove of the sun god right at the edge of the city limits.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ve
got to be careful. I’ve got curious hands, a hungry gut and a questioning mind, not the kind of qualities a god looks for in a
believer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But,
then, amid the chatter of birds and wind, I could hear old Coyote laughing in
the shadows.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">By
Jove, he’s right. The laugh’s on me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Citybillies,
I have met the new Lord of Light, the new Big Chief of Power, the new Boss.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZvJpp801TNobD6EDmFO_K_jrolLqHWtF-aXw3jTI1sF_9alE2S8T4OYbb82mf43FswgpkONUjX49W9xFDYJHYTKuIFrGNRikYO6oFsNmvnuBKY4bDo_wewoHxSuUVSt65sSxi3S0tgU/s1600/IMG_2387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZvJpp801TNobD6EDmFO_K_jrolLqHWtF-aXw3jTI1sF_9alE2S8T4OYbb82mf43FswgpkONUjX49W9xFDYJHYTKuIFrGNRikYO6oFsNmvnuBKY4bDo_wewoHxSuUVSt65sSxi3S0tgU/s640/IMG_2387.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
there is no need to rebel just yet. Put
down those stones. Put those rotten
tomatoes back in your pocket.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The golden spiral spins but it always returns to the center.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
the same old god, same old story, same as the old boss.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrGyhFGotwpLNu6P_QEtgOvbuxJeloLQ4nZgdMg0zfrCOLK221JgvzqwnWgG8nDSEDAHI0NPWDhMYJTEDZT-AxPGsVlmXQgAM_-xgJ_2_sytI-xmEkh-666o1bu4sE0zIXMelK6wXYEs/s1600/IMG_2396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrGyhFGotwpLNu6P_QEtgOvbuxJeloLQ4nZgdMg0zfrCOLK221JgvzqwnWgG8nDSEDAHI0NPWDhMYJTEDZT-AxPGsVlmXQgAM_-xgJ_2_sytI-xmEkh-666o1bu4sE0zIXMelK6wXYEs/s640/IMG_2396.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-81890465484044523862013-07-06T21:19:00.000-07:002013-07-07T04:02:28.509-07:00SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY, OF TREE I SING<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
Independence Day Weekend here in Philadelphia.
What a fine time to be in the city.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7mGfl1OHq_esG5AZRKixo3YTSrfUDFTDF1x3MUR-AJvM8eqJ2zJ6-xB9sX-4HUjO-exKf2wvsaKFHOgtUjF6K1c4BIMzzND84j-TWFDKBKCPaqYHZnwwtpTXVMiW8lEUo9s9zbiFlPg/s1600/4th-of-july-1819-philadelphia-john-lewis-krimmel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7mGfl1OHq_esG5AZRKixo3YTSrfUDFTDF1x3MUR-AJvM8eqJ2zJ6-xB9sX-4HUjO-exKf2wvsaKFHOgtUjF6K1c4BIMzzND84j-TWFDKBKCPaqYHZnwwtpTXVMiW8lEUo9s9zbiFlPg/s640/4th-of-july-1819-philadelphia-john-lewis-krimmel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Block
parties and live music, barbecues and picnics, burgers and ice cream, sparklers
and fireworks, road-blocks and detours, this city truly lives up to the
standards and expectations of Founding Farmer John Adams, who once wrote that Independence Day <i>ought to be solemnized
with pomp and parade…</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WQ2w9iH8ut9ezO1HSWYyD7f_LVUJ9nx34ctYid27inztu4BK0r__gCz5SF5ycRl8DgRqLfyzQVP0rhYoHV4hZlWG-nD-Qr9G2w2dMOaSA5wu9avtTRPpNbkSz1OJxWapOAxpbv3mOaQ/s1600/IMG_3516-630x473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WQ2w9iH8ut9ezO1HSWYyD7f_LVUJ9nx34ctYid27inztu4BK0r__gCz5SF5ycRl8DgRqLfyzQVP0rhYoHV4hZlWG-nD-Qr9G2w2dMOaSA5wu9avtTRPpNbkSz1OJxWapOAxpbv3mOaQ/s640/IMG_3516-630x473.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>…with shows,
games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this
continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well, actually, he always thought it should be celebrated on the Second of July.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sorry, old man. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the Fourth we trust…a celebration of the tried and true totems of American
history: the bald eagle and the buffalo, Yankee Doodle and Uncle Sam and Lady
Liberty…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM6IBdvMLAO39sA21_2utG8fKpV_x9We_JO1YtBDaIs-VVnvrjAUZXXSIPN-UChyI3VRlYSTuxGWicpYvnWobEi8Aq1NHDYwRU8IwknUpoog5qvn46Tvf1n1uaMMliIKx6_77_nULPgY/s1600/uncle-sam-and-miss-liberty-couples-costume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXM6IBdvMLAO39sA21_2utG8fKpV_x9We_JO1YtBDaIs-VVnvrjAUZXXSIPN-UChyI3VRlYSTuxGWicpYvnWobEi8Aq1NHDYwRU8IwknUpoog5qvn46Tvf1n1uaMMliIKx6_77_nULPgY/s400/uncle-sam-and-miss-liberty-couples-costume.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
light bulb and the television and the arcade game, the steamship and the
automobile and the space shuttle, the pioneer and the cowboy and the rock star…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbbKuWthipEUhzDdnTJdPpUNrhfhqsquNuuQbX4wPnuVllSpWbz3_g0c2bn_Hboic3w8SlGsOBa8ouvFUzIVa7_g78IgPJAqlGLOiNxgk-hcgZfTCHh27f3ctedXZcOHzcTF2xMMit84/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbbKuWthipEUhzDdnTJdPpUNrhfhqsquNuuQbX4wPnuVllSpWbz3_g0c2bn_Hboic3w8SlGsOBa8ouvFUzIVa7_g78IgPJAqlGLOiNxgk-hcgZfTCHh27f3ctedXZcOHzcTF2xMMit84/s400/images.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwFsr6JK_GxO7nfJnIZZGzBACOkPUloiY76Jgo4SfIw-W31Zprhc0cQeiIqboYUkPHHNzSWGHEbKUEvk0m72dG74_I04PJkleumC5aTBSs16csJvaoBnlMI282H34bprXXw7ixWfOABw/s1600/80s-rockstar-costume-zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwFsr6JK_GxO7nfJnIZZGzBACOkPUloiY76Jgo4SfIw-W31Zprhc0cQeiIqboYUkPHHNzSWGHEbKUEvk0m72dG74_I04PJkleumC5aTBSs16csJvaoBnlMI282H34bprXXw7ixWfOABw/s400/80s-rockstar-costume-zoom.jpg" width="280" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
that Old Glory herself…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6XLonDFKOWDfFSZ9dIvQf656gZyiWDv59c_VDzLd_DavNyxUvA3wcSSlhaDrMu714QcRZZX0k2OqQUBx-6Ajlx6qKD8UzVmZtR-jzZQnD6rzN6xleosfcRirSSfPyKrSxn1hwd_PlMc/s1600/IMG_1970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6XLonDFKOWDfFSZ9dIvQf656gZyiWDv59c_VDzLd_DavNyxUvA3wcSSlhaDrMu714QcRZZX0k2OqQUBx-6Ajlx6qKD8UzVmZtR-jzZQnD6rzN6xleosfcRirSSfPyKrSxn1hwd_PlMc/s640/IMG_1970.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that
grand old flag we call the Stars and Stripes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the spirit of Independence Day, I made a quick pit-stop to pay my respects to
our most famous seamstress, Betsy Ross.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8M7m7-VFcK9G-zmpD3ocy3gYtuO1h_mmgD4g-RX-Y_8wTrbIB37F9wpO_TOKQh7v9JBxuWNC8wYMsJ9GUj4Y7Q-zpsOd4qRia5TnYmLQuul-pyLULIbgRaQn8G2F6wsWXTg7UUvYghcs/s1600/IMG_1975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8M7m7-VFcK9G-zmpD3ocy3gYtuO1h_mmgD4g-RX-Y_8wTrbIB37F9wpO_TOKQh7v9JBxuWNC8wYMsJ9GUj4Y7Q-zpsOd4qRia5TnYmLQuul-pyLULIbgRaQn8G2F6wsWXTg7UUvYghcs/s640/IMG_1975.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">She’s
buried, right there in Olde City, at 2nd and Old Sassafras Streets, underneath that
monumental American elm…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEgpI8Roa7dOVYV76Jhl7uDKMhkagtYTgrIM9zmDi2TJFIc_sio9PVcv_4b-5wZGariLrKngczW6MR0hlCbmoQYNy6ERjNye1rQSk9JonocJiAa-FDnWIZqfJ53YYHB_PxLW2PGMPDRM/s1600/IMG_1971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEgpI8Roa7dOVYV76Jhl7uDKMhkagtYTgrIM9zmDi2TJFIc_sio9PVcv_4b-5wZGariLrKngczW6MR0hlCbmoQYNy6ERjNye1rQSk9JonocJiAa-FDnWIZqfJ53YYHB_PxLW2PGMPDRM/s640/IMG_1971.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…rocketing
over the colonial courtyard, bursting with heavy branches high up in the muggy Coyote sky.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or,
at least, we’re told that she’s buried here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
turns out that Betsy Ross’s funeral was held on 5th Street. Twenty years later, her body was exhumed and
moved to the now abandoned Mount Moriah Cemetery near Cobbs Creek in West
Philly…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BYQd_gpJF6V2SFNMTfdiVtiJd9NE3KduGf4ldSfEMm8GZK2oLg-uEN-49NisBKe2pRNM5NygZO2xgXVBBLOFcKLSKXh0JpKi41pSuG6n_NSS7hJ3d7GnQhKNsjD6RzoALeIXUv4ib_w/s1600/IMG_3840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BYQd_gpJF6V2SFNMTfdiVtiJd9NE3KduGf4ldSfEMm8GZK2oLg-uEN-49NisBKe2pRNM5NygZO2xgXVBBLOFcKLSKXh0JpKi41pSuG6n_NSS7hJ3d7GnQhKNsjD6RzoALeIXUv4ib_w/s640/IMG_3840.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
then, just in time for the Bicentennial of 1976, her body was moved again to
this half-museum-half-gift-shop restoration, to be closer to the parade of her
colonial brothers and sisters.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKB2MzHnMUxzAQagEY_1UXzNza8sd759M8kER83jMMn6h_m6Wzf4D1gxe2t4leiXCtJgrgkHGa6ZWgAUPLw7OSSG3vZY0XU2esTpdT9rwsc60XhJY65BhXbPMoYqKrv3VlOEF63EFLGww/s1600/mens-colonial-pilgrim-costume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKB2MzHnMUxzAQagEY_1UXzNza8sd759M8kER83jMMn6h_m6Wzf4D1gxe2t4leiXCtJgrgkHGa6ZWgAUPLw7OSSG3vZY0XU2esTpdT9rwsc60XhJY65BhXbPMoYqKrv3VlOEF63EFLGww/s400/mens-colonial-pilgrim-costume.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCI2MvN8Q55rQxrogS81v6z6P8pzXC_0ixBSYbKJX3jgfCLJA31Kcu_HY6X0Y9HxInv2PnjGUoOpEkmHn8ZEO2ki3zxTrTPKQ-A5Cp04j_12kW3Dn0fpBMaGEwmtWvgYeVeblPRKnREUU/s1600/flag_hottie_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCI2MvN8Q55rQxrogS81v6z6P8pzXC_0ixBSYbKJX3jgfCLJA31Kcu_HY6X0Y9HxInv2PnjGUoOpEkmHn8ZEO2ki3zxTrTPKQ-A5Cp04j_12kW3Dn0fpBMaGEwmtWvgYeVeblPRKnREUU/s400/flag_hottie_02.jpg" width="225" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or
was she?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Rumor
has it that, back in 1975, her gravediggers found no bodily remains under her
tombstone there in Mount Moriah. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Only
a few bones, found elsewhere in the family plot, were hastily authenticated as
Betsy Ross’s and moved to this courtyard…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFu9jsDZnsbFCdTpwIgJyjPQLp4djxzGcN5tllqrXJATlQcND0gS3g5xhqRzTPejicGPR0QilpODWziVYy3Nc5_MxfneUB9pYA1BvNDRzX65S_B41lnV3_0ldIXxU37u1MfzTIwCGUI1U/s1600/IMG_1967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFu9jsDZnsbFCdTpwIgJyjPQLp4djxzGcN5tllqrXJATlQcND0gS3g5xhqRzTPejicGPR0QilpODWziVYy3Nc5_MxfneUB9pYA1BvNDRzX65S_B41lnV3_0ldIXxU37u1MfzTIwCGUI1U/s640/IMG_1967.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">...just
in time for the opening of the Betsy Ross Bridge in 1976.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
doesn’t matter.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Fiddle-de-dee.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like
we say here in America, <i>when the legend
becomes fact, print the legend.</i> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
so the legend stands.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">She’s
buried here, First Seamstress of the United States, the beautiful and noble
widow who made, with her own blistered hands, the very first version of the
American Flag.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvqmBdNyHpJ7vzTMKizlNt4DO04LVeWB9FwCCTx4G6yb5iqHfgDQ209_CVj2POVSbqvEsh_QA2kDvU53pc33bdzUHmp_m4N1QhxNJr6dTbQs0Hv8BJ53xzFvypjDD5xhpAIBY_LA50bI/s1600/Betsy01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvqmBdNyHpJ7vzTMKizlNt4DO04LVeWB9FwCCTx4G6yb5iqHfgDQ209_CVj2POVSbqvEsh_QA2kDvU53pc33bdzUHmp_m4N1QhxNJr6dTbQs0Hv8BJ53xzFvypjDD5xhpAIBY_LA50bI/s640/Betsy01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or
did she?</span></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Probably
not. Betsy Ross herself made no claim to
this fact. In the letters and journals
of the Founding Farmers, there is nothing that verifies her status as the
graphic designer behind the American flag.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
story of Betsy Ross sewing the first flag is, most likely, a tall tale, told
and re-told by her grandson, who was trying to cash in some family gossip in
order to grab the federal funding set aside for the big Centennial party of
1876.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Way
too often, when you really start digging into the American saga, you find out
you’re just shoveling hogwash.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">History
writ by the braggart.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like
they say in <i>The X-Files</i>, I want to
believe but, Great Scott, they make it so, so hard.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgmuPubbE7E9mldHcaYe3M_J4JomO3X7QQhyfgTDQalNHSbGIAIXtE6pm-bZLrP_TBpqSROkl4z5RuH4UHpHgw_KmQkPRB4S5b0PCCuQkbdBzRWC0KSwh2m413kN3Tb0lqETAD-q-h2A/s1600/colonial_segway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgmuPubbE7E9mldHcaYe3M_J4JomO3X7QQhyfgTDQalNHSbGIAIXtE6pm-bZLrP_TBpqSROkl4z5RuH4UHpHgw_KmQkPRB4S5b0PCCuQkbdBzRWC0KSwh2m413kN3Tb0lqETAD-q-h2A/s640/colonial_segway.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
now, to find out that Betsy Ross might not even be buried here at the Betsy
Ross House in the grave that bears her name, that she most likely did not
design the American flag, that she was just a pawn whose good name and bodily
remains were unceremoniously shuffled around to fit the latest Fourth of July
anniversary…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1agsKerK3t9EZiu-6CaT0JEB4LJisQO9kmVd9bpWndAGl6vNHfWQEV6TL0M_vc3pT680eRM7vO5W-wDugWercsPklYb-fiecB8c_A1FBMYEePHmqcMXaEac-PG6NaWFGM1d2m243ljM/s1600/generic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1agsKerK3t9EZiu-6CaT0JEB4LJisQO9kmVd9bpWndAGl6vNHfWQEV6TL0M_vc3pT680eRM7vO5W-wDugWercsPklYb-fiecB8c_A1FBMYEePHmqcMXaEac-PG6NaWFGM1d2m243ljM/s640/generic2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…well,
I’m finding it harder and harder to swallow that kind of moonshine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So,
in a quest for the authentic 1776 experience, on a mission to celebrate a certifiable
Fourth of July weekend, I traveled to the badlands of West Philly, right off
Lindbergh Boulevard, to the Historic Bartram’s Garden…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gL1H-JP_e4WlcHR31uWQECvUlxlj8viWLm-uymhhl0G7HgqQ102W15Iy6P3lEeDm-9gcEJcMQHzggSEtSGiAHchDNVWesdFqSBiwG_rnNXF6NqHwCtw2qpu4S5FOu2xJz9cIYEu6k54/s1600/IMG_2190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3gL1H-JP_e4WlcHR31uWQECvUlxlj8viWLm-uymhhl0G7HgqQ102W15Iy6P3lEeDm-9gcEJcMQHzggSEtSGiAHchDNVWesdFqSBiwG_rnNXF6NqHwCtw2qpu4S5FOu2xJz9cIYEu6k54/s640/IMG_2190.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">...one
of the most honest-to-goodness, historically bona fide places left in the city
of Philadelphia.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No
doubt about it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here,
at Bartram’s Garden, you are walking in the shadows of the greatest generation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>“TO SEEK A PLACE
OF SECURE REPOSE…”</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
knew I was on the right path the moment I parked my car.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There,
right near the fence that bordered the parking lot, I spied a wild turkey…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXy9tO8OUwb6y71ES5ghFwkbBMwxlI3O5EyjkLT6hKAxTkx13GMtVR49XL_jB84jGD7SHTtc5xMi7NjN_ebbxNN5X3Q1GWj9xcMOzOc5L1Sidmrj0lCfPLVjCxJy4HeX2lhc2K_Y4ZQ4/s1600/IMG_2286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXy9tO8OUwb6y71ES5ghFwkbBMwxlI3O5EyjkLT6hKAxTkx13GMtVR49XL_jB84jGD7SHTtc5xMi7NjN_ebbxNN5X3Q1GWj9xcMOzOc5L1Sidmrj0lCfPLVjCxJy4HeX2lhc2K_Y4ZQ4/s640/IMG_2286.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
Vice President of National Birds.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Before
I even locked up my car and logged in to my iPhone, I could feel the colonial truth. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Unlike
the fake graves and the restored houses and the phony facades of Olde City and
Elfreth's Alley, this place is real, reeking of authenticity, ripe with
uncorrupted facts.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTRj-ovpLJOF4XBI2FGLFTyXmEkLsTqiLBhiGamZuwRVZWl_T7aXyOJSZlHkZppEJ6g966uU4jNMBE-yCbwcKh0VjBG2Y6X5aMwCj1u0mA0xHqvinV5ZXt7G0p96wEW8PUJ4XQ0ZkztQ/s1600/IMG_2225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTRj-ovpLJOF4XBI2FGLFTyXmEkLsTqiLBhiGamZuwRVZWl_T7aXyOJSZlHkZppEJ6g966uU4jNMBE-yCbwcKh0VjBG2Y6X5aMwCj1u0mA0xHqvinV5ZXt7G0p96wEW8PUJ4XQ0ZkztQ/s640/IMG_2225.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
were here. It’s true. Honest Injun, they used to come here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Franklin,
Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Hamilton, the whole rebellious gang,
they were here…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsw6JnGL2a6FaWHnju6UAeGs6wIUDNmUBd6dkpXymdSDFhDJJc6D_EmTIr0s4HZbglXsvm3TTMs3hYb-HATsYgmHqMoyIv1n9JzeP66OyIYA68gdhS7DXCNSVEIV9olN3xJNamjXQTsI/s1600/IMG_2259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsw6JnGL2a6FaWHnju6UAeGs6wIUDNmUBd6dkpXymdSDFhDJJc6D_EmTIr0s4HZbglXsvm3TTMs3hYb-HATsYgmHqMoyIv1n9JzeP66OyIYA68gdhS7DXCNSVEIV9olN3xJNamjXQTsI/s640/IMG_2259.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
they loved it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
came here, taking breaks from the tumultuous climate inside Independence Hall,
to study the native flora and fauna.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZK-BHDt6COlZbVfX6GKQ1zNkbnKU8JsPViCMeHGql0CBVaFGPy7tBXLUG_O2D7_OSAGaxz62mbpkcbFPFg7Vty45cVpXjxZD9VY-a5Eh8Z0QSk3E1J2XO3DUTnmOu_Qw3pHy1CfHw0Fs/s1600/IMG_1988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZK-BHDt6COlZbVfX6GKQ1zNkbnKU8JsPViCMeHGql0CBVaFGPy7tBXLUG_O2D7_OSAGaxz62mbpkcbFPFg7Vty45cVpXjxZD9VY-a5Eh8Z0QSk3E1J2XO3DUTnmOu_Qw3pHy1CfHw0Fs/s640/IMG_1988.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
walked these same paths and stood underneath some of these same trees…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5ZV2gI8cDrxEnQf9JKnTnZMfmlfFwMXMHMrbj2Q5PdxWLUGCLu1Escs-M1ob2WR_7nYTZvV8A6JZXQjLRHqwfmwCewVn1Zc2fIkTviLr1SaK0ndUA1KAwrf1RqtP_WHzu4mWo7AbRVY/s1600/IMG_2248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5ZV2gI8cDrxEnQf9JKnTnZMfmlfFwMXMHMrbj2Q5PdxWLUGCLu1Escs-M1ob2WR_7nYTZvV8A6JZXQjLRHqwfmwCewVn1Zc2fIkTviLr1SaK0ndUA1KAwrf1RqtP_WHzu4mWo7AbRVY/s640/IMG_2248.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…hanging
out with their old pals, the Family Bartram, taking tea and taking shade…leaving
behind the quill pen, unbuttoning the stuffed shirt and taking off the powdered
wig…sometimes hiding away from the relentless summer sun, sitting in the bosky
coolness under the arched arbors near the house…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcthyphenhyphenROFis-2-wWPrAX98VcV2ICsmIdnnQhk97A4SHozrBZ2y7gxemwIve-Lz6wcOQuGg-XjuB-v1fwsuMSzbMGhnkoUFlpOmZYPZY06FGWCXkr-YEckr_C67F9D-VN81MeVh1NrWI65E/s1600/IMG_2231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcthyphenhyphenROFis-2-wWPrAX98VcV2ICsmIdnnQhk97A4SHozrBZ2y7gxemwIve-Lz6wcOQuGg-XjuB-v1fwsuMSzbMGhnkoUFlpOmZYPZY06FGWCXkr-YEckr_C67F9D-VN81MeVh1NrWI65E/s640/IMG_2231.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…talking
politicks. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
place was alive and booming back in 1776, on the exact same grounds and grass
that, over two hundred years later, holds my little shadow and marks my inconsequential
footprints. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
lot has happened in that time but, here in Philadelphia, one thing remains the
same.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
one thing is Bartram’s Garden.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I try not to get suckered into thinking of the Founding Farmers as more than just human but, here
in the sun-dappled park, it’s impossible to think of them as less than super-heroes, hard not to be overcome by their generous
genius.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
hard to think of these great men as regular people.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqOT5gIVkciq0r76HlmG8SAflgpp-Hudk2AQI9oWV2qcLb4y9ih4prnhM41ccJ9IMglbB59fZIPjzNpj-UzFYzcXEqNML__xnD4_NAK59FZ4P4tBICZJ1cfCNLbPn9ZTgW67t0PtR-o4/s1600/theaterct600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqOT5gIVkciq0r76HlmG8SAflgpp-Hudk2AQI9oWV2qcLb4y9ih4prnhM41ccJ9IMglbB59fZIPjzNpj-UzFYzcXEqNML__xnD4_NAK59FZ4P4tBICZJ1cfCNLbPn9ZTgW67t0PtR-o4/s640/theaterct600.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Walking
down these same paths, I imagine them walking with me, full of the most
spectacular ideas, mad with vision, mad with country, their old fashioned belts
notched with the greatest of accomplishments.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8qt7lUO4LQUEEoTBl-N_VhCiLimK6C0E4WFiGJ58XzRKb32HQgaVoBPr1_Bif7HTK4IwTy3KltkZIYbTmhNUXYEyVwb6l1x8d3udYKebLFiUSCvh8a6Qi6tFFWR1ZAjeGLMgkE1MH04/s1600/6a00d8341c51c053ef01348673b875970c-450wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8qt7lUO4LQUEEoTBl-N_VhCiLimK6C0E4WFiGJ58XzRKb32HQgaVoBPr1_Bif7HTK4IwTy3KltkZIYbTmhNUXYEyVwb6l1x8d3udYKebLFiUSCvh8a6Qi6tFFWR1ZAjeGLMgkE1MH04/s640/6a00d8341c51c053ef01348673b875970c-450wi.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
at Bartram’s Garden, you never walk alone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
walk in the company of the Founding Farmers and, for better or for worse, you
walk with their legends.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
never took a wrong turn, </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">they
never asked for directions, never made a typo, never replied-all, never tripped
over their tongues, never fell in love with the wrong woman.</span></span>
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GIrhVqpnW44-RNZGFqcg8EjiREPbYQ1EAgBOddZTTx-_5k0YoKidofvDZp6fyYJXA0YyFlBdkvegGQalaL7T582wS7scAkXpCiVOIf4CqkM4HllX7c00HzbQ7_ppYFKJMMtsmsInGXU/s1600/g19play_t607.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GIrhVqpnW44-RNZGFqcg8EjiREPbYQ1EAgBOddZTTx-_5k0YoKidofvDZp6fyYJXA0YyFlBdkvegGQalaL7T582wS7scAkXpCiVOIf4CqkM4HllX7c00HzbQ7_ppYFKJMMtsmsInGXU/s400/g19play_t607.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
never ate a booger and they never got caught peeing in the woods.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
in Bartram’s Garden, their great shadow permeates every switchback and every path </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">and
you get the feeling, here in this garden, that boring conversations are
outlawed…</span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0v2tVqaBN18p9_koN66GAoN3uDQXqrFuQsGgnJ4oj4hSSqa_VQs82MlUyU88KHfs-PWmdBmAp46JV8qAVapC5HLK6_YbtFV9pjjwDJvg0hiNatQ4CTTWpSNWHi1JVORl6norgVL6J6oY/s1600/1776-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0v2tVqaBN18p9_koN66GAoN3uDQXqrFuQsGgnJ4oj4hSSqa_VQs82MlUyU88KHfs-PWmdBmAp46JV8qAVapC5HLK6_YbtFV9pjjwDJvg0hiNatQ4CTTWpSNWHi1JVORl6norgVL6J6oY/s400/1776-photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">...they
never made an ordinary act.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
never yawned and they never said anything commonplace, but they burned, burned,
burned <i>like fabulous yellow roman candles
exploding like spiders across the stars.</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9vDmK_anW6cfSGjVqzU_zgh7wluqss_gBTIDdccZFeehCnMU7hS_5YHPJDipbtLJ11Kj0NVjrS9cL1N5tj6cktBpXKWeP1L0xYtx8k7i52G74F6cX8JMaZ5SEvFzAENYZzNRqNQkhzk/s1600/IMG_2152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9vDmK_anW6cfSGjVqzU_zgh7wluqss_gBTIDdccZFeehCnMU7hS_5YHPJDipbtLJ11Kj0NVjrS9cL1N5tj6cktBpXKWeP1L0xYtx8k7i52G74F6cX8JMaZ5SEvFzAENYZzNRqNQkhzk/s640/IMG_2152.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For
all you city planners and for all you museum curators, take note.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
at Bartram’s Garden, you never get the feeling that you’re being ripped off, or
duped, or chumped, or buffaloed.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">How
does Bartram’s Garden achieve such authenticity?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Easy.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHo6Ph-cwj10vEZqzWd72GLpzmNjMkHMu6I_Hfr3XVZRXlq5gftoiPXB3keh8JNLLNwhDDp_qb2AEZ7s28GZzRjwSLirnjDrQ4A-fg9jGmhPi1g3WEZ_8eti5oxc_ZvDe0S1ravm_l_8U/s1600/IMG_2243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHo6Ph-cwj10vEZqzWd72GLpzmNjMkHMu6I_Hfr3XVZRXlq5gftoiPXB3keh8JNLLNwhDDp_qb2AEZ7s28GZzRjwSLirnjDrQ4A-fg9jGmhPi1g3WEZ_8eti5oxc_ZvDe0S1ravm_l_8U/s640/IMG_2243.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
uses plants and trees.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE HALL OF
PRESIDENTS</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
a small, tight corner between house and lawn, there stands a <i>Magnolia grandiflora</i>, also known as the
southern magnolia.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWuiRAX98roHRsdd5nQveLQGV3rxjV-8YL7KzhFxL-nDqVU35nmhNCso2e24dhWSDGcfGhYH5wpIdGmfSyDBKI4QsEYUmCqW5tea9gtCQwHHxOjVia4NDmBPhkHaPOZ9Z9UuDcWPKj3o/s1600/IMG_2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWuiRAX98roHRsdd5nQveLQGV3rxjV-8YL7KzhFxL-nDqVU35nmhNCso2e24dhWSDGcfGhYH5wpIdGmfSyDBKI4QsEYUmCqW5tea9gtCQwHHxOjVia4NDmBPhkHaPOZ9Z9UuDcWPKj3o/s640/IMG_2011.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Although
it’s an early bloomer, here in the beginning of summer, its great white flower
still hangs, strong and proud, amidst its glossy, evergreen leaves.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajIbEH6mP4R4irN3UhqCJq3N3p0QAokMWrVCdSnnv7Y2FEuY7536SNJ0bhUq_h1UE8H1Nyeml1AcYB6Cwzm2C7yW8Q_4HgUSxnw4MVxo2ajOnTcguScBJm18mI7aUl5r0VmNRh-OOKQw/s1600/IMG_2006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajIbEH6mP4R4irN3UhqCJq3N3p0QAokMWrVCdSnnv7Y2FEuY7536SNJ0bhUq_h1UE8H1Nyeml1AcYB6Cwzm2C7yW8Q_4HgUSxnw4MVxo2ajOnTcguScBJm18mI7aUl5r0VmNRh-OOKQw/s640/IMG_2006.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
magnolia has the distinct characteristic of holding both its flower and fruit on
the same tree at the same time.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Being
one of the most primitive and earliest of the flowering trees, this is a good time
to notice the ripening of its portly, prehistoric fruit.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lmeJeQ5WDtyOy7aTgEesFN5xjPkjCy4_wbVFC7pp-8DbXC5aQ-VeStJz0sFpWfCRP06IksLm69fqidCozhdO4rOFge5CViQohgjWt8UGFywW4vSiySo5LblhnXMA9X95B2Rh5BAPJx4/s1600/IMG_2009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lmeJeQ5WDtyOy7aTgEesFN5xjPkjCy4_wbVFC7pp-8DbXC5aQ-VeStJz0sFpWfCRP06IksLm69fqidCozhdO4rOFge5CViQohgjWt8UGFywW4vSiySo5LblhnXMA9X95B2Rh5BAPJx4/s640/IMG_2009.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But,
here at Bartram’s Garden, it’s hard to see a southern magnolia like this without thinking of George Washington.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhpb0eN7fLludF020zmIelzICv7oWGvy0SjqeMLZywKdfC318J2pjE8WLNyHBNWm3Dwe75cqovzNmcD4y2Pn1RRrx0QYdUNT037pRF0oaZ2kYMvG-gwjKrsZL-nFGA4OjsXqjOE-rxp4/s1600/yhst-17175227365559_2192_39040528.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhpb0eN7fLludF020zmIelzICv7oWGvy0SjqeMLZywKdfC318J2pjE8WLNyHBNWm3Dwe75cqovzNmcD4y2Pn1RRrx0QYdUNT037pRF0oaZ2kYMvG-gwjKrsZL-nFGA4OjsXqjOE-rxp4/s640/yhst-17175227365559_2192_39040528.gif" width="339" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Washington
was a meticulous gardener and this was one of his favorite trees.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
Mount Vernon, there is a whole section of his garden dedicated to the magnolia.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
even named his favorite horse Magnolia.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">George
Washington was also a fan the Carolina silverbell, one of Bartram’s best
discoveries…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0q4XHHNdN18wfmCnhvI_dTXGfT-yDCu5GzE8Y2_1w-2rENkoo7bdSU-8fXI7GDeUkc4n-xuvw4vnLE94gksMTounChDNsh_uBNiFCSTe0QY_b6F1iAHIQx_pf1zl6GpYHGbNRymPhKc/s1600/IMG_2257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0q4XHHNdN18wfmCnhvI_dTXGfT-yDCu5GzE8Y2_1w-2rENkoo7bdSU-8fXI7GDeUkc4n-xuvw4vnLE94gksMTounChDNsh_uBNiFCSTe0QY_b6F1iAHIQx_pf1zl6GpYHGbNRymPhKc/s640/IMG_2257.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and,
of the American white cedar, Washington wrote: <i>a handsome evergreen tree, beautiful foliage and odoriferous.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
must’ve been talking about those blue, grumpy fruit, technically a soft cone
that, when crushed, smells like a wintergreen cigar.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRXepXRLWSWD7yWeYYVXvdDXnU8YIg2d5Tj7i1WgFM_5u9s9NllfZ3noIR3eu9f0xXjkiIUfzW0b7YAC8LFcX33Q8FKdgNyGmnRfZgRmA7ERsrSZECTKBd4b_7iM4NCFsOKlqunQJ_P8/s1600/IMG_2085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRXepXRLWSWD7yWeYYVXvdDXnU8YIg2d5Tj7i1WgFM_5u9s9NllfZ3noIR3eu9f0xXjkiIUfzW0b7YAC8LFcX33Q8FKdgNyGmnRfZgRmA7ERsrSZECTKBd4b_7iM4NCFsOKlqunQJ_P8/s640/IMG_2085.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
at Bartram’s Garden, you can also find the oldest surviving ginkgo tree in all
of Turtle Island.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_cw9rL8xLlsm2tkP8ev5xSO0N4ljDe5krmwPxo0uqRrjDkXLL5gsGw1YLtgH48RsWdijqDJfxUKdhiSH2x2osGMjuECiVq7p1ImLvSAGnghGxnnB6FSkFTnThl3eYMuT-nS4s25dkEo/s1600/IMG_2245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_cw9rL8xLlsm2tkP8ev5xSO0N4ljDe5krmwPxo0uqRrjDkXLL5gsGw1YLtgH48RsWdijqDJfxUKdhiSH2x2osGMjuECiVq7p1ImLvSAGnghGxnnB6FSkFTnThl3eYMuT-nS4s25dkEo/s640/IMG_2245.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's a magnificent tree but, at the same time, it's hard to be impressed with its age.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even young ginkgo trees, to me, look ancient.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSMYGywkXSDFLfy-0-GuN17ONxVCNP3tFYkjvNWnBbkAvYNwmE4l1ByBjVv6Th4ittgXeMwvUi7HyXJ-ISd6V5n-2v-12b6gaXm9CGOU5lx7SLpBA-yovop1nmSom2I-gwsmSj0h2Pk0/s1600/IMG_1994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSMYGywkXSDFLfy-0-GuN17ONxVCNP3tFYkjvNWnBbkAvYNwmE4l1ByBjVv6Th4ittgXeMwvUi7HyXJ-ISd6V5n-2v-12b6gaXm9CGOU5lx7SLpBA-yovop1nmSom2I-gwsmSj0h2Pk0/s640/IMG_1994.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now how come they don't put that inside a snow globe?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Walking
along the paths, I also found some shagbark hickories and caught its
distinctive bark…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsn2X6iRnEhyw4klB4a1qPK2QMSL60iDQJi3FzuRThvuDzRJz7eB3Qo-NDySelkaVbtFp4n2wC0WVGETE6KtlDEaeb2DTHsKxBhxG28wZDpqeNeO9ws6VvzGWfQZma7ftK9ceZ8PQF9Qk/s1600/IMG_2025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsn2X6iRnEhyw4klB4a1qPK2QMSL60iDQJi3FzuRThvuDzRJz7eB3Qo-NDySelkaVbtFp4n2wC0WVGETE6KtlDEaeb2DTHsKxBhxG28wZDpqeNeO9ws6VvzGWfQZma7ftK9ceZ8PQF9Qk/s640/IMG_2025.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…in
the words of Donald Culross Peattie, <i>to
everyone with a feeling of things American, and for American history, the
Shagbark seems like a symbol of the pioneer age, with its sinewy limbs and
rude, shaggy coat…</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SIp_NaAiEx4D3M0Ngb1rVjHqwosuXAcDPOgTF32JRBGJ8U4fSfJ1YFMid3fiwMR9JDs4rigbzrSRCmGbclQ4oJtMCn2r3lINvMT3wmnPXtykoqXdCw983BJtWCZA3UsT9vErCxjSjlQ/s1600/IMG_2228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SIp_NaAiEx4D3M0Ngb1rVjHqwosuXAcDPOgTF32JRBGJ8U4fSfJ1YFMid3fiwMR9JDs4rigbzrSRCmGbclQ4oJtMCn2r3lINvMT3wmnPXtykoqXdCw983BJtWCZA3UsT9vErCxjSjlQ/s640/IMG_2228.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>…like the
pioneer himself in a fringed deerskin hunting shirt. </i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But,
of course, it’s hard to catch a hickory and not think of that
twenty-dollar-bill man, Old Hickory himself, Andrew Jackson…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_sHnU9huEHjhIhesRLf1UKeQqdEaTpmutrD-UM5-QQz5QBoKP4p3HcIxOnBGcbj7_5kKWhCSxQg6oBMXw5kBJG7N7XfWVqNSOKkHM18tWI2aDhKhAOxQ1wCtZt2ekYuxYi6y0T927m0/s1600/buccaneerheston.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_sHnU9huEHjhIhesRLf1UKeQqdEaTpmutrD-UM5-QQz5QBoKP4p3HcIxOnBGcbj7_5kKWhCSxQg6oBMXw5kBJG7N7XfWVqNSOKkHM18tWI2aDhKhAOxQ1wCtZt2ekYuxYi6y0T927m0/s640/buccaneerheston.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…who
was, supposedly, as roughshod as the tree itself.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Have
you ever tried to crack a hickory nut?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6XWBr1kb2bvSmVZExRsJ1c8yHEuvdplUdNWiH280iQFNm6P9jEgKQIgKwgkrkueSja5YbgATkfvm-EG9GftIULswRHP-zYkY0yDJJUlNT-yYb1CHnZ0M5BqKAA-xcE-cdPdAF6ibIow/s1600/IMG_2040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6XWBr1kb2bvSmVZExRsJ1c8yHEuvdplUdNWiH280iQFNm6P9jEgKQIgKwgkrkueSja5YbgATkfvm-EG9GftIULswRHP-zYkY0yDJJUlNT-yYb1CHnZ0M5BqKAA-xcE-cdPdAF6ibIow/s640/IMG_2040.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They're just as tough as they sound. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You won't meet many people in your life, or in history, who deserve the nickname <i>Old Hickory</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
like this all around Bartram’s Garden, where the Presidents come alive.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even
all the rustic fences…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeaUicwwX4I4bbVewT6Bknd5VcbeOVkrLoT9ATRz8Y2mH_56VURNGvb7qYpR96GI66nM_nI4mrwXcHYTaTPGDBCuumnK_tilWiqVTfYVrxO5ofeBlmHxW3xPBpgWpCQBK7wrX5QZuanM/s1600/IMG_2218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeaUicwwX4I4bbVewT6Bknd5VcbeOVkrLoT9ATRz8Y2mH_56VURNGvb7qYpR96GI66nM_nI4mrwXcHYTaTPGDBCuumnK_tilWiqVTfYVrxO5ofeBlmHxW3xPBpgWpCQBK7wrX5QZuanM/s640/IMG_2218.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…brings
to mind that old rail-splitter of a President, Honest Abe.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARwh57zXYycW3RFOrKxVECZA5hMWEk6Sv9QfEhh-HFZLxWXHu485fOsskzXhfd-bsSbYPR_asiVV9Eob46oO-lmvLk8zxI0OuS47PZ-pXhLj5_sSy1ZhAD-aEMbYRUXcbPWFyH1atI7I/s1600/9466162-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARwh57zXYycW3RFOrKxVECZA5hMWEk6Sv9QfEhh-HFZLxWXHu485fOsskzXhfd-bsSbYPR_asiVV9Eob46oO-lmvLk8zxI0OuS47PZ-pXhLj5_sSy1ZhAD-aEMbYRUXcbPWFyH1atI7I/s400/9466162-large.jpg" width="331" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Right
near the vegetable garden, there is a tall Virginia pine…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Xo5fehJDv-XrabvHSeSfzWosfNtl8hXxw0BGW-0d7h1laArAsD2-rC7bm4BVVD9B90iBaad4Uehtmjfqwe1p7k8DJPJWTIR2CScsykpeEMohhcOt13yLVkAvSFalPVBU8z_4ywHVC4A/s1600/IMG_2210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Xo5fehJDv-XrabvHSeSfzWosfNtl8hXxw0BGW-0d7h1laArAsD2-rC7bm4BVVD9B90iBaad4Uehtmjfqwe1p7k8DJPJWTIR2CScsykpeEMohhcOt13yLVkAvSFalPVBU8z_4ywHVC4A/s640/IMG_2210.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
it’s impossible not to think of Thomas Jefferson…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRDsYTi1EZwtgKiWKImdXFmhezJJ3Z8lkc2Qqg3RKNESehy6QyhGO7Owyh5TST2G0vRVPR-Yge1GdLtu-rXaqZ2qTkm2eAA9J4i2uppOutEfxqs2u2neQAWX_915bUSVIQtM_UAbz_wk/s1600/61341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRDsYTi1EZwtgKiWKImdXFmhezJJ3Z8lkc2Qqg3RKNESehy6QyhGO7Owyh5TST2G0vRVPR-Yge1GdLtu-rXaqZ2qTkm2eAA9J4i2uppOutEfxqs2u2neQAWX_915bUSVIQtM_UAbz_wk/s400/61341.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…whose
book <i>Notes on the State of Virginia</i> chronicles and describes all the great and small plants and animals of
his home state.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Each
item on the list is the equivalent of staking a flag in the ground.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
of course, even though it’s far from the tallest tree in the garden, the
curious franklinia looms large and tall…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwgtsEw5MftKNp-xkmVWeBfDDY8wyUWT07rdu164xeiioHC8NTuIUy8mL2UzdMjFnPX9fpTC3DY1dFovGX5vsPwMuIjE14Ni6jeJ-o46JbMkzITCuwY8P3hYnyl9HbJNtg4QuPaxy5aY/s1600/IMG_2229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwgtsEw5MftKNp-xkmVWeBfDDY8wyUWT07rdu164xeiioHC8NTuIUy8mL2UzdMjFnPX9fpTC3DY1dFovGX5vsPwMuIjE14Ni6jeJ-o46JbMkzITCuwY8P3hYnyl9HbJNtg4QuPaxy5aY/s640/IMG_2229.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
lost camellia, one of Bartram’s greatest finds, discovered in the wet swamps of
the Carolinas on the brink of extinction, named for Ben Franklin himself.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBL4JrFzVAop84rJO3f8I-G8Zb2gvLWjzHl7G-F2-C3GAXEe4OJOOaS6tCn7QbBvBCfX1gpskkLuK-c3YZ9Xb8l4E6pOaaGgycKKgMm9njyeysNiz2JF4Q9eWlE_3ip8tjaOB80sNDxAQ/s1600/1776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBL4JrFzVAop84rJO3f8I-G8Zb2gvLWjzHl7G-F2-C3GAXEe4OJOOaS6tCn7QbBvBCfX1gpskkLuK-c3YZ9Xb8l4E6pOaaGgycKKgMm9njyeysNiz2JF4Q9eWlE_3ip8tjaOB80sNDxAQ/s400/1776.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
found Bartram’s own legacy, permanently planted in front of the brick house…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnX4-qcqKcIdUzT4PLrrdS4aBRrZFsovO9DnZgJE4jSPaS98cXgUbYNpNdMU537dpW8iEZevojAJHFU-5vkXUWVEiRx1VofJzC_pkbwa6f-u4rgdXJn1B29K8xmHgbaFUanYALzghn8w/s1600/IMG_2202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnX4-qcqKcIdUzT4PLrrdS4aBRrZFsovO9DnZgJE4jSPaS98cXgUbYNpNdMU537dpW8iEZevojAJHFU-5vkXUWVEiRx1VofJzC_pkbwa6f-u4rgdXJn1B29K8xmHgbaFUanYALzghn8w/s640/IMG_2202.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…his
own discovery of the naturally hybridizing red and willow oak…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6j_G0FrjjmLmmDA9sGSV-WgH0kBqEKMh-7U_riSRNvTrrYIsEsX3eBXE9fBNJoFzqP_cJ3K4GLvcevZ30wOmvqEGSH-0fO8jz1A8Qj8rGUPPDnbTaqyjIbKwdtVIBXM8Kqj7LgtAzTw/s1600/IMG_2205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6j_G0FrjjmLmmDA9sGSV-WgH0kBqEKMh-7U_riSRNvTrrYIsEsX3eBXE9fBNJoFzqP_cJ3K4GLvcevZ30wOmvqEGSH-0fO8jz1A8Qj8rGUPPDnbTaqyjIbKwdtVIBXM8Kqj7LgtAzTw/s640/IMG_2205.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…which
was named, in his honor.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2A6mZQn9sf5bk3wqb3jg9esDxiceoi3jmK_Jz9m-kMxywdmKapNG-ArdMW3ssqcgUoM6iQXgjtebC42esQSbchwV2Wsh3Ftkojf72Tw3FTUfWd-wWQwfek7U2mSpm1VCSq2sEUR6v8I/s1600/IMG_2206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2A6mZQn9sf5bk3wqb3jg9esDxiceoi3jmK_Jz9m-kMxywdmKapNG-ArdMW3ssqcgUoM6iQXgjtebC42esQSbchwV2Wsh3Ftkojf72Tw3FTUfWd-wWQwfek7U2mSpm1VCSq2sEUR6v8I/s640/IMG_2206.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>“CONTINUALLY
IMPELLED BY A RESTLESS SPIRIT OF CURIOSITY…”</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like
most great places, Bartram's Garden has something to say.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
starts telling you a story: each tree has a name, a place and a native
range that is part of a larger, united landscape that, when given the chance to interact with mankind, takes on a new identity, shapes a new kind of character, grows a new
kind of world.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmrbTbHroXsmfFWEuzHa3yUbqiJv4hyv7MD9UWLktwdu4YQWzn6ayVwworKIVncRj40Pylt1vqcqy0wsyxzkb-MyCA91z6T1ABqGh1rRXRo94qXnOmW_FIT6RYrMjNwHasdmYZj1N15Q/s1600/IMG_2247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmrbTbHroXsmfFWEuzHa3yUbqiJv4hyv7MD9UWLktwdu4YQWzn6ayVwworKIVncRj40Pylt1vqcqy0wsyxzkb-MyCA91z6T1ABqGh1rRXRo94qXnOmW_FIT6RYrMjNwHasdmYZj1N15Q/s640/IMG_2247.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
not the kind of expression that can be summed up on a bumper sticker, not the kind
of idea that can be contained in a single icon or symbolized on a flag.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
not going to make a pretty costume.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
yet, I have to admit, a part of me does wish it could fit on a coffee mug. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRlesiP133j2j1no6myIYHC0gRINxSpjjkOOU6A4n812YZdR1QQ273J27BNnqFLp2TnaAu3FojvmhDrTUVGsfRitBxizm6pBlGrx-E5sNF_e3487AwTfLyGlLKs9hEzGr4BtOn-V6V48/s1600/IMG_2041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRlesiP133j2j1no6myIYHC0gRINxSpjjkOOU6A4n812YZdR1QQ273J27BNnqFLp2TnaAu3FojvmhDrTUVGsfRitBxizm6pBlGrx-E5sNF_e3487AwTfLyGlLKs9hEzGr4BtOn-V6V48/s640/IMG_2041.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Walking
along the loose lanes of the garden, the Bartrams’ vision becomes clear.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Trees,
plants, shrubs, flowers and weeds…that’s country.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JhL8lepBgCPCPJgN9jAy7okdDg3PiJE2L_K9y-rsZWVqqm4rH_FbIEevouUynFqdXXbtIx1_3dhiUDqC1uB7bQmEfjTR33HqqPVJy9thbwoMgqQapNjhT60YJrVbODUQq2mKkTG1yag/s1600/IMG_2037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JhL8lepBgCPCPJgN9jAy7okdDg3PiJE2L_K9y-rsZWVqqm4rH_FbIEevouUynFqdXXbtIx1_3dhiUDqC1uB7bQmEfjTR33HqqPVJy9thbwoMgqQapNjhT60YJrVbODUQq2mKkTG1yag/s640/IMG_2037.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
designed and built, with their own blistered hands, a defiant statement against
the scientific royal landscapes found in the traditional gardens of Great
Britain and France.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
true act of rebellion, this garden was always meant to celebrate the wild and
weird flora that the Bartrams discovered and named during their travels around
the colonies, along the coast or out there in Indian country…trees like this osage
orange growing out of the weeds behind a fence…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjeflblQOUQ5RVzir9irNoSrFRM-8Kz7_GQwaDANqJvbyNCiksNQM9-zfNrfJymF4e-OvWQ-vXrqEy7lcXdIu0Kpjxvq4eab_vZAJBdAhfSKuh6samoaoCBz30xJn9Wdh8IHGtbIbZe0o/s1600/IMG_2261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjeflblQOUQ5RVzir9irNoSrFRM-8Kz7_GQwaDANqJvbyNCiksNQM9-zfNrfJymF4e-OvWQ-vXrqEy7lcXdIu0Kpjxvq4eab_vZAJBdAhfSKuh6samoaoCBz30xJn9Wdh8IHGtbIbZe0o/s640/IMG_2261.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or
like the southern hackberry, a tree that would never be accepted into the
elegant realm of English gardens, thanks to its unseemly, corky bark...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeN_WOl8sxcl7vZ4HiDhomzaL0cbyIE76b-_jjuma1AShfeBPyIadbk5JJLM8SNBohe1pEKF7fqPJRXpWlqtTkf0D3eTRuVBw29wdh5K3Asteer6ve3l75Rtqb4IafHmol322k7jp9mY/s1600/IMG_2219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeN_WOl8sxcl7vZ4HiDhomzaL0cbyIE76b-_jjuma1AShfeBPyIadbk5JJLM8SNBohe1pEKF7fqPJRXpWlqtTkf0D3eTRuVBw29wdh5K3Asteer6ve3l75Rtqb4IafHmol322k7jp9mY/s640/IMG_2219.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…a
tree whose appearance would never pass muster.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
also discovered the sourwood tree, not a very spectacular tree at all, but a
tree native only to this part of the world...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRu5RnLPd8SYWZ6tfRAtzTF55Y60NQEKofh0WBmFrjR_KbXrx2kM4YZQPv0cgVqUQBa9nCmfl5FSMduZxn1vPqiRhl3eEdOkflLGl99ozpBYFBumj_-DFhQ7epH-C3pDDfGBwC46jbKUg/s1600/IMG_2043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRu5RnLPd8SYWZ6tfRAtzTF55Y60NQEKofh0WBmFrjR_KbXrx2kM4YZQPv0cgVqUQBa9nCmfl5FSMduZxn1vPqiRhl3eEdOkflLGl99ozpBYFBumj_-DFhQ7epH-C3pDDfGBwC46jbKUg/s640/IMG_2043.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
kind of tree that really deserves the stamp: MADE IN THE U.S.A.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
my favorite sight of the day, something that I’ve always wanted to hunt down
and catch…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nTXIFNXxLUHKowwcJ78t6rORtvixgpPyFVztjjaKrTXxudldvkrFZEG7HHv5fCYMq1EtMR8Hzgdg2VNfK00HBNM1xTl9Oyi3msyCI7xmoodZrQYVO5Hy3A-TP9sqxaGdGS288bQKRwg/s1600/IMG_2054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nTXIFNXxLUHKowwcJ78t6rORtvixgpPyFVztjjaKrTXxudldvkrFZEG7HHv5fCYMq1EtMR8Hzgdg2VNfK00HBNM1xTl9Oyi3msyCI7xmoodZrQYVO5Hy3A-TP9sqxaGdGS288bQKRwg/s640/IMG_2054.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
flowering of the buttonbush tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the eyes of many professional landscapers and gardeners, this plant has a
low-class status, found naturally in the mucky, sunny banks of swamps and bogs
along the great American rivers…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw-qe5nF3Kod5ocLGv7VORtR1_RdENNEEFFdePsxnwRvW9OxwPgNMVUZGsvOCbXvU3X8PAq9SRUlr73qf5AmfAEvnHiNImGlkstOCMNbjzkFvNVcwo9LV1uwjl4dvToaZjW2DDkAfqyo/s1600/IMG_2050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw-qe5nF3Kod5ocLGv7VORtR1_RdENNEEFFdePsxnwRvW9OxwPgNMVUZGsvOCbXvU3X8PAq9SRUlr73qf5AmfAEvnHiNImGlkstOCMNbjzkFvNVcwo9LV1uwjl4dvToaZjW2DDkAfqyo/s640/IMG_2050.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but
given a prominent place here at Bartram’s right next to one of the long stone
houses.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
there’s your stars and stripes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbCiB3pqQzTKY-pj9YaMuIu9DMMdIGC1w3RXu0lXLgw1sQpIQ49rs8aSaodIeEp266Es_AXBfGZG6DuJa-9TglinsXzz3ScH1MQatFDaYK-5Mli6ba4U1O_v3USmYu_ga1WjtVIS3dJQ/s1600/IMG_2055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbCiB3pqQzTKY-pj9YaMuIu9DMMdIGC1w3RXu0lXLgw1sQpIQ49rs8aSaodIeEp266Es_AXBfGZG6DuJa-9TglinsXzz3ScH1MQatFDaYK-5Mli6ba4U1O_v3USmYu_ga1WjtVIS3dJQ/s640/IMG_2055.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
too bad, but it’s just as well, that this place is far away and inconvenient
from the gift shop row of Olde City, not the kind of place that will go on a
tight tourist itinerary.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like
the other historical attractions, it’s rich with information but, unlike the
other tourist traps, you don’t feel like you’re being milked.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Everything
is correctly identified.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
unlike the other historical theme parks down there in Olde City, you have the
option to explore it in the order that you want. You have the option to make your own
path. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOgWXjYG6QQ2-zUHGe1qTwXfxByBRwZWnmEbV_gIrxtimulJSGcg9uFictiDdrr-b8PxWoZ9BlRa_b_sb6aecenerr0FCuXpDG7YSKPpmdLKdhU4eXSyzyeujJ0vbEhANn-0q-IMYZfk/s1600/IMG_2101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOgWXjYG6QQ2-zUHGe1qTwXfxByBRwZWnmEbV_gIrxtimulJSGcg9uFictiDdrr-b8PxWoZ9BlRa_b_sb6aecenerr0FCuXpDG7YSKPpmdLKdhU4eXSyzyeujJ0vbEhANn-0q-IMYZfk/s640/IMG_2101.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
sure there are guided tours and I’m sure there are group discount admission
rates but it’s also open to the public, from dawn to dusk every day, and you
have the choice to come and go as you please, take your time, tell your own
story, find your own way.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You’re
on your own. Enjoy the independence day.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZA-UWqQoCrrvyqeWLSHrfn5wiPS-1UyYU8aGmC68gMGfQIcbWNUqQosYLjv2tuGwRMCbBDt-TJXprAmDSXu_QwmyqRLSxCvfzNTXhT473JNMy7n5eeiJktLuq_vHVTDM9-FLzidNemQ/s1600/IMG_2159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZA-UWqQoCrrvyqeWLSHrfn5wiPS-1UyYU8aGmC68gMGfQIcbWNUqQosYLjv2tuGwRMCbBDt-TJXprAmDSXu_QwmyqRLSxCvfzNTXhT473JNMy7n5eeiJktLuq_vHVTDM9-FLzidNemQ/s640/IMG_2159.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-15727003946592125232013-06-24T21:21:00.000-07:002013-06-26T10:11:49.237-07:00TREES ON THE ROAD<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
I was, enjoying the daylights out of these long, long days of June, reading the
local paper in the backyard of my urban cabin, when a headline caught my eye:</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/212307481.html" target="_blank"><i><u>Wildman Throws Spear at Passing Vehicle in California.</u></i></a></span><u></u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
been a while but here we have our first sighting of the Wildman for 2013, timed
perfectly to the first super-moon of summer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ain’t
that just like Coyote?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
Wildman has been lurking on the outskirts of our civilization since the very
beginning of tamed society, usually appearing as figments and fancies of the
imagination: centaurs, minotaurs, mermaids and werewolves, shamans turning into
eagles, hunters becoming the hunted, husbands waking up as buffalo, bear or
antelope…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1rpDCIPBCl7GEfvVi6Ney0eNxwGcpcShzSV_vuUum5ATZSIetj6sj2IUnv6S8K3aq2vc0fB0USlWm_SBDeXFYUQx_KajyLzvNTp_OvEzmBT4lVaaAF6v8XIv-vBGyy7z-f4cZmw-1GM/s1600/CavepaintingSG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="637" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1rpDCIPBCl7GEfvVi6Ney0eNxwGcpcShzSV_vuUum5ATZSIetj6sj2IUnv6S8K3aq2vc0fB0USlWm_SBDeXFYUQx_KajyLzvNTp_OvEzmBT4lVaaAF6v8XIv-vBGyy7z-f4cZmw-1GM/s640/CavepaintingSG.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…doomed
souls who answer too frequently the call of the wild: Merlin and the Green
Knight, Tarzan and Mogwai, Santa Claus, the shipwrecked kids from <i>The Lord of the Flies</i> and, my favorite,
the half-man half-plant superhero called Swamp Thing.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5t1KcKwegKvD4YUa8Wcuy4AdHuJMImQmPFTLonsZQJ_juIWoIJCal1hscZCAHpsNsAc2O66M424eqMflpy3iVJczgesON9bqso-9mmHnNle_KSBeoSjNL3YsjovChNnuAsBX9GAQOQk/s1600/Swampthing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5t1KcKwegKvD4YUa8Wcuy4AdHuJMImQmPFTLonsZQJ_juIWoIJCal1hscZCAHpsNsAc2O66M424eqMflpy3iVJczgesON9bqso-9mmHnNle_KSBeoSjNL3YsjovChNnuAsBX9GAQOQk/s640/Swampthing.jpg" width="444" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
it’s wrong to pigeonhole the Wildman as pure fiction. Sometimes, he is as real as you and me, right
there in black and white.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh704RIdajXbRBbB_xYGiHy2EJ9qoPJn_bmHrqZl7c8xT4UKBIQGpdFZKEdKYIuG6MLp8AVLICxNLbkJxl-zAO0sabeo5fE0SxjYqX8VUsqsZKWLfATQjZSmo0ijsCwZzbMc1hvk4et_aY/s1600/album4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh704RIdajXbRBbB_xYGiHy2EJ9qoPJn_bmHrqZl7c8xT4UKBIQGpdFZKEdKYIuG6MLp8AVLICxNLbkJxl-zAO0sabeo5fE0SxjYqX8VUsqsZKWLfATQjZSmo0ijsCwZzbMc1hvk4et_aY/s640/album4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
Joseph Knowles, one of the most famous Wildmen in American history. That’s a publicity shot, when he made his
triumphant return to Mother, and civilization, after spending two months,
living like a primitive, in the Maine Woods near Bear Lake.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
turned wild in August 1913. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5JWOTIB_-qnXY-m1fht6rjZU5rHSUWPm7NS5_J4rvsXCyEFRGeP4fLdYp_MgN6uO-DVLezbKCa9-EP4GvpTPlVzHcZRkUF_sLJPWp5v4swhF0Hs4-JIEu7X-fRWflX5v_oOCN8BtzhY/s1600/joe-knowles-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5JWOTIB_-qnXY-m1fht6rjZU5rHSUWPm7NS5_J4rvsXCyEFRGeP4fLdYp_MgN6uO-DVLezbKCa9-EP4GvpTPlVzHcZRkUF_sLJPWp5v4swhF0Hs4-JIEu7X-fRWflX5v_oOCN8BtzhY/s640/joe-knowles-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Surrounded
by the New England mass media of the day, he stripped down to his jockstrap,
took a few drags of a cigarette, said a hearty “See you later, boys!” and
jumped, head-first and barefoot, into the wilds.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to his memoirs, he constructed a little lean-to shelter in the pine woods, learned
how to forage and hunt and fish, how to build fire, carve weapons and make clothing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Before
leaving the rat-race, he was an illustrator and cartoonist, so he also spent
the free days observing the <i>College of
Nature</i>, as he liked to call it,<i> </i>drawing the placid, pastoral scenes on the backsides of birch bark.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KDAgR6o0tfjKRxElwLdYWctDzNwtGN7mmt_wYChVKLShAGVHvMRCFaK5vm0AcYADeId-lbYTpnhkI8rJ7sG9W4h7b830xb8ugu9R003zKpGqdPmnq6aaSo-cNK1APDYR_bWPtQA41Lo/s1600/birch3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KDAgR6o0tfjKRxElwLdYWctDzNwtGN7mmt_wYChVKLShAGVHvMRCFaK5vm0AcYADeId-lbYTpnhkI8rJ7sG9W4h7b830xb8ugu9R003zKpGqdPmnq6aaSo-cNK1APDYR_bWPtQA41Lo/s640/birch3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was a story that captivated the nation back in 1913.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Have
you ever noticed that stories of the Wildman, no matter what’s happening in the
bigger world, always make it through the scuttlebutt, always seem to get some
sort of headline?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to the press, Wildman has legs.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmR5jog8rrVcFKUgl1AHN3DQRGKV9rNedLRslAsT-CuBJJdYc7YYB4BGSMO0Ulzz22S20IF0qV93SmlwfQePe-u_FI0gjYLt_uWw91jtO4HCvWaMr9KHLI2pHL9ziFrWGw67UKTENhlo/s1600/joe-knowles-news.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmR5jog8rrVcFKUgl1AHN3DQRGKV9rNedLRslAsT-CuBJJdYc7YYB4BGSMO0Ulzz22S20IF0qV93SmlwfQePe-u_FI0gjYLt_uWw91jtO4HCvWaMr9KHLI2pHL9ziFrWGw67UKTENhlo/s640/joe-knowles-news.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now,
let’s see what he’s doing over there in California.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>A 56-year old
man with long wild hair and beard tossed a spear at a passing vehicle in
Sacramento, California.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>A caller told
police that a man standing on the road had hurled the spear at the
vehicle. The spear then became stuck in
the vehicle’s front fender.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>It was not clear
why the wild man threw the spear.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ha! <i>Not
clear why?</i> Open your eyes,
Reuters! The answer is very clear.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
called <i>traffic</i>, man.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
sometimes it’s a doozy. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrV2wH1t30qsmLpsOVAimcbGqNdIk2Sm2kIPcx4kSqnGsxs58mgVD1XiKyKUTHIiDTknjVFLMQ8N1VPkawgANVY7soxNeUInKJ-0_6eQ3EH0mcbWAw0wQjN-foV1ABMPpD3a4iw1BRt28/s1600/l_philadelphia-traffic-ap-photox600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrV2wH1t30qsmLpsOVAimcbGqNdIk2Sm2kIPcx4kSqnGsxs58mgVD1XiKyKUTHIiDTknjVFLMQ8N1VPkawgANVY7soxNeUInKJ-0_6eQ3EH0mcbWAw0wQjN-foV1ABMPpD3a4iw1BRt28/s640/l_philadelphia-traffic-ap-photox600.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cars
and more cars everywhere you turn, major roadways closed, construction around
every corner, watching out for bicyclists and pedestrians and jaywalkers,
bumper to bumper all along the highways, nothing but
volume up and down the Roosevelt Boulevard all the way from Academy to the Blue
Route…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGVLTfjULivrVxmbyIwopRa8zioKQ94HeZ8hxU-5SBN4G0tWv9Q8FMKF_vODyH3m_CRtszaZr5baJnJExxExC5e3bsntTrna-Uol4vGbUFSQusaENYdimb8Jj4pPbm_yQtQ9CnRCgrRo/s1600/I95.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGVLTfjULivrVxmbyIwopRa8zioKQ94HeZ8hxU-5SBN4G0tWv9Q8FMKF_vODyH3m_CRtszaZr5baJnJExxExC5e3bsntTrna-Uol4vGbUFSQusaENYdimb8Jj4pPbm_yQtQ9CnRCgrRo/s640/I95.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…it
ain’t easy being cooped up in a sweltering car, inching forward to the next
detour or the next red light.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
you got any bit of Wildman in you, it’s horrible…just a bunch of expensive
cages sitting still on the hot asphalt, pumping exhaust and burning fuel, going
nowhere.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
as far as trees go, there’s not much to see along most highways…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhQd622CJodXZ4yqtHkPAYMnNLDVW3q0npS2yWvIpO-20scG_AEkp7odZHYiT-ntlV_-Qcw4stFSw5_ov-0-5U0bR7YLL2tMrgxGhIpfyIqE4s6mYvAQN6KQdIc0NKXVjkYtH9OpqGl4/s1600/2013-06-19+15.22.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhQd622CJodXZ4yqtHkPAYMnNLDVW3q0npS2yWvIpO-20scG_AEkp7odZHYiT-ntlV_-Qcw4stFSw5_ov-0-5U0bR7YLL2tMrgxGhIpfyIqE4s6mYvAQN6KQdIc0NKXVjkYtH9OpqGl4/s640/2013-06-19+15.22.52.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…frigging
ailanthus.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
enough to make anyone batty.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
why I keep a few road-side trees on my mental map, just a few notable and rare trees always on my radar, sturdy and dependable landmarks
right along the roads and highways that make the slog through traffic just a
little more bearable.</span></span></div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like
this tree, right before Ridge Avenue turns into Ridge Pike,
near the northwest edge of the city limits…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZVjf0JhQMo6sPB10YnIesPNnXL9bhlNqKDmO61p80p0kvCeNMECHaLJukjrq3JCMrXhqFpxZZKbnYlfjUt4x2BpQYMlUtGzMZ7OYDMzW42Z2QJLsWjmBMpZjMM5WCMQVx1xHjqREJCE/s1600/2013-06-19+17.42.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZVjf0JhQMo6sPB10YnIesPNnXL9bhlNqKDmO61p80p0kvCeNMECHaLJukjrq3JCMrXhqFpxZZKbnYlfjUt4x2BpQYMlUtGzMZ7OYDMzW42Z2QJLsWjmBMpZjMM5WCMQVx1xHjqREJCE/s640/2013-06-19+17.42.05.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that’s an osage
orange.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is a tree
for all seasons of highway travel.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On foggy winter
mornings, it leans over the road in all its spooky, crabby glory…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnf6nDGeKZqhCJLKT-5KM6278cnC65yFN_-_2Gko_V2DmUCBgq4PIBLUmIchiEW6fM563IQJQzrPMCj7ZKjj4jiGQVK9q2C2OA-0VJmMBopFtZ4n4x_3jon7py4eDBVZkLeEesBOE5n9I/s1600/IMG_7170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnf6nDGeKZqhCJLKT-5KM6278cnC65yFN_-_2Gko_V2DmUCBgq4PIBLUmIchiEW6fM563IQJQzrPMCj7ZKjj4jiGQVK9q2C2OA-0VJmMBopFtZ4n4x_3jon7py4eDBVZkLeEesBOE5n9I/s640/IMG_7170.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">…but, here in the beginning of summer, it’s worth a
quick pit-stop to catch its strange, prehistoric fruit…</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGbcA_9ztE19crHwLE45qSB9xyEG5l9fkQJMZey-TmAA427PK2RLcTykrQ-1uYWNtCTf0Qtd0PFC3ozmG9CkvLRJoxwNsvGYUYsHZDoaE5kvv4FMcjkNAo2BetSfwi3QYbdKaIfLR1Ts/s1600/2013-06-19+17.39.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGbcA_9ztE19crHwLE45qSB9xyEG5l9fkQJMZey-TmAA427PK2RLcTykrQ-1uYWNtCTf0Qtd0PFC3ozmG9CkvLRJoxwNsvGYUYsHZDoaE5kvv4FMcjkNAo2BetSfwi3QYbdKaIfLR1Ts/s640/2013-06-19+17.39.59.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…ripening and
bearding on the branches.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I tried to find some old fruit from last season still
lying on the ground near the tree but no such luck. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">That doesn’t make any sense to me. Where did they go?</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">There wasn't even a trace of them, not even one rotting rind. Nothing but mystery. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">According to my Dendrology Library, these green oranges
aren’t part of any modern wildlife diet.
</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFTkasV9iua6m6Mg_zb_Xr4drBuwq-Jz0Zt_UBUc9i1-qU9iB7Brpa-BWsEILDc_I9SvYfu0ddMQ39jlg_0nEDpJLEjDh5i-ZxUs0raHkGESyHzWLvhnBOCjfE7vjh2okZUAp2hCt7vo/s1600/2013-06-19+17.39.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFTkasV9iua6m6Mg_zb_Xr4drBuwq-Jz0Zt_UBUc9i1-qU9iB7Brpa-BWsEILDc_I9SvYfu0ddMQ39jlg_0nEDpJLEjDh5i-ZxUs0raHkGESyHzWLvhnBOCjfE7vjh2okZUAp2hCt7vo/s640/2013-06-19+17.39.03.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">It was once a staple food for the wooly mammoths
but, unless I missed some big news, they aren’t roaming around Philadelphia
anymore.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Still, this was a good time to catch the osage
orange bark…</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0XWHMXmGKnU3gZpvUz4URhpXJyYTs8ZUhdpNg6HSbgo9SpOx_daUnu-bnBFDU90NsuHIng6t8Y1RBX2L8uYtSLBsnC6jMi2p32-CJbmqWPInDEz6zHW2ThGLiP-C0G3YNmwRVYVM23I/s1600/2013-06-19+17.38.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0XWHMXmGKnU3gZpvUz4URhpXJyYTs8ZUhdpNg6HSbgo9SpOx_daUnu-bnBFDU90NsuHIng6t8Y1RBX2L8uYtSLBsnC6jMi2p32-CJbmqWPInDEz6zHW2ThGLiP-C0G3YNmwRVYVM23I/s640/2013-06-19+17.38.22.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">...all those wrinkles and furrows running like
a river across its gnarled trunk, all those weird branches bending at impossible angles.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This tree is never caught idling, every inch
full of action.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3i8r5QwpOGQ-r0vY3jPU0apoMc4hbI3pijYNIeAg5zy0jixnw3BS5YLHb05gIBZZ4Q2jWyMGgwc1wjZTgC7fBBnXmpjPzhiZHWPhXaEES8qPLcsSCCKQ2uYBajC7JUlUh5nVW0n8tRSw/s1600/2013-06-19+17.40.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3i8r5QwpOGQ-r0vY3jPU0apoMc4hbI3pijYNIeAg5zy0jixnw3BS5YLHb05gIBZZ4Q2jWyMGgwc1wjZTgC7fBBnXmpjPzhiZHWPhXaEES8qPLcsSCCKQ2uYBajC7JUlUh5nVW0n8tRSw/s640/2013-06-19+17.40.41.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Trees like this, trees growing right along the roads, keep me calm and sane while fighting my way through traffic.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Road-side tree hunting keeps the Wildman at bay.</span></span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Like here...if you’re traveling towards Center City over the
Grays Ferry Bridge, take a quick look to the right and catch the flowering
mimosa creeping over the railings.</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuy2KVLYQ25NKVEmC0nyEe0lsoymXX-Eh7EaOE5eIJT6NKwEi0Gw0kgmgi3sWG5RMcYTOlrKmi0Zk_Ng7BnZBlsdQOKlv4buIfwlshQAsukzPJcU9xTG9PHtL-qSTsV67mjfpFDIDwnc/s1600/IMG_1876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuy2KVLYQ25NKVEmC0nyEe0lsoymXX-Eh7EaOE5eIJT6NKwEi0Gw0kgmgi3sWG5RMcYTOlrKmi0Zk_Ng7BnZBlsdQOKlv4buIfwlshQAsukzPJcU9xTG9PHtL-qSTsV67mjfpFDIDwnc/s640/IMG_1876.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">There is an even more spectacular mimosa right off
Delaware Avenue, across from Penn Treaty Park…</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJY0cavt08L4rsgBTNP0EEbMLUyI5QY0chxc1f_YQyhoC9zTTvNP2VPCankH2FmIdHrWm5vz9Ot5ObFPm4jVJbUAs09lHhB7wUQj-gxAeXEnmWh6VwtLB9CVddFriahUFR1xvX6ftaS6s/s1600/2013-06-20+18.31.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJY0cavt08L4rsgBTNP0EEbMLUyI5QY0chxc1f_YQyhoC9zTTvNP2VPCankH2FmIdHrWm5vz9Ot5ObFPm4jVJbUAs09lHhB7wUQj-gxAeXEnmWh6VwtLB9CVddFriahUFR1xvX6ftaS6s/s640/2013-06-20+18.31.51.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">…spontaneously growing behind a permanent rent-a-fence.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The mimosa, also known as the silk tree, is a common
sight along most highways, taking over the edges of the grassy shoulders or
sprouting out of the concrete islands, even more noticeable now, thanks to
those dazzling pink tassels bursting over its tropical comb-toothed leaves.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihk_6IO9LMuAPX35Vi2l67rqVOXI2i0mCT4rSQdBuRtFXZ_Lh5Rme2BaKPD6-sX-i_SFUfmnuPfre9N0BC6jzHsoILGihzbw030ohyphenhyphenTSetU1rPjQJYAI7aEJok7ImSDwTCs0Xisdpb0UY/s1600/2013-06-20+18.32.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihk_6IO9LMuAPX35Vi2l67rqVOXI2i0mCT4rSQdBuRtFXZ_Lh5Rme2BaKPD6-sX-i_SFUfmnuPfre9N0BC6jzHsoILGihzbw030ohyphenhyphenTSetU1rPjQJYAI7aEJok7ImSDwTCs0Xisdpb0UY/s640/2013-06-20+18.32.11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">It’s too bad that the mimosa is known, around the
world, as an invasive weed tree. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">If only it wasn’t so successful, if only it wasn’t
so good at surviving against all that exhaust and noise, all that trash and
salt, then we would know it as one of the most fragrant and radiant of our trees…</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigu0oVH1_BZKIPozlWXEeVtH_ZzQyODUCTPBA8s17VVQXjHqBzrlWJ3yO__r3J7reYllvt9MQdDiwxYDENoTvBiiVGIbSA7xcI5rkwObDbZLvJuGUVFGVfqqAbJCqPI1mlaMkP9wr0xCY/s1600/2013-06-20+18.33.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigu0oVH1_BZKIPozlWXEeVtH_ZzQyODUCTPBA8s17VVQXjHqBzrlWJ3yO__r3J7reYllvt9MQdDiwxYDENoTvBiiVGIbSA7xcI5rkwObDbZLvJuGUVFGVfqqAbJCqPI1mlaMkP9wr0xCY/s640/2013-06-20+18.33.49.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">…and we would look forward to seeing those
shimmering pompoms as one of the first signs of summer.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">But I guess that’s a thought for a less crowded, less
driven, less paved kind of world.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">As it stands now, most people only get this close to
a flowering mimosa for one of two reasons.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Either they’re writing an urban tree blog or they’re
broke down on the highway.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Ain’t that just like Coyote?</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrmaqmQsXE6bsRLUmotMSTe4Ldh7dTlfbY0Wo679Pabk5vn3Sx-w2ttvSkgZIcdsQH10RzhgZRAb7JqY-PlHYo32QgZ_SA_0yCCSRk_37YZQCOJjZyrWGmaHDF9Qq3M75Jgy4NPAcIuk/s1600/2013-06-20+18.32.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrmaqmQsXE6bsRLUmotMSTe4Ldh7dTlfbY0Wo679Pabk5vn3Sx-w2ttvSkgZIcdsQH10RzhgZRAb7JqY-PlHYo32QgZ_SA_0yCCSRk_37YZQCOJjZyrWGmaHDF9Qq3M75Jgy4NPAcIuk/s640/2013-06-20+18.32.50.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">There is another tree flowering right now, commonly
used as a street tree, that has a more respectable, more dignified reputation…</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYVQoOcQSXO_ouFJwzFgUsNxH-vzD2SCelxQFlk1azeWKXmGuc-hhRJrHr6RvjdPYLtEZHqf4JWq7Bmh-9p2aqwYoVvNsfCqwOoMSuzKLxP9vq-uOeITYm9YhjVyfXln28xt8FoHjZD8/s1600/2013-06-20+17.42.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYVQoOcQSXO_ouFJwzFgUsNxH-vzD2SCelxQFlk1azeWKXmGuc-hhRJrHr6RvjdPYLtEZHqf4JWq7Bmh-9p2aqwYoVvNsfCqwOoMSuzKLxP9vq-uOeITYm9YhjVyfXln28xt8FoHjZD8/s640/2013-06-20+17.42.04.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">…these are the goldenrain trees along Frankford
Avenue.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This urban-friendly tree comes to us courtesy of
Southeast Asia where it is a signature tree planted near the entrances of
temples, palaces, tombs and royal gardens.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">There is something graceful and thoughtful, maybe even a little sensual, about its slinky, curvy growth pattern.</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94Bu9-UvIUeZiXfmcxuRnzMGc5H4HpvB1sPfe1aRPbqH-7nYMYrIzI48TSAONfO4rqf8d5kl9NZEVLH4I10hqUhI6yIrI0XutwdGNgWYB59TduvzY5oAoT2ZqaCBV5q4p4pMB0KdeKcU/s1600/2013-06-20+17.43.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94Bu9-UvIUeZiXfmcxuRnzMGc5H4HpvB1sPfe1aRPbqH-7nYMYrIzI48TSAONfO4rqf8d5kl9NZEVLH4I10hqUhI6yIrI0XutwdGNgWYB59TduvzY5oAoT2ZqaCBV5q4p4pMB0KdeKcU/s640/2013-06-20+17.43.52.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">It’s a survivor of a tree, like the mimosa, escaping
its natural home of dense forests in China and Korea where it's become an invasive
weed tree, flourishing quite well in the salty, rocky flats of massive
construction projects and deforestation sites.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">That’s why it’s become such a popular street tree
here in Philadelphia.</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH24xkH5wthkQQx8AZodx2GG-g3VJl31QUOFqPJmql4dVriPOPYdn2Akwc3r5L_7Gbsakejt9D5gqK_kD8KlZVQ3JBWYimFw2ZRgK35wdFoxb46GkNqhR6stjYNGWfWNK3QbbU3w4Kvuk/s1600/2013-06-19+15.08.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH24xkH5wthkQQx8AZodx2GG-g3VJl31QUOFqPJmql4dVriPOPYdn2Akwc3r5L_7Gbsakejt9D5gqK_kD8KlZVQ3JBWYimFw2ZRgK35wdFoxb46GkNqhR6stjYNGWfWNK3QbbU3w4Kvuk/s640/2013-06-19+15.08.59.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">There’s a fantastic, flamboyant stand of goldenrain
trees on 8th Avenue, right before the junction of Highway 676 on the outskirts
of Chinatown.</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj842pnzqzLy6mVUMFV7fVd4FFsHWjdI078Fveeju4bGrCyUB8Um1Y0m5upoPxQt00bCFphYdv4ioveyfOdjPpDlgCDkZdU8p0fLLI_7lMr6zeE0DA-agvhyhe4nOND7zvGjGCZX8krYcs/s1600/IMG_1854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj842pnzqzLy6mVUMFV7fVd4FFsHWjdI078Fveeju4bGrCyUB8Um1Y0m5upoPxQt00bCFphYdv4ioveyfOdjPpDlgCDkZdU8p0fLLI_7lMr6zeE0DA-agvhyhe4nOND7zvGjGCZX8krYcs/s640/IMG_1854.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Here, I can get a closer look at those small, tight
flowers blooming now…</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipm73Tpb3eG8VilpRUrrNSHZjreZ0fxeCE0m19djffBARO92MHMlgqDt_0PykFhP3KGAQ0U3I_zjRZUDbRIbAgd3iFGsBmvZt_hyphenhyphenPFvRXhEl2fvJIqpYxs8cdQJMhOjQwkj2K1x2S3EwE/s1600/IMG_1860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipm73Tpb3eG8VilpRUrrNSHZjreZ0fxeCE0m19djffBARO92MHMlgqDt_0PykFhP3KGAQ0U3I_zjRZUDbRIbAgd3iFGsBmvZt_hyphenhyphenPFvRXhEl2fvJIqpYxs8cdQJMhOjQwkj2K1x2S3EwE/s640/IMG_1860.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">…bright yellow flames with orange centers, a
constellation of little suns that, when taken in one glance across the entire crown…</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48u9etyEk-Pi3u4sPZiJ85y84TODGPt2DvEMLzNEF1YRHMJw8tJ-QkjOhiikwIzjHvx8p7cM03rmHsRiVhOsFZ43kN6O8oiEoYzVCgvVLqQkMMlC7fIcWF9g2kkmJmQxK1oQG69MV3YA/s1600/IMG_1846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48u9etyEk-Pi3u4sPZiJ85y84TODGPt2DvEMLzNEF1YRHMJw8tJ-QkjOhiikwIzjHvx8p7cM03rmHsRiVhOsFZ43kN6O8oiEoYzVCgvVLqQkMMlC7fIcWF9g2kkmJmQxK1oQG69MV3YA/s640/IMG_1846.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">…gives this tree its fitting name…<i>goldenrain</i>.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">My favorite goldenrain tree in the entire city?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I found it, one day, while sitting in traffic on the
Roosevelt Boulevard.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUOfdL7z4HLN0bxP6Dfw-fOKJwzP5YcfWIhftzH_gwMRaJJLE56SC3DusXtMzwrxnweDc3ewYqexuiRePvi9LiLZua_O5qlvMhs7fjQYb-dKWL1AE8gscowArOluqEn6nDpaurL8HQtE/s1600/2013-06-19+15.52.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHUOfdL7z4HLN0bxP6Dfw-fOKJwzP5YcfWIhftzH_gwMRaJJLE56SC3DusXtMzwrxnweDc3ewYqexuiRePvi9LiLZua_O5qlvMhs7fjQYb-dKWL1AE8gscowArOluqEn6nDpaurL8HQtE/s640/2013-06-19+15.52.59.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I love the way it stands on the strip mall lawn,
alone, leaning towards the highway like it’s sailing on the wind.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2BazNIiQvlXmRRJCe71N59g_ywS3ADjawEYQNc2OfIOPvycsfsWKC-GgopYr-hKtxceypc3mhUs0YCQPwk-h3s3Jo-V08d3IwaEsnpsivAb7Lc1Sy2VMQdBEggNxBaJi_002eRhB7DA/s1600/2013-06-19+15.49.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2BazNIiQvlXmRRJCe71N59g_ywS3ADjawEYQNc2OfIOPvycsfsWKC-GgopYr-hKtxceypc3mhUs0YCQPwk-h3s3Jo-V08d3IwaEsnpsivAb7Lc1Sy2VMQdBEggNxBaJi_002eRhB7DA/s640/2013-06-19+15.49.20.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Drive two more miles down the highway, make the
U-turn at Levick Street and there, neighbor to the Dunkin Donuts, there is
another one of my favorite road-side trees…</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFGdbjcOEX9_MGAra5CHX1atztlZFi7Opz-q4GyGbZxdhdtsIhRODkIP8urpdWHhroJ5U_qeN7fa2OEESVr0XHSGve4NunMPOZdv09ZQLkLst4t8L57JJfHvtpa_shgl_-a0remTnXnI/s1600/2013-06-19+17.00.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFGdbjcOEX9_MGAra5CHX1atztlZFi7Opz-q4GyGbZxdhdtsIhRODkIP8urpdWHhroJ5U_qeN7fa2OEESVr0XHSGve4NunMPOZdv09ZQLkLst4t8L57JJfHvtpa_shgl_-a0remTnXnI/s640/2013-06-19+17.00.13.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">…a Chinese chestnut, caught at the moment of its
astonishing summer flowering.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWgF8iJqgLKNYJmyJH7aHsBlRWLkTMmAhMCC_AfjPiBbJtD2Qm6XTVOzrVE0ZdpjEdgW2um0YNq85rif2_4HF6FUuHA1AJFdKNCE2s9lmred0_OS5UuRkm4EQP7rA5G2zux2EmsSwmF8/s1600/2013-06-19+16.59.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWgF8iJqgLKNYJmyJH7aHsBlRWLkTMmAhMCC_AfjPiBbJtD2Qm6XTVOzrVE0ZdpjEdgW2um0YNq85rif2_4HF6FUuHA1AJFdKNCE2s9lmred0_OS5UuRkm4EQP7rA5G2zux2EmsSwmF8/s640/2013-06-19+16.59.31.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This is a rare tree, uncommonly planted, although it’s
hard to imagine why it's so rare when you see it like this, in late June, rupturing the blue
sky with those fingers of flowers.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The Chinese chestnut has a bark that is complex and
labyrinthe. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOo1U2yZG4KcW4Xz-TENTiyTX9EcBh2Q-5jWEVXFtFEx3kSC0r0UfHtOVw9fGdCBFnAxEUgXhhYVr7V0fAd3XL4nlfc52M25IalHFwvNHJjrR6lkOzCbhbQXh1dMG-yYkIB_VJinnCYBQ/s1600/2013-06-19+16.56.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOo1U2yZG4KcW4Xz-TENTiyTX9EcBh2Q-5jWEVXFtFEx3kSC0r0UfHtOVw9fGdCBFnAxEUgXhhYVr7V0fAd3XL4nlfc52M25IalHFwvNHJjrR6lkOzCbhbQXh1dMG-yYkIB_VJinnCYBQ/s400/2013-06-19+16.56.28.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzuuuDLmxLcamvPgEbPD-ScHZqmEsyi_D4LiLxPCidlZf7K6SaywdMJTZkAu6uuvLgecpy54wQ0F9YerVh0dS2vjIZnNhWoPGTPZEDqMX_46-2J04F2hP8Z2mhaLYW3yMgCANTYi9SAc/s1600/2013-06-19+16.56.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzuuuDLmxLcamvPgEbPD-ScHZqmEsyi_D4LiLxPCidlZf7K6SaywdMJTZkAu6uuvLgecpy54wQ0F9YerVh0dS2vjIZnNhWoPGTPZEDqMX_46-2J04F2hP8Z2mhaLYW3yMgCANTYi9SAc/s400/2013-06-19+16.56.36.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">On the
ground, on the sidewalk, I found a lot of fruit, split open but still full of
nut.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53rGCsgrJ-bWgKDnLfrHb3jWPELJmidHQVjiTs3jXpcMOnnDhQQHrxTTfpBShZL91-BeNO-Bu79uJsbKxMw1r9wNcmtQLLBQwiMIiacuQx8JYd3IPAGzMTvHKCXaCcmd7go417cpBnsU/s1600/2013-06-19+16.58.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53rGCsgrJ-bWgKDnLfrHb3jWPELJmidHQVjiTs3jXpcMOnnDhQQHrxTTfpBShZL91-BeNO-Bu79uJsbKxMw1r9wNcmtQLLBQwiMIiacuQx8JYd3IPAGzMTvHKCXaCcmd7go417cpBnsU/s640/2013-06-19+16.58.48.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I don’t get it.
This is supposed to be edible, even savored, by the native wildlife,
right up there with beech nuts and acorns.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">This, the squirrels and the birds leave untouched
and uneaten? </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So what, then, is eating
all those osage oranges?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Maybe it’s a Coyote.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
it was hard to concentrate on that mystery standing underneath the fireworks of
those flowers.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCB9EaYtYA1YyigJEQH46-abOtt9Qig7F63THnzX0i6kM8uBsSujUYPxR33jvWrZ1W08M2LeexF0yadc0jzAyIS6Eg4QUKxMywMHQlgUVpp8CE1bQI7DL9GSCHKaXd9zqnd3PJ-sDrIaA/s1600/2013-06-19+16.57.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCB9EaYtYA1YyigJEQH46-abOtt9Qig7F63THnzX0i6kM8uBsSujUYPxR33jvWrZ1W08M2LeexF0yadc0jzAyIS6Eg4QUKxMywMHQlgUVpp8CE1bQI7DL9GSCHKaXd9zqnd3PJ-sDrIaA/s640/2013-06-19+16.57.27.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
master of the haiku himself, Basho, once wrote a poem about the same kind of flower:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <i>a traveler’s heart</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> it also should look like</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> chinquapin flowers</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well, the chestnut and the chinquapin are cousins on the evolutionary line and, judging by
the pictures, the flowers of the chinquapin and the chestnut are very similar.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to Basho, this is <i>a traveler’s heart.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
was he trying to say? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
closer look, and a metaphorical mind, reveals the similarities…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVHlMz4J-SnFAyb5S6AvCcjrqT0mCol70I6XWkoCQ7y2uSzzd2rt_oZhuVzqnS0haUY9Vooi_bm0TMDVuy48ziyU3HtuAViIESXHcOQ7JxJXsJKkJF2xo0bq7g69AnGTJTEz50j2_bP8/s1600/2013-06-19+16.56.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVHlMz4J-SnFAyb5S6AvCcjrqT0mCol70I6XWkoCQ7y2uSzzd2rt_oZhuVzqnS0haUY9Vooi_bm0TMDVuy48ziyU3HtuAViIESXHcOQ7JxJXsJKkJF2xo0bq7g69AnGTJTEz50j2_bP8/s640/2013-06-19+16.56.09.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
way these flowers burst forth into the open air...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4b53U5kQ4zk41so99VAiNSBYji7JtcUg7sQA8g9qcGM78QZXFa-moyUqPwQABg_R7OtEq00F9fgZccop2jIKWUOti2lt3uRFElCJvGJEzhOOTlpNK_IrxGZ0Rd2sXJ-n2r3hnvk_SCuM/s1600/2013-06-19+17.00.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4b53U5kQ4zk41so99VAiNSBYji7JtcUg7sQA8g9qcGM78QZXFa-moyUqPwQABg_R7OtEq00F9fgZccop2jIKWUOti2lt3uRFElCJvGJEzhOOTlpNK_IrxGZ0Rd2sXJ-n2r3hnvk_SCuM/s640/2013-06-19+17.00.47.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…fine
and precise but loose and random too...a pleasing jumble of light and color and
fragrance.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83Z1-2v5gp0-C3GudM6OS-ScTFugHcFTskbR0LGdYlhyv9Kd6OrmDdwcpwDfRlRfglkqWGOJTrzYieq61AkljDVq2hPdvP7WDhyphenhyphenxxUHQDAKr5YWtYfLek0d7srjxTRbO_Gqg2CWk-Mr4/s1600/2013-06-19+16.55.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83Z1-2v5gp0-C3GudM6OS-ScTFugHcFTskbR0LGdYlhyv9Kd6OrmDdwcpwDfRlRfglkqWGOJTrzYieq61AkljDVq2hPdvP7WDhyphenhyphenxxUHQDAKr5YWtYfLek0d7srjxTRbO_Gqg2CWk-Mr4/s640/2013-06-19+16.55.42.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So this is the
traveler’s heart, spreading its fingers outward in all directions…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqUjbd0qV_f8zWoDk-xN2e9lydy_lzwxIL5uU_J0J0DxVXmrWH7Cnhdg7EgkPWXUvAhU-VcdhIi8gtStxLy5C9cUXtpIXapDF1mQtb3qAsRbnf_9531sSjRNwvFVYsvx6w0HuUChlA14/s1600/2013-06-19+17.01.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqUjbd0qV_f8zWoDk-xN2e9lydy_lzwxIL5uU_J0J0DxVXmrWH7Cnhdg7EgkPWXUvAhU-VcdhIi8gtStxLy5C9cUXtpIXapDF1mQtb3qAsRbnf_9531sSjRNwvFVYsvx6w0HuUChlA14/s640/2013-06-19+17.01.14.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…feeling.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Perhaps
this is what the Wildman’s heart looks like too.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Which
makes me wonder: could this also describe the heart of Joseph Knowles?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJo8OYFVRA8EA2sNDl1Otz-2rVWx1x5gohPRlHO5L6vHS35WAZjsN4Ex5DPb-xAXBxjzYsbokplIHSsdePK-j9j745AuSf4GdDbGkW262rOk4ff4SajSlC3rS4w3Fq08qsSiiFmGSSMI/s1600/joe-knowles-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJo8OYFVRA8EA2sNDl1Otz-2rVWx1x5gohPRlHO5L6vHS35WAZjsN4Ex5DPb-xAXBxjzYsbokplIHSsdePK-j9j745AuSf4GdDbGkW262rOk4ff4SajSlC3rS4w3Fq08qsSiiFmGSSMI/s640/joe-knowles-2.jpg" width="404" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
at all.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Because
Joseph Knowles was a hoaxer. He was a
trickster, a fake, and his adventure in the wilds was a sham.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
turns out that he spent most of his two months in the woods living in the log
cabin of his friend, who was in on the hoax.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
did it to sell more newspapers for his struggling employer, the <i>Boston Post</i>. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even
after he was defrauded, Knowles kept insisting that his stunt was real,
publishing a book of the misadventure called <i>Alone
in the Wilderness</i>, even wrote a screenplay that he tried to sell to
Hollywood.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When
that fizzled, he tried to become a vaudeville star but, eventually, he spent
the rest of his civilized days exactly the same way as he did before the big
hoax. He died as a fairly successful
cartoonist.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ain’t
that just like Coyote?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Later
that night, with Wildman on my mind, I went out to observe the super-moon…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5Adyr7wxyn0Lh46_STQJ1zCkZuxL2e8WzShaKcn0MIEgJk5CbD6-9rS37IAStDkR9_ydmoIcmicTq-qjjaCepsKIpt7G_UZFZQSEuBalx_QPqKb6N-mqbFk9CJccrzrkzI0qNwjg4sM/s1600/IMG_1877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5Adyr7wxyn0Lh46_STQJ1zCkZuxL2e8WzShaKcn0MIEgJk5CbD6-9rS37IAStDkR9_ydmoIcmicTq-qjjaCepsKIpt7G_UZFZQSEuBalx_QPqKb6N-mqbFk9CJccrzrkzI0qNwjg4sM/s640/IMG_1877.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…nearer
to this planet than it will ever be again in my lifetime, mirrored on Earth this night by the street light across from my urban cabin.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
full moon is known around the world as a trigger for all manners of lunacy and
love. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
wonder if the lunatics and lovers are also enjoying this super-moon, wonder
what kind of super-trouble they’re causing on these first nights of summer. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmjV5aeEAJYuuMTgkqSoY1lEItv-9carXNpd-e_SkeNKOFjOU0DgMwbbVhhNwAEuPxrbJGNfYZAk75giplxE5-5aoY8RM7FfO0T8XIqF1AGjDiVjVFH9UloPKotgib1Mc_ThK3Waa10k/s1600/IMG_1882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmjV5aeEAJYuuMTgkqSoY1lEItv-9carXNpd-e_SkeNKOFjOU0DgMwbbVhhNwAEuPxrbJGNfYZAk75giplxE5-5aoY8RM7FfO0T8XIqF1AGjDiVjVFH9UloPKotgib1Mc_ThK3Waa10k/s640/IMG_1882.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
hope no one gets hurt. I hope no one
gets hit by a random spear and I really hope it doesn’t involve any hoaxes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
his unpublished memoirs, Knowles wrote as a final summation: <i>Life is a queer game. Cheat a little here, bluff a little there,
smile when it hurts, hide the truth, grab what you can while the grabbing is
good, hold what you have.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Poor
Joseph Knowles. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After
a full day of tree-hunting, his hoax seems more and more ridiculous, completely
based on a false notion.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You don't need a costume to be a Wildman. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He is here, always here.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe he only flowers during the full moon but it's impossible to keep him caged up all the time. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you have the right kind of heart, you don't need to run away from polite society when he erupts and rages. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In fact, usually, the Wildman is the one who gets invited to the most parties. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Poor Joseph Knowles. He saw a distinct barrier between his city life and the wilderness. Only people who see that kind of wall could even cook up such a stupid fraud.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUc7S_IjAmvAKrFXy6KfH1mZL7pOA-irtLyTOSzy9It3iYu9HGrnwxsRFoWgKQ7VwQTROgjPseg7Gnj4TmNHsWPIFcY9Fl1_grW9uOAgSyBUOazLBAzoguKqDbLkWCDy24kTiN-Z_hCKw/s1600/joe-knowles-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUc7S_IjAmvAKrFXy6KfH1mZL7pOA-irtLyTOSzy9It3iYu9HGrnwxsRFoWgKQ7VwQTROgjPseg7Gnj4TmNHsWPIFcY9Fl1_grW9uOAgSyBUOazLBAzoguKqDbLkWCDy24kTiN-Z_hCKw/s640/joe-knowles-3.jpg" width="578" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There’s
no reason to escape into the wilds because there is no escape from the
wilds. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
is here, always here. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even
if you’re stuck in traffic.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even
living in the city grid, we are surrounded by things beautiful and super and,
at the same time, completely common and ordinary.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There’s
no reason to fake it. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Something
out there is still eating all those osage oranges.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-66027807236462909732013-06-05T20:10:00.000-07:002013-06-06T04:35:54.998-07:00COOKERY WITH JON SPRUCE<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
1747, a young British wife of an Irish soldier wrote and published what would
become a most popular book.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Her
name was Hannah Glasse and the book was <i>The
Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy</i>. It
was reprinted twenty times by the end of the 1700s and could be found in just
about every kitchen in the English countryside and the American colonies.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
is considered one of the first collections of rural recipes, designed for the
home and the hearth instead of the court and the castle, and written in plain
English to help and instruct wives and domestic servants instead of chefs,
hunters, butchers and gourmets.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was the first cookery book to take into account a house’s purse and economy,
favoring the local herbs, fruits and wild game that could be found and hunted,
for free or for cheap, in the typical rural village, out in the street markets
or along the country roads.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This,
in itself, was revolutionary. The
subtitle of the book says it best: <i>far
exceeds any Thing of its Kind yet publifhed.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodXRKWVJqqjP8G29kQhZm3OaTHWJWdY-EyNP8OCYVQJYWO2ZS8c6qLWqA8pj7cVc1b2VLsxhF2hb9U-Jk8e3QGM_9FG0AcS3RIyCGwwJSkR_5P_FUEuaPCVKq4mtBAlGoG1KndT8FgFI/s1600/Art_of_Cookery_frontispiece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodXRKWVJqqjP8G29kQhZm3OaTHWJWdY-EyNP8OCYVQJYWO2ZS8c6qLWqA8pj7cVc1b2VLsxhF2hb9U-Jk8e3QGM_9FG0AcS3RIyCGwwJSkR_5P_FUEuaPCVKq4mtBAlGoG1KndT8FgFI/s640/Art_of_Cookery_frontispiece.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At
the end of her introduction, Hannah Glasse states her simple mission: <i>only hope my Book will answer the ends I
intend it for; which is to improve the servants, and save the ladies a great
deal of trouble.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Flipping
through the table of contents, there are recipes for every sort of occasion and
audience. Chapter Four is entitled: <i>To
make a number of pretty little dishes fit for a supper, side dish, and little
corner dishes for a great table. </i>Chapter
Ten contains recipes under the heading, <i>Directions
for the Sick</i>, and Chapter Eleven is written <i>For Captains of Ships.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There’s
even a recipe for moonshine, plus directions on how to make homemade wines
using raspberries, quince, cherries, elderberries and dandelion. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">She
cooked with a whole different menagerie of animals. Sure, you got the usual proteins of beef,
pork, poultry, mutton and eggs, plus salmon and carp and cod, anchovies and
mackerel.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
then there are recipes for tame ducks, teal, wigeons, woodcocks, snipes,
partridges, pigeons, lark and eel.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGY7pugDdu-vNACv5CzlvQYAsnBdBiY3nq77YKUwhjl_kGHaupyNHj-rtXgFH6IZjTYvjVIHbHcMj4UT9AyuaY_Zc7dX6s81QfcFySlApj3Emlb8AWOLKnb5sA65XahKOu_xeOTxb638I/s1600/butter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGY7pugDdu-vNACv5CzlvQYAsnBdBiY3nq77YKUwhjl_kGHaupyNHj-rtXgFH6IZjTYvjVIHbHcMj4UT9AyuaY_Zc7dX6s81QfcFySlApj3Emlb8AWOLKnb5sA65XahKOu_xeOTxb638I/s640/butter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One
of her most famous recipes is for traditional jugged hare. We would call it<i> rabbit stew</i> except, when
making jugged hare, you stuff the hare in a jug and place the jug in the pot of
simmering broth.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
a technique that hasn’t survived into the twenty-first century but I’m not
complaining. In the end, Hannah’s
directions are to just pick apart the meat from the bones of the hare and add
it to the flavorful broth, serve hot.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Skipping
that step seems okay. <i>Saving trouble</i> was Hannah’s goal, after
all, and in today’s modern kitchen, actually jugging a hare seems like a whole mess of trouble.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
what about the first step of her recipe?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Go catch ye a
hare.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">We've made it pretty easy to skip that step too.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well,
not me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
this time. Not now, especially not now. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Citybillies,
these are the days and nights of the Strawberry Moon and there is plenty of
food out there for the taking, just ripening on the vine, ready to be plucked
and picked from the mean streets of the city grid and into the warm kitchen of
the urban cabin.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So,
in the great tradition of Hannah Glasse, I humbly present <i>Cookery with Jon Spruce</i>…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzNSy0TDU8vAHWfk0nlVUhjuNTv_HgBJFNjKAtMwd7xJHnUFsRLHaHg6Hro3LxI8PwNQoYbOHnyB0OnuzP7wLAPYK5kmiDJkZ9Z1VCcnOgUJRmfThkZ2g8iGulUeClrRjNpOgG7YJR4g/s1600/IMG_1379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzNSy0TDU8vAHWfk0nlVUhjuNTv_HgBJFNjKAtMwd7xJHnUFsRLHaHg6Hro3LxI8PwNQoYbOHnyB0OnuzP7wLAPYK5kmiDJkZ9Z1VCcnOgUJRmfThkZ2g8iGulUeClrRjNpOgG7YJR4g/s640/IMG_1379.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…wherein
I will forage and prepare one of spring’s best recipes, featuring two of my
favorite Strawberry Moon ingredients.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9ossaX3UCBnf0S5SF3qnaEzb79H2ep7XAmpANm3Z1_BNVtv3xGj_L8sUD7LHMWx6zI9-fuhsxY8KmsvlSlDuvg36XQNnjJbtOyDoG_f7SaayOXwtS_aNZpDZtgkzd0mDcrdBsiDAh7E/s1600/IMG_1341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9ossaX3UCBnf0S5SF3qnaEzb79H2ep7XAmpANm3Z1_BNVtv3xGj_L8sUD7LHMWx6zI9-fuhsxY8KmsvlSlDuvg36XQNnjJbtOyDoG_f7SaayOXwtS_aNZpDZtgkzd0mDcrdBsiDAh7E/s640/IMG_1341.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>“OUR DIET MUST
ANSWER TO THE SEASON…”</b></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">First
step in this recipe?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Fetch
ye some honeysuckle.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
shouldn’t be too much trouble.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
found my honeysuckle patch wrapped around a fence along Lancaster Avenue in
West Philly.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbVhrJdfGWK3d12Xs9bPVKcxJdmbuxJiEQHAfOMI53CvuUEzIwPiZT3iE6PzvcNPY7KsekHhCcNI9ZBPnyIkbVGI4S47vpZlHHNTwI-waRRKILF3erUlTvIgU4nrrJcqBs6yLrlAL9J4/s1600/IMG_1311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbVhrJdfGWK3d12Xs9bPVKcxJdmbuxJiEQHAfOMI53CvuUEzIwPiZT3iE6PzvcNPY7KsekHhCcNI9ZBPnyIkbVGI4S47vpZlHHNTwI-waRRKILF3erUlTvIgU4nrrJcqBs6yLrlAL9J4/s640/IMG_1311.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
you’re having trouble finding honeysuckle, then you must be perpetually
standing upwind. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My
best advice for you? Turn around,
man. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
not hiding. A honeysuckle gives itself
away in a breeze.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-FvEVgsCGOmoe1RkgK-08QhlG-zndorgMt2Y9XTvifRYIMyO8fv3TPZoMbKKTT6IC1WatMK3ViSBhALvQPBCmlQnnMfsPPACmcUVgd5B58qW3YrSpIKMgqldwC0qtcmbhZQcdABaHbo/s1600/IMG_1324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-FvEVgsCGOmoe1RkgK-08QhlG-zndorgMt2Y9XTvifRYIMyO8fv3TPZoMbKKTT6IC1WatMK3ViSBhALvQPBCmlQnnMfsPPACmcUVgd5B58qW3YrSpIKMgqldwC0qtcmbhZQcdABaHbo/s640/IMG_1324.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
such a breeze. Those little trumpets of
a flower blow a tantalizing scent, full of light and lavender, with just the
slightest hint of citrus.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For
many people, myself included, the honeysuckle is one of the most evocative smells
of spring. Mention honeysuckle in a
conversation and, I’ll bet my bottom dollar, you’ll hear a wistful tale
starring grandparents, siblings, dogs or summertime friends.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mine
takes place at the old tot lot, a few blocks away from grandma’s house.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
kind of funny, then, that the most famous quote about honeysuckle comes right
at the beginning of the Los Angeles crime movie classic, <i>Double Indemnity</i>, screenplay written by Raymond Chandler.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>It was a hot
afternoon and I can still remember the smell of honeysuckle all along that
street. How could I know that murder can
sometimes smell like honeysuckle?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Turn
around, man.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
I suppose, if you’re hard of smelling, then you can always identify the
honeysuckle by the symmetrical, tubular flowers, white or yellow or orange,
that always grow in pairs…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
by the way its thin vine climbs and snakes its way through something like a
fence.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsXONphlLinE49nTjxwBhm5pyhfl8gVbIRMz0BrzxJT1ObRJCqsL0dzdRnE9fue7gcX4toHw7phwAE2Q7sSsgBJgYTe41Tl9K0gwxl6Zhk4EYAehNZgqN8EWnDBZrgAp8lrEUqAFqouI/s1600/IMG_1314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsXONphlLinE49nTjxwBhm5pyhfl8gVbIRMz0BrzxJT1ObRJCqsL0dzdRnE9fue7gcX4toHw7phwAE2Q7sSsgBJgYTe41Tl9K0gwxl6Zhk4EYAehNZgqN8EWnDBZrgAp8lrEUqAFqouI/s400/IMG_1314.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
on Lancaster Avenue, I plucked that whole vine free of honeysuckle flowers
and then moved down to the next patch along the fence.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tLg2t8VcfuE0Us69dKrUJVaclSCDSZvQZ4CBttMaSrpIvHXSijjGYaknNxWC5Pm0v6ouBtv_O6F7j8-BW4MtHRPWeOuCCxTIIa1aXj7ikJBVL021YIi5KroHwpB8F-3T24L3BdKcedg/s1600/IMG_1297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tLg2t8VcfuE0Us69dKrUJVaclSCDSZvQZ4CBttMaSrpIvHXSijjGYaknNxWC5Pm0v6ouBtv_O6F7j8-BW4MtHRPWeOuCCxTIIa1aXj7ikJBVL021YIi5KroHwpB8F-3T24L3BdKcedg/s640/IMG_1297.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">By
the end of this foraging trip, I had collected about two cups worth of
honeysuckle.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUoCbZKjb49N2-1sjLiJdLaTlh8Cu5o2HcRkxzt6akC9A40n-b4MvoE5tLKboeS17XMCdNVW9IHEPRVJCeKrYaXWZjFnK7t7sOUVfjWTIA0hiQnpdMG3nTxEucOj-FFz_jIbiMd1LAto/s1600/IMG_1352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUoCbZKjb49N2-1sjLiJdLaTlh8Cu5o2HcRkxzt6akC9A40n-b4MvoE5tLKboeS17XMCdNVW9IHEPRVJCeKrYaXWZjFnK7t7sOUVfjWTIA0hiQnpdMG3nTxEucOj-FFz_jIbiMd1LAto/s640/IMG_1352.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now,
I’d have to try to capture its flavor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>CATCHING FLAVOR</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">We’ve
all done this, right?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
take the honeysuckle flower…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFb2R_p-gZ8AHtUUZ82Gd90bbgqjQJWMaQS3zZbHZ9Nlq5al8WFS6MoKSGkB1ZPKJiom-8SeUIIwsXmbFB23mTirxOdBJ1VC0K9I2jXyYhGtjpgZIM4hG6nQ0OvuxOoSGBtDyd2A3YNk/s1600/IMG_1347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFb2R_p-gZ8AHtUUZ82Gd90bbgqjQJWMaQS3zZbHZ9Nlq5al8WFS6MoKSGkB1ZPKJiom-8SeUIIwsXmbFB23mTirxOdBJ1VC0K9I2jXyYhGtjpgZIM4hG6nQ0OvuxOoSGBtDyd2A3YNk/s640/IMG_1347.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
you gently pinch off its tapered end, where it was connected to the vine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">With
grace and with tenderness, you pull its stamen through the flower…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1QcQz3o5ra6itgSY8nPQywNVHpDpee2tktHKaTCK6TRWVkRTlfQRLw-3ziUdjKER9TEVbwLi1nkxiW1gXp93MWmOckbE3GrkucetlWduhtvzZpQWL_lap5nk1GczCZzbrPc_WUiTo9k/s1600/IMG_1348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1QcQz3o5ra6itgSY8nPQywNVHpDpee2tktHKaTCK6TRWVkRTlfQRLw-3ziUdjKER9TEVbwLi1nkxiW1gXp93MWmOckbE3GrkucetlWduhtvzZpQWL_lap5nk1GczCZzbrPc_WUiTo9k/s640/IMG_1348.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and,
if you’re lucky or if you’re blessed, you’ll get a drop of that floral honey.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RcI3OEc5gdH7QsaB0RCEQO0tqP-kz3sVjDHT_kiBpPwa6uviBnxc6OhnGVPVq2crj50DBi3X9kkDMa5JWfdoB7wZeCXUIgitIBBLMZS9xIzVMkBtR7ljiTXfXZ3GSBkFaa5r80ALyeQ/s1600/IMG_1349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RcI3OEc5gdH7QsaB0RCEQO0tqP-kz3sVjDHT_kiBpPwa6uviBnxc6OhnGVPVq2crj50DBi3X9kkDMa5JWfdoB7wZeCXUIgitIBBLMZS9xIzVMkBtR7ljiTXfXZ3GSBkFaa5r80ALyeQ/s640/IMG_1349.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
does it taste like, exactly?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well,
here’s where I go beyond the traditional science of taste and flavor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to my first grade teacher, taste comes in four flavors: sweet, sour, salty and
bitter. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Each
one has its own country on the map of the tongue.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0W5b1rqKSdQ4ZVwSH7zjaYPaqH-vWR89Zlqv89wYJ_Id0vkPK_qQ5OnkwPThCGkn7pRk9S9hugMp3_0s9i_OA6UUT_CgP0Bahwbms-m11CEesKxxe7BhPptjhXERurAWIlPtfLWlqLCo/s1600/tongue_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0W5b1rqKSdQ4ZVwSH7zjaYPaqH-vWR89Zlqv89wYJ_Id0vkPK_qQ5OnkwPThCGkn7pRk9S9hugMp3_0s9i_OA6UUT_CgP0Bahwbms-m11CEesKxxe7BhPptjhXERurAWIlPtfLWlqLCo/s400/tongue_map.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some
cultures include <i>spicy</i>. In 1908, a professor from the Tokyo Imperial
University discovered another flavor which has been slow to enter the
elementary school textbooks but should be included when discussing the science
of the tongue.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
called it <i>umami.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Umami
enhances each one of the four original flavors. It's responsible for that
hard-to-describe, ethereal delight to the palate. It's the x-factor on the plate and on your tongue.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
that earthy, grassy, sometimes fermented flavor that can be found in mushrooms,
edible flowers, tea, aged cheeses, soy sauce and seaweed. According to the scientists, it’s one of the
first flavor profiles that we mammals develop a taste for since it’s found and
enjoyed in breast milk.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sweet,
sour, salty, bitter and umami, plus spice.
According to the experts, that’s taste.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
citybillies, tree-hunters and foragers recognize one more flavor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Location.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
right. Location is a flavor. Location as a time and place, location under
the moon. Location as a vortex of <i>here </i>and <i>now</i> contributes more to taste than all the other flavors combined.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Food
just tastes different depending on where it came from, when it came from. Flavor rides with the tides, ebbing and
flowing depending on the moon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thoreau
would agree with me. In his description
of apples, he writes: <i>to appreciate the
wild and sharp flavors of these October fruits, it is necessary that you be
breathing the sharp October or November air.
</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The outdoor air
and exercise give a different tone to the palate…these apples have hung in the
wind and frost and rain till they have absorbed the qualities of the weather or
season…they must be eaten in season, accordingly – that is, out of doors.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Some of these
apples might be labeled, “To be eaten in the wind.”</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
true.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Food
tastes best when it’s got a little rain and moon in its flavor, when it smacks
of the wind and when it’s still warm from the sun. I like the taste of the fields in my
food. I even like tasting the street.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Location
is always the secret ingredient.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
have no doubt that these Lancaster Avenue honeysuckles taste different than the
honeysuckles I saw at the Cobbs Creek Shopping Center…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiwPAxd5nkUfpOdKN3Pn_8elf69PKAtp4o93Bh11cZLHia0IGm4XV0OdgnMoE_-wPSiflYj_WnYkhu9W6eXRfYD-Tk1jWwob98vhghImF49VATTGpDfml56bUbAFLlZoYaaoN70-BY4Q/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiwPAxd5nkUfpOdKN3Pn_8elf69PKAtp4o93Bh11cZLHia0IGm4XV0OdgnMoE_-wPSiflYj_WnYkhu9W6eXRfYD-Tk1jWwob98vhghImF49VATTGpDfml56bUbAFLlZoYaaoN70-BY4Q/s640/IMG_1330.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or
the honeysuckles at this intersection right before the Grays Ferry Bridge...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4TORpvjSdnVvnLN__qpO5B_Bgk_G8XU38HpjxOBoQ8h35gfnJuiRIuHMdjuipUR7oG2tlflXBl_3reANFLPjFuTxh75EwdJiQro1QeezLJ3QihtSYeCDSZVlKmeNm6Lv2S4DqZu3lQ0/s1600/IMG_1534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4TORpvjSdnVvnLN__qpO5B_Bgk_G8XU38HpjxOBoQ8h35gfnJuiRIuHMdjuipUR7oG2tlflXBl_3reANFLPjFuTxh75EwdJiQro1QeezLJ3QihtSYeCDSZVlKmeNm6Lv2S4DqZu3lQ0/s640/IMG_1534.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…just
like I’m sure the honeysuckle tastes different in its native country of China,
or in Tennessee or Florida, just like it tastes different in that murderous
city of Los Angeles.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
it would’ve tasted different, too, the day before. Just like it will taste different tomorrow.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now,
all I have to do is capture that flavor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
order to do that, I soaked them in about three cups of cold water.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6LITJ5od77NY3_DBPOGm4NhJv2jZeXF2zBlzFBgQoNi6Mtd5k26l_sXtzNCNsdoUDTs9UBMxk_-samvPCezyR9jGGjnXC9vHeGWB_M-zUQgzfIl3UPYYvEVwueaxhozkofiRymZXApQ/s1600/IMG_1355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6LITJ5od77NY3_DBPOGm4NhJv2jZeXF2zBlzFBgQoNi6Mtd5k26l_sXtzNCNsdoUDTs9UBMxk_-samvPCezyR9jGGjnXC9vHeGWB_M-zUQgzfIl3UPYYvEVwueaxhozkofiRymZXApQ/s640/IMG_1355.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
put a small saucer plate on top to press the flavor even more.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrNUT5IpTB8Rj6a3jI_3pmKa8AAFY-6xVMpU7JOiGiLEwXgRnpFymBbu_-RnJOPnYyFL0hCJy9tnSgz1ItHG_m908xjHsPSNberZ-qeEpoUsBZsos2dcIoLQ_yrA1EKZ6B5O71PQsWP0/s1600/IMG_1356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrNUT5IpTB8Rj6a3jI_3pmKa8AAFY-6xVMpU7JOiGiLEwXgRnpFymBbu_-RnJOPnYyFL0hCJy9tnSgz1ItHG_m908xjHsPSNberZ-qeEpoUsBZsos2dcIoLQ_yrA1EKZ6B5O71PQsWP0/s640/IMG_1356.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
comes the hard part. The waiting. I have to let them sit in the water, in the
fridge, for about six to eight hours.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
a lot of time to kill so, in the spirit of seasonal food, I drove to the
outskirts of the city, such a pretty day, to Gina’s farm to catch a light lunch
of purple kale and fresh peas right out of the fields.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHH_StP2O0QhNBK3Q4a0Cp00rWSddAL3cJshb3Gh6ei6aXdYCPY2H6QQWN6hvKUtCb_FzOMmQ4JhSXm4b_BtDYbA-AVsIY3Wc_TCBGt9_cONEHuvAvfZ5IVqq66Xw-KVENVdwvhFG4u1M/s1600/IMG_1453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHH_StP2O0QhNBK3Q4a0Cp00rWSddAL3cJshb3Gh6ei6aXdYCPY2H6QQWN6hvKUtCb_FzOMmQ4JhSXm4b_BtDYbA-AVsIY3Wc_TCBGt9_cONEHuvAvfZ5IVqq66Xw-KVENVdwvhFG4u1M/s640/IMG_1453.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>PASTURES OF
PLENTY</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's no trouble at all finding food on a farm.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
in Gina’s fields, the beets are crowning…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DOHuziSenichzy8PJBtb-z3j2GNUtd75ux5CrfrorBMHeo_porBrAEix5evHJiY2KC30OSWOkbNOvzfIRkRRtonuKCnQ4eQ5Tuy29iewEzofldyw3NskCfsbWN0kh4OuO6JOcnhsfM4/s1600/IMG_1520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DOHuziSenichzy8PJBtb-z3j2GNUtd75ux5CrfrorBMHeo_porBrAEix5evHJiY2KC30OSWOkbNOvzfIRkRRtonuKCnQ4eQ5Tuy29iewEzofldyw3NskCfsbWN0kh4OuO6JOcnhsfM4/s640/IMG_1520.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
the radicchio looks pretty all in a row.</span></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN383fwI7KJvonqx6STS5S1BURKPTVrffyXZBmzKRYElJbQbRGe1kEdube4UM9nXDEwAD1MrjcNLhHiPo9FOkYcPshqdd7pBuPbTYpcsIVdTV8uzSjSpWxyleD1GR0ik8vrY20NFEnMlE/s1600/IMG_1436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN383fwI7KJvonqx6STS5S1BURKPTVrffyXZBmzKRYElJbQbRGe1kEdube4UM9nXDEwAD1MrjcNLhHiPo9FOkYcPshqdd7pBuPbTYpcsIVdTV8uzSjSpWxyleD1GR0ik8vrY20NFEnMlE/s640/IMG_1436.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe it was just my obstinate and bullish spirit, or maybe it was because I
just hate <i>killing time</i>, but I was more
interested in all the food that wasn’t ready yet.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like
the raspberries.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiML9PRWwSITaRd8u3b90EktDLt3kFCgsVHjEdcN4vuzXUruUXwbiCLeDYu0y4fGDjdxNMYBS1LkSpl9iZ8sA8iVHab-hAVzQmjvonDpYQgT6mBV0uMZYjzS9lTCEkQn39ArquVOgPAyY/s1600/IMG_1425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiML9PRWwSITaRd8u3b90EktDLt3kFCgsVHjEdcN4vuzXUruUXwbiCLeDYu0y4fGDjdxNMYBS1LkSpl9iZ8sA8iVHab-hAVzQmjvonDpYQgT6mBV0uMZYjzS9lTCEkQn39ArquVOgPAyY/s640/IMG_1425.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
the farm, it’s too much about the fruit of the plant, all about racing to summer,
racing to harvest.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
yet, here under the Strawberry Moon, minus such early crops like garlic scapes
and scallions and lettuce, this is the time to catch the flowers that will
eventually bear all that summer fruit.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
some plants, you can see both fruit and flower at the same time, like on this
row of peas...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgTjjNnL-b4_fccYidl3B1Ixoy4e3LDtCBMrO-nkq6nMptgh3B1y5ySn5oNGhalQzJDylFeWnXD5z7yH0noJWcGWjAjEdmHL9-vCDbrhv8JjAeJAW1SFFq2b5jr2hQDfzGflffgwCcu0/s1600/IMG_1523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgTjjNnL-b4_fccYidl3B1Ixoy4e3LDtCBMrO-nkq6nMptgh3B1y5ySn5oNGhalQzJDylFeWnXD5z7yH0noJWcGWjAjEdmHL9-vCDbrhv8JjAeJAW1SFFq2b5jr2hQDfzGflffgwCcu0/s640/IMG_1523.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
these young zucchini and yellow squash bridging the gap between flower and
stalk.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgSrOCTyn-9gBkqArXH3sTG3kksIpCWTo94xq2mZu63q9YJ_ckW-O007PX-UTXpSQCh7aSRvpDeljvbYK3HWiWXT8y7dPHjVl-IhigpP3mTw5vVoWXI8avdyE6OqF3U1S3FpkBtkC7zg/s1600/IMG_1447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgSrOCTyn-9gBkqArXH3sTG3kksIpCWTo94xq2mZu63q9YJ_ckW-O007PX-UTXpSQCh7aSRvpDeljvbYK3HWiWXT8y7dPHjVl-IhigpP3mTw5vVoWXI8avdyE6OqF3U1S3FpkBtkC7zg/s400/IMG_1447.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyo3jbezFOwjskgwCvSqFhcTqPiy9YYLslVL0Fioy46tB32xgfwq682jYXGUsSkZjAsNaYv6mde7fX47-WrUjf_4vv8jnD9CDWxwKx3YKXPV1b2efhcvqdj2j67vowZxVoz0X8qOHRao/s1600/IMG_1448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyo3jbezFOwjskgwCvSqFhcTqPiy9YYLslVL0Fioy46tB32xgfwq682jYXGUsSkZjAsNaYv6mde7fX47-WrUjf_4vv8jnD9CDWxwKx3YKXPV1b2efhcvqdj2j67vowZxVoz0X8qOHRao/s400/IMG_1448.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is the blackberry flower…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9rXRMeXF6ODFzXLg4UFHDc3Y6mWtNj6VUOsFMSjmDaURCV6IniVxHhUQ_xgr2bExN9ha4Hxf0kCh0ptPNUS8jUfPJJJK95AiF9Bq_djI1tecKeH9qNmG9xmndcamVwWX8zBh7jWZ7Is/s1600/IMG_1434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9rXRMeXF6ODFzXLg4UFHDc3Y6mWtNj6VUOsFMSjmDaURCV6IniVxHhUQ_xgr2bExN9ha4Hxf0kCh0ptPNUS8jUfPJJJK95AiF9Bq_djI1tecKeH9qNmG9xmndcamVwWX8zBh7jWZ7Is/s640/IMG_1434.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
you know what? I can sort of see the
blackberries already.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
what are these flowers?</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqwer3iVyX4tvaeJaCTm-tIFfbUK5X9DZtWDTheXOaRqjnM-Mts2L1ZtqYlj3g0CtnjJ-dsHR5V_XMzJitoOZDipAY7H0LWwxLaaN9j7jnW_8PnLY3udqEs4-UqDQz62_okmISPRx1ng/s1600/IMG_1507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqwer3iVyX4tvaeJaCTm-tIFfbUK5X9DZtWDTheXOaRqjnM-Mts2L1ZtqYlj3g0CtnjJ-dsHR5V_XMzJitoOZDipAY7H0LWwxLaaN9j7jnW_8PnLY3udqEs4-UqDQz62_okmISPRx1ng/s640/IMG_1507.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Those
are the flowers of the potato plant.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Red
potatoes actually bloom purple flowers.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGjV3Qse8m8HfF6uZ_6yrAMyOYkaF5gIAICnaFlAxwF2PKwRK3Fobm2kjE9eI5xsQZJpghs0f9S7tYqJhPkAlYBckcqZapi8U08JoZf48E0RWBdeMlR2GJRQKNgyuE9R5shHtV7XZqpk/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGjV3Qse8m8HfF6uZ_6yrAMyOYkaF5gIAICnaFlAxwF2PKwRK3Fobm2kjE9eI5xsQZJpghs0f9S7tYqJhPkAlYBckcqZapi8U08JoZf48E0RWBdeMlR2GJRQKNgyuE9R5shHtV7XZqpk/s640/IMG_1513.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Who
knew?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well,
Gina the Farmer knows. And I bet Hannah
Glasse, she knew too.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">With
still more time to kill, I went for a walk through the woods behind the farm.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
multiflora rose was in bloom.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9yHRwzfUMab1Qg7SGstJs9TKcHIiJ3S80Gk1qnG1cF6k531-FpgH609ltDBKKjl4AB1aWkspn3NKb4gFDzlLga6I0eNFF_nb8WDzxRYi3OqqAyW0hIWcGapXDDeHvVCibaXyjCh2fUQ/s1600/IMG_1459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9yHRwzfUMab1Qg7SGstJs9TKcHIiJ3S80Gk1qnG1cF6k531-FpgH609ltDBKKjl4AB1aWkspn3NKb4gFDzlLga6I0eNFF_nb8WDzxRYi3OqqAyW0hIWcGapXDDeHvVCibaXyjCh2fUQ/s640/IMG_1459.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
are a little different, a lot more weedier, and much more native than the
breeds of roses that win awards at the flower shows and county fairs.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80xq3mLR2D4Lf2bKjaJyqUCMkdKiHh9tdKY2FUeVcROSMCBcoVPflgpnUP9QmosjzRCDvwnazLoPvOccqR0AiE_BCjjPVy8sKG3yQUJ4IS_jhW7X6u7LJu5nMzvThHfxexYv1-fqfEJI/s1600/IMG_1457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80xq3mLR2D4Lf2bKjaJyqUCMkdKiHh9tdKY2FUeVcROSMCBcoVPflgpnUP9QmosjzRCDvwnazLoPvOccqR0AiE_BCjjPVy8sKG3yQUJ4IS_jhW7X6u7LJu5nMzvThHfxexYv1-fqfEJI/s640/IMG_1457.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It sure is nice to meet a rose not interested in winning a prize or a trophy. Contests? Too much trouble. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
August, the rose flowers will close up into tight capsules called rose-hips which can
be used to make jellies, teas and rose-water.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Deeper
into the woods, the crabapples and the hawthorns were just small, green, firm
globes hanging off long stems. The black
walnuts were just barely bulging from the twigs near the base of the leaves.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Further
along the trail, I couldn’t resist wading into the open sunlight shining down
on a prehistoric field of ferns.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsiML69ly2cmDLTVLMGYIi3fHeF8bWBzIpF9PWQqb7TYmhNbRLvSOrJd2V9DRtYG9etZEyugI2t-MOV856FM4EIZ05544aVKEvR9p6Hlsjc2QL1U1p9oHPfPDSHoUxTLgly40oweYRUE/s1600/IMG_1493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsiML69ly2cmDLTVLMGYIi3fHeF8bWBzIpF9PWQqb7TYmhNbRLvSOrJd2V9DRtYG9etZEyugI2t-MOV856FM4EIZ05544aVKEvR9p6Hlsjc2QL1U1p9oHPfPDSHoUxTLgly40oweYRUE/s640/IMG_1493.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ferns
can be food too, although you have to catch them very, very early in the spring,
when their fronds are still unfurled, a favorite among foragers and
farm-to-fork restaurants, although I’ve never really acquired the taste because
– hey now!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Gotcha! That tree in the distance? That’s the sassafras.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
a classic Turtle Island food. The young
roots of its saplings are used to make one of America’s greatest contributions
to world cuisine: the sarsaparilla.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They’re
pretty easy to find in a young woods like this, since they sprout as clones in
groves or in straight lines along a path, very distinct because, on one tree,
you can find three different shapes of leaves.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1A0I3oVF7JApnGMygNn-twlLThsPfCePeh2b1rod17MUX6D-UNJ2TKhY7izEh4ySnxB6ChwX8mrw-G8-b1ZOBZE0_vMNGsjZJcg1rzIz7RzFqEJCjUNxwzvBgfheOkxdixGBctrIork4/s1600/IMG_1465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1A0I3oVF7JApnGMygNn-twlLThsPfCePeh2b1rod17MUX6D-UNJ2TKhY7izEh4ySnxB6ChwX8mrw-G8-b1ZOBZE0_vMNGsjZJcg1rzIz7RzFqEJCjUNxwzvBgfheOkxdixGBctrIork4/s640/IMG_1465.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Those
leaves, when dried and ground, are the essential ingredient for another one of
Turtle Island’s best recipes: the gumbo.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Back
at the farm, Gina was busy weeding and whacking so I took off, still one
location left to finish my recipe.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>PRESTON STREET
FORAGING</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some
of the more astute readers will recognize this place from last spring’s post on
urban fruit. I’ve been waiting all year
to return to this house on Preston Street, located deep within West Philly
between Lancaster and Westminster Avenues.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
remembered it well because of the strawberries.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldRD39XbqazxqB9BrS1DZja_SBk-CK-m0s0YTocgKEBeQPWdp0dWL4n9HtF_QLDPq8PhklEjJwqxULywksSGY8CGDUqqFKz6QCHa6hyYU1UjStRE2Tw6Dqn6T9YbBXuFywzWvMKqQ_28/s1600/IMG_1273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldRD39XbqazxqB9BrS1DZja_SBk-CK-m0s0YTocgKEBeQPWdp0dWL4n9HtF_QLDPq8PhklEjJwqxULywksSGY8CGDUqqFKz6QCHa6hyYU1UjStRE2Tw6Dqn6T9YbBXuFywzWvMKqQ_28/s640/IMG_1273.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
think Thoreau would’ve enjoyed this patch at this location on this particular
day. </span></span> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In his manuscript, <i>Wild Fruits</i>, he writes about finding his
own first strawberries in the Concord woods: <i>I make haste to pluck and eat this first fruit of the year, though they
are green on the underside, somewhat acid as yet, and a little gritty from
lying so low.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDMebZGRvkHOvrQIrvg1briW-0NqUsYLotqg8oeL3imKR-5auXzFvh2oGNT4_ClmekD0JRDQTH5L4MgW-Kmh9Ci5YUoL81DFQOanJM-TLm0CiXNfk1E_wbrUIazShPrCIKwIx-1uROs4/s1600/IMG_1278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDMebZGRvkHOvrQIrvg1briW-0NqUsYLotqg8oeL3imKR-5auXzFvh2oGNT4_ClmekD0JRDQTH5L4MgW-Kmh9Ci5YUoL81DFQOanJM-TLm0CiXNfk1E_wbrUIazShPrCIKwIx-1uROs4/s640/IMG_1278.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>I taste a little
strawberry-flavored earth with them.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
can’t honestly say that I taste <i>earth</i>
in these strawberries but there’s definitely a little hint of salty street and curb.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLApdtCG_kCLuPlA2hP869cB-Vfvv4fho3HYDXUsS0SeQVCEo8ZGF1o1h0r79VMZ1svtWbkvumYHuB1n0Su0Q8msyvCr6QMd8r4MrWr5D48jyAtYazvgq51e60qAm3BvjZIsU45UHZ4w/s1600/IMG_1283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLApdtCG_kCLuPlA2hP869cB-Vfvv4fho3HYDXUsS0SeQVCEo8ZGF1o1h0r79VMZ1svtWbkvumYHuB1n0Su0Q8msyvCr6QMd8r4MrWr5D48jyAtYazvgq51e60qAm3BvjZIsU45UHZ4w/s640/IMG_1283.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
not complaining. These are not the kind
of strawberries found in grocery stores all year round.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
may come as a shock to some people but a ripe strawberry is supposed to be red
all the way through.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTf-Ae98lNd3SevnmG3emQjpPsZSmLiJBQyQl2zUGMuZeSyg2cVaTtwR4nB3b61BMTZI1c8BHCb5kB80-olDASb7IZuHXr1qNyx57x4-rGI29Iomvw8Y4H07OOqgFysTP3iI0AEHU2nPw/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTf-Ae98lNd3SevnmG3emQjpPsZSmLiJBQyQl2zUGMuZeSyg2cVaTtwR4nB3b61BMTZI1c8BHCb5kB80-olDASb7IZuHXr1qNyx57x4-rGI29Iomvw8Y4H07OOqgFysTP3iI0AEHU2nPw/s640/IMG_1287.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Red
and juicy.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHEcVyS_lWrLK1rMG9r3efTY3Iuj5D-w9YH5Mg3hvgv4aVvxXiKLLp22nKKv4wBPt0QdsYG2W19GitsWbJyjv-CqAM6FMg_WeoGS-m1nbkFt9-gM4Qv_3C0mpn_X8ufr3UZS_8TrhHOc/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHEcVyS_lWrLK1rMG9r3efTY3Iuj5D-w9YH5Mg3hvgv4aVvxXiKLLp22nKKv4wBPt0QdsYG2W19GitsWbJyjv-CqAM6FMg_WeoGS-m1nbkFt9-gM4Qv_3C0mpn_X8ufr3UZS_8TrhHOc/s640/IMG_1289.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ignoring
the NO TRESPASSING sign, I quickly picked half a lunch-bag full of berries and
headed home to finish the recipe.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE FINISHING
TOUCHES</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
it’s time to really start cooking.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Using
a sauce pan, I boiled about three cups of water, then whisked in about one cup
of sugar until the simple syrup was smooth and silky. </span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGjHbFYWYrn7ci19UU3P55aXBo-8_EtYYx9soTN36sfnwemtQO4uhUB4h_mGrWblxvjsZ4Inj9b3tWQdzeaLVCW69tSUfh0clFN5I5RpyR96tpzfAL10-ncLswHgx99e1TLxS8v2J5EE/s1600/IMG_1392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGjHbFYWYrn7ci19UU3P55aXBo-8_EtYYx9soTN36sfnwemtQO4uhUB4h_mGrWblxvjsZ4Inj9b3tWQdzeaLVCW69tSUfh0clFN5I5RpyR96tpzfAL10-ncLswHgx99e1TLxS8v2J5EE/s640/IMG_1392.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At
the very end, I added a few drop of fresh lemon juice. That keeps the sugar from crystallizing when
it cools.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">With the syrup off the heat, I took the honeysuckle out of the fridge, drained the water into another mixing bowl and threw out the flowers.</span></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then, I whisked the syrup into the honeysuckled
water.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now,
technically, I should put the whole concoction into a mixer or an ice cream
machine. I suppose a blender or a food
processor could work too, if it had a low enough speed. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
don’t have any of those appliances. I
used to have a blender but it broke, last autumn, when I thought it’d be the
perfect tool to crack black walnuts.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No
worries. I poured it all into a plastic
container and locked it into the freezer.
I wanted it cold and icy but not frozen solid.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6HOQihyaxUMN5zX_8BlYhrFcWsLaYZRkwbvBeMntlB1YDpHtirQ-X6wxWvad3li9prs4aG53BXPRug37m8dTO7HNpyYfqL4KVHnZ05YUjb6lIUm3BZQZXcFuBbveq7TYTdwMZ4dYtcE/s1600/IMG_1397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6HOQihyaxUMN5zX_8BlYhrFcWsLaYZRkwbvBeMntlB1YDpHtirQ-X6wxWvad3li9prs4aG53BXPRug37m8dTO7HNpyYfqL4KVHnZ05YUjb6lIUm3BZQZXcFuBbveq7TYTdwMZ4dYtcE/s640/IMG_1397.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Basically,
cold enough to lift with a spoon without having to wrestle it out of the container.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then,
I rinsed off and sliced the strawberries.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For
this recipe, I like adding a little powdered sugar. The berries certainly didn’t need them. They were sweet enough by themselves but the
powdered sugar will react with the natural juices of the strawberries to create
a bright red, glossy glaze. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOcOtRdPayeKqj6hAiVKjeywHAHzcnMlAk8dfGOBMOqvQNkjTE4cuHv82hlkoGKiLSnbxbMOryBAd_ZvJeKMbU5SElaAt7w4eniobaRcltshmOkgDzE7WDyH7Ed3GCOo7otRqaEC-5zY/s1600/IMG_1386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFOcOtRdPayeKqj6hAiVKjeywHAHzcnMlAk8dfGOBMOqvQNkjTE4cuHv82hlkoGKiLSnbxbMOryBAd_ZvJeKMbU5SElaAt7w4eniobaRcltshmOkgDzE7WDyH7Ed3GCOo7otRqaEC-5zY/s640/IMG_1386.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
that’s it.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is it.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Honeysuckle
Philly Water Ice with “Wild” Strawberries.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOs7WvDEAy9l7N2NaLuYi_xVYd4ywmAxl2wtXZ42VM49IR1QmpIf_GptGMj5x5Uw1nSxOhjSlbpjNvxHO2xL-uLuBEVRHiOZX2aJIGo2NsRrI2jH2PGzhXXOn-UVvsMArZv28jbOx_18/s1600/IMG_1407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOs7WvDEAy9l7N2NaLuYi_xVYd4ywmAxl2wtXZ42VM49IR1QmpIf_GptGMj5x5Uw1nSxOhjSlbpjNvxHO2xL-uLuBEVRHiOZX2aJIGo2NsRrI2jH2PGzhXXOn-UVvsMArZv28jbOx_18/s640/IMG_1407.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
put <i>wild</i> in quotation marks because
those strawberry runners on Preston Street were obviously planted. They're nurtured and cultivated. Someone at some point went to some sort of trouble to make sure they survive and ripen.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They didn’t just pop up there in front of
that building the way real wild strawberries, or wild honeysuckle, pop up in the forests or along the fences.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So,
technically, the strawberries in this recipe aren’t <i>wild</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
they didn’t come from no grocery store either, that’s for sure. These strawberries have never been under an
artificial light or seen the inside of a refrigerated truck.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
<i>wild</i> enough for me for right now and
just that little bit of <i>wild</i> makes
this dish that much more delicious.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Delicious,
wild and windy…it was all free food too.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Unless
you charge for trouble.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-18764464246151946082013-05-27T09:23:00.000-07:002013-05-27T11:03:02.054-07:00MEMENTO MORI ME<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
grew up in this house.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFMSD81hYQnzPB0MdWrWm04GOar9LxB2A-NwQdE3wadpjgcjYN3DCa-4Tgw2nAr0JhM5-8Mzx4iErq1jPhppD8kd9KrSjkKRcfh4NHYqbTDn8ujOFMICr8-iJyEII6KSNRPqYTZnC49c/s1600/IMG_1249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFMSD81hYQnzPB0MdWrWm04GOar9LxB2A-NwQdE3wadpjgcjYN3DCa-4Tgw2nAr0JhM5-8Mzx4iErq1jPhppD8kd9KrSjkKRcfh4NHYqbTDn8ujOFMICr8-iJyEII6KSNRPqYTZnC49c/s640/IMG_1249.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
isn’t a particularly original thought but, boy, it sure looks a lot smaller
than I remember. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
just seems too small to house all those memories, all those holidays, all those
meals, all those toys and all those birthdays…and it doesn’t look big enough to
contain the big family that used to call it home…one happy couple, one beatnik
sister and five rambunctious boys, including one future champion tree-hunter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
also missing some trees.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
used to be larger roses and more evergreen shrubs guarding the walkway to the front
door. There used to be a dwarf pear tree
and a rose of sharon on the driveway side of the house.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
the other side of the house, there used to be a sour cherry tree. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At
the end of long summer days, I would cool down under the sour cherry tree with the
Lippincott brothers and we would throw our pits over the fence into the
neighbor’s in-ground pool, sorry about that.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
found an old photo of the house and that’s when I remembered another tree, now
missing…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqpAK1UcwHNnQou0zplWwPXIS4V9YZXQQx3RbUUlWtIWEH_mV6-tYTAuob7FgHFXjWYV-3tB6gZI89E2J72FaXnVgEZ3hlE0zvJdqRwBY-DzFgLdE4Y9onAE8zU6TY0hkqXP0YumnNXQ/s1600/Use+this+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqpAK1UcwHNnQou0zplWwPXIS4V9YZXQQx3RbUUlWtIWEH_mV6-tYTAuob7FgHFXjWYV-3tB6gZI89E2J72FaXnVgEZ3hlE0zvJdqRwBY-DzFgLdE4Y9onAE8zU6TY0hkqXP0YumnNXQ/s640/Use+this+one.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that
tall Norway spruce rubbing up against the side of my childhood home.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
are the trees of my past…the trees of yore…the phantom trees that can no longer
be found except in old photographs and fading memories…happy Memorial Day,
citybillies.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Contrary
to popular belief, trees do go missing.
I wish they wouldn’t move around so much but they do. They come and then they go.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Philadelphia,
too, is haunted by its own host of missing trees, none more famous than
the Great Elm of Shackamaxon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE PENN TREATY</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Shackamaxon
was the name of the Lenape village located right here along the Delaware River
within the borders of the Philadelphia charter, in the neighborhoods currently
called Port Richmond and Fishtown.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to a few histories, Shackamaxon was the capital of the Lenape nation and the
seat of power for the chief of the Turtle Clan.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the village of Shackamaxon, there was a great elm.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOn-LDNM_0b2GX753hmvxtqFihYKL4VVQAUdU-Jk1jdDLhQAWdgsHHgcG79i0F8NWrSPiKGxMRHCaAHwNdOHYgTya-LlYcOqa2CtUSarxNrv4RXeVyFT7oxcNJbxhl-UtwhTOWQGgazs/s1600/1-2-53E-25-ExplorePAHistory-a0b9a1-a_349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOn-LDNM_0b2GX753hmvxtqFihYKL4VVQAUdU-Jk1jdDLhQAWdgsHHgcG79i0F8NWrSPiKGxMRHCaAHwNdOHYgTya-LlYcOqa2CtUSarxNrv4RXeVyFT7oxcNJbxhl-UtwhTOWQGgazs/s640/1-2-53E-25-ExplorePAHistory-a0b9a1-a_349.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
1682, under the shadow of this great elm, William Penn made official peace with
the chief of the Turtle Clan, a meeting that is known as the Treaty of Amity
and Friendship.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
is no record of the treaty, although William Penn himself once described the
scene in a letter, writing:</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The king sits in
the middle of a half moon, and has his council, the old and wise on each
hand. Behind them or at little distance
sit the younger fry in the same figure.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijh7AW61niCNyy-xpDpj6YIlNZ7qf805Xpc565uawBjl-bSE78QRjLrsmFAwpNx-Yl0SEKFdtr2jJGcduP0folO-alAD7ux64aVipsBh7P-WY10foFk4A_Dn6h37iAg52oFZrtyfBjJgQ/s1600/elm_tree_treaty_1_md.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijh7AW61niCNyy-xpDpj6YIlNZ7qf805Xpc565uawBjl-bSE78QRjLrsmFAwpNx-Yl0SEKFdtr2jJGcduP0folO-alAD7ux64aVipsBh7P-WY10foFk4A_Dn6h37iAg52oFZrtyfBjJgQ/s640/elm_tree_treaty_1_md.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Great promises
passed between us of kindness and good neighborhood, and that the English and
Indians must live in love as long as the sun gave light.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>We will transmit
this League between us to our children.
It shall be made stronger and stronger, and be kept bright and clean
without rust or spot…</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCW__JQhImoUDE3mpXEePzY0n8JlfWqUcfm4SO7UEuKVeThBn37jqfp0a1EGwtUwOwJc_NG-ii2l9DUoBynOlv2pl6fzicFAOhTqAjbPyy_QO-3qOyXzhIMPc8diMT40Ktl8lzetj5ROU/s1600/william-penn-indians.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCW__JQhImoUDE3mpXEePzY0n8JlfWqUcfm4SO7UEuKVeThBn37jqfp0a1EGwtUwOwJc_NG-ii2l9DUoBynOlv2pl6fzicFAOhTqAjbPyy_QO-3qOyXzhIMPc8diMT40Ktl8lzetj5ROU/s640/william-penn-indians.jpg" width="556" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
Treaty was sealed with the exchange of wampum belts.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
elm tree, already tall and mighty during this historical handshake, finally
succumbed to heavy winds 128 years later, on March 3, 1810.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Kgy9ha8YyTDJlILPsxkSUzYmsSl0Z5aUyQ-boXe7Dq6PdMjU0LlontnVMalGoUD5N9ojaYjXtLw7e66X_-E4LF_cu6PCOcRx-5PyGqcbjA_-A7LAtg_qT-ajFGMa0Cv9eF2Nj4ogkmM/s1600/Penn+Treaty+Tree+Removal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Kgy9ha8YyTDJlILPsxkSUzYmsSl0Z5aUyQ-boXe7Dq6PdMjU0LlontnVMalGoUD5N9ojaYjXtLw7e66X_-E4LF_cu6PCOcRx-5PyGqcbjA_-A7LAtg_qT-ajFGMa0Cv9eF2Nj4ogkmM/s640/Penn+Treaty+Tree+Removal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At
the time of its toppling, it was 283 years old, eight feet in diameter and
twenty-four feet in circumference.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its
final height is in dispute but, if it was still alive, and even if it hadn’t
grown an inch since 1810, it would stand above us all, today, as the reigning
champion elm tree of Philadelphia.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its
place is commemorated with a statue of brother William Penn himself, right off
Delaware Avenue, in Penn Treaty Park.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHj2aiuvQQ6HsRLUduijaBLgMcXqhjdP1mnahir9S4d8X-KfLiLKBpuZeQjTffBCpBAF4TyL17JBAANIqVNq7BvamjeAExqsCmiHF2cHiMkdds72Xc8zLu7Faxy7LJrFNzZG-kMmDPlI/s1600/IMG_1250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHj2aiuvQQ6HsRLUduijaBLgMcXqhjdP1mnahir9S4d8X-KfLiLKBpuZeQjTffBCpBAF4TyL17JBAANIqVNq7BvamjeAExqsCmiHF2cHiMkdds72Xc8zLu7Faxy7LJrFNzZG-kMmDPlI/s640/IMG_1250.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Philadelphia’s
most famous phantom tree, long gone but not forgotten, paid respect on the Friday
before Memorial Day 2013 by humble old Jon Spruce.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was a blustery, rainy day, smack dab in the middle of a busy holiday
weekend. My time was limited. Work was breathing down my neck and, by Jove,
it was almost June.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
had very little free time. I hate using
that phrase. I wonder how you say <i>free time</i> in the Lenape language.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Time
wasn’t slipping by. That would imply I
still had a chance to grab it. Face
facts, Jon Spruce. Time was gone. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But if
I used my remaining time wisely, I could still find some new trees so, in the
spirit of Memorial Day, I drove west from Penn Treaty Park, up Spring Garden
Street. I swung around the Art Museum down
Kelly Drive and took the turn that led to the entrance of the Laurel Hill
Cemetery.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE CEMETERY ON
THE HILL</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like
most tree-hunters, I love a good cemetery.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
one, the Laurel Hill Historic Cemetery? This is a good one.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFYYMStNOnS8brxol6yRlpauWXWl44qauCWUNtYfdbV2vg77IQ3DZWjz4Qgksm23F1lpCCwCNlfUXajgbYnJsOA502TsrKnwL0j9nzH89Ax4TxqxzH_h1FXqrLAM0oksgQnmC5Gz8W18/s1600/IMG_1074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFYYMStNOnS8brxol6yRlpauWXWl44qauCWUNtYfdbV2vg77IQ3DZWjz4Qgksm23F1lpCCwCNlfUXajgbYnJsOA502TsrKnwL0j9nzH89Ax4TxqxzH_h1FXqrLAM0oksgQnmC5Gz8W18/s640/IMG_1074.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
located on the top of the rocky bluffs that soar above the hairpin curves of
Kelly Drive overlooking the muddy Schuylkill River. </span></span>
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBv-c-dnZ4LzJZvlASFspuKF8C90gCdQXUZC66c2xH88Uj4TwFfI8182DliZ0x0_Zu4fQB3md_uTw9DZt4vt6gPI-XJ9eRVytP6mHfV_Wfmiq-WBVn37Akmh9X9cfRzhyv4AgO31agdB0/s1600/IMG_1094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBv-c-dnZ4LzJZvlASFspuKF8C90gCdQXUZC66c2xH88Uj4TwFfI8182DliZ0x0_Zu4fQB3md_uTw9DZt4vt6gPI-XJ9eRVytP6mHfV_Wfmiq-WBVn37Akmh9X9cfRzhyv4AgO31agdB0/s640/IMG_1094.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was the first cemetery to be designated as a National Historic Landmark and, if
you enjoy visiting famous graves, then this is a good place to go hunting.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Harry
Kalas is buried here. So is Owen Wister,
one of the pioneers of western fiction. Witmer
Stone is also buried here, the very first botanist to tackle the flora of the
New Jersey Pine Barrens. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Generals,
commodores, composers, explorers, Philadelphia mayors, Continental Congressmen,
signers of the Declaration of Independence, all buried here. David Rittenhouse is buried here too. He was responsible for the first American
telescope and the first American to find Uranus.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What’s
the most famous grave here in Laurel Hill?
Well, that’s a funny story. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
turns out the most famous person buried here never even existed in the real
world.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-AE-m-rB9fdMADkspVAJz6nM2ZOaYm4eIftG01YbJUY89nx_JO9_d7HPGUthVue7Nf0quIpObz63krkRmwvplWde6QMgHLIc6Z-zd5SRredPxVZ6jvQMbKubbrXITqvRC_hZERqzrvM/s1600/IMG_1073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-AE-m-rB9fdMADkspVAJz6nM2ZOaYm4eIftG01YbJUY89nx_JO9_d7HPGUthVue7Nf0quIpObz63krkRmwvplWde6QMgHLIc6Z-zd5SRredPxVZ6jvQMbKubbrXITqvRC_hZERqzrvM/s640/IMG_1073.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is also a good place to go tombstone reading.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As
a fan of literature, there is a part of me that enjoys a well-worded epitaph. A good tombstone can contain a superior level
of simple, frank poetry. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Etched
into stone, an ordinary turn of phrase has the chance to reach high craft.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Like this tribute, a lament to the young wife
Sarah Ann…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBETR7JaStRc3l-hfdvwEZeFyl2-GlMRkZi1XFI6jw79WQnGND0Mvv3kc0SPgdqZO7hKL9-8CEq4hR-8uEYGQYrRhoLcA7QFXk866yjfoLRwQ-qjR05fScKKxPGa3oOGJ0-dcs_WwYUo8/s1600/IMG_1131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBETR7JaStRc3l-hfdvwEZeFyl2-GlMRkZi1XFI6jw79WQnGND0Mvv3kc0SPgdqZO7hKL9-8CEq4hR-8uEYGQYrRhoLcA7QFXk866yjfoLRwQ-qjR05fScKKxPGa3oOGJ0-dcs_WwYUo8/s400/IMG_1131.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…who
just <i>fell asleep</i> one Sunday in May,
163 years ago.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Perhaps
the most interesting tombstone is this one…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQArIcfI5VOmks0USP4TuM-UdY81hwaWB9l5yX0e8IIpccqIAXR8yoAyVe75KdIwBLOGri_zJZap-2-lrXOR8cxGPqsmPSeoomd7v7YlKq44G4POL6loVqAHzUw5iflxzFmYKEMv89vYs/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQArIcfI5VOmks0USP4TuM-UdY81hwaWB9l5yX0e8IIpccqIAXR8yoAyVe75KdIwBLOGri_zJZap-2-lrXOR8cxGPqsmPSeoomd7v7YlKq44G4POL6loVqAHzUw5iflxzFmYKEMv89vYs/s640/IMG_1191.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…shared
by Professor Levy Franklin Smith and his devoted wife and spiritualist, Miss
Catharine Drinkhouse who, according to her epitaph…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7A1m3XZD5RhaZMPNdW6TVhm2A0z6ptbLoD4dTN4TSGvujShQXzzpf2UjHcxGFOmn-mA85A-hyVz7t8WF5jaYQNNluw6XDJw3Gagg0JB46-MEZMk4NjeCmPwwYPyHg4fnJAp4GZUOTYjM/s1600/IMG_1194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7A1m3XZD5RhaZMPNdW6TVhm2A0z6ptbLoD4dTN4TSGvujShQXzzpf2UjHcxGFOmn-mA85A-hyVz7t8WF5jaYQNNluw6XDJw3Gagg0JB46-MEZMk4NjeCmPwwYPyHg4fnJAp4GZUOTYjM/s640/IMG_1194.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…was
<i>one of the best mediums of her time</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One
of the facets of this gravestone is dedicated to the code of the Masons…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQism5guNqnu9NibEdkFAt-eufqQZsRwcl1s7Knpb3rwx45VaJvIGwBzLYE-YOX1c4ALRrVfr3Igqn9gNPagXLnl5oHseQ519jxW0Zb2lF3vIafMCxAm106H0jrib3zFFQNQp9RClLdp4/s1600/IMG_1193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQism5guNqnu9NibEdkFAt-eufqQZsRwcl1s7Knpb3rwx45VaJvIGwBzLYE-YOX1c4ALRrVfr3Igqn9gNPagXLnl5oHseQ519jxW0Zb2lF3vIafMCxAm106H0jrib3zFFQNQp9RClLdp4/s640/IMG_1193.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…<i>we meet upon the level, and we part upon the
square</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I like that. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now I make it a general rule not to go messing around with the Masons but I sincerely hope that they all enjoyed
Miss Drinkhouse’s company for more than just her clairvoyant powers to
communicate with the dead.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
mean, c’mon. A medium in heaven? I can’t think a more worthless occupation.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well,
maybe one.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
suppose, up there, there isn’t much demand for a good gravedigger. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Tombstone
reading is fun, I admit, but I was here to find new trees and, in that respect,
Laurel Hill, again, does not disappoint.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>“RICH IN RARE
TREES…”</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Laurel
Hill was always meant to be more than just a cemetery. John Jay Smith, the site’s first planner,
wanted the place to be a showcase for architecture, landscape gardening and
botany and he had over two thousand trees planted on the cemetery grounds.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some
of the big trees here might've been planted by John Jay Smith himself, they look
so old and so worn, so established in their place.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjn7_7LlsgyjKCG-5NcXFjwzxfHEN_OZvZhecwr_6b_KkAXA_ciGGRZXRACxuLDpiGy39jS8U2fbe242WUixqV5eEBJdQgGhkicIRLwI03A7iFxDFRy9Xmwl59UjaFq8gHjLaTKVrGqs/s1600/IMG_1082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjn7_7LlsgyjKCG-5NcXFjwzxfHEN_OZvZhecwr_6b_KkAXA_ciGGRZXRACxuLDpiGy39jS8U2fbe242WUixqV5eEBJdQgGhkicIRLwI03A7iFxDFRy9Xmwl59UjaFq8gHjLaTKVrGqs/s640/IMG_1082.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
found an old, old sycamore, with four incredible branches… </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupdgZneIaJ7tiAw0xyJEDji0TwDOcJPQ46TzCdV3bBdXJreF4iY4QHzIJ3yr_CqvHW6WO6sql7nNngfNDacRDfkxkHfz_I-5ImSw0dcJXdaXinLhyphenhyphendGCfug2weQf_U2WHUHg2iCOO04w/s1600/IMG_1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupdgZneIaJ7tiAw0xyJEDji0TwDOcJPQ46TzCdV3bBdXJreF4iY4QHzIJ3yr_CqvHW6WO6sql7nNngfNDacRDfkxkHfz_I-5ImSw0dcJXdaXinLhyphenhyphendGCfug2weQf_U2WHUHg2iCOO04w/s640/IMG_1108.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
one dinosaur of a spruce…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtDNboY10FbbxreyI8hpn_TYMHoIZZuotm0J0aizo_S82TqPynwZrpuPYb7pRL7PW5oFNNoFwUQ5DuuGIE2MrtLS02RjAhHpIuV2cXEep8viTjjVRGhR620pD_BPUOtqQhapIg4mJpHo/s1600/IMG_1210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtDNboY10FbbxreyI8hpn_TYMHoIZZuotm0J0aizo_S82TqPynwZrpuPYb7pRL7PW5oFNNoFwUQ5DuuGIE2MrtLS02RjAhHpIuV2cXEep8viTjjVRGhR620pD_BPUOtqQhapIg4mJpHo/s640/IMG_1210.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…flexing
its muscle over the grave of one Charles Hyneman and his wife Annie Chance.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
roses were out and I found a gorgeous bramble of one…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRUb1h5NSOJ_bGMTR2qqkyPxK6E2ZAd81xaQquJ2r15awexhO9BnnXaQ0t5K6rXRuzB2cu8bondVhAm0j-sej4EhrxyFs-brSqyC_SM2vf_Ftyw41Vloe5NMUC06e9D-DWrKqu1YgV6E/s1600/IMG_1212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRUb1h5NSOJ_bGMTR2qqkyPxK6E2ZAd81xaQquJ2r15awexhO9BnnXaQ0t5K6rXRuzB2cu8bondVhAm0j-sej4EhrxyFs-brSqyC_SM2vf_Ftyw41Vloe5NMUC06e9D-DWrKqu1YgV6E/s640/IMG_1212.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…red,
rainy roses gracing the grave of Rebecca Clifford Fox.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
heavy winds and the driving rain kept my head down but there was still lots to see on
the ground, including this year’s first tulip poplar flowers…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrH5BUYKnSne9KVEDNaw4NEohh6tNaqDQGn4z3C1Fh3pRn3AKl3EVsg219O7G1UlOoOR_1vKySHId69NFs2ZfxmXUc4Hnp-RKlS2LQhAL96taoqMpRZ1UsXmW8OqMShlqmLZaSJFLgYrk/s1600/IMG_1114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrH5BUYKnSne9KVEDNaw4NEohh6tNaqDQGn4z3C1Fh3pRn3AKl3EVsg219O7G1UlOoOR_1vKySHId69NFs2ZfxmXUc4Hnp-RKlS2LQhAL96taoqMpRZ1UsXmW8OqMShlqmLZaSJFLgYrk/s640/IMG_1114.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and,
on the other side of the cemetery, I saw a typical phenomenon for this time of
year…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFU_aN-IA6gH4HWNlCQc8KGgNGoOM33FEj3cXgd0duipKa3Qd4ssFnaTqVT0rdtlps9fSoGPjWqwsCQ0aHvRTn0UA5_Peq8mDe1oBXQDGq_odaHF1hDtDsa96BRYOweQvVcrmA_NVGbw/s1600/IMG_1198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFU_aN-IA6gH4HWNlCQc8KGgNGoOM33FEj3cXgd0duipKa3Qd4ssFnaTqVT0rdtlps9fSoGPjWqwsCQ0aHvRTn0UA5_Peq8mDe1oBXQDGq_odaHF1hDtDsa96BRYOweQvVcrmA_NVGbw/s640/IMG_1198.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…a
black road awash in golden pollen.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
normally means that there is a healthy, fertile honey locust nearby and, sure
enough, I found it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
are the flowers of the honey locust.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJYMO0fG2j4yY6WMTaQuyElYCxwUaarHrpoz3TtZPCZVCeVsCiqIltjDLOOTm4FXc8M6Z6VufxKCwLXNM0nyR5dXIyQMaJUPHrmNHtLJxTmL9_ArI1q9Xv2pT9taIvUCEWiEwYv89jnA/s1600/IMG_1206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJYMO0fG2j4yY6WMTaQuyElYCxwUaarHrpoz3TtZPCZVCeVsCiqIltjDLOOTm4FXc8M6Z6VufxKCwLXNM0nyR5dXIyQMaJUPHrmNHtLJxTmL9_ArI1q9Xv2pT9taIvUCEWiEwYv89jnA/s640/IMG_1206.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the fall, the tree will produce those large, dark, twisted bean pods. Somewhere still undiscovered by me, there is a
pathway between these delicate flowers and those thick bean pods.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
suppose I could find that path but, in order for my feeble mind to understand,
I would have to take a picture of its transformation every day. That’s the only way I could follow that
route.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As
promised, the cemetery is rich in rare trees, especially the yellowwood.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylJRafYwiS7ZlY1u5kLVBPTLSFYqyxdaz_xvukGHqiecMBTDGiHkYCSKEGUmISi1s2h7ISagvqC434tawf2A7A6gR7EtV92XekMkzf3WBEKORVb3Gq9aHWV_mYkfVTmWb9qLVf5upM7s/s1600/IMG_1137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylJRafYwiS7ZlY1u5kLVBPTLSFYqyxdaz_xvukGHqiecMBTDGiHkYCSKEGUmISi1s2h7ISagvqC434tawf2A7A6gR7EtV92XekMkzf3WBEKORVb3Gq9aHWV_mYkfVTmWb9qLVf5upM7s/s640/IMG_1137.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
yellowwood has a very small and limited native range, found only on the
rocky, limestone cliffs found in certain parts of Kentucky, North Carolina and
Tennessee. It is rare even there.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
there are many yellowwoods here at Laurel Hill. The most impressive one stands near one of the
stone entrances…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_6sUhuis2fmPJBjw9qSIhm6k7T1a3eIa82R1qPmvBHLbCHbez2CkxTK1Pc2L6eHQ03y5Yxh8p06dCPG-lxdOtNOkrmdajGEFRLpS52RceqTlWIMUqBfL2-2cBLVbNTqG_tc_9wfnV-8/s1600/IMG_1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_6sUhuis2fmPJBjw9qSIhm6k7T1a3eIa82R1qPmvBHLbCHbez2CkxTK1Pc2L6eHQ03y5Yxh8p06dCPG-lxdOtNOkrmdajGEFRLpS52RceqTlWIMUqBfL2-2cBLVbNTqG_tc_9wfnV-8/s640/IMG_1153.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
is a good example of its distinct habit of branching too close to the ground.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
yellowwood is known in spring for its beautiful drapery of small white flowers…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFhd-vrwhyphenhyphen9k3WLb6_UdoHxa6jxjbS6WMLvItEIbcnBLlVcVHLhAJIQobe-lg5wIy-SDbN3RObhEZsxM8puaUexxCEY2r-BU8c-eShlAO-DoIRAQ7xeDZsskEwyoOC1f6NF_dOhTGRao/s1600/IMG_1139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFhd-vrwhyphenhyphen9k3WLb6_UdoHxa6jxjbS6WMLvItEIbcnBLlVcVHLhAJIQobe-lg5wIy-SDbN3RObhEZsxM8puaUexxCEY2r-BU8c-eShlAO-DoIRAQ7xeDZsskEwyoOC1f6NF_dOhTGRao/s640/IMG_1139.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
it’s known year-round for its distinctive smooth, gray bark…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-W5zW9koK2KrJ-2hw08-BzveGw3VdMo9cQShRuDcV1y77BJw2xoo6306BGr7LTYDIJHRHffbo6chX0n2GnagrMoqbM2K3OeZUwQSukWJtSy9mIpy8UWzXgzfr917T-wrnEvXzCTZ8Sg/s1600/IMG_1155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-W5zW9koK2KrJ-2hw08-BzveGw3VdMo9cQShRuDcV1y77BJw2xoo6306BGr7LTYDIJHRHffbo6chX0n2GnagrMoqbM2K3OeZUwQSukWJtSy9mIpy8UWzXgzfr917T-wrnEvXzCTZ8Sg/s640/IMG_1155.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…which,
for some reason, attracts a universe of moss and lichens.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrWiFZDxg_a3gWfLmpQYAo5TZO724prTt8hBlm0C02Tyl2wZBgfxnsuFU9AzrkozOduoTJuik0PJIDDiD4omRq_zXQagB_3Cmyq1v34yDN_6CsyJQG1KXPviVEMu3vzDPxGctKHIbcf0/s1600/IMG_1163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrWiFZDxg_a3gWfLmpQYAo5TZO724prTt8hBlm0C02Tyl2wZBgfxnsuFU9AzrkozOduoTJuik0PJIDDiD4omRq_zXQagB_3Cmyq1v34yDN_6CsyJQG1KXPviVEMu3vzDPxGctKHIbcf0/s400/IMG_1163.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuthjFmE6-TnC43cLwNZtuuCcNkqDkRbKzjq2cUoj-3mXswR7AbGs4YRcyDTI8lusB1Bd2LeviMZ3FwuhU-UJmxBjr1_KprppmFa4Fo_OoXkQY4tNVXcjpH4Y30YfqRrt4rt-PV-CWRqM/s1600/IMG_1157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuthjFmE6-TnC43cLwNZtuuCcNkqDkRbKzjq2cUoj-3mXswR7AbGs4YRcyDTI8lusB1Bd2LeviMZ3FwuhU-UJmxBjr1_KprppmFa4Fo_OoXkQY4tNVXcjpH4Y30YfqRrt4rt-PV-CWRqM/s400/IMG_1157.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Another
rare tree stands tall and proud over the grave of Caleb Horne, his wife Anna
Mary and their daughter, Phoebe.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRGDp0SzLDAgPRcxgFu4vfWIq9OcrlX2Lp_DV-Hghkj9c5JLbCz9qfybh-GwNgGD2xPj_tAnW3OpuyjNjcbf28p0hHnFUixsx43D6Eqh3BXrP5UlwuHJOGRZOKf_LMzlBLOI9OQMawl4/s1600/IMG_1228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRGDp0SzLDAgPRcxgFu4vfWIq9OcrlX2Lp_DV-Hghkj9c5JLbCz9qfybh-GwNgGD2xPj_tAnW3OpuyjNjcbf28p0hHnFUixsx43D6Eqh3BXrP5UlwuHJOGRZOKf_LMzlBLOI9OQMawl4/s640/IMG_1228.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the Kentucky coffeetree.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqcm44MnaWCLPzsUTSnU4f1vTmKvgtGFU1D-dkmWjJZXt_ZGdEzumBVKzlwV5pxnEEE2syC-5397kJqcDPT32G2Qy4sCDqY9n_bdzpq1l3FZ5bliRBNJoTEkWJdAn_q0_q-MGELfCUIM/s1600/IMG_1230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqcm44MnaWCLPzsUTSnU4f1vTmKvgtGFU1D-dkmWjJZXt_ZGdEzumBVKzlwV5pxnEEE2syC-5397kJqcDPT32G2Qy4sCDqY9n_bdzpq1l3FZ5bliRBNJoTEkWJdAn_q0_q-MGELfCUIM/s640/IMG_1230.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its
flowers were out too…</span></span>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrMDJ1sHV-4jFRhTbz5JHmZGC6f7gvZMIvFA5tClBM3_sdzvYapMirTCXjyNvyPmSTUlSXqk7N8cmyAk-GI8ym6Jc1t-BnJPxRetd56YG35dn6IcCOi7pQLqmS9Wxj9xQ8HyhFml2Ps4/s1600/IMG_1232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrMDJ1sHV-4jFRhTbz5JHmZGC6f7gvZMIvFA5tClBM3_sdzvYapMirTCXjyNvyPmSTUlSXqk7N8cmyAk-GI8ym6Jc1t-BnJPxRetd56YG35dn6IcCOi7pQLqmS9Wxj9xQ8HyhFml2Ps4/s640/IMG_1232.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…large
bushels of small flowers that, like the honey locust, will eventually transform
into a thick, brown bean pod.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
found some on the ground, leftovers from last winter.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0V0Zmy5X8nSgapX4NQOV7lgqReNuD8NQlF4fkKpdo7HGR7EGXgvf6CItAFc-_v2IRfej1ME_QLdGzTkCBLkqZzueH77sVvh8omJtwFGmTIwY7uLR6CrxmcAW6y2MqywoFBSL0vZStBzY/s1600/IMG_8498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0V0Zmy5X8nSgapX4NQOV7lgqReNuD8NQlF4fkKpdo7HGR7EGXgvf6CItAFc-_v2IRfej1ME_QLdGzTkCBLkqZzueH77sVvh8omJtwFGmTIwY7uLR6CrxmcAW6y2MqywoFBSL0vZStBzY/s640/IMG_8498.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
green, mushy pulp found in the pod is poisonous…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvs6uky0_TlJyuFdcDsdUAxO96oiw2w036t6df4EjpU8qP8VI5cNzWwtm_YHBppxMT4b7IURR0-Fes9dfNScQAdUKklLp9MEfADqQZhy0waU5YFDrzYimGf07mqmJCA-XTf-RTesxx7Ys/s1600/IMG_8494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvs6uky0_TlJyuFdcDsdUAxO96oiw2w036t6df4EjpU8qP8VI5cNzWwtm_YHBppxMT4b7IURR0-Fes9dfNScQAdUKklLp9MEfADqQZhy0waU5YFDrzYimGf07mqmJCA-XTf-RTesxx7Ys/s640/IMG_8494.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…although
those beans can be roasted and ground to make something that kind of tastes
like coffee, a trick used by the Native Americans and the origin of the tree’s
name.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is a good place to go tree-hunting but eventually the scenery will dampen the
adventurous soul. The rain wasn’t
helping. Even with a dauntless and
intrepid spirit, the cemetery’s population has a way of catching up with you.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRRmOnGe90Iuv3DMZclJKySSax9u7lz_FlIrUE07HxLaIfowoCXS5jt85zscWNBQdwBSayasAoSqwr3MIzKqa1dRDyswo0k-F06reM26AFsm6apqFvdpHLybGGOlNB93RLjCEl075U6M/s1600/IMG_1129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRRmOnGe90Iuv3DMZclJKySSax9u7lz_FlIrUE07HxLaIfowoCXS5jt85zscWNBQdwBSayasAoSqwr3MIzKqa1dRDyswo0k-F06reM26AFsm6apqFvdpHLybGGOlNB93RLjCEl075U6M/s400/IMG_1129.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTb1mjjk2CLv7U1dcNxW6PKNwt_VG8P8uO4wmOP4eQrRl8CJbjgdSa-JDq8gDgbc9QA3DC3xfm2W4Pg12A0NSdliBarhcSeuiO_2_CnhceR4YL7u3HO0Y1J_4qxjE8xCcGgkKk62c22g/s1600/IMG_1135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTb1mjjk2CLv7U1dcNxW6PKNwt_VG8P8uO4wmOP4eQrRl8CJbjgdSa-JDq8gDgbc9QA3DC3xfm2W4Pg12A0NSdliBarhcSeuiO_2_CnhceR4YL7u3HO0Y1J_4qxjE8xCcGgkKk62c22g/s400/IMG_1135.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>“DEATH WILL
COME, ALWAYS OUT OF SEASON…”</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">An
unsettling sense of the morbid and the macabre began to cloud my heart and
rattle my walking bones.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kUwqGIRdtRK4UwiMlVAm7I8yoz2mC22BZCQZM0-TCVj7ztThMmHz2k7VgxkcpPPglwjaxOVMcWHP2SklBDLpYF2UepDQu9PONb4Q5WFe9gx5HEfjM45SULy7pIXrFLG3DcQbsTpgDXg/s1600/IMG_1167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kUwqGIRdtRK4UwiMlVAm7I8yoz2mC22BZCQZM0-TCVj7ztThMmHz2k7VgxkcpPPglwjaxOVMcWHP2SklBDLpYF2UepDQu9PONb4Q5WFe9gx5HEfjM45SULy7pIXrFLG3DcQbsTpgDXg/s640/IMG_1167.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
quote from Carl Jung emerged from somewhere deep in my subconscious: <i>What I have to tell about the hereafter, and
about life after death, consists entirely of memories…</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
a strange thing to say.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
what, in his mind, was the difference between <i>life after death </i>and the <i>hereafter</i>. As someone who is obsessed with the notion of
<i>here</i>, I was suddenly struck by the
odd and sinister implications of that combination of words, <i>hereafter.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Lenape might’ve understood what he was talking about.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
buried their dead in a fetal position.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
like most religions, the Turtle Islanders believed that there was a passageway
from this world to the next, but they didn’t imagine that passage as a sunny
tunnel or as a light ascension towards cloudier climes.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2z3KzznkaBT9VXV70PQp7i5fyM2mOHe8w2jjKsHiA1_OECeMzVpjCYfxXLo28r7aZ70RbFJS6bISXOol101x3YJCNNSfCJPb1Xc9yZMGbceMMiclAGXPIGUJq9vy0S4x4VvDFh-B8Ec/s1600/IMG_1165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2z3KzznkaBT9VXV70PQp7i5fyM2mOHe8w2jjKsHiA1_OECeMzVpjCYfxXLo28r7aZ70RbFJS6bISXOol101x3YJCNNSfCJPb1Xc9yZMGbceMMiclAGXPIGUJq9vy0S4x4VvDFh-B8Ec/s640/IMG_1165.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
didn’t believe in some simple, quick flight up to heaven.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
imagined it as another leg of life, a long journey, fraught with danger and
teeming with enemies.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For them, it will be high adventure.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
will begin at the spot where you were buried.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cJVLMhCWCd6J7Hsj9asOeIzrt31LjL8O0GIo-qWAxFdZzisQ7JjkR2C4EfNrSEA60vUD15aaLTsbn_7mFx5wWC47L20vGz0CDMFsS14s3Okv-CoohFedBBaUOK5y082jj5YDQInidfU/s1600/IMG_1144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cJVLMhCWCd6J7Hsj9asOeIzrt31LjL8O0GIo-qWAxFdZzisQ7JjkR2C4EfNrSEA60vUD15aaLTsbn_7mFx5wWC47L20vGz0CDMFsS14s3Okv-CoohFedBBaUOK5y082jj5YDQInidfU/s640/IMG_1144.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After
collecting the totems that were buried in your grave, you will walk a path
through a cascading landscape of ditches, ravines and gulches. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcn9iwla-5Np9enYfi7_D5fZ6e63XojUmM6YxVT2Y2ei1LJdOg83Wj-QfpvGNY_mzaNgiruZcnaejSlFBJ4a8xBa0peMFGv5c6-wrSPW5TrwoCBKQwXPX5sLalnuIabzGMWRGoqQRhFA/s1600/IMG_1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcn9iwla-5Np9enYfi7_D5fZ6e63XojUmM6YxVT2Y2ei1LJdOg83Wj-QfpvGNY_mzaNgiruZcnaejSlFBJ4a8xBa0peMFGv5c6-wrSPW5TrwoCBKQwXPX5sLalnuIabzGMWRGoqQRhFA/s640/IMG_1117.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
sky will be both night and day.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM55jRfyBt2nZTNtF-g3fCHjd21dlGWrX_kxDvu9Yo4WM9Nn2nXXDA2VUvDZaFi5ugeZQXVB1jDKwWv18s6ipdYwpxM_WnQKnu-T3wM1KQlsSaThwzuokIzj5LxN6NoHSIsHhNy6vBgOI/s1600/IMG_1096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM55jRfyBt2nZTNtF-g3fCHjd21dlGWrX_kxDvu9Yo4WM9Nn2nXXDA2VUvDZaFi5ugeZQXVB1jDKwWv18s6ipdYwpxM_WnQKnu-T3wM1KQlsSaThwzuokIzj5LxN6NoHSIsHhNy6vBgOI/s640/IMG_1096.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
sun will burn bright and hot, the moon will do the same. The constellations will be unfamiliar. Shadows of giant birds will cross your path
as you scramble over the high cliffs and walk along the red ridges.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At
the end of this landscape, you will come across an impossible canyon, a roaring
river miles below. A rickety rope bridge
will be the only way to cross the canyon but, half-way across, the river will
rise and try to destroy the bridge. Its
waves will break the ropes, splinter the boards and yap at your feet.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Making
it to the other side, you turn around. That’s
when you notice that it’s not a river. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
a giant snake.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You'll continue down the path. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzPScU8gdqqQqTflgNkzk5A-uxVvz2btmHwuMv2zLu6-u7-1vWX8Bp0yWxRKwLmu8x-33WonWyjwzg4FVgbe0CaG6Jart0TpxHw2Eya3tKqQVscBhMrRcmaXfbOKRzkxTfieHyIaBf2M/s1600/IMG_1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzPScU8gdqqQqTflgNkzk5A-uxVvz2btmHwuMv2zLu6-u7-1vWX8Bp0yWxRKwLmu8x-33WonWyjwzg4FVgbe0CaG6Jart0TpxHw2Eya3tKqQVscBhMrRcmaXfbOKRzkxTfieHyIaBf2M/s640/IMG_1106.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You will have to wend your way through a tight tangle of willow, hazel and
thorny rose.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
woods will be thick with rabid frogs, slimy worms, bloodthirsty deer, angry
bears and evil birds whose songs tempt you into turning around and giving up.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When
you’ve finally cleared the woods, you will have to pass through a land burning
with fire.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
whole time, you’ll have the feeling that you’re being followed.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyYFggQlp-bJP4zHWVHjC-JaB8plmHOHsfscugvNozXjCL-cX15Mr3C3-Q_GM6ABoQQgH4-Dn6-arZvlNa1cF5nzLmQpu_ZT7cBc7QoFHkhhQ97J6gWFHtL-7anewxmIEwkSklJXWiCI/s1600/IMG_1078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyYFggQlp-bJP4zHWVHjC-JaB8plmHOHsfscugvNozXjCL-cX15Mr3C3-Q_GM6ABoQQgH4-Dn6-arZvlNa1cF5nzLmQpu_ZT7cBc7QoFHkhhQ97J6gWFHtL-7anewxmIEwkSklJXWiCI/s640/IMG_1078.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Along
the path, there will be food. In most
legends, it will be fields of ode-e-min, which translates to <i>heart-berry</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">We
know it as the strawberry.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
will be as big as boulders and some will be poisonous. Only those who paid attention to the
teachings of their elders will be able to tell the difference.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Finally,
you will come to the land of spirits.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
will climb a ladder and you will find a long lodge with walls made of whaleskin
stitched together with deer antlers, fragrant smoke pumping out of the many cedar-wood
chimneys.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There,
you will meet the Mother of the Mountain.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUC6KWPNmbeXtzTVYAEnxJSY-HpsVs9ohu0slsJW0DiFLEdAbD67DBX0FOwgHqBryTIgKG3D6bMd0CeLJX22y5QiYuUMKv0tJQfdWfOWDdfm3jD2IkFXLiXaGw4bsVSH-X7QFvmFLBDCg/s1600/IMG_1169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUC6KWPNmbeXtzTVYAEnxJSY-HpsVs9ohu0slsJW0DiFLEdAbD67DBX0FOwgHqBryTIgKG3D6bMd0CeLJX22y5QiYuUMKv0tJQfdWfOWDdfm3jD2IkFXLiXaGw4bsVSH-X7QFvmFLBDCg/s640/IMG_1169.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">She
assures you that all the trials are done, all the tribulations passed. She promises that you are home and, at first
glance, you agree. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
place? It looks exactly like the world
you’ve left behind.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">She
will feed you salmon and dried bear-ribs, acorn pancakes, sweet potatoes, corn,
berries and coffee.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After
the meal, you’ll continue up the ladder to stand in the presence of the
Earthmaker.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ7hsDU4t7_rbr1yG5OCelsEZ49Q3EYwdSzcN_aumst_v6l2o94ecL0O_vdYmP4M9hLQKAuUDnd-5q06mHsaOUeUGR2NF9PVqVPJXMT_c2HHujqlHEp6_fZsP_SI_hFSek8-BQbzH_O8/s1600/IMG_1220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ7hsDU4t7_rbr1yG5OCelsEZ49Q3EYwdSzcN_aumst_v6l2o94ecL0O_vdYmP4M9hLQKAuUDnd-5q06mHsaOUeUGR2NF9PVqVPJXMT_c2HHujqlHEp6_fZsP_SI_hFSek8-BQbzH_O8/s640/IMG_1220.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You’ll
receive two choices.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
can stay in the Afterworld, in a place identical to your original village and
peopled with the entire lineage of your tribal tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or
you can be born again to this world, the real world, for one more wild ride.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
this is the part of the myth where I always lose my footing.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
two choices have always befuddled me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Both
worlds, at first glance, seem to be the same.
Same animals, same landscapes, same food, same trees, same tobacco. Mountains, rivers, woods, canyons, lakes,
stars, sun and moon? All the same.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the end, same people too. Even the
people you’ve left behind on the real world will, ultimately, catch up with you
in this spirit village.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But,
if you think about it, there are two stark differences.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
will be the deciding factor in your choice.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
one world, you will have to face death again, and again.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the other world, there will be no cemeteries.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2_zP5YqgX4e4Y-gldYyoFtohdOqAZru4nT-MtSHYEqwx7auI2lbPeSS4RoaWtqcCcpwN016D8kbLwRYDdG4Wkp1Qkzt0NxbzSItEiY3RCpIbfxBcw_EBeyjzp0QfIYN8u1wIHdkcbbo/s1600/IMG_1087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2_zP5YqgX4e4Y-gldYyoFtohdOqAZru4nT-MtSHYEqwx7auI2lbPeSS4RoaWtqcCcpwN016D8kbLwRYDdG4Wkp1Qkzt0NxbzSItEiY3RCpIbfxBcw_EBeyjzp0QfIYN8u1wIHdkcbbo/s640/IMG_1087.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-47673619163345756392013-05-12T00:31:00.000-07:002013-05-15T13:37:34.240-07:00THE JON SPRUCE MAILBAG<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">People
are always asking me…well, they’re always asking me everything.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
true.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Every
week, my mailbox spills over with letters from the fans of Philly Trees, messages from
old friends, invitations for speaking engagements, requests for magazine
articles, pre-approved applications for money laundering schemes and
correspondences from citybillies all over Turtle Island.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JEEvbLEbNXeTwpxp8yyl6h8-LhRDKJmCFRVcyZPC_qj9V8oZPrtjUpeAm8dGZ5jiw15twHNnVPaeWotMpHWMa6sh7EV6hN50kvTw_EUGQMDvQkVQ_k9h26dukyjcJRsgOC3WW0M2jyo/s1600/IMG_0728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8JEEvbLEbNXeTwpxp8yyl6h8-LhRDKJmCFRVcyZPC_qj9V8oZPrtjUpeAm8dGZ5jiw15twHNnVPaeWotMpHWMa6sh7EV6hN50kvTw_EUGQMDvQkVQ_k9h26dukyjcJRsgOC3WW0M2jyo/s640/IMG_0728.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So,
on a particularly overcast and drizzly day, I spent the early evening sifting
through the mou<span style="font-size: large;">ntain</span> of mail, answering all the burning questions sent to me from
the small tribe of tree-hunters trying to make sense of this bountiful,
generous, cryptic mother we call Nature.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here’s
a letter…from a Troy A. Hamilton of Marlton, New Jersey, just on the other side
of the Delaware River.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWDSrx4BNb_YY-uYiVGbOPaormA7q_N0htD1qJrI0-62hBdRZ1RgxIoS3mRa9iXuxhIHEraaAHWYSHq6oGtmDjTssm1uYzDtLSN0eZAB0gVVlteMgiWY5mFKNMLJ7qUZD_lWiXqVvnLI/s1600/IMG_0735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWDSrx4BNb_YY-uYiVGbOPaormA7q_N0htD1qJrI0-62hBdRZ1RgxIoS3mRa9iXuxhIHEraaAHWYSHq6oGtmDjTssm1uYzDtLSN0eZAB0gVVlteMgiWY5mFKNMLJ7qUZD_lWiXqVvnLI/s640/IMG_0735.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Judging
from the handwriting, Troy is a young buck of a student, probably one of the
many fearless, scrappy Jersey devils just trying to find his footing
in the humdrum rat-race of monotonous suburbia.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Troy,
I know how it feels.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
just love receiving this kind of fan mail.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When
I was a kid, I was guilty, too, of writing letters to the celebrities that
really touched my spirit and fueled my inspirations, local heroes like Jim
Gardner and Charles Barkley and national icons like John Glenn and George
Lucas. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
look at me now, on the other end of the fan mail cycle.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What’s
that quote from Charles Fort?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>You measure a
circle beginning anywhere.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Looking
a little closer at the handwriting, little Troy seems to be struggling with the
subjects of English and Composition…but let’s see what urgent mystery young Troy
is asking old Jon Spruce to solve. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Hey, Jon Spruce,
my teacher made us read your blog for class.
It sucks! Who cares what a leaf
looks like. Not me. But I have to right a report for class about
a kind of tree. I dont care which one
you pick. </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>PS Nice hat
dork!</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNViAJhQLCngt2FBd9iE7QYTppkkpn6AmQUbGaylfysxHbtBIRfGR_Mr9PxonNCFfb1hdt3NG1DOX4XOFNzh4HePWjqCatSzPx5ZPY0gfKto_VOv8wCYkKqvugy36qwq47QvjJZVIZ794/s1600/IMG_0740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNViAJhQLCngt2FBd9iE7QYTppkkpn6AmQUbGaylfysxHbtBIRfGR_Mr9PxonNCFfb1hdt3NG1DOX4XOFNzh4HePWjqCatSzPx5ZPY0gfKto_VOv8wCYkKqvugy36qwq47QvjJZVIZ794/s640/IMG_0740.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Let’s
pick another letter in this pile.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
one is anonymous, that’s strange.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Dear Jon Spruce,
is this blog making you any money?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Real
funny, Dad.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Is
there a serious question here or what?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Okay,
here’s one...from a local Fishtown fan.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Hey, Jon Spruce,
I was cruising through the city the other day and I saw these freaky looking
trees.</i> <i>Here’s
a picture.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fEp7tpTvi8IRsydiarWKgDIvW6st1ul3W2_vlrzzRnCSD3qNDiKSiILIfRIUOwNjDz8lhJiYg978RROMJdv0kllpXFmLTXdb204QjrlNI_wKXnZH6PWsxDvmraWLoXhvTaRS7dEuy7Q/s1600/IMG_0868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fEp7tpTvi8IRsydiarWKgDIvW6st1ul3W2_vlrzzRnCSD3qNDiKSiILIfRIUOwNjDz8lhJiYg978RROMJdv0kllpXFmLTXdb204QjrlNI_wKXnZH6PWsxDvmraWLoXhvTaRS7dEuy7Q/s640/IMG_0868.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Far out,
right? We need your help, man. What kind of tree is this?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
a horse-chestnut, dude.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
horse-chestnut is part of the buckeye family, the pride of the Ohio River
valley, known in spring for those bright and bold spires of flowers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ahytrxvyWmy_Bx9jEUBM2HvXSYNNguAWbh9dhpoOhW2ENKHCBEpuwRQfpw2pNUsmf53J49dnVlK0s8VX3ViS-KQ95p9PnhP8SoIy_nk8tG_mqMic_WZqsacPDkAUDbjBeAzTSe0MoGQ/s1600/IMG_0789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ahytrxvyWmy_Bx9jEUBM2HvXSYNNguAWbh9dhpoOhW2ENKHCBEpuwRQfpw2pNUsmf53J49dnVlK0s8VX3ViS-KQ95p9PnhP8SoIy_nk8tG_mqMic_WZqsacPDkAUDbjBeAzTSe0MoGQ/s640/IMG_0789.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the fall, it’s famous for dropping those large, spiky chestnuts…responsible for
many flat tires and poisonous to just about everything else on this planet…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtvgzLPxr0fmf4mPHb7Zt9T8v6_wOkeZZicwfx7lCuONYqGQpJtR4VgKPe8-Fnd0GYX05FK4ptxvuciLvHynCUU5EDIIDTThdQZth2ljd6GrGflhGDRr9kZET9p_cBe6giTMPG5EgPDA/s1600/IMG_3339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtvgzLPxr0fmf4mPHb7Zt9T8v6_wOkeZZicwfx7lCuONYqGQpJtR4VgKPe8-Fnd0GYX05FK4ptxvuciLvHynCUU5EDIIDTThdQZth2ljd6GrGflhGDRr9kZET9p_cBe6giTMPG5EgPDA/s640/IMG_3339.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but,
here in spring, it’s all about those showy steeples of flowers, spinning like a
drill from its greeny crown.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Good
eye and great question.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here’s
another good one.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Hey, Jon Spruce,
the tree in front of my house is dropping all these flowers on the sidewalk in
front of my house. </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKa2J400HD3_bLh4aWDdBIFf15gLQHOEHDu0Bf8ZlaN28Y9YyS8I9AurobXn51H035XsOYmMtcVN6q4dKq24eN9kPemTiCru0xCwrpB4FY5G_vTakncRz5iHMvta65JSIeGNlzT3PCA4Q/s1600/IMG_0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKa2J400HD3_bLh4aWDdBIFf15gLQHOEHDu0Bf8ZlaN28Y9YyS8I9AurobXn51H035XsOYmMtcVN6q4dKq24eN9kPemTiCru0xCwrpB4FY5G_vTakncRz5iHMvta65JSIeGNlzT3PCA4Q/s640/IMG_0295.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Any ideas?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the native black cherry, also known as the bird cherry.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
little different than the other ornamental cherries, right?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
because it flowers later in the season, after it leafs out, a few weeks after
most of the other cherries have already folded up their spring show. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
are hundreds of cherry hybrids out there.
Most of them blossom in early spring, growing their flowers in tight
clusters up and down its branches, all around their stately crowns.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
the black cherry.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WRZQjfalb9WcHu7d7RuyKExCuXvHDuknKpHTyRsy-ohnAoqQCtdA7Nbb7xAwRsgcVhsgWir_M3fHHXn_s3DG-32oB6ZuZ9hUoyt6ltyUy8W7n_xW9LyYa2uBrRo3J3ENdTDhkGykmz0/s1600/IMG_0294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WRZQjfalb9WcHu7d7RuyKExCuXvHDuknKpHTyRsy-ohnAoqQCtdA7Nbb7xAwRsgcVhsgWir_M3fHHXn_s3DG-32oB6ZuZ9hUoyt6ltyUy8W7n_xW9LyYa2uBrRo3J3ENdTDhkGykmz0/s640/IMG_0294.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
black cherry will blossom only at the terminal ends of their limbs in these
branched, drooping clusters.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Black
cherry. It used to be one of the most
sought after woods in the forest, second only to black walnut for the
production of furniture, cabinets, gun stocks, carriages and bars.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now? Not so much.
Like black walnut, its bubble has burst, over-cut and over-harvested.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Out
in the wild, it’s known as a pioneer tree, which means that it flourishes in
the creeping edges of a healthy woods or it takes over in the open, sunlit
spaces left in the forest after a fire or a clear-cut.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Down
here <span style="font-size: large;">o</span>n the mean streets, that means you can usually find the black cherry in
places like this…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiak_4-O5XY3K9sKH8su1d87nc6l-QnnqSSityki8qf7rPjmrM2DNrpTygL-BLRMBtl6Hd-bzry6oAR-6viH6yWGN-6YZ8DAixIdZG2E0pqUrusytGLMpVUoeVYtk7XHqcT_GnRWjt7-M4/s1600/IMG_0753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiak_4-O5XY3K9sKH8su1d87nc6l-QnnqSSityki8qf7rPjmrM2DNrpTygL-BLRMBtl6Hd-bzry6oAR-6viH6yWGN-6YZ8DAixIdZG2E0pqUrusytGLMpVUoeVYtk7XHqcT_GnRWjt7-M4/s640/IMG_0753.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…hanging
over a construction fence, usually near a Lew Blum Towing sign, pioneering the
edges of a brown-lot gone to seed.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIxoLKCVVDC-BHcUoFEwVlyFCs0yEk3svDhF4euAUh0uSW_nVBLe1pvAUJvvq-hqYnubdzTuCNAPfMN2OCPuuMpgcvkbih4L-3QrLSSL1HYnGztyPjbcvQZP7AWHXef24jXjoISLIDqc/s1600/IMG_0761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIxoLKCVVDC-BHcUoFEwVlyFCs0yEk3svDhF4euAUh0uSW_nVBLe1pvAUJvvq-hqYnubdzTuCNAPfMN2OCPuuMpgcvkbih4L-3QrLSSL1HYnGztyPjbcvQZP7AWHXef24jXjoISLIDqc/s640/IMG_0761.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Another
good find and another good question.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Let’s
pick another letter here in the pile.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
one comes from a fan living way out there in the Northeast.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Hey, Jon Spruce,
great blog. I love it. My single girlfriends talk about it all the
time. We love reading stories about
leaves and branching patterns and bark. Quick
question: what’s the biggest tree in Philadelphia?</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is a great question with no easy answer.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
are a few contenders.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to some tree-hunters, the tallest Philly tree is probably one of the tulip
poplars towering over the woods of the Pennypack Creek.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfu4XEPxAzGnPgiLkhhvlSB_ZPY4rJkCOdtYGXgUqeHGLMld5uChvEXMmsd9mENBjaqIPIChObWz4Koaks-ZMzM_JGPtrZNkhIcM6AKJ7i9qb2_f_uUUB8Rfv16vNG5m_m3LSCGnJRRc/s1600/IMG_0465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfu4XEPxAzGnPgiLkhhvlSB_ZPY4rJkCOdtYGXgUqeHGLMld5uChvEXMmsd9mENBjaqIPIChObWz4Koaks-ZMzM_JGPtrZNkhIcM6AKJ7i9qb2_f_uUUB8Rfv16vNG5m_m3LSCGnJRRc/s640/IMG_0465.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
you take into consideration the height, width and crown, then there are three other
contenders for the hea<span style="font-size: large;">vyweight</span> champion of Philadelphia.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
could be the giant ginkgo located near the entrance of the Philly Zoo…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJ_zIZbkMApbuLxGrFJT90PPfaqX7X2jUfvWw4iCe8nR1yD7GoNExx8-6T2RFGU8rejMCsRsakLSwkIUrkLIS3a8OCqo0A2J9wX-fzTik68IL7HAGWWaI6B2l3mTDieVt0oDD2-hFD60/s1600/IMG_2092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJ_zIZbkMApbuLxGrFJT90PPfaqX7X2jUfvWw4iCe8nR1yD7GoNExx8-6T2RFGU8rejMCsRsakLSwkIUrkLIS3a8OCqo0A2J9wX-fzTik68IL7HAGWWaI6B2l3mTDieVt0oDD2-hFD60/s640/IMG_2092.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or
it could be the colossal beech in the Wissahickon woods right off
Northwestern Avenue…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnc6vAUQULPe94xqW4d7AVqq3a0QJ7UfNVxAca00KFqT3o5g_pE2OqP24OYbz8NVBk91b5dIzJoFft-yI86oLx20QUZlC5ZXvooPMeI9I51L9mSrt9roZM3ga1_NpAH82pnDlLzDseJzs/s1600/IMG_2889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnc6vAUQULPe94xqW4d7AVqq3a0QJ7UfNVxAca00KFqT3o5g_pE2OqP24OYbz8NVBk91b5dIzJoFft-yI86oLx20QUZlC5ZXvooPMeI9I51L9mSrt9roZM3ga1_NpAH82pnDlLzDseJzs/s640/IMG_2889.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or
it could be that monster of a Chinese scholar tree off Elmwood Street in West
Philly…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4ZSS3Mlu0OPhy9L4YMhNKzCRlo-Pbb1hxpYW9E0ABI79Ykwmh-pjVJo3TBzNycGF0Bvd6r3nvhg24DKj_5SK_QAkVVSuRLMUTp5uWouhZx3ZrT5z3Tc5vWSwvGV2ihihM4zWLUPHPyk/s1600/IMG_2325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4ZSS3Mlu0OPhy9L4YMhNKzCRlo-Pbb1hxpYW9E0ABI79Ykwmh-pjVJo3TBzNycGF0Bvd6r3nvhg24DKj_5SK_QAkVVSuRLMUTp5uWouhZx3ZrT5z3Tc5vWSwvGV2ihihM4zWLUPHPyk/s640/IMG_2325.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and,
someday, I really have to get out there to measure my own champion contender,
the willow oak in North Philly’s Hunting Park.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32NMeARAt_inF2JbWTt28fhfNQ-5Nu0eJooWBiasLL3EoU2N4kSNQliS_HxAwGaHvPVDsh_u2GVonh1Xl5wJX4pMHFucdfNXCFfcelPhcUyIYqkxNVnk4KSKQbbLTcW24lBqygYR3elo/s1600/willow+oaj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32NMeARAt_inF2JbWTt28fhfNQ-5Nu0eJooWBiasLL3EoU2N4kSNQliS_HxAwGaHvPVDsh_u2GVonh1Xl5wJX4pMHFucdfNXCFfcelPhcUyIYqkxNVnk4KSKQbbLTcW24lBqygYR3elo/s640/willow+oaj.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
this is exactly where I diverge from the path and passions of other
tree-hunters.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Don’t
get me wrong.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
like big trees. But there are sights to
see at every level of the canopy. If you spend your time hunting only for the big trees, you’re going to miss the
understory.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
looking at you, dogwood.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaiMgwNBfwJPlQC2UI5FC0zv0aKeF15ERIeLJuZ2oYr1vIDzzClHd0LsvvgAkg5UUQJFOsdjbR7r7LSIK0OrwxOzNAjIEcwQodeSQvT5YESijItJTYjaByMmT1QFv8jbeqU-QAoqN5Rk/s1600/IMG_0531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaiMgwNBfwJPlQC2UI5FC0zv0aKeF15ERIeLJuZ2oYr1vIDzzClHd0LsvvgAkg5UUQJFOsdjbR7r7LSIK0OrwxOzNAjIEcwQodeSQvT5YESijItJTYjaByMmT1QFv8jbeqU-QAoqN5Rk/s640/IMG_0531.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
dogwood will never be a big tree. Even
the biggest dogwood in Philadelphia, according to the website PA Big Trees, is
only 40 feet high with<span style="font-size: large;"> a 40 feet crown</span>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not a big tree at all. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the Philly wilds, it can usually be found right at the bend of the trail…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_o5J94vgBjHSHCv-ZsmMBtY19qNgc-XNJAYG1E4JR3SfoWXnpuWJgSZm5ia6qweF9cUaDsv0yCQitkSGrkMkXTZVRTp7B7sAqcs4X5yPMx76P5WnwfsRHOyY2zw7dEOJHAbb8V26TXms/s1600/IMG_0533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_o5J94vgBjHSHCv-ZsmMBtY19qNgc-XNJAYG1E4JR3SfoWXnpuWJgSZm5ia6qweF9cUaDsv0yCQitkSGrkMkXTZVRTp7B7sAqcs4X5yPMx76P5WnwfsRHOyY2zw7dEOJHAbb8V26TXms/s640/IMG_0533.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…easy
to recognize, thanks to its distinctive bark, described in the field guides as <i>resembling alligator-hide</i>…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9W0rGnXIHFjan-Ao2uvM7H8aC6Y4Sqm9H91YSorp4xD2ManvQPovZcGJNxgZqSoiw7Si6ClLU4DbwM2LfVxl0LW-8lqQhwUqhDFMD8k_4q-KlHpAnAuNHHGhgDn46f3Jyz0khbzVEW0/s1600/IMG_0537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9W0rGnXIHFjan-Ao2uvM7H8aC6Y4Sqm9H91YSorp4xD2ManvQPovZcGJNxgZqSoiw7Si6ClLU4DbwM2LfVxl0LW-8lqQhwUqhDFMD8k_4q-KlHpAnAuNHHGhgDn46f3Jyz0khbzVEW0/s400/IMG_0537.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3i6rXrgGcSjpzS5OVqbAh4YVNiW4HqHSCvgpTT6W2Zp19G8z9fQhNHhihJnvcoSPRwrmeZJW9vkipSUVZ1E1-v07cOSTpPmQP5dIx_TuylYFhK1hrdqdRMLZCV3z44u2fflARVxLw_w/s1600/IMG_0516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3i6rXrgGcSjpzS5OVqbAh4YVNiW4HqHSCvgpTT6W2Zp19G8z9fQhNHhihJnvcoSPRwrmeZJW9vkipSUVZ1E1-v07cOSTpPmQP5dIx_TuylYFhK1hrdqdRMLZCV3z44u2fflARVxLw_w/s400/IMG_0516.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and,
of course, completely distinguishable in spring thanks to those tight clusters
of flowers surrounded by those panoramic white leaves.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JEP1S6zi_LPvZgVWa4Y5B-q6_lS8hOj6u2SvNlu6jPs9vLjguqar12-VFJz3_04GFn7QwYmOMtlEVATUsya8hSCi78L-9e0qiySz06g0j31Jmbul2lsOH67YIanzUucztnAOvMYZ2uo/s1600/IMG_0529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7JEP1S6zi_LPvZgVWa4Y5B-q6_lS8hOj6u2SvNlu6jPs9vLjguqar12-VFJz3_04GFn7QwYmOMtlEVATUsya8hSCi78L-9e0qiySz06g0j31Jmbul2lsOH67YIanzUucztnAOvMYZ2uo/s640/IMG_0529.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Most
people see the dogwood as an ornamental tree, planted in front lawns, cemeteries
and parks.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Up
close, its other notable distinction is easy to see, the way the flowers grow upright,
at the end of a small stalk, as a separate tier above its droopy leaves.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXU3_PGB8FEInulwsSAbzYYH9V91GRLsVLPOQ1O-4eUlny4utgR_3MHcxUJI5rjEwrwlIBDh8nacpaWJwEsTSzRR03gFwNLBRewcGSCag28lFCh3ZboSQbulFcTj4ZZZo5yEr6Cya1Gk/s1600/IMG_0560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXU3_PGB8FEInulwsSAbzYYH9V91GRLsVLPOQ1O-4eUlny4utgR_3MHcxUJI5rjEwrwlIBDh8nacpaWJwEsTSzRR03gFwNLBRewcGSCag28lFCh3ZboSQbulFcTj4ZZZo5yEr6Cya1Gk/s640/IMG_0560.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
a small tree<span style="font-size: large;">, and understory <span style="font-size: large;">tree<span style="font-size: large;">...</span></span></span>but, big trees, beware. During these mid-spring months, the dogwood steals
the show.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
then there’s the redbud.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_TqWceHh61DbxN2C3T_9IrceoVD8ncL2dUZf3aZDajOi7rYthX79RqkZbU1tKoxB_gWyyidx14x0nZViRzXX1DYBJPm5zcoM_8SYIiVxXEekyDgCIhxl-FHhR2Q_brzkTaLfLFQLT1I/s1600/IMG_0464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_TqWceHh61DbxN2C3T_9IrceoVD8ncL2dUZf3aZDajOi7rYthX79RqkZbU1tKoxB_gWyyidx14x0nZViRzXX1DYBJPm5zcoM_8SYIiVxXEekyDgCIhxl-FHhR2Q_brzkTaLfLFQLT1I/s640/IMG_0464.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
redbud kind of disappears in the summer, overlooked in the background, but
during the Frogs Return Moon, it rises to stardom.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>In general this
is but an understory tree, never over 40 feet tall, and elbowing out little
room for itself, </i>writes
Donald Culross Peattie, <i>inconspicuous in
summer and winter, redbud shows us in spring how common it is.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As
usual, Mr. Peattie nails it.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
known for those small, heart-shaped leaves…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKsvjNMLvYGZFa9_vXy_29O2bNoT4ZeDAEjXFeiJ7Z5mxFczu1VeZvtsNnVFcuQ6-3Hxo-tehGv5doS3rSgTPmdDIBuKy9TEpAObEqbtbg2UVh_JTNJDB0IJX4lUz8hpjPYiGSatZNt8/s1600/IMG_0508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKsvjNMLvYGZFa9_vXy_29O2bNoT4ZeDAEjXFeiJ7Z5mxFczu1VeZvtsNnVFcuQ6-3Hxo-tehGv5doS3rSgTPmdDIBuKy9TEpAObEqbtbg2UVh_JTNJDB0IJX4lUz8hpjPYiGSatZNt8/s640/IMG_0508.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but
let’s face it. When it comes to the
redbud, it’s all about those bright bursts of pinkish purple flowers…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Oc2jKYYP1NHvv1qHdNL2Sskbcfj4UGzRtz4b2_gKUod40TNx0DN8P6f-C89cjiyC7xtmYTlHmXt3vjLdoxvWT0DhsZMktfrGs-zxBoxg9W2nWdnEd6JFpQ3Kax3UCCroawCK4InDWoI/s1600/IMG_0469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Oc2jKYYP1NHvv1qHdNL2Sskbcfj4UGzRtz4b2_gKUod40TNx0DN8P6f-C89cjiyC7xtmYTlHmXt3vjLdoxvWT0DhsZMktfrGs-zxBoxg9W2nWdnEd6JFpQ3Kax3UCCroawCK4InDWoI/s640/IMG_0469.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…as
the field guides say, <i>growing naked on
the twig.</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JB7-QBoE2X5Qk0b-7pL2T1-FIsiO0pXqO-TqCtUH1ZhWlkVnt6TpQTDcqTLG3jMUDHTMYhmPfKNcJHzKiOu4gH1rA4KLZVVepLksNKRMp3jnTZgBJxrHlA87n01OyTXSYo2X8HgSytM/s1600/IMG_0468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6JB7-QBoE2X5Qk0b-7pL2T1-FIsiO0pXqO-TqCtUH1ZhWlkVnt6TpQTDcqTLG3jMUDHTMYhmPfKNcJHzKiOu4gH1rA4KLZVVepLksNKRMp3jnTZgBJxrHlA87n01OyTXSYo2X8HgSytM/s640/IMG_0468.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Those
flowers aren’t all show either. They
actually taste pretty good, great on salads.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Just
the other d<span style="font-size: large;">ay</span>, some neighborhood fans stopped by the urban cabin. After a few sociable cups of cider, they
guided me to Saint Bernard Street, in between 49th and 50th, to show me the
redbud growing in front of their house.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjXI-X4UB7CdDAY8xXJismnOZzl5E-d2BbbBx9GfE3o8g48-ioGGZlIGWltfCT_E-yB-pjerOKqYTRkumAV5d5VBqQ5CWYTrCXOjJrNmeqNxi_wLhHej3GgL-lcjE6woDE2ysVnzhQZQ/s1600/IMG_0623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjXI-X4UB7CdDAY8xXJismnOZzl5E-d2BbbBx9GfE3o8g48-ioGGZlIGWltfCT_E-yB-pjerOKqYTRkumAV5d5VBqQ5CWYTrCXOjJrNmeqNxi_wLhHej3GgL-lcjE6woDE2ysVnzhQZQ/s640/IMG_0623.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was love at first sight, now my favorite redbud in the entire city.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is a redbud gone awry.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj___qkD5ElFr524__iosPzFQAu6RCg5qiZ1GcexYuy1ZeohTwQkXKSfv1EXbVxjb439DqXYWKyCm4RA_pcl0cESPzhrzmoJCSSmbiatb7m8wShJq2yHhwKV_SUyEurNQ3TEQMBVC8Jhz0/s1600/IMG_0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj___qkD5ElFr524__iosPzFQAu6RCg5qiZ1GcexYuy1ZeohTwQkXKSfv1EXbVxjb439DqXYWKyCm4RA_pcl0cESPzhrzmoJCSSmbiatb7m8wShJq2yHhwKV_SUyEurNQ3TEQMBVC8Jhz0/s640/IMG_0636.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ve
never seen a redbud in bloom like this before…pumping out those quick bursts of
flowers in these goofy, absurd, giant pompoms<span style="font-size: large;"> almost completely clot<span style="font-size: large;">hing the ent<span style="font-size: large;">ire tree.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
almost as if this redbud has a glitch in the system, gone haywire. My neighbors compared it to a Dr. Seuss
drawing. I thought that was appropriate.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhljq5ZIX94aMbC2wePyI1C13oQECryNxYlDjbIKk8YZDZMJPXaS2OaSFPQHb-XsgPom-uTrJEG3pMguZPJUlEkY11ixewaELO-wPpFDoDvFgZVanVYnbRNp9jVfSlXQTg7KNfXtWPqQ/s1600/IMG_0639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhljq5ZIX94aMbC2wePyI1C13oQECryNxYlDjbIKk8YZDZMJPXaS2OaSFPQHb-XsgPom-uTrJEG3pMguZPJUlEkY11ixewaELO-wPpFDoDvFgZVanVYnbRNp9jVfSlXQTg7KNfXtWPqQ/s640/IMG_0639.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Small
trees, ladies, are full of big surprises.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
if you’ve only got eyes for big trees, you’re going to overlook another rousing
spring spectacle…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ehIY6vXkZaL1zxc7DUV8NHwYs0lzSPt93CXj906hn50h6b7KPWxD0E_c9l2S2x9Sr1sHAFpblsy-g_BP5AJSl-wH_YabQypcVu-LFVdt0fXdszOJBzhZtA1bTr7V-PE2i8Mot_InNj4/s1600/IMG_0417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ehIY6vXkZaL1zxc7DUV8NHwYs0lzSPt93CXj906hn50h6b7KPWxD0E_c9l2S2x9Sr1sHAFpblsy-g_BP5AJSl-wH_YabQypcVu-LFVdt0fXdszOJBzhZtA1bTr7V-PE2i8Mot_InNj4/s640/IMG_0417.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
crabapples.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
don’t know how it happened but the streets of West Philly’s University City are
teeming with ornamental crabapple trees.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5cny0f4ALyRL6AL-x0BTMn2OzNbSC0ivKNmoLp7FDhQuGz-ZHQTovMB2RSGv1g4i6CFBeHYAFa6IVTwLnmWYiWSeypjT-oWIcVJHwNrlnrRpTYPxZdOenVePP7Ohr4j8LCp3L3RD7Ec/s1600/IMG_0470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5cny0f4ALyRL6AL-x0BTMn2OzNbSC0ivKNmoLp7FDhQuGz-ZHQTovMB2RSGv1g4i6CFBeHYAFa6IVTwLnmWYiWSeypjT-oWIcVJHwNrlnrRpTYPxZdOenVePP7Ohr4j8LCp3L3RD7Ec/s640/IMG_0470.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Give
that Planning Committee a free lunch<span style="font-size: large;">.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Small
trees, yes, but during the Frogs Return Moon, the limelight shines bright and
beautiful on the crabapple.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroXmPWv8KIWyx68XzCC1eO1RGdBR1Z1aD6w2o-2xKiUFi9gLzAyuI99BzO2P8OrxjQ5ypU4WMrci-CbCxap4-JwxX_fGjFQsTaeB_QqARgux9jXdzJn_9dDKsxVzLSXQA5hnIZTfmEYw/s1600/IMG_0449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroXmPWv8KIWyx68XzCC1eO1RGdBR1Z1aD6w2o-2xKiUFi9gLzAyuI99BzO2P8OrxjQ5ypU4WMrci-CbCxap4-JwxX_fGjFQsTaeB_QqARgux9jXdzJn_9dDKsxVzLSXQA5hnIZTfmEYw/s640/IMG_0449.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Out
on the farm, the cultivated apple tree’s blossoms and branches are plucked,
pruned and sprayed for maximum fruit efficiency.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
the ornamental crabapple is free and wild.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
under the crabapples, I can see – and smell -- the wild fruit happening, <span style="font-size: large;">pollinating, germ<span style="font-size: large;">inating and<span style="font-size: large;">, on<span style="font-size: large;"> the same tree, decaying fr<span style="font-size: large;">om the previous season's crop</span></span></span></span></span></span></span>.</div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqZ6Thv-Nnb9rKyc1zJaUzxHaXFtawsmcGih6FGwOCZ23ex_DexkgLRfM1aTCl9mpqy0uLnHiRjgu0_sNtCEI8XhBqACkw10A7N6MhPUIdYdjL2fpDs5Tg6pcIc3qtyTH4k3hdTawhqY/s1600/IMG_0434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqZ6Thv-Nnb9rKyc1zJaUzxHaXFtawsmcGih6FGwOCZ23ex_DexkgLRfM1aTCl9mpqy0uLnHiRjgu0_sNtCEI8XhBqACkw10A7N6MhPUIdYdjL2fpDs5Tg6pcIc3qtyTH4k3hdTawhqY/s640/IMG_0434.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to the field guides, a single wild apple tree can produce between 50,000 and
100,000 blossoms and, yet, on an average, only 3% of those blossoms will turn
into fruit.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
can’t blame the bees.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
crabapple trees were buzzing with bees on that day<span style="font-size: large;">, s</span>o many bees that I wouldn’t have been
surprised to see the tree itself take flight.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxuUtPfwf8M_9R-a8zg4nFRH_h3112RfdZ7Q9Da-cXmHzRnewbNGuq1LSxJIXef_o1stFbO4OhjEvZzY8EtfuLqH3oSMgXW_5jtubQw7dHoDTc1MAdoKnhRv3yYfKXYzhSxQwKeaay68/s1600/IMG_0428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxuUtPfwf8M_9R-a8zg4nFRH_h3112RfdZ7Q9Da-cXmHzRnewbNGuq1LSxJIXef_o1stFbO4OhjEvZzY8EtfuLqH3oSMgXW_5jtubQw7dHoDTc1MAdoKnhRv3yYfKXYzhSxQwKeaay68/s640/IMG_0428.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So,
to all you ladies trapped out there in the Northeast, it’s easy to get all hot
and bothered by the big trees but don’t overlook the understory. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Dogwood,
redbud and crabapple? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Don’t
these small understory runts of a tree deserve a dance? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Let’s
take a few more questions here.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
one is from a Miss Joanie Goldberg of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">She
writes, <i>Hey, Jon Spruce, I stumbled upon
your blog the other night. You really
love trees. I’m a tree-hugger too but
you? You seem to take that love to a
whole different level. Tell the truth,
just between us, which tree do you find the most sensual?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Joan,
I do not hug trees. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
a persistent rumor here on the Internet that I’ve never been able to quash.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
yet, if I am honest with myself, there is something about the trees that
quickens my heart, boils my blood and lights up my fantasies…something that
arouses the senses, the true meaning of the word <i>sensual<u>.</u></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
must be all this talk about birds and bees.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
right tree in the right spot can trigger every sense, trip every wire.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
all boils down to the same thing. We all
want fun. We all want that big city
romance. We’re all looking for free
entertainment.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Look
no further.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFhkfLV_8nOVszXOkv7W-VNdOxDgiv9sCRcryxO_VExuEGSZxdlPvaM7Pzq3FeXx3KljZexbfRvl36tcIIwUHatrSsgtGG00gpfdleHFq28Zt5Pznmn5thzflhzxdhCQ6pI5cFJ6R470/s1600/IMG_0485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFhkfLV_8nOVszXOkv7W-VNdOxDgiv9sCRcryxO_VExuEGSZxdlPvaM7Pzq3FeXx3KljZexbfRvl36tcIIwUHatrSsgtGG00gpfdleHFq28Zt5Pznmn5thzflhzxdhCQ6pI5cFJ6R470/s640/IMG_0485.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
plant and tree kingdom is the greatest sight and sound show out there for the
taking.</span></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7AFvjpCG38NHnag1N14PmBGkZUs_nAt0Z17AOT5AM1R_oF_pendiY8kXkXxTipy0NSGpFMCEaHTKfEwSjnYV05myBcmPbqEU3NWehoCtV6v4BJbTrjQ31KM_TVqSitbxCvb0flxHaks/s1600/IMG_0828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7AFvjpCG38NHnag1N14PmBGkZUs_nAt0Z17AOT5AM1R_oF_pendiY8kXkXxTipy0NSGpFMCEaHTKfEwSjnYV05myBcmPbqEU3NWehoCtV6v4BJbTrjQ31KM_TVqSitbxCvb0flxHaks/s640/IMG_0828.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
not alone in thinking this way.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
great watcher of the woods, Henry David Thoreau, once wrote, <i>All Nature is my bride…</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1_50R6JkqiW4VNtNGE-LnnvmW2Muk1Qv1Bb8bjsX04W62KYd0hbT4E6nyPvMcAiFoYaIdUKlhEjv1iIuuW-F3RL61PdBAXgbNv507pF5EYrMoighrUYstmYFEXwCHfS234bS-ej3kcg/s1600/IMG_0442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1_50R6JkqiW4VNtNGE-LnnvmW2Muk1Qv1Bb8bjsX04W62KYd0hbT4E6nyPvMcAiFoYaIdUKlhEjv1iIuuW-F3RL61PdBAXgbNv507pF5EYrMoighrUYstmYFEXwCHfS234bS-ej3kcg/s640/IMG_0442.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>...reality is
fabulous…</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHICE0vz4PhxKuZFu4WY0Id-bN0-Tajut33SiPLjxhoQfRb0M1L1DtfyLjvOGrixdA4muGGt34dBzvIgkAO4wMwcG0u0KfqnTF8ivV7b-qNAMcvWHrd8PP2g2q5UJdB7iWhX-odeLJ_oU/s1600/IMG_0507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHICE0vz4PhxKuZFu4WY0Id-bN0-Tajut33SiPLjxhoQfRb0M1L1DtfyLjvOGrixdA4muGGt34dBzvIgkAO4wMwcG0u0KfqnTF8ivV7b-qNAMcvWHrd8PP2g2q5UJdB7iWhX-odeLJ_oU/s640/IMG_0507.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>…there is a
certain fertile sadness which I would not avoid, but rather earnestly
seek. It is positively joyful to me…</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1ujwew3vEuHw5cHwVEiGuFVnzqbbht7eC21uAJVHzrJiDMdtnLDpoTjydaOUAJ_7-iYIfOaZ4XlEcEEscWNJ6xVjrhRf6ZV52Bpe3b3dV-YU8L03i7AB8p-jEv-XRaXadHicAbyOcoU/s1600/IMG_0522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1ujwew3vEuHw5cHwVEiGuFVnzqbbht7eC21uAJVHzrJiDMdtnLDpoTjydaOUAJ_7-iYIfOaZ4XlEcEEscWNJ6xVjrhRf6ZV52Bpe3b3dV-YU8L03i7AB8p-jEv-XRaXadHicAbyOcoU/s640/IMG_0522.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>…my life flows
with a deeper current…my heart leaps into my mouth at the sound of the wind in
the woods…</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>…we are
conscious of an animal in us, which awakens in proportion as our higher nature
slumbers. It is reptile and sensual.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1iPd_KdykOLhhQ6I854wHvjxcDdIWPU7NRwgvuxRkJdKjjjeHvTJ55JxoQoOum835Z-kLqbeDdjFE7zeuA-c4KBpG2zO4cNxsCYNw8ASToAssRt7JqiS3VwJIno81Kcq8kXRhO-AYhXk/s1600/IMG_0687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1iPd_KdykOLhhQ6I854wHvjxcDdIWPU7NRwgvuxRkJdKjjjeHvTJ55JxoQoOum835Z-kLqbeDdjFE7zeuA-c4KBpG2zO4cNxsCYNw8ASToAssRt7JqiS3VwJIno81Kcq8kXRhO-AYhXk/s640/IMG_0687.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">However,
again, if I’m honest with myself, by all accounts, Thoreau wasn’t very lucky
when it came to the ladies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Okay. One more letter, one final fan mail. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
one comes from a reader all the way on the other side of the state, in the
western foothills of the Appalachia, in a little town called Scranton.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>What’s your
favorite tree?</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Come
on. That’s an easy one to answer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My
favorite tree? The best kind of tree?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the one that always steals me away from the blog itself. The one that pushes me out the door, away
from the books, away from the fan mail. The one that keeps me on
the road.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8YsAzy2Zz3sCsoZHxarvhqRWryUilEkYU_wehKdJrJ7BRZuDvx5tyngA4msI1fbGad6HnyCFSPpIDv8ISET7HQZnHA_qGiwk0LDKPnCh4E6ETCjJkKbzpPNPNg2-ka9ZUpmCNC1gqycY/s1600/IMG_0749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8YsAzy2Zz3sCsoZHxarvhqRWryUilEkYU_wehKdJrJ7BRZuDvx5tyngA4msI1fbGad6HnyCFSPpIDv8ISET7HQZnHA_qGiwk0LDKPnCh4E6ETCjJkKbzpPNPNg2-ka9ZUpmCNC1gqycY/s640/IMG_0749.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My
favorite tree is always the next tree. </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-456275889509600992013-04-28T07:19:00.000-07:002013-04-29T16:18:15.952-07:00STANDING STILL IN SPRING<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>First flowers open.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>A person looks,</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The blossom<span style="font-size: large;">s look b<span style="font-size: large;">ack</span></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">..<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCi6A6JpicwUCgXEV6gCHCrIjtQZ6YjD7S4S1MClLzth4oBWVv9ZNBFxXIhPuIR4Sfg4ZEtQ8NFXlBgYWaYHhcXxThVE7GHsDtScC-1uJ04yl9y_93aHB8wx0DRD0vk08r3rJeCoizak/s1600/IMG_0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCi6A6JpicwUCgXEV6gCHCrIjtQZ6YjD7S4S1MClLzth4oBWVv9ZNBFxXIhPuIR4Sfg4ZEtQ8NFXlBgYWaYHhcXxThVE7GHsDtScC-1uJ04yl9y_93aHB8wx0DRD0vk08r3rJeCoizak/s640/IMG_0320.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
approached the Japanese maple, walked right up to its dangling crown and ducked
past its low-hanging, star-studded canopy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Inside
its dark amphitheater, the maple trunks were dark, simple, serious shapes
twisting into the cloud-swept sky.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROct20MGwX9_y3IG577cFFdbnf01y0YtRerc6Xu-lPHbv2JYLkh8JRR9wFcGgDf0WeVIKZfpa41m24_Cb6emvYO7cPaKyW7ComkqW4S5VVjC88lwx3SZjUAhml5jAv0FOdYSpHA_CC1I/s1600/IMG_0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROct20MGwX9_y3IG577cFFdbnf01y0YtRerc6Xu-lPHbv2JYLkh8JRR9wFcGgDf0WeVIKZfpa41m24_Cb6emvYO7cPaKyW7ComkqW4S5VVjC88lwx3SZjUAhml5jAv0FOdYSpHA_CC1I/s640/IMG_0104.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
chose a particular branch, any branch. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
was how I could watch the wind.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-VP24wHVlumIzScwfHs7RBytP8Q2MxMRgEX96RvhDdAZg6NqxxpeFhDuZHNY6TxQLHjQzbSrwT2EL4PCyj3vO4UpbIEzA1iXEGVbEY_TDeeQsWEAhEh-4wMkJRBuI7T_ZUSEnkF_sAQ/s1600/IMG_0089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-VP24wHVlumIzScwfHs7RBytP8Q2MxMRgEX96RvhDdAZg6NqxxpeFhDuZHNY6TxQLHjQzbSrwT2EL4PCyj3vO4UpbIEzA1iXEGVbEY_TDeeQsWEAhEh-4wMkJRBuI7T_ZUSEnkF_sAQ/s400/IMG_0089.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0xU7PgR_ioDK_wCMj_H1z280xxEu2-dES-e0D8Jj2lusjjV5ZmzptTL5zaFK4sa1J1ZT8FPFfTuMbPQNpOgZlA5Sp2-3s5tqaI0oNLhbHDhu06ghUCMbLB3pgkIQ2R8BAdeQ-jQUsKI/s1600/IMG_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0xU7PgR_ioDK_wCMj_H1z280xxEu2-dES-e0D8Jj2lusjjV5ZmzptTL5zaFK4sa1J1ZT8FPFfTuMbPQNpOgZlA5Sp2-3s5tqaI0oNLhbHDhu06ghUCMbLB3pgkIQ2R8BAdeQ-jQUsKI/s400/IMG_0093.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was also on the look-out for shadows.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmDGS_XH6J0_kyw5NVvGgPE85KiEa_eNvtQAUtwYixsgda2qa6t2Wx1TmiS8eC141RDe_Er0D2MUw6vUmyumjn7sEQSTbkISboNfJQRn8Jb0Ztz9DfP_K6CAxLdYaJx4Ev731k_zny0Q/s1600/IMG_0100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmDGS_XH6J0_kyw5NVvGgPE85KiEa_eNvtQAUtwYixsgda2qa6t2Wx1TmiS8eC141RDe_Er0D2MUw6vUmyumjn7sEQSTbkISboNfJQRn8Jb0Ztz9DfP_K6CAxLdYaJx4Ev731k_zny0Q/s400/IMG_0100.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">With
the sun in the right spot<span style="font-size: large;">, </span>with the trees just barely leafing out, this is the
time of year to catch the silhouette<span style="font-size: large;">s.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8U0HhvUsXNBu6sclNzj5DuySSkT1CQvcqhwG2ohrvsqxYiWt7K-2ocCcJ-G9Ulai45HCusd0wWSIi1-tq5RxJellgSzNZ9wkhPy3zYRLauINtAIGrw3YBmRhjKRomGV0cu_bJ_vYD84/s1600/IMG_0312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8U0HhvUsXNBu6sclNzj5DuySSkT1CQvcqhwG2ohrvsqxYiWt7K-2ocCcJ-G9Ulai45HCusd0wWSIi1-tq5RxJellgSzNZ9wkhPy3zYRLauINtAIGrw3YBmRhjKRomGV0cu_bJ_vYD84/s640/IMG_0312.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
actually the pawpaw…</span></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiDVQd0ykS9I6IgdtuOkCGt1gTtEu1p8NRAI1O5yV432L8O7DmJX6v9WEUb8Rqx7S6U0llEe-1T2JscpagLBXl7wWTvF3HZfOS1-Ey8PBQh7RUGtIqL5JXYjTdJgg_2VyGKIG2qB5z_I/s1600/IMG_0061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiDVQd0ykS9I6IgdtuOkCGt1gTtEu1p8NRAI1O5yV432L8O7DmJX6v9WEUb8Rqx7S6U0llEe-1T2JscpagLBXl7wWTvF3HZfOS1-Ey8PBQh7RUGtIqL5JXYjTdJgg_2VyGKIG2qB5z_I/s640/IMG_0061.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
th<span style="font-size: large;">o</span>se are the pawpaw flowers, hanging like little <span style="font-size: large;">bells, </span>green and purple and papery, caught at last.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is a game that I can <span style="font-size: large;">only </span>play in the spring.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfAq2P8SN4jJ6p1TDhoj1_-MYHgkbpWKAbHGq-g4gXvIPXFz6zqRCmy4OCSnOcDBJJayybAWQz5ZFA9QNjfoqM021qmescJTGbfvb31bM_NQof5wKu2Nob1qkh7_VG9W1xnnVGfbn1xk/s1600/IMG_0326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfAq2P8SN4jJ6p1TDhoj1_-MYHgkbpWKAbHGq-g4gXvIPXFz6zqRCmy4OCSnOcDBJJayybAWQz5ZFA9QNjfoqM021qmescJTGbfvb31bM_NQof5wKu2Nob1qkh7_VG9W1xnnVGfbn1xk/s640/IMG_0326.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Fun
with trees or catching silhouettes, whatever you want to call it. Identifying a tree by its shadow is a good
little mindbender, makes your head feel like it’s working inside out…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVS6_P6Njh7JYwHmiADqmqMSAeD8s6_q2Rqn8G7djDmnJX4jIj3zM47S5YJ7UOUnsjL0DB2l4glM78sLPnSXIadAXr8-OxHSFloTEEXxa2Dp3_wHBSQtWpA8nD3PZmiwh8SCvFq9i4PA/s1600/IMG_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVS6_P6Njh7JYwHmiADqmqMSAeD8s6_q2Rqn8G7djDmnJX4jIj3zM47S5YJ7UOUnsjL0DB2l4glM78sLPnSXIadAXr8-OxHSFloTEEXxa2Dp3_wHBSQtWpA8nD3PZmiwh8SCvFq9i4PA/s640/IMG_0346.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that’s
a horse-chestnut.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
wonder if this is how some birds identify tr<span style="font-size: large;">ees, if they play this game. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's a fun way to <span style="font-size: large;">test the identification skills, </span></span>a different way of seeing<span style="font-size: large;"> the </span>ordinary, like trying to solve a Zen koan or a riddle:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <i>green
buddhas on the fruit stand,</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> we eat the smile and spit out the
teeth.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoqlSQET6SV3udk1GFwytMNLE2ExpfCCx0su5N3gRQx5rA_WnotAVZ8sjeAz6p-AgAb_We0TCqxY1w53OKgVSdbemUtqmtjTPS51v3Do1DV5I0D2knxRxYnNN1wwVJR2srogncdhMyzo/s1600/IMG_0315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoqlSQET6SV3udk1GFwytMNLE2ExpfCCx0su5N3gRQx5rA_WnotAVZ8sjeAz6p-AgAb_We0TCqxY1w53OKgVSdbemUtqmtjTPS51v3Do1DV5I0D2knxRxYnNN1wwVJR2srogncdhMyzo/s640/IMG_0315.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Watermelons.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is also the kind of game that needs a big lawn…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJWHmatDfwnrDYNvnaVTyQwd0OHZgnsrWBRX_aWIBLvne2p2EinYSht0UC9fM6yZPa1mU3cFDLY3I5GPhkASyz1WmTxd1eKfHgBRs-ggfRI5FJAK3kRCx8KomRjz0171b_ON01I67jPY/s1600/IMG_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJWHmatDfwnrDYNvnaVTyQwd0OHZgnsrWBRX_aWIBLvne2p2EinYSht0UC9fM6yZPa1mU3cFDLY3I5GPhkASyz1WmTxd1eKfHgBRs-ggfRI5FJAK3kRCx8KomRjz0171b_ON01I67jPY/s640/IMG_0133.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…unless
you’re able to find a tree massive enough to hold its own shadow.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAIgTJMgEjhfU4l3MtwtoYTr8D5tUbdxUSpnXcDgpiZdUQ0RbsbifiHeweuBUJsM5TZ1WSmIcFN8xnxWhwb1Ckjpp_OIbdSWtJwXc2kOi6CDkjQIZysMJ6YhLXy9sexeH6NT3YJY-GjM/s1600/IMG_0390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAIgTJMgEjhfU4l3MtwtoYTr8D5tUbdxUSpnXcDgpiZdUQ0RbsbifiHeweuBUJsM5TZ1WSmIcFN8xnxWhwb1Ckjpp_OIbdSWtJwXc2kOi6CDkjQIZysMJ6YhLXy9sexeH6NT3YJY-GjM/s640/IMG_0390.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the way I could watch the sun.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>MOST THIS
AMAZING DAY</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
was a day made for nature-lovers: cold, crisp, clear and sunny.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
wind was outstanding. It came in
waves. I could hear the next wave
approaching in the trees further away.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
the light? The light was tripping me
fantastic.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrXg_mR_TEhGcQDFKIKZfc1_cD4ueJW_Ub0h6Ys-ldJ8PI0e1xsWibujpkcUdglJNhqFmf_4nq0pvhOTHFMsdBXM6fTaSYTsXiKESkZ54xX1cIWpxf_3QNBPhYi3pPtWyTL5KU4PcPAM/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrXg_mR_TEhGcQDFKIKZfc1_cD4ueJW_Ub0h6Ys-ldJ8PI0e1xsWibujpkcUdglJNhqFmf_4nq0pvhOTHFMsdBXM6fTaSYTsXiKESkZ54xX1cIWpxf_3QNBPhYi3pPtWyTL5KU4PcPAM/s640/IMG_0117.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
not one for hyperbole but this was the most beautiful, most splendid day of the
year. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
because there would never, ever be another day as beautiful or as splendid as this
day, I had the insatiable urge to stand still.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was outside on a hunt, sure, but my prey wasn’t anything specific, nothing
particular. I wasn’t on the lookout for
one tree or one leaf or one flower.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
I wanted the whole day…but the whole day in one moment.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
whole day in one shot.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">My spirit was restless. My eyes were dizzy, too much to<span style="font-size: large;"> see, too m<span style="font-size: large;">uch to catch. My ears were rin<span style="font-size: large;">ging with <span style="font-size: large;">birdsong an<span style="font-size: large;">d wind<span style="font-size: large;">song and my mind was ringing<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>too, with <span style="font-size: large;">small bursts of <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">half-forgotten p<span style="font-size: large;">oems, haiku and <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">lyrics.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was a traveler, a tramp and a rogue but I wanted to find the part of the day
that would make me stand still. I wanted
to find the perfect place to sit and see, looking for the one place that would
stop me in my tracks.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <i>such
a moon</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> the thief</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> pauses to sing</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEoHytnF8dhrzgTk8qPGqsu6qCbU0X7tK_d9JhAh3S47ujjq5eIX_lK1Vs5DZ0bBasFpsGzdlTHhenlwZydI-_j9hWRoHgaQkYfYNyvshfMaoxH_AGRfdY_cwwJnmMtYeUQ5ns-9CxRs/s1600/IMG_9940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtEoHytnF8dhrzgTk8qPGqsu6qCbU0X7tK_d9JhAh3S47ujjq5eIX_lK1Vs5DZ0bBasFpsGzdlTHhenlwZydI-_j9hWRoHgaQkYfYNyvshfMaoxH_AGRfdY_cwwJnmMtYeUQ5ns-9CxRs/s640/IMG_9940.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
I wanted to be a deep breath, held.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
this were a baseball game, then put me out in center field. That’s the position I want, standing in the
middle of the big lawn…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpH9eZkEBZEOJHj4rfYpMc_s7LUCLHFisgopFgLTtJu4bwnS3S8DmTMNg1_yz7OR4axgJQbv0NE8TgqwCbF_ZRA0TZB8MA_TwOcdAaXJHN1M4c0wMCMLTUvQ1vsEaVpbDQmzZM3t-wYwE/s1600/IMG_0387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpH9eZkEBZEOJHj4rfYpMc_s7LUCLHFisgopFgLTtJu4bwnS3S8DmTMNg1_yz7OR4axgJQbv0NE8TgqwCbF_ZRA0TZB8MA_TwOcdAaXJHN1M4c0wMCMLTUvQ1vsEaVpbDQmzZM3t-wYwE/s640/IMG_0387.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…swatting
flies, chewing the fat, following the game…every once in a while catching the
occasional pop-up.</span></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSFAymVgif01G9x7FeLsm12QK9hl3svIib2gFKNIKMZxRROVPWaqgWwtAuIG2b_J97ekrIuma-xfUJ9y9fQX5tWpvvUA67yHqFJFoDRTinLz-Sa24c6_TYVXm7EQWVx6X-CvriQwfSvU/s1600/IMG_0405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSFAymVgif01G9x7FeLsm12QK9hl3svIib2gFKNIKMZxRROVPWaqgWwtAuIG2b_J97ekrIuma-xfUJ9y9fQX5tWpvvUA67yHqFJFoDRTinLz-Sa24c6_TYVXm7EQWVx6X-CvriQwfSvU/s640/IMG_0405.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
the wind wasn’t helping. It kept pushing
me over to the next empty space. It kept
dangling new sights in front of my eyes, changing the landscape with every gust and blow.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <i>autumn
wind</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> across the field –</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> faces.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
light wasn’t helping either.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
couldn’t take my eyes off that light.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was astonishing…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh32chE5uc-VHAOrwvvzBwnL8baieJmL3h-IUqA8Jkmy3RqHq2kyKF5Sj2rsxNFTNpJUtMhZu71Tqn35On7e_NEucdR5kzWqwrNlzKQZdT8RlZayB7BFhlcuyxaD16T4Q3WO7Diaj7AyY/s1600/IMG_0340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh32chE5uc-VHAOrwvvzBwnL8baieJmL3h-IUqA8Jkmy3RqHq2kyKF5Sj2rsxNFTNpJUtMhZu71Tqn35On7e_NEucdR5kzWqwrNlzKQZdT8RlZayB7BFhlcuyxaD16T4Q3WO7Diaj7AyY/s640/IMG_0340.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
light through the new leaves.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Have
you ever seen a photo of a newborn mammal?
The way the light shines through the pink flesh, through the transparent
eyelids and through the doughy snouts, a field of stars shining through every new
finger and toe?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
shines through the new leaves in the same way.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
couldn’t take my eyes off the leaves…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIU4vvu5b6hoJyKUWOprE28_Gi2IktzoisTulpHMTai-RzYE8pM7lbs-GoidCi1bYvUNjsKI8Gp9dQA4-utCbPM-Ne3yNvH4fxDi4sL-CB7Y-0X6OaF3xXypDDxuFKLm9iJ_v8Xhe2AcI/s1600/IMG_0329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIU4vvu5b6hoJyKUWOprE28_Gi2IktzoisTulpHMTai-RzYE8pM7lbs-GoidCi1bYvUNjsKI8Gp9dQA4-utCbPM-Ne3yNvH4fxDi4sL-CB7Y-0X6OaF3xXypDDxuFKLm9iJ_v8Xhe2AcI/s640/IMG_0329.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…thin
and taut against that blue, blue sky.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Standing
still was hard enough to do an average day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
a day like this, with all that terrific wind and all that amazing light? Damn near impossible.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Standing
still? This might be my most daunting
adventure ever.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ah,
but that’s what makes its reward so valuable.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Forget
fortune and glory.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
adventure’s destination is peace of mind.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <i>we
sit together, the mountain and me,</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> until only the mountain remains.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
also found a bunch of new trees. That
wasn’t helping either.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE DAWN REDWOOD
AND THE CHINA FIR</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
found some dawn redwood. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPoJUIOU_7M4JUDOX5DMHEkdueVLEggMYxjJialOVkz0JFthtSD6cbAtN5H_mQGvKJ3G0Lp5T4ywB_wMUyI7GEuRBQCPqFkrvyofLByHyEd2WgzJAnZUbYGJPG2U7FAQ0oCstYaRYJWZg/s1600/IMG_9941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPoJUIOU_7M4JUDOX5DMHEkdueVLEggMYxjJialOVkz0JFthtSD6cbAtN5H_mQGvKJ3G0Lp5T4ywB_wMUyI7GEuRBQCPqFkrvyofLByHyEd2WgzJAnZUbYGJPG2U7FAQ0oCstYaRYJWZg/s640/IMG_9941.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
tree is a cousin to those Turtle Island giants on the west coast, the redwoods
and the <i>Sequoiadendron </i>known as
Bigtree. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
dawn redwood is the third surviving member of a once mighty family and the only
sequoia that can flourish beyond the foggy, rocky belt of the Pacific coast. Its Latin name is the melodious <i>metasequoia glyptostroboides</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
can be confused with the bald cypress but here’s the big difference: in the
dawn redwood, the leaves grow opposite each other along the branches.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMouGfnZtY5vJGgqcs6baJeixrDi4rqunj2QX1LCu6F4CKcMCG6jeLEBZrGToEMm3Rs54fv0sXgCIT25cGxBSjzWsJaZaPe2uEupx0koT3mbfPaeoAh0QNOjhUoyL05G1Xp80pq5huGAc/s1600/IMG_9946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMouGfnZtY5vJGgqcs6baJeixrDi4rqunj2QX1LCu6F4CKcMCG6jeLEBZrGToEMm3Rs54fv0sXgCIT25cGxBSjzWsJaZaPe2uEupx0koT3mbfPaeoAh0QNOjhUoyL05G1Xp80pq5huGAc/s640/IMG_9946.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like
the ginkgo, this was a tree that was known only through fossils, thought to be
extinct for centuries, until 1944, when a small grove was discovered growing in
a remote part of China.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For
centuries, its last living trees were standing still, waiting to be found.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
dawn redwood might not grow to the heights and girths of its California cousins
but this is a mighty tree, a good teacher on the art of standing still.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its
strong buttressed trunk takes a hold of the entire planet, one giant clamp
against the spinning sky. Look at the
grass. Even the grass just grows up its
trunk, like a mountain.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5VjzYiFaOvUdZCTr2Q7ty-rxI0DqeG54O6Esn64_qaFUIYriQw2RtE1IGXbyFNwhdkSOkuKXedeTr3wy5kkkXz9MvZV3TH4EicQPJD-5VOg4T4MZjbB36wa_jBZEM-Y3RHb3TPAXMoI/s1600/IMG_9943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5VjzYiFaOvUdZCTr2Q7ty-rxI0DqeG54O6Esn64_qaFUIYriQw2RtE1IGXbyFNwhdkSOkuKXedeTr3wy5kkkXz9MvZV3TH4EicQPJD-5VOg4T4MZjbB36wa_jBZEM-Y3RHb3TPAXMoI/s640/IMG_9943.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
dawn redwood is a true <i>axis mundi</i>, a
hub in the center of the swirling world, a way-station where the three realms
of the earth unite: sky, ground and underground.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
<i>axis mundi</i>…now there’s a place meant
for standing still…and yet I was distracted again, just across the field, by a weeping larch…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPSOW_e9bbIS7BVvOMqop6lvLjpapGFQU3rVIj-mE7VbmYV4xPsZDeezeW6Lv0uXX3-JS_8fL4o7UZ3cJZ1HH-TgrK2aBFHCHDPk6ffP1r2qNWspOvsv5QvQUI2mVL-ZY_5zvpGFaVPo/s1600/IMG_0156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPSOW_e9bbIS7BVvOMqop6lvLjpapGFQU3rVIj-mE7VbmYV4xPsZDeezeW6Lv0uXX3-JS_8fL4o7UZ3cJZ1HH-TgrK2aBFHCHDPk6ffP1r2qNWspOvsv5QvQUI2mVL-ZY_5zvpGFaVPo/s640/IMG_0156.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…crawling
like a spider across the green lawn.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
then, just around the corner, I found a tree that I’ve never seen before, a
tree that I’ve only read about in books.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7IlEyTaLbLZR_4XBsQy0nTq8IBW4duRgVJxq-rRjIyME0ye4zVzPCPkX7AwDnyVRBb-8a0zZ_Gr-FuqJwIr1eBDw10ptU0LZQ6ju5g4D7dLc6fk5qKqLC1RN3NhLdbqVDK5mHgJcC8o/s1600/IMG_0152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7IlEyTaLbLZR_4XBsQy0nTq8IBW4duRgVJxq-rRjIyME0ye4zVzPCPkX7AwDnyVRBb-8a0zZ_Gr-FuqJwIr1eBDw10ptU0LZQ6ju5g4D7dLc6fk5qKqLC1RN3NhLdbqVDK5mHgJcC8o/s640/IMG_0152.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is the <i>Cunninghamia lanceolata</i>, also
known as the China fir, although technically it’s a cypress. It’s one of the most valuable timber trees in
China. Its wood has a heavy, mahoga<span style="font-size: large;">n</span>y
scent which is why it’s used to build temples and coffins</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
distinct due to those long, long needles, growing in a flat spray from those
thin, thin branches.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTgqkCrFPPxtQbUXkeFQQlFdolhqTx_lSyuoteH3VukdbduuD34iDxlllgRxSigX8FmJdhio0LKKvnvB959j47warxFBw9kgpOd7ub7JIwkr71DTA1igE_G8V1K_S1OPOKjQkXNs4WQI/s1600/IMG_0142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTgqkCrFPPxtQbUXkeFQQlFdolhqTx_lSyuoteH3VukdbduuD34iDxlllgRxSigX8FmJdhio0LKKvnvB959j47warxFBw9kgpOd7ub7JIwkr71DTA1igE_G8V1K_S1OPOKjQkXNs4WQI/s640/IMG_0142.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Where
was I?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was in Fairmount Park, off Belmont Avenue.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was at the Shofuso Japanese House, as good a place as any, and better than
most, on the quest to stand still.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5ywQAmLmgF5MzVvj8xWatMq2TurbgfesvODNF_YNUHpDifjI32zDMc3bZSioV29WEhV0tohiDPtcqXAcRIbrqUX04wgtTRJ7m0NF5fLuq2_w575qxlRnVy70cpyBApFADR4AU27ZMS0/s1600/IMG_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5ywQAmLmgF5MzVvj8xWatMq2TurbgfesvODNF_YNUHpDifjI32zDMc3bZSioV29WEhV0tohiDPtcqXAcRIbrqUX04wgtTRJ7m0NF5fLuq2_w575qxlRnVy70cpyBApFADR4AU27ZMS0/s640/IMG_0024.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>HOUSE AND GARDEN</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is a place designed to make you at peace with the present moment...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnl_g1LmjV4iRkbH_PLZoQsCUVOIQC_Fi3rK38DYFsdWnWpvz1hinrSj68PGY3hqk1SoQAOJaJoYIsZXapH019c4ZtR9TRX7oVC5wbq69QjJEAI7jMTJVwcp8tp6N2z9gBoTe838bIEs/s1600/IMG_9974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnl_g1LmjV4iRkbH_PLZoQsCUVOIQC_Fi3rK38DYFsdWnWpvz1hinrSj68PGY3hqk1SoQAOJaJoYIsZXapH019c4ZtR9TRX7oVC5wbq69QjJEAI7jMTJVwcp8tp6N2z9gBoTe838bIEs/s640/IMG_9974.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…purposefully
executed to stay the wandering spirit.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
walked through its low, narrow hallways.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here,
the corridors don’t end. They just
continue its path into the exterior landscape.
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOUDSsYYWqlMgTQ8q7TzNccE4zOhbqcnRQlrpjzWD0WLqc6Bee3A1lRG4SbswWMF5vEUwTeaPfMtMTR6rHMrkZYcymDJi4UbabsoyfIJj8Quez2zLbQsKU-owgZzrSb8MXcHxB4-VzYk/s1600/IMG_9977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOUDSsYYWqlMgTQ8q7TzNccE4zOhbqcnRQlrpjzWD0WLqc6Bee3A1lRG4SbswWMF5vEUwTeaPfMtMTR6rHMrkZYcymDJi4UbabsoyfIJj8Quez2zLbQsKU-owgZzrSb8MXcHxB4-VzYk/s400/IMG_9977.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIDYgG0e1GuuxHtSwuxMhPhVsGrd1GaB0pTEuyfOnQeHYZLclcsb-zOf9XEv8DjTECYOhA-Usph3S2CN19MjgLyGYvaGhKDd9qOSbkh8iwzt_p_7RS_LLMGyiJsExQBKDzKHdT97BbCE/s1600/IMG_9978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixIDYgG0e1GuuxHtSwuxMhPhVsGrd1GaB0pTEuyfOnQeHYZLclcsb-zOf9XEv8DjTECYOhA-Usph3S2CN19MjgLyGYvaGhKDd9qOSbkh8iwzt_p_7RS_LLMGyiJsExQBKDzKHdT97BbCE/s400/IMG_9978.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
are walls, made of paper, but there are no doors, a way of saying to the
outside world that all is welcome<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I</span>f
you’re a stranger, if you’re a bird or if you’re a frog, even if you’re
weather, you have an open invitation.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
kind of landscape, both interior and exterior, is meant to instill a
contemplative, meditative, silent, still and balanced state of mind, which is
why these places always include a body of water.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidX3TjM4t_K2qLW1tlvc7WGHzq1O1VkWKVKKdE_NxQ3P5pk0YyG8BwcW_ta1cuhG9M0KGer-VRex72_tCLHHjaxQCmTI3eLksMrLXcHm0s09mIxwyqarS5majiTvkND_xXX5p_wRKHD-o/s1600/IMG_0391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidX3TjM4t_K2qLW1tlvc7WGHzq1O1VkWKVKKdE_NxQ3P5pk0YyG8BwcW_ta1cuhG9M0KGer-VRex72_tCLHHjaxQCmTI3eLksMrLXcHm0s09mIxwyqarS5majiTvkND_xXX5p_wRKHD-o/s640/IMG_0391.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
body of water, especially a stagnant pool like this, is meant to pause the
hectic mind.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Water,
after all, is the place of reflection.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Water,
after all, was earth’s first mirror.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <i>a
trout leaps high.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> below him on the river
bottom</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> clouds roll by.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghMHnBsiTkafBnPZnf2U6Lm1tIzy2Wcl_fZ37vqgb-hLypB_ucs0hm-q6L1H_RC9kG4CWqA_MhNTcf46Os7ZqhZhYBSixZmcV43GhAy6kp7IuAUJfyrExZ4COUJzVXJEpClKjKoCPxtg/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghMHnBsiTkafBnPZnf2U6Lm1tIzy2Wcl_fZ37vqgb-hLypB_ucs0hm-q6L1H_RC9kG4CWqA_MhNTcf46Os7ZqhZhYBSixZmcV43GhAy6kp7IuAUJfyrExZ4COUJzVXJEpClKjKoCPxtg/s400/IMG_0015.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZll5D96a3ieMzU9c1uP39x4xx3xSWmuqyW4v5ixn8fc96JFREdL6RiTBq1UCHlQLJrifURkkT34oZJaMknDWx1-36VX-zP88gV32jfRaRGBj1pOL3oWfEEdw66MslXdqECAOu-oVBRSY/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZll5D96a3ieMzU9c1uP39x4xx3xSWmuqyW4v5ixn8fc96JFREdL6RiTBq1UCHlQLJrifURkkT34oZJaMknDWx1-36VX-zP88gV32jfRaRGBj1pOL3oWfEEdw66MslXdqECAOu-oVBRSY/s400/IMG_0020.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Walking
around the garden of the Shofuso House, I have to admit something here.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Fish
befuddle me.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe
it’s because I am a gill-less land-lubber, with two feet and two lungs, but I
find it hard to fathom fishes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Fishes
never stand still.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">How
do they know where they are, if they never stay still?</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNBP5tfQO3qimFxeYEhyphenhyphenoIolNMQp_5NV-PTH41PqBvAt9u-M42HTp7FQr9EhqDTVOlTIs-Ua5VPQ7DDewTeYJwLMmDiPvDF1gd43DacI9JaAIddpakjENSeUmvy3FJV_-Uwak-jvtFeQ/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNBP5tfQO3qimFxeYEhyphenhyphenoIolNMQp_5NV-PTH41PqBvAt9u-M42HTp7FQr9EhqDTVOlTIs-Ua5VPQ7DDewTeYJwLMmDiPvDF1gd43DacI9JaAIddpakjENSeUmvy3FJV_-Uwak-jvtFeQ/s400/IMG_0016.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
even when a fish meets another fish?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
always seems accidental, so coincidental and so serendipitous.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
suppose the exact opposite of a fish would be a tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
yet, to a tree-hunter like myself, a tree is always in motion, standing still.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDgNs8NzrDdROO4FDZviOLCWTOI3D704JAqy2Nux1jvjC0srix-Pzg1Xik8O06xGCMf-tlXDLpIwRAbiAGI0I3z8omY7HoE-xlXnUHmEIQusjv54PMvProMME0-GcLFtaTySYCzbtweo/s1600/IMG_0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDgNs8NzrDdROO4FDZviOLCWTOI3D704JAqy2Nux1jvjC0srix-Pzg1Xik8O06xGCMf-tlXDLpIwRAbiAGI0I3z8omY7HoE-xlXnUHmEIQusjv54PMvProMME0-GcLFtaTySYCzbtweo/s640/IMG_0046.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
couldn’t take my eyes off that shocking, horizontal branch stretching out for
miles away from its main trunk, one branch almost as long as the tree was high.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6eMOcXCtl0ef32COZoVJUO__-k0wtc0nvGPYQyHKdwWmbN2_slIyp3D6GeOuEJuG_6brFYdu8VUOk2KJp-EfLt8JsDJXhyphenhyphenAzVaQd_u0U5axxhqj-BDTQgGnKqs_8IBxy1Xg0CxcHxM0/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6eMOcXCtl0ef32COZoVJUO__-k0wtc0nvGPYQyHKdwWmbN2_slIyp3D6GeOuEJuG_6brFYdu8VUOk2KJp-EfLt8JsDJXhyphenhyphenAzVaQd_u0U5axxhqj-BDTQgGnKqs_8IBxy1Xg0CxcHxM0/s640/IMG_0040.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is the <i>Kalopanax</i>, another new tree,
the Castor-Aralia.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
couldn’t take my eyes off its fascinating bark…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IU21usYCcxh8fdUaCdYcXuQHuKRCm9dg-xcgpsgR44rx4SNGNXXiDgeXJg3rmxi0riXq34oTcmkghjS8qRKOCwPglJBHAwzju6GIHEtDmw5Cwk0ztugn6hkaJ9kQO4TYw_-o5n7Tfag/s1600/IMG_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IU21usYCcxh8fdUaCdYcXuQHuKRCm9dg-xcgpsgR44rx4SNGNXXiDgeXJg3rmxi0riXq34oTcmkghjS8qRKOCwPglJBHAwzju6GIHEtDmw5Cwk0ztugn6hkaJ9kQO4TYw_-o5n7Tfag/s640/IMG_0036.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…spinning
like rope all around its massive bulk.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
wish someone had made a stop-motion movie about this bark so I could see it
turning in formation throughout the ages…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDx0kONaZdQCrTmONr-n71yKOMpL7rPicdBbpRPTj0JR1irjx91KMWKSrBw-x5mWhcYety8uD7rTU4Abfe6BGffLAtLbhcXtcwKzfiNaPI9hEG7GKci-DAVdsb0k6SUMxt0TkD_jcJHGw/s1600/IMG_0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDx0kONaZdQCrTmONr-n71yKOMpL7rPicdBbpRPTj0JR1irjx91KMWKSrBw-x5mWhcYety8uD7rTU4Abfe6BGffLAtLbhcXtcwKzfiNaPI9hEG7GKci-DAVdsb0k6SUMxt0TkD_jcJHGw/s640/IMG_0033.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…watching
the wind and the sunlight, like a mad potter, spin and shape all these
hypnotizing twists and braids.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've ne<span style="font-size: large;">ver seen that movie before</span> but that’s not what I call standing still.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
still hadn’t found the place, the hub in the center of the spinning Wheel…and,
because I have a restless, antsy spirit, I left the pristine and orderly realm
of the Shofuso House and wandered into the weedy, untamed trails beyond the
picnics, on the other side of the ticket booth.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>I’ll stay close
to what I’ve always loved,</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>content to leave
that peopled world forever.</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKdWCSHSapxOtZdGM57KK_U4dAmYyqmXM6D0-iz3dcQ0_8qb_ejF8ix975MEUXqaT5n_cRyWUhKx6livEmi0adlve3FFgqUPPfNyg66nOljCPOv3gbLDcAGwf7K-9BY8c7BUVhbcV9VE/s1600/IMG_0358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKdWCSHSapxOtZdGM57KK_U4dAmYyqmXM6D0-iz3dcQ0_8qb_ejF8ix975MEUXqaT5n_cRyWUhKx6livEmi0adlve3FFgqUPPfNyg66nOljCPOv3gbLDcAGwf7K-9BY8c7BUVhbcV9VE/s640/IMG_0358.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE TRAIL OF THE
TEN-THOUSAND THINGS</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to Zen Taoism, the ten-thousand things, which is everything, are in a constant
state of transformation, never standing still.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is the Zen cosmology, the ten-thousand things all in perpetual motion, all in spontaneous
harmony, acting out in broad daylight each of their individual natures…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kwMJMN-ckrFVR9z6dutJMMjgL3fsbiQRz15gqfaPFY-hvmuwi8peNeqobWmVy-p8Ua8LFp458fDm5zaFAV83wzahUHYLZxiDisfURzQmL_Po7VCgVUMQWUwv2OetBXRclAsrn_E9zEc/s1600/IMG_0349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kwMJMN-ckrFVR9z6dutJMMjgL3fsbiQRz15gqfaPFY-hvmuwi8peNeqobWmVy-p8Ua8LFp458fDm5zaFAV83wzahUHYLZxiDisfURzQmL_Po7VCgVUMQWUwv2OetBXRclAsrn_E9zEc/s640/IMG_0349.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…ten-thousand
things rising forth into Presence to interact with sunlight, wind, rain, moon...</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhwEPK62TPxn5lovZIt1FX7MwFnVrFLQhWNC739cCGwYO5cFIc14CxyWke97s0rXjNPEltGO9r2ZlCl-rSHtXhxYqFsxAulTUwW1XjUTFoJdaLNmHYu053E590bMQ6rlfhI6lohW1-BA/s1600/IMG_0343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhwEPK62TPxn5lovZIt1FX7MwFnVrFLQhWNC739cCGwYO5cFIc14CxyWke97s0rXjNPEltGO9r2ZlCl-rSHtXhxYqFsxAulTUwW1XjUTFoJdaLNmHYu053E590bMQ6rlfhI6lohW1-BA/s640/IMG_0343.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…everything
is its own Wheel...</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFTESWGgtKFBTS7ZOTK2Cz0RiauKSZgGoykilskoJ8t-OXMyYxWVhYwIx7FmK7xpz95indRUUBF2IQvIgCwMRclry4X9eYYFKhcKMmd9GIxPdpGtiZQ0bbqFcO-Pq9cChyphenhyphenfw9qSWN-v8/s1600/IMG_9683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFTESWGgtKFBTS7ZOTK2Cz0RiauKSZgGoykilskoJ8t-OXMyYxWVhYwIx7FmK7xpz95indRUUBF2IQvIgCwMRclry4X9eYYFKhcKMmd9GIxPdpGtiZQ0bbqFcO-Pq9cChyphenhyphenfw9qSWN-v8/s640/IMG_9683.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">...one
wild ride into Existence and then right back to the Void.</span></span> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6au2OFTtKGxuFoAmCCVCBld8UwsV0XkNT4lAGa4aEHwZqUQQkY_CnTWhCCIFtg12TokSHg4Sv9b2YeEa8iSzF0nzsHBOHdt4Up_eG76yccn6IS3uchLB2nCVz5ILDiGa0am-lXsEYCY/s1600/IMG_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6au2OFTtKGxuFoAmCCVCBld8UwsV0XkNT4lAGa4aEHwZqUQQkY_CnTWhCCIFtg12TokSHg4Sv9b2YeEa8iSzF0nzsHBOHdt4Up_eG76yccn6IS3uchLB2nCVz5ILDiGa0am-lXsEYCY/s640/IMG_0224.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
Zen masters say this also applies to the interior landscape: thoughts,
memories, emotions, passions.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is called <i>tzu-jan</i>. It translates to <i>self-so</i> or, more poetically, <i>self-ablaze.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well,
that’s easy to find on a spring day like this, the <i>tzu-jan</i>, all those different Wheels staking their own claim in the
wild weeds…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDdlSA63khj2QM08FKWRt9UUiUGoEiY4Sx_6u8aZ4hQnhSG984Y5loTFZUM-hv6y9Hydc1kbk5hOt4CfL6uqVIckoZoSwKbagWXp68qSnfuvvK4wYzNTrBBCWQVMUNPr2gK_LTQbd8UM/s1600/IMG_0364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDdlSA63khj2QM08FKWRt9UUiUGoEiY4Sx_6u8aZ4hQnhSG984Y5loTFZUM-hv6y9Hydc1kbk5hOt4CfL6uqVIckoZoSwKbagWXp68qSnfuvvK4wYzNTrBBCWQVMUNPr2gK_LTQbd8UM/s640/IMG_0364.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…it’s
everywhere you look, the ten-thousand things in constant motion.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
I wasn’t interested in transformation.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
wanted to see the ten-thousand things in rest.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
wanted to experience <i>this.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As
in this tree. This rock.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMC0Z3sVvnFp_OSRrjS-15qgat5R5Dmxxwmougn44MqWqYvMpOddAvVavbDGH8PcytedpJyfRFAbgBWWFBUuV26Y95DNcs2zyX3lZd4_MCpdv-vpbTzlYPUtDqqWZVZoP5ud3A-djRrQ/s1600/IMG_0205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMC0Z3sVvnFp_OSRrjS-15qgat5R5Dmxxwmougn44MqWqYvMpOddAvVavbDGH8PcytedpJyfRFAbgBWWFBUuV26Y95DNcs2zyX3lZd4_MCpdv-vpbTzlYPUtDqqWZVZoP5ud3A-djRrQ/s400/IMG_0205.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
found a small creek, running fast, babbling and scuttling over the ragged
rocks. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
was it that Annie Dillard said? <i>The water carries its own light</i>.</span></span></div>
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<object class="BLOGGER-picasa-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzHidC4ERYxWgnw6ixC3P-RHY_7Gbe_Vx0c_iAog-jic73s5Woz3Tx82_F_g7wTSWxS0e-q8MP2Whe6FjNgztiCVcBrWTY5daSFlONY5-Ix3ssz7-tHLr03wmFoQOf_rK6mp6z1JRSkE/s1600/IMG_0368.MOV" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D19aa1dcf25fb9e95%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dpicasa%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%253Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1369746471%26sparams%3Did,itag,source,ip,ipbits,expire%26signature%3D2AB09175342881840476AB3A0DE3A02ACA060C17.57AD6155ED695AF544ED30A1549BE99E8274E01D%26key%3Dlh1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?videoUrl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D19aa1dcf25fb9e95%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dpicasa%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%253Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1369746471%26sparams%3Did,itag,source,ip,ipbits,expire%26signature%3D2AB09175342881840476AB3A0DE3A02ACA060C17.57AD6155ED695AF544ED30A1549BE99E8274E01D%26key%3Dlh1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No wonder fish never stay still.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xRWCdVcPPrgBrN48kKvNuzVN09gGOOvPTEn-9Y794KWwWd4ggmxByeLKonVfC2XjDXYMX_YVupmby1UW7YDvPpUkfyD_xVI87juLPPNObf8dpTFH9sFuAPejXc6VHlOerRYiGZnF5Z4/s1600/IMG_0365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xRWCdVcPPrgBrN48kKvNuzVN09gGOOvPTEn-9Y794KWwWd4ggmxByeLKonVfC2XjDXYMX_YVupmby1UW7YDvPpUkfyD_xVI87juLPPNObf8dpTFH9sFuAPejXc6VHlOerRYiGZnF5Z4/s640/IMG_0365.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Further
up, the creek rested in a pool <span style="font-size: large;">underneath a tree-bridge</span>…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVdNjzbRSuRuymAJ3qr9BW97rD4fgoHBPJzqiiusy2pemyoNtktPdv4yEFA-ZMwsIfOFTf5yiJue-cy1A_OQqdRxxFCqZfyZ52V3BIN0Ja0ObPwL50h0iB25LEW5_o6Zm2sXpx8qPCk4/s1600/IMG_0384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVdNjzbRSuRuymAJ3qr9BW97rD4fgoHBPJzqiiusy2pemyoNtktPdv4yEFA-ZMwsIfOFTf5yiJue-cy1A_OQqdRxxFCqZfyZ52V3BIN0Ja0ObPwL50h0iB25LEW5_o6Zm2sXpx8qPCk4/s640/IMG_0384.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…<i>bright lake a mirror of fallen heaven.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
ground was wet and marsh<span style="font-size: large;">y. T</span>he water was high<span style="font-size: large;">, <span style="font-size: large;">rising<span style="font-size: large;"> and running</span></span></span> over the low banks, and
every step was a gamble, my boots too heavy for such soft ground.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Off
the trail, there were little pockets of swamp, hidden and nestling between the
high clover and the long grass…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s640/IMG_0220.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…as
good a place as any, and better than most, to see the entire year in one place, in one shot.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s400/IMG_0220.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s400/IMG_0220.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Dried
bamboo and spring's<span style="font-size: large;"> new twigs, </span>poking out of the still waters.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s400/IMG_0220.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s400/IMG_0220.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Below
the waters, cherry leaves from last autumn<span style="font-size: large;">. Most likely, they survived the win<span style="font-size: large;">ter by freezing up and<span style="font-size: large;">, now, </span></span></span>finally thawing o<span style="font-size: large;">ut.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s400/IMG_0220.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s400/IMG_0220.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And then <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">the water itself, th<span style="font-size: large;">at</span> accidental puddle<span style="font-size: large;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Its surface<span style="font-size: large;">, <span style="font-size: large;">the thinnest </span></span>edge, the largest unarmed, unmanned b<span style="font-size: large;">order <span style="font-size: large;">you'll ever <span style="font-size: large;">find <span style="font-size: large;">on Spaceshi<span style="font-size: large;">p Earth.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Below the <span style="font-size: large;">water's sur<span style="font-size: large;">face? <span style="font-size: large;">The dark, m<span style="font-size: large;">ysterious<span style="font-size: large;">, <span style="font-size: large;">murky <span style="font-size: large;">cavern<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;">from where all life<span style="font-size: large;"> first breached through the Void<span style="font-size: large;">.</span> </span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Its thin, tense sur<span style="font-size: large;">fac<span style="font-size: large;">e <span style="font-size: large;">catches everything right now. <span style="font-size: large;">Willow catkins. Maple samaras. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s400/IMG_0220.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s400/IMG_0220.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
reflection of the black branches. The
reflection of the blue sky.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">L</span>ookin<span style="font-size: large;">g deeper into the reflection is the same as looking higher <span style="font-size: large;">into</span> th<span style="font-size: large;">e s<span style="font-size: large;">ky<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>and I can see, beyond the reach of this mirro<span style="font-size: large;">r<span style="font-size: large;">, soaring</span> above the swif<span style="font-size: large;">tly tilting poles of <span style="font-size: large;">t<span style="font-size: large;">his rocky plane<span style="font-size: large;">t</span></span></span>...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQThkETkoM0v6iPRo2w_oxT6Z_JT3vQoThNPIxq96STVe268rPVRvtWoQAd8803YmEUzZdZnIaSxFgGEF7jBog2MBohNHgFOvMa7Aqiuu3_8Xr1mDOchf9sJeNCjdVBvlfqGuwqANk3Ck/s640/IMG_0220.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Frogs Return Moon. Shin<span style="font-size: large;">ing bright now. Dark side of the world.</span> </span> </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
this were a movie, here’s the part where I would just fade to white.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-11894873842250181942013-04-12T15:26:00.000-07:002013-04-15T15:01:34.293-07:00IN JUST-SPRING<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was just too nice a day to spend it cooped up in the office so I rigged up a
quick little workplace, outside, in the shade of my favorite birch tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0l1BhZiQSuLTfTkIxHFD8n6f_x1CYr7WmXtbisyAll6suTlYGgKMNOXD5WC221wuiuhZBsvVpHSfdBSxESii86Uqi7GOeWe3mQmA1UVcS_tZ0Z_UzBzeKpiVkzQ6cCdHcf1CQhcQvjY/s1600/IMG_8886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0l1BhZiQSuLTfTkIxHFD8n6f_x1CYr7WmXtbisyAll6suTlYGgKMNOXD5WC221wuiuhZBsvVpHSfdBSxESii86Uqi7GOeWe3mQmA1UVcS_tZ0Z_UzBzeKpiVkzQ6cCdHcf1CQhcQvjY/s640/IMG_8886.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
was turning out to be a great day of work, with the sunshine lighting up my
desk and the breeze dancing over my keyboard, lovely birdsong playing all m<span style="font-size: large;">orning long f<span style="font-size: large;">rom the high, <span style="font-size: large;">swinging</span></span></span> treetops.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
best of all, I was just about to close on one sweet-ass deal, putting the final
touches on the big proposal that I’d been brokering for my boss all winter
long.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
just love the feeling of a good deal going down.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5K2KDKoRFwj-lat2ekKSl5fSx323MNLGrZI6nbci13wcj7sLnjsSpwLNoI5LI-j24GpZpICSonOtXeg5SguqrKkn6lF-PGQH5bSgrniHEDZhTmmbPDlRILdr6BDZttkN0QPEIXW3kXTs/s1600/IMG_8872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5K2KDKoRFwj-lat2ekKSl5fSx323MNLGrZI6nbci13wcj7sLnjsSpwLNoI5LI-j24GpZpICSonOtXeg5SguqrKkn6lF-PGQH5bSgrniHEDZhTmmbPDlRILdr6BDZttkN0QPEIXW3kXTs/s640/IMG_8872.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
love everything about it. I love riding
the ebb and flow of a tight negotiation.
I like catching inside information.
I like wrangling over the details.
I like that pregnant pause in the action, waiting for the final approval,
and I love getting things in writing. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
love it when they start watering down their demands.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
how I know when to strike.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
I just love saying the word <i>deal-breaker.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3AqArSpHJ0P2CPu3aVGxU3wBdHrHxN-w-0EWy56OaBQE3TUe6oWBPNNLWIBQtHqmXwlmQwYDEbCiBVrrM2CWNDzJTzKL_pJTrBwYiAq03pSumFLcgbnncyx5Ffj0qVK6d4RF6CziJbk/s1600/IMG_8862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3AqArSpHJ0P2CPu3aVGxU3wBdHrHxN-w-0EWy56OaBQE3TUe6oWBPNNLWIBQtHqmXwlmQwYDEbCiBVrrM2CWNDzJTzKL_pJTrBwYiAq03pSumFLcgbnncyx5Ffj0qVK6d4RF6CziJbk/s640/IMG_8862.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
took a break around ten o’clock, promising myself this would be my last cup of
coffee for the day, and tried to catch some spring from the office window.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgOWhSHWrvoamxuq2lcK3paw_jMG2Yw1w5ne-5MZ83sd71rBWOhL8BJ733Ydu_ypCrKZsSOgF2BTZhoRFV-YlQ4JT4IWE-ueSFKlhZsbzxqphVxwj57g8JL0evXAVEDKi2HLEC2MBnwg/s1600/IMG_8890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgOWhSHWrvoamxuq2lcK3paw_jMG2Yw1w5ne-5MZ83sd71rBWOhL8BJ733Ydu_ypCrKZsSOgF2BTZhoRFV-YlQ4JT4IWE-ueSFKlhZsbzxqphVxwj57g8JL0evXAVEDKi2HLEC2MBnwg/s640/IMG_8890.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Wabun
the Golden Eagle, Spirit Keeper of the East, was really here…wings spread wide,
aloft in full flight.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
could see the callery pears already starting to burst with flowers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrP3OI0sUvx5ZMvlkygDv2VvlHivDrST4KVXs9eFobkxEQzBwm5UjqAuHbU-i9Ff3bYP2soxwO9TVyQhalLCsxD-CkbdcjDTrXAeYoAkOElxA4zR6qvH50TKNEamhY_3MyOovcIe8_Uio/s1600/Callery+Pear+Binoculars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrP3OI0sUvx5ZMvlkygDv2VvlHivDrST4KVXs9eFobkxEQzBwm5UjqAuHbU-i9Ff3bYP2soxwO9TVyQhalLCsxD-CkbdcjDTrXAeYoAkOElxA4zR6qvH50TKNEamhY_3MyOovcIe8_Uio/s640/Callery+Pear+Binoculars.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
was also the ginkgo, just about to leaf out, two days after the rise of
spring’s first new moon, just as I’d predicted.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yjsiZ7DRCT63awNa23tXcTpzvPPuXgok2sQ5M6J84ZwgLBHKWI-IvLlT0bWVLZSXwSi0uQ6e7r9UJthkabrLHdRK6MkJoY1Vk-zg6s6iXowumjxOrUUdf6M3pfThYNyJG_OZVwc1odQ/s1600/Ginkgo+Binoculars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yjsiZ7DRCT63awNa23tXcTpzvPPuXgok2sQ5M6J84ZwgLBHKWI-IvLlT0bWVLZSXwSi0uQ6e7r9UJthkabrLHdRK6MkJoY1Vk-zg6s6iXowumjxOrUUdf6M3pfThYNyJG_OZVwc1odQ/s640/Ginkgo+Binoculars.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
that I’m the kind of guy who says I told you so.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
I really should catch up with the cherries.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4vPojlFdjIeFxR6tyuqCZkya-WzrnRrUAsMqSVOZ2xfkbUjmeUtmBtoYKwkZi3goinnGj-_C0d5gbM7KylyypGV9xqXOYgi71TocZ45BnY2FUqa1LkPUlu-j_F09vN-tEfJ3yOqLopk/s1600/Cherry+Binoculars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4vPojlFdjIeFxR6tyuqCZkya-WzrnRrUAsMqSVOZ2xfkbUjmeUtmBtoYKwkZi3goinnGj-_C0d5gbM7KylyypGV9xqXOYgi71TocZ45BnY2FUqa1LkPUlu-j_F09vN-tEfJ3yOqLopk/s640/Cherry+Binoculars.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All
in good time, I told myself. Once this
deal goes down, I’ll have all the time in the world for tree-hunting. I was jumping out of my skin…just one final
approval away from the Big Bonanza.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
forecast? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Nothing
but blue skies ahead, one hundred percent chance of raining money…the longest,
hottest summer ever…Jon Spruce finally living it up in Fat City, nothing but
champagne and caviar, cruising around the city in my Cadillac, lighting my
cigars with hundred dollar bills.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
got back behind the desk, back on the horn…and that’s when things starting
going downhill.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGQegzhF3CvqMucaidAD78rWkiisJHSYCLWsDtsUASPdZaY9hWgemKGIqqHQBLtoQylKwbVdPzhQ7MHmhnwwg-2NgzC_s6mqbSvSjwBDvA-aUj6-mCrLMdqmBrsw5XKKTOzg5AsEN5cs/s1600/IMG_8870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGQegzhF3CvqMucaidAD78rWkiisJHSYCLWsDtsUASPdZaY9hWgemKGIqqHQBLtoQylKwbVdPzhQ7MHmhnwwg-2NgzC_s6mqbSvSjwBDvA-aUj6-mCrLMdqmBrsw5XKKTOzg5AsEN5cs/s400/IMG_8870.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs1l6pWbG8vaiI3OKLVSsWJRjiyxVjIYoxh0oscIQR5k_EMThswvzNNeJiYMawZ26wWmUx2ezoaOdsmpAiczEFLDQEnPNohSXSMXwwDuWe2OTRsXUj5B7XQuOO0RecJf1axSHjlBvlXA/s1600/IMG_8874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs1l6pWbG8vaiI3OKLVSsWJRjiyxVjIYoxh0oscIQR5k_EMThswvzNNeJiYMawZ26wWmUx2ezoaOdsmpAiczEFLDQEnPNohSXSMXwwDuWe2OTRsXUj5B7XQuOO0RecJf1axSHjlBvlXA/s400/IMG_8874.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
not really sure what happened. Surprise
demands, unforeseen commission rates, someone hit <i>reply all </i>and then some schlub in their Accounting Department turned
out to have the ace in the hole.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After one short break, the whole deal <span style="font-size: large;">went lopsided.</span> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Meanwhile,
I had my boss on the other line demanding the latest update, wondering what was
taking so long.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzU4rL-ZCbU_vaK6SaLZFEeseqmPXAZbp6QEpv6ETEaBBF5XyIlkWjGgzxLg-Efb6IvQwMPcYGX3aOoTnWBxbI98n6DAK1u3Dwue5kzsqXZs0Y3LOzM0YoIBywYn71WTo3UBZJUpe-R0/s1600/IMG_8881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzU4rL-ZCbU_vaK6SaLZFEeseqmPXAZbp6QEpv6ETEaBBF5XyIlkWjGgzxLg-Efb6IvQwMPcYGX3aOoTnWBxbI98n6DAK1u3Dwue5kzsqXZs0Y3LOzM0YoIBywYn71WTo3UBZJUpe-R0/s400/IMG_8881.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jsAZe0DGNeSJ6L_Egmp9598lP9KfkINQMxrWULAmU1e2W4H-nohLSfKLUS0SKl36ikmQijfMojevtBgNCkgyTXYLHTFu3u4BmB8VUfxlgDlmVAdsgOw__kbsccpRazFcV59KfaMs_UM/s1600/IMG_8883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jsAZe0DGNeSJ6L_Egmp9598lP9KfkINQMxrWULAmU1e2W4H-nohLSfKLUS0SKl36ikmQijfMojevtBgNCkgyTXYLHTFu3u4BmB8VUfxlgDlmVAdsgOw__kbsccpRazFcV59KfaMs_UM/s400/IMG_8883.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
tried to get everybody back in the pool but they all had cold feet. Just like that, they were unavailable or they
were on another call.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
just like that…no deal, back to square one, back to counting pennies.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">From
riches, back to rags.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
don’t have the heart to summarize all the nitty-gritty details. Rest assured, citybillies, it’s the same old
story.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Heads,
they win. Tails, I lose.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku1D73H4IV6lGF-aKioL5cr4jYueImYR-4AizeBad9AL-nkYCbYoP53UBKQxMlCTQ47z6ZvqvhW2YWyc1Lug__Z7b4_cWOd0TBtUZs88VoPcwWtPw3Iu8gPBj1KIdeR_0D3p0SpNS4l8/s1600/IMG_8876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku1D73H4IV6lGF-aKioL5cr4jYueImYR-4AizeBad9AL-nkYCbYoP53UBKQxMlCTQ47z6ZvqvhW2YWyc1Lug__Z7b4_cWOd0TBtUZs88VoPcwWtPw3Iu8gPBj1KIdeR_0D3p0SpNS4l8/s640/IMG_8876.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
afternoon would be spent sifting through the dust and the damage. My boss was trying frantically
to reach me but, if I was going to survive the aftermath, then I needed to step
away from the situation.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Step
away and catch some spring<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to my contract, I am allowed exactly one hour for lunch. I usually slave right through it, usually
spend that hour at my desk, but not today.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">To
catch a spring…one hour and counting…the magnolia, the cherry, the willow, th<span style="font-size: large;">e gin<span style="font-size: large;">kgo</span></span> and
that callery pear…running around the city at a breakneck speed…double-parking
with the windows down and the folk rock blaring…boiling over with spring fever,
mad as a March hare, catching the wind beneath Wabun’s wings…it’s go, go, go…one
hour to catch a full season.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Oops. Fifty-eight minutes now.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Turn
on the out-of-office reply…step away, push in the chair…take a message.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Jon Spruce was <span style="font-size: large;">on a lunch.</span> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK9i_6Od6hm8fyyTxkMUKo8jDQEQBDdwbOWYeDNRlJNgIprgGorEdCIBLfIsHufaocPLg0LM7lBXfcXrU5BQtXlORs2ytMw06Xj72tqkcE94mIJjivz_qzjaYDSsYzEGocjt_MCFa9Pg/s1600/IMG_8896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK9i_6Od6hm8fyyTxkMUKo8jDQEQBDdwbOWYeDNRlJNgIprgGorEdCIBLfIsHufaocPLg0LM7lBXfcXrU5BQtXlORs2ytMw06Xj72tqkcE94mIJjivz_qzjaYDSsYzEGocjt_MCFa9Pg/s640/IMG_8896.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>SPRING FEVER</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Citybillies,
dust off those sunglasses and slap down the visor.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Color
has returned to Philadelphia.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dyEfDr7iYUXz2TGy6LCmgrpAxCgSVExxaLyJ8KTTAlRp-6kfqKlnbtXLQw1WUazSkTs77R96bZQuqe_erg4tqFYFLPlA48XfCnKKvqaAzWO71OJYQwMCXeu_NsYzKXOe0UtPE24OoaU/s1600/IMG_9297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dyEfDr7iYUXz2TGy6LCmgrpAxCgSVExxaLyJ8KTTAlRp-6kfqKlnbtXLQw1WUazSkTs77R96bZQuqe_erg4tqFYFLPlA48XfCnKKvqaAzWO71OJYQwMCXeu_NsYzKXOe0UtPE24OoaU/s640/IMG_9297.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
dud of a deal was still reeling in my head but, sister, this color sure was
helping to soften the blow.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhllyuhnZ4VAqodfLNrXjaf5le-my5xmRiCKy8-k_8accl8DmnY_pnff_Pl4HrcBIYTghraKDZiGhjqAVE4YI3S_aAoNZwFfRBEfxdp1fdxd1QNP6MgKR4DSi_nebZevTE7ijY09qBkQ/s1600/IMG_9499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhllyuhnZ4VAqodfLNrXjaf5le-my5xmRiCKy8-k_8accl8DmnY_pnff_Pl4HrcBIYTghraKDZiGhjqAVE4YI3S_aAoNZwFfRBEfxdp1fdxd1QNP6MgKR4DSi_nebZevTE7ijY09qBkQ/s640/IMG_9499.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pick
any block in the city, worm your way into a parking spot and take a gander…</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllQ8POAVoqkU5jvQ1E7q2RYdWBa1rncfoEhACMd_WJ0q-AGC3PPnjlNdMVEINb9REk5JIXe_4qnxM-Q7FIVsqVgXmPAXNbUlAoGy2zwGL0OzckFn8v_o_GXjH1eToewKRBfGXEkQn1hY/s1600/IMG_9812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllQ8POAVoqkU5jvQ1E7q2RYdWBa1rncfoEhACMd_WJ0q-AGC3PPnjlNdMVEINb9REk5JIXe_4qnxM-Q7FIVsqVgXmPAXNbUlAoGy2zwGL0OzckFn8v_o_GXjH1eToewKRBfGXEkQn1hY/s400/IMG_9812.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIGVDcAA_KFL3xUaI3y4RjrxEsVkBs8pxnIZm67xwrWT6rhkTwJRi19_QYCwNmhavZZm15YQj1B1Z_tdPv7YNbJ9IlZU19vLJjIjyiIi-hoHpvGa2fikv2iYpwdzJAwvdYq0_E9PdKlg/s1600/Magnolia+17th+&+18th+Kater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIGVDcAA_KFL3xUaI3y4RjrxEsVkBs8pxnIZm67xwrWT6rhkTwJRi19_QYCwNmhavZZm15YQj1B1Z_tdPv7YNbJ9IlZU19vLJjIjyiIi-hoHpvGa2fikv2iYpwdzJAwvdYq0_E9PdKlg/s400/Magnolia+17th+&+18th+Kater.jpg" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…the
streets are catching fire.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKHyOZJttj9Tt_isBK1JKG-F0XSABveRYkgISczBtqK6S5Ca4o-FvjNXNGHeqEJ0hfbHPoQeAEsqGvVuTLAV_ev3tc47vlO6mniHmA3RqJVfqNDJHSmY1Jrdkxjka-iDOII3OMskStm0/s1600/IMG_9830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKHyOZJttj9Tt_isBK1JKG-F0XSABveRYkgISczBtqK6S5Ca4o-FvjNXNGHeqEJ0hfbHPoQeAEsqGvVuTLAV_ev3tc47vlO6mniHmA3RqJVfqNDJHSmY1Jrdkxjka-iDOII3OMskStm0/s640/IMG_9830.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
wish I could’ve tarried longer.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrk3qBbU3P8Xu3IcIuVByHrZdPioslq4treWt_My60PQcMQLXpHjJYHDvtkvAKpm7hio5DpzyocLe8olB2Up5RRa_kKZcpIK3U3jx-uaOfDW-iq1tCZQxIA8i2c1Bi7WHEOg3M6M9BT6c/s1600/IMG_9803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrk3qBbU3P8Xu3IcIuVByHrZdPioslq4treWt_My60PQcMQLXpHjJYHDvtkvAKpm7hio5DpzyocLe8olB2Up5RRa_kKZcpIK3U3jx-uaOfDW-iq1tCZQxIA8i2c1Bi7WHEOg3M6M9BT6c/s400/IMG_9803.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1ONqP8SZ9GiACAXlwP6e1ibDgHiNI8zIpkQEPAGil3XL4XEUUsl91O6dUQ09WgozSRf8hXMiZ9_LhO_1SIAwsCka_ddKpcyrSpv4Bcy5XTXvomKCkjdNYgWBB1gKvUfHUkE8YnfnmPE/s1600/IMG_9804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1ONqP8SZ9GiACAXlwP6e1ibDgHiNI8zIpkQEPAGil3XL4XEUUsl91O6dUQ09WgozSRf8hXMiZ9_LhO_1SIAwsCka_ddKpcyrSpv4Bcy5XTXvomKCkjdNYgWBB1gKvUfHUkE8YnfnmPE/s400/IMG_9804.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
wish I could’ve lingered over each blazing tree and each twinkling flower but time
was ticking away. That short hour was
getting shorter and shorter, only enough time for a hurried photo, a quick
catch, and then off to the next block.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2739A39XnC9ygv3Up55W5vFAb1gKPk5J1kSluzWLpK_QBISfB-zNQheNuWj2e3eKx3CTtMyh7gebmo_aX82mCBRaUstcBR0IrdRWx8ORF4EEjN5nBUOulBwXZF-LPk1uEqIaOvOaxzcI/s1600/IMG_9618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2739A39XnC9ygv3Up55W5vFAb1gKPk5J1kSluzWLpK_QBISfB-zNQheNuWj2e3eKx3CTtMyh7gebmo_aX82mCBRaUstcBR0IrdRWx8ORF4EEjN5nBUOulBwXZF-LPk1uEqIaOvOaxzcI/s640/IMG_9618.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
don’t trust spring. I don’t trust it at all. It moves too fast, it barely stands still.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Forty
minutes left and counting. Where does
the time go?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Spring? You got to catch it while you can and
nothing, and nobody, was going to stop me from catching as much spring as I
could.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
even the old people.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKA2IHoQdll5BZfzldVkCBjxMG2wHoahcsR9qnUutdfomnR30__5ZeAKrTkqG1DAfRr4Js-l6A5mP4q6DUeaVPkhmyUWTjQwypiKfzf68ctrGxXs8XmF24HP8JoAvYpMG3rAldhEMSGKk/s1600/IMG_9800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKA2IHoQdll5BZfzldVkCBjxMG2wHoahcsR9qnUutdfomnR30__5ZeAKrTkqG1DAfRr4Js-l6A5mP4q6DUeaVPkhmyUWTjQwypiKfzf68ctrGxXs8XmF24HP8JoAvYpMG3rAldhEMSGKk/s640/IMG_9800.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
sorry but it’s true.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
were old people all over the city that day…struggling to make it down the
street, taking up two parking spaces…standing on the stoops, standing on the
corner or just standing in the way.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">How
did they even know it was a beautiful day?
The weathermen only tell us to check on the elderly during blizzards and
hurricanes. I’ve never been asked once
to knock on their door for a spring afternoon.</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well,
they must’ve gotten the word somehow. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Running
down the street, I had to carefully weave my way around them. Couldn’t go two blocks without seeing some
old person standing around doing nothing but smiling at the sun or just strolling
through the park or reading a newspaper in the shade. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
even saw an old couple sitting on a bench eating ice cream.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Who’s
got time for that?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Spring
is a fever, sir. It comes and then it goes. In spring, you read a box score or you eat an
ice cream cone at your own risk.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
me. I wasn’t going to miss a thing.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCc-bK7Jv3Q5vebZaAehy5iQp0ORJAaeBAODEC1_-hUn5azglwamCacyRXYhFR2a3TDmQPXDo_7dq2gR4DAJUdGwxwvPUVWapGlBcc1GqLFKBHlOq2kBjsRBmTiSiA-bamFa7P-dK9UQ/s1600/IMG_9771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCc-bK7Jv3Q5vebZaAehy5iQp0ORJAaeBAODEC1_-hUn5azglwamCacyRXYhFR2a3TDmQPXDo_7dq2gR4DAJUdGwxwvPUVWapGlBcc1GqLFKBHlOq2kBjsRBmTiSiA-bamFa7P-dK9UQ/s640/IMG_9771.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Take
the willow.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here’s
a perfect example.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ0nu6hecGfb_OoqihCZUpppNjh2isPsLcIG_fUCZVeky1mYUfnGOL3xt_21E74YRLOc5pUR_FZqrr1WTiW_u2XYxRxwYUxlskV5eIDQeHPSH8epM9GVboA73UmUSzMVZ-kdoRkXD8dM/s1600/IMG_9586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ0nu6hecGfb_OoqihCZUpppNjh2isPsLcIG_fUCZVeky1mYUfnGOL3xt_21E74YRLOc5pUR_FZqrr1WTiW_u2XYxRxwYUxlskV5eIDQeHPSH8epM9GVboA73UmUSzMVZ-kdoRkXD8dM/s640/IMG_9586.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Look
at all those catkins…all those fine filaments…</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8mO4xkjblvy9Z3gGWk0Y0mgSSV-ZJPM2w7TmwQ27lU3XSd5HiFzC0LtMA-hiVCs7W1KLGlb_46bVKJHGrYsdlkR3ccRSH_eKJU7EDVkADRgoL7_170AI9rZKYPBSua8KpdE4EGXg3YQ/s1600/IMG_9599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8mO4xkjblvy9Z3gGWk0Y0mgSSV-ZJPM2w7TmwQ27lU3XSd5HiFzC0LtMA-hiVCs7W1KLGlb_46bVKJHGrYsdlkR3ccRSH_eKJU7EDVkADRgoL7_170AI9rZKYPBSua8KpdE4EGXg3YQ/s640/IMG_9599.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…you
got maybe one, maybe two days at the <span style="font-size: large;">most, </span>to catch that soft electricity…and then it
switches off and runs head-first into summer.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
refuse to lose out on spring…not going to get caught with my hands full of ice
cream and newspapers.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
raced over to the parks downtown, leaping over the families on their big
blankets, dodging the hipsters practicing their instruments in public, avoiding
the bees and scaring the squirrels.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No
time to sit around, no time to graze. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I see green. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1NYOzKZkw2HxoJ9TbCzM41pqKNWz5GCbzsdC9IZnj80YyCYYeF-SI1VA4fsrXBa3xBEtGFPIIXkoaOnUUeUjXjZMbBYOTfNBjgqw9sPDV8jhywc5WGpen5-NVqjidfJLuqkUdiQki2k/s1600/IMG_9699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1NYOzKZkw2HxoJ9TbCzM41pqKNWz5GCbzsdC9IZnj80YyCYYeF-SI1VA4fsrXBa3xBEtGFPIIXkoaOnUUeUjXjZMbBYOTfNBjgqw9sPDV8jhywc5WGpen5-NVqjidfJLuqkUdiQki2k/s640/IMG_9699.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Have
you ever noticed?</span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
way a tree leafs out?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
not like a mammal. It doesn’t enter the
world, head-first, crowning one body part at a time.
It’s not like a reptile or an amphibian either, crawling slowing out of
its wet egg.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
leaf enters spring fully shaped. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1NlBfY4iHMJ804Bj-jdDY97aVA34pqQ-7oyNYaGbD6bipiJWI7aPROJJ5XpWgWX4J14DoguBDykAbQiGpoOMMlHCq8JL94eUT0Sv42ukILpqCRXa5TwpeFC1-RUuAibMwrjz4sFdTW0/s1600/IMG_9821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1NlBfY4iHMJ804Bj-jdDY97aVA34pqQ-7oyNYaGbD6bipiJWI7aPROJJ5XpWgWX4J14DoguBDykAbQiGpoOMMlHCq8JL94eUT0Sv42ukILpqCRXa5TwpeFC1-RUuAibMwrjz4sFdTW0/s640/IMG_9821.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
just appears, one spring day, popping out of its budding branches in its own
distinctive shape…</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA1HjSr9m_V4QtVe2aCAKbP6XVFvvmLlBc9D_-2y8uyD4doJvMGb3r3IrcdPQOiz8vy7InRY-1VqfWu1RLPFQtei5r6gWqAEktutc916Ap3ru8VRn4EcAULxGUciU3QiNi7tcbpsdPt8/s1600/IMG_9775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA1HjSr9m_V4QtVe2aCAKbP6XVFvvmLlBc9D_-2y8uyD4doJvMGb3r3IrcdPQOiz8vy7InRY-1VqfWu1RLPFQtei5r6gWqAEktutc916Ap3ru8VRn4EcAULxGUciU3QiNi7tcbpsdPt8/s640/IMG_9775.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
then spends the rest of the growing season growing larger…radially…from the
center and out.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-9ZTjkyoqilqR-izOxksY5D5BElZbpys6r1nlVO2jf_mqz4-XxXuaMwqB-CYKVmeIs0zMOgX09fgjyA2rib9HmE4npQuk0OyUOF9LU_e__ldl-HXblLn_CFuMw2burp8SseAINIb4vI/s1600/IMG_9810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-9ZTjkyoqilqR-izOxksY5D5BElZbpys6r1nlVO2jf_mqz4-XxXuaMwqB-CYKVmeIs0zMOgX09fgjyA2rib9HmE4npQuk0OyUOF9LU_e__ldl-HXblLn_CFuMw2burp8SseAINIb4vI/s640/IMG_9810.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You’re
not going to see that loafing around on a blanket, giggling away in the
gossamer light.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
spring, you get no rewards for standing still.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sure,
it’s going to happen. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even
during this short lunch, there were times when I just stopped and caught a
breath, caught a picture and caught a whiff of that spring breeze…</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gslF_5lEEgLgmUp8CLyaHKqgJijhQMjukubhhVMzf9uNKR5M4NgWlIgBYfziVRLbwcBI60af2PvIV7VO2YXI7xe_s3v3R2bCRYP0yU1dba99ubsJ0fZIMpdp9HlHNHdmayi-VHfn77A/s1600/IMG_9362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gslF_5lEEgLgmUp8CLyaHKqgJijhQMjukubhhVMzf9uNKR5M4NgWlIgBYfziVRLbwcBI60af2PvIV7VO2YXI7xe_s3v3R2bCRYP0yU1dba99ubsJ0fZIMpdp9HlHNHdmayi-VHfn77A/s640/IMG_9362.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…full
of flowers, with just the faintest melody of bees and just the slightest kiss
of honey.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYYfMUtF1L0V0TXEaQkZg5Uz8UkzQdhPtDzPBsJ9XbAIAf8o3QCLkwa2DcgvDzRq73uCfUDld3FINrcIJ6kf4JvBvlTZz-nZAYk8K6BYV6fGs7w5nbKIvPCcIN-83o61RddIyrYSI5pg/s1600/IMG_9529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYYfMUtF1L0V0TXEaQkZg5Uz8UkzQdhPtDzPBsJ9XbAIAf8o3QCLkwa2DcgvDzRq73uCfUDld3FINrcIJ6kf4JvBvlTZz-nZAYk8K6BYV6fGs7w5nbKIvPCcIN-83o61RddIyrYSI5pg/s640/IMG_9529.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
about half-way through the lunch, I did a waste a few minutes falling in love.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
wasn’t my fault.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was just minding my own business, walking through a stand of callery pear
outside the old Ritz Theater…</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7cy9rzUHrnKJ3ywj8Ccjq9pJsCDEpv62qrI2n28Q_J80Ji9XKsjBo4fKJtWFsAhZ3XBfoVkZrI9RYmh7imTZa4kS7f_pfLZdRMlvO4nyNsCKuWg46ys4jGPgNdmyEpdPDrFxEiuxJaI/s1600/IMG_9609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7cy9rzUHrnKJ3ywj8Ccjq9pJsCDEpv62qrI2n28Q_J80Ji9XKsjBo4fKJtWFsAhZ3XBfoVkZrI9RYmh7imTZa4kS7f_pfLZdRMlvO4nyNsCKuWg46ys4jGPgNdmyEpdPDrFxEiuxJaI/s640/IMG_9609.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
then she walked by…floating like a feather in the middle of a group of to<span style="font-size: large;">ur<span style="font-size: large;">ists</span></span>, headed over to Independence Hall…bright red lips, big goofy glasses,
the soft breeze blowing her long brown hair in front of her face. She brushed it off her bare shoulders. She was laughing at something her friend had
said. Even her laugh had an accent.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Spring’s
a fever, man. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
I’ll have time to catch love later…you know what I won’t have to time to catch
later?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cherry
blossoms.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKmRJTlrqUmuXRgXStkci-xGMnRH4oEwtwDzbo7ElIPZsF5kZoOKfMtaPfkaPcEpBXs3vyNi8tLdcOsV8TgesDhli_Ix4YPbVJPTGaJ0OMAScCdtuge5LwvRf4EWGIofWrtM4K4omKnw/s1600/IMG_9744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKmRJTlrqUmuXRgXStkci-xGMnRH4oEwtwDzbo7ElIPZsF5kZoOKfMtaPfkaPcEpBXs3vyNi8tLdcOsV8TgesDhli_Ix4YPbVJPTGaJ0OMAScCdtuge5LwvRf4EWGIofWrtM4K4omKnw/s640/IMG_9744.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
I did waste a little bit of time when I ducked into a small convenience store
to grab a bag of peanuts, just to munch on something.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
everybody else.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Everybody
else was eating away.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Never
seen anything like it. That afternoon,
Philadelphia had a ravenous appetite.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hey,
you can waste the afternoon if you want, sitting on a bench in the sun
chugging bright green kale smoothies or peeling a bag of clementines, if <span style="font-size: large;">you're into that kind of thing<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not me<span style="font-size: large;">.</span> </span></span> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
couldn’t believe how many people were doing nothing, wasting a good lunch, just
sitting around eating in the parks…sucking down cantaloupe from Florida or
squeezing Israeli oranges right down their throats.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
saw this one woman, sitting under a tree, doing nothing but eating grapes…bright
green grapes from California, each one a perfect pearl.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ll
stick with my bag of peanuts, thank you very much.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Anything
more and I would’ve missed out on some great color…</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdsWti5cq7k7-C0_chwhMkJThBmOC7PKu0Ex2wQZKk-TTZaSDf4pjhPO38qWfFqNs-vZep-wrTrAE3_Fjg5lVBAeZ2jzqUm2DyUZFIEmX1w89Nkfw4aS-o2AA6DZavrhctQYDrPvOBMc/s1600/IMG_9415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdsWti5cq7k7-C0_chwhMkJThBmOC7PKu0Ex2wQZKk-TTZaSDf4pjhPO38qWfFqNs-vZep-wrTrAE3_Fjg5lVBAeZ2jzqUm2DyUZFIEmX1w89Nkfw4aS-o2AA6DZavrhctQYDrPvOBMc/s640/IMG_9415.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…I
would’ve missed out some of the most fleeting monuments of spring…</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4s2ZGVfsJz5A0OyGic4DrSeRpe19YE72F0n_5PCFREKOE2yhs-T-txrsUa5V1UZU8da66QSq2o7YMVeQokVBR1TjSgDpl4M5jpNP5sWZUo27pUmRyNMettALtlzZmeZj_AU1P9DJhu-A/s1600/IMG_9766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4s2ZGVfsJz5A0OyGic4DrSeRpe19YE72F0n_5PCFREKOE2yhs-T-txrsUa5V1UZU8da66QSq2o7YMVeQokVBR1TjSgDpl4M5jpNP5sWZUo27pUmRyNMettALtlzZmeZj_AU1P9DJhu-A/s640/IMG_9766.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…all
those big, bad flowers stacked up against the sky…</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdb8MLCGQJAbwO4pKz8a0xS9l99WKF5ts6fjjOHxNRAzUEM9Enql1GYAGw_eIWyXZy0OtvXGgyTD_Vz8NTiRH85LoZBwIu5aYfX9whfJ2sRXT15JWmVfvgDO9bQkdACU2X7WK4w_wcxJM/s1600/IMG_9576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdb8MLCGQJAbwO4pKz8a0xS9l99WKF5ts6fjjOHxNRAzUEM9Enql1GYAGw_eIWyXZy0OtvXGgyTD_Vz8NTiRH85LoZBwIu5aYfX9whfJ2sRXT15JWmVfvgDO9bQkdACU2X7WK4w_wcxJM/s640/IMG_9576.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or
all those little blossoms…</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziHiaZbtobphH3Mra82CcqwdH_wXLDHjxFt2alQFRiYrEIv6WNwsw5Tbx5GNeEgA93-Zyd3mes2BRAz-dFdpOkij4CEB6L1uYr67U0upogouLopL1V5w-a6TwV3pjH4_-0NPU7N8wRCI/s1600/IMG_9378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziHiaZbtobphH3Mra82CcqwdH_wXLDHjxFt2alQFRiYrEIv6WNwsw5Tbx5GNeEgA93-Zyd3mes2BRAz-dFdpOkij4CEB6L1uYr67U0upogouLopL1V5w-a6TwV3pjH4_-0NPU7N8wRCI/s640/IMG_9378.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…all
those lively cobwebs in the center of every flower, snaring sunbeams out of the
palm of my hand.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLmjKRnZUXrPrk5bP7fVD8vnkBeNYqzLMDZEfKc0DI7bX3Xf1L1x8z_QpPoUWn9XJiDRSOaBMCxgEZcePAU2tEEAphL0WCh5dinQTWhTHVJwB_KdTKZyMvz5P2HNF2WCziaWv00c6RVc/s1600/IMG_9832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLmjKRnZUXrPrk5bP7fVD8vnkBeNYqzLMDZEfKc0DI7bX3Xf1L1x8z_QpPoUWn9XJiDRSOaBMCxgEZcePAU2tEEAphL0WCh5dinQTWhTHVJwB_KdTKZyMvz5P2HNF2WCziaWv00c6RVc/s640/IMG_9832.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Spring’s
a show, man, but it’s a caravan.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
a traveling circus.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsXSadFwzB59_4YgkmP_MoSidwaAHnqkWtz7kNeEqsBmo5XvzSDmWMno_t85Zml9Pk6OyBwGCYbO-GSAKez7ieswzLEcJsY6o8QMhuDs4FfiA7oGAL5j7JOh3zvCIbn2aX2qWogOaUA4/s1600/IMG_9620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsXSadFwzB59_4YgkmP_MoSidwaAHnqkWtz7kNeEqsBmo5XvzSDmWMno_t85Zml9Pk6OyBwGCYbO-GSAKez7ieswzLEcJsY6o8QMhuDs4FfiA7oGAL5j7JOh3zvCIbn2aX2qWogOaUA4/s400/IMG_9620.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFVwL_yJYhIrImteeZHH3hF94MVfaGMcdA3c6WEGL9CnXUmWDc3Dp_7_ZQA_iwG3GMV1kUYlsGB3vqm11Nv_NALP_jhN0tK9HU2v8fEUs3iXf7BZLhV3dAJddBGYn2c2DmfDe8-os5SA/s1600/IMG_9613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFVwL_yJYhIrImteeZHH3hF94MVfaGMcdA3c6WEGL9CnXUmWDc3Dp_7_ZQA_iwG3GMV1kUYlsGB3vqm11Nv_NALP_jhN0tK9HU2v8fEUs3iXf7BZLhV3dAJddBGYn2c2DmfDe8-os5SA/s400/IMG_9613.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
on a deadline just like the rest of us.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And I
thought this was a rat-race.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well,
this is no rat-race, all these people dawdling around with dazed looks on their
faces, this happy parade of dopes and fools.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
just didn’t trust it. Since when did
Philly get so happy over weather?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
there it was, right in front of my face and right in my way…people walking down
the street, loosening their ties and throwing their suit jackets over their
shoulders, people taking a break, people meeting other people, promising to be friends forever…</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCf_WTa9YX_Y77XDUeONGk6dGnEd0cUJmTnDVb85wjPyhE-0AUKEnwLMa2n756XB2Ci5zmrDRSZHBrmN9bHRvT8qp3qZYc7ldMcGyxdJnTJWZYaRGbym24YLsa7Ge3ddDNXWRawIUiDWc/s1600/IMG_9704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCf_WTa9YX_Y77XDUeONGk6dGnEd0cUJmTnDVb85wjPyhE-0AUKEnwLMa2n756XB2Ci5zmrDRSZHBrmN9bHRvT8qp3qZYc7ldMcGyxdJnTJWZYaRGbym24YLsa7Ge3ddDNXWRawIUiDWc/s400/IMG_9704.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">...people
throwing their trash into the trash cans…people having insignificant, silly
conversations, just plain ignorant of the spring show bursting right above
their heads.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8fZoC3YTiWAuyRE9S1kt7_3jBAQQsD48VkAwlMxzoq2TA8UfJcyJ85zo2w7zL27f4y2JqjN3Jj7dqvHgwc0q_b5Lu42RCC183ZrmsxUf4AQlD1pahkWcWbyeNXdjqKkmdzSQu2tpSvA/s1600/Magnolia+Rittenhouse+Square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir8fZoC3YTiWAuyRE9S1kt7_3jBAQQsD48VkAwlMxzoq2TA8UfJcyJ85zo2w7zL27f4y2JqjN3Jj7dqvHgwc0q_b5Lu42RCC183ZrmsxUf4AQlD1pahkWcWbyeNXdjqKkmdzSQu2tpSvA/s640/Magnolia+Rittenhouse+Square.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hey,
people, spring comes with a warning label.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
you see today, tomorrow may be gone.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
only get one hour out of the working day.
You can’t waste it like this.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJR6xFO8ISv8asdntk2iYhycemRRFzPVV2XsYTy4Az2FaNp6fJ2GZlVyTYdtckXCxjdyGwwzkqfSb18HQnqR3FzX_0-YISWEp28M-1ViloIk9g3AmJc74jkqIXZRzUddH06UfeHR7DjvE/s1600/IMG_9728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJR6xFO8ISv8asdntk2iYhycemRRFzPVV2XsYTy4Az2FaNp6fJ2GZlVyTYdtckXCxjdyGwwzkqfSb18HQnqR3FzX_0-YISWEp28M-1ViloIk9g3AmJc74jkqIXZRzUddH06UfeHR7DjvE/s640/IMG_9728.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
got to be ready at a moment’s notice.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
got to be ready to jump out and catch it.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sure,
you can lift your feet off the ground, just for a little bit…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQC2Au_ncO0cp494q5f5MI3msaytyHpsY__3sRqQPstvR5rybfkd7Ii6rv9eI-rOmADbGfR5M_3K5-frc9jm6gfNNAuWarN9UNFw176J3_qi36Lw3YLj_SitEkcOpVtkR2NzuDmMqG_E8/s1600/Budding+Trees+Clark+Park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQC2Au_ncO0cp494q5f5MI3msaytyHpsY__3sRqQPstvR5rybfkd7Ii6rv9eI-rOmADbGfR5M_3K5-frc9jm6gfNNAuWarN9UNFw176J3_qi36Lw3YLj_SitEkcOpVtkR2NzuDmMqG_E8/s640/Budding+Trees+Clark+Park.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but
you got to keep your eyes on the road.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
can leave the windows open and you can put it all on hold but you can’t miss it.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Because
before you know it, you’ll be right back where you started.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrEBsJTb6oW62yNe9guX5sAsIv5qDmXoTAvI5EVnRnZJqfT7C02dLLCShP7sFhtAK67IphY4Xbit_YRcGDymywB-VBLTOs0iT30TWppBKUts0b-DOmn_DlnyhB5iS6RlZEHJL86sujRA/s1600/IMG_8884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrEBsJTb6oW62yNe9guX5sAsIv5qDmXoTAvI5EVnRnZJqfT7C02dLLCShP7sFhtAK67IphY4Xbit_YRcGDymywB-VBLTOs0iT30TWppBKUts0b-DOmn_DlnyhB5iS6RlZEHJL86sujRA/s640/IMG_8884.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Can’t
say I didn’t tell you so.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
returned to a whole mess of emails and voicemails but, before diving back into
it, I checked the ten-day forecast.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Looks
like the temperature will be dropping for the weekend, bookended with a few
days of steady rain.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ye<span style="font-size: large;">p. And there's <span style="font-size: large;">C<span style="font-size: large;">oy<span style="font-size: large;">ot<span style="font-size: large;">e, a<span style="font-size: large;">lready gearing <span style="font-size: large;">u<span style="font-size: large;">p</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> for summer, alrea<span style="font-size: large;">dy up to his old tricks again.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
know, I’ll trade my time for cash just like every other working Joe out there. I guess that’s okay with me.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
the next time a spring day dawns, I’m taking it.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
my deal-breaker.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
woke up this morning after another one of those fitful nights.</span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Tossing
and turning, I just could not settle into a steady state of sleep, I don’t know
why.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Going
to sleep was never that easy but getting up never used to be this hard.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Walking
outside, I stopped dead in my tracks.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
freezing and I’m not surprised but I’m tired of it. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Where
is spring? Where’s the show?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Where
have all the flowers gone?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
isn’t the spring that’s advertised, not the spring <span style="font-size: large;">I was e<span style="font-size: large;">xpecting</span></span>. This
is not the spring that’s promised.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
don’t know about you but I’m not taking it lying down anymore. I’m tired of waiting around for spring,
waiting around for flowers. They’re out
there. I’m sure of it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Forget
the errands and ditch the plans…I’m going hunting for spring flowers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
went back inside the cabin and laced up my boots. This winter might be hanging on longer than
expected but it’s got to be spring somewhere in this fair and filthy city. I grabbed my field <span style="font-size: large;">guides</span> and I grabbed my
hat. Then, I punched some buttons on my
iPhone and I downloaded some apps.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
got a Thermometer App and I got an Altimeter App.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
right. I’m going to start this hunt at
the highest heights. I’m climbing
straight to the top of Philly Mountain and I’m not going to stop until I get to
the lowest low.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
going to scour this city top to bottom.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Somewhere
along the line, I’m going to find some spring flowers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One
quick look around my apartment in case I was forgetting anything.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
right. I’ll need my mountain lookout journal
and a good pen. Now just need to fill up
the canteen with some cider and I’m set…on my way to the top of the city…up, up
and away…</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO74R3DiHacnwYsacXasb9VrYjxM_CdWUdQbpT6RyVPNGTqg4_xSEQDeZkN9RE0Zf9wRZB96-5aJVcdCo4nhlWD6Ow__zOd2um4vLKAYSWc0jN2PmN4j0hCocIniHGCmXJ_rOfxGhp2bo/s1600/philly+jon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO74R3DiHacnwYsacXasb9VrYjxM_CdWUdQbpT6RyVPNGTqg4_xSEQDeZkN9RE0Zf9wRZB96-5aJVcdCo4nhlWD6Ow__zOd2um4vLKAYSWc0jN2PmN4j0hCocIniHGCmXJ_rOfxGhp2bo/s640/philly+jon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>TOP OF PHILLY
MOUNTAIN</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Elevation
440 ft above sea level. Temp 36°</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Intersection
of Germantown Avenue and Summit <span style="font-size: large;">Street</span>.
This is the highest point in the city, top of Philly Mountain.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYl14Nxemvc1nsiJ8he-qRjyiUAVaTgcHTtwxK7cY7Dnh-toSA3tHBu0_1l9T7KMxHFwr7AEPLWMPrxYMwcZVswEv2gEBU5cfvjGN7gakxiMxAle6lOBpLmGxVA3y3BdeKWIZ02WeJDo/s1600/IMG_9421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYl14Nxemvc1nsiJ8he-qRjyiUAVaTgcHTtwxK7cY7Dnh-toSA3tHBu0_1l9T7KMxHFwr7AEPLWMPrxYMwcZVswEv2gEBU5cfvjGN7gakxiMxAle6lOBpLmGxVA3y3BdeKWIZ02WeJDo/s640/IMG_9421.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Street-namers
did a helluva job here. Highland
Avenue. Hilltop Road. Prospect Avenue. Names fit for a peak. I park on Summit Street, a few blocks down
from Valley View.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">First
tree of the day has nothing to do with spring.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqDQLCfq1Lv5FUKLJ1MTVLI0_nNDMT-6RSVFkZ_cnj6NcsEPos_-jE_JLvSA9BjMH_KPNVGdZVOIqwWe6wAQzwb1_spor43Jeya8Do7lITTVZpC8ch8IOXVpcXnP_i7V2yy2i8gbZr0M/s1600/IMG_9446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqDQLCfq1Lv5FUKLJ1MTVLI0_nNDMT-6RSVFkZ_cnj6NcsEPos_-jE_JLvSA9BjMH_KPNVGdZVOIqwWe6wAQzwb1_spor43Jeya8Do7lITTVZpC8ch8IOXVpcXnP_i7V2yy2i8gbZr0M/s640/IMG_9446.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
birch. White as the moon and just as
hot. The blank wall catches every little
twig.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Up
close, catkins. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRGIyNouXb-oeQ_yiAVE2XSfknSBUnI7CFQdRf_VOzmtPrJ_x35Ba1gY6UpR_9a8XhtB5BXNg5z4zVoHp2uo8mjOrdOgTuHr7XnxMKRwcmFzPJYZ74WM6GcSgeZrBMvA_gcR_JjXroVY/s1600/IMG_9452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRGIyNouXb-oeQ_yiAVE2XSfknSBUnI7CFQdRf_VOzmtPrJ_x35Ba1gY6UpR_9a8XhtB5BXNg5z4zVoHp2uo8mjOrdOgTuHr7XnxMKRwcmFzPJYZ74WM6GcSgeZrBMvA_gcR_JjXroVY/s640/IMG_9452.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Technically,
it’s a flower with no petals. Not
exactly what the poets have in mind when they gush and fuss over spring flowers
but whatcha gonna do? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>You play the
hand you’re dealt</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Where
the buses turn around, witch hazel burning bright under leafless boughs.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquGZBD0Io88z8PfBr1p-Rv5BYfvcZaE85yJ6q96eWuTFPonaGePEjhUAOjrqD8I6i9x1d47RwkojagUuxWyaDyHeVz1bd-6ND7B-n_9Ozyptw4-Kk9AsHjr6hVCmwLEEWKN7vtH7Ni-o/s1600/IMG_9423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquGZBD0Io88z8PfBr1p-Rv5BYfvcZaE85yJ6q96eWuTFPonaGePEjhUAOjrqD8I6i9x1d47RwkojagUuxWyaDyHeVz1bd-6ND7B-n_9Ozyptw4-Kk9AsHjr6hVCmwLEEWKN7vtH7Ni-o/s640/IMG_9423.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
can’t help but think of its other name.
Winterbloom. The field guides
describe the yellow flowers as <i>spidery</i>. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-P6PRnyM8Kq-442EW1DBor6bn_hQTHPWsipsZWVcRmOumLwy7T3azkLQ13LwAIV_M56dyCNmhQbntx53ZQbiyguP3931jsb91waZXpkXJkbFJ3a6lr8rSSlhP9Sg_mcBrcyC7402vMM/s1600/IMG_9424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-P6PRnyM8Kq-442EW1DBor6bn_hQTHPWsipsZWVcRmOumLwy7T3azkLQ13LwAIV_M56dyCNmhQbntx53ZQbiyguP3931jsb91waZXpkXJkbFJ3a6lr8rSSlhP9Sg_mcBrcyC7402vMM/s400/IMG_9424.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRcpXeSrRniUKCFPAAQJHSieJGrcjWGCrIULEupIKhG9C5cAqKdDH4sEu1-ZfhehhxEFsblyfJHLbFd-OqaGhgTXTvi2FKxMUOOrWXxYXTCQhS8qhNxc4VmTyNIXL1oihoUglSq_8HyM/s1600/IMG_9426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRcpXeSrRniUKCFPAAQJHSieJGrcjWGCrIULEupIKhG9C5cAqKdDH4sEu1-ZfhehhxEFsblyfJHLbFd-OqaGhgTXTvi2FKxMUOOrWXxYXTCQhS8qhNxc4VmTyNIXL1oihoUglSq_8HyM/s400/IMG_9426.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sounds
about right. Spring 2013 snared in
winterbloom’s web. Still, good to see
some color.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
walk to the front of the corporate park.
Look, Ma…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJkSVRdwHoSv_0lysCfXu2lbaaNtsqJH8wBh5NRXUHbqEEmNH-zCGGAKCVe5INFDiyK5JcGE0fFWuCSPzR2DRxpS15Tmyiu0tJjFReurJ1fyhgI8-L7uQ2txBJ-jYp_BRi3p1_pIbn2E/s1600/IMG_9430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJkSVRdwHoSv_0lysCfXu2lbaaNtsqJH8wBh5NRXUHbqEEmNH-zCGGAKCVe5INFDiyK5JcGE0fFWuCSPzR2DRxpS15Tmyiu0tJjFReurJ1fyhgI8-L7uQ2txBJ-jYp_BRi3p1_pIbn2E/s640/IMG_9430.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…Top
of the Hill Plaza.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
duck into a small coffee shop. Inside,
it’s a balmy forty-three degrees, everybody in line bundled up in winter
coats. Even see a few scarves. Everybody’s talking about the weather. Or baseball.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Leave a little
room for cream?</i></span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Just a little.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
hard to get a full cup of coffee in this city.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
the way out, I grab one of those cardboard cup holders. This shop gives out the ones with breath
mints attached.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
the way back to my car, I find a good luck totem…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaZnbjg1iokIfhbAJS7MfD4uDDPpbgxb7pjw4nP1waNDtSMJJaCyHs9Bpx1fjW2vqpa2fBh0AOytTsQjJEG6uxMBgW7Di6OlIjxIA918YpXH75hed_VzDq6X5XIMQGM7BhXO6pnTIINo/s1600/IMG_9445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaZnbjg1iokIfhbAJS7MfD4uDDPpbgxb7pjw4nP1waNDtSMJJaCyHs9Bpx1fjW2vqpa2fBh0AOytTsQjJEG6uxMBgW7Di6OlIjxIA918YpXH75hed_VzDq6X5XIMQGM7BhXO6pnTIINo/s640/IMG_9445.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…if
the bears are out, it must be spring somewhere on this mountain.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hey,
I should invent mint-flavored coffee, make a fortune.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>MORRIS
ARBORETUM: WEST SIDE OF PHILLY MOUNTAIN</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Elevation
133 ft above sea level. Temp 36°</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Two
miles northwest of Philly Mountain’s peak, I drop over 300 feet in ten minutes
and land on the westernmost corner of the city, 133 feet above sea level, stuck
at the main gate of the Morris Arboretum, zero cash in my wallet.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Do you take
debit?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Sure do.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Morris
Arboretum is famous for its acres and acres of carefully planned and thoughtfully
planted landscapes, nary a rough road in the whole place, and I’m sure every
little weed and every little upstart is plucked from the ground as soon as it’s
discovered during the daily mowing.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
did Edward Abbey say? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>For myself, I
hold no preference among flowers so long as they are wild, free,
spontaneous. Bricks to all
greenhouses! Black thumb and cutworm to
every potted plant!</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
park at the end of the long drive and run downhill to the only wild place left
in the whole theme park, long sky sitting pretty in the lazy swamp.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRhsfm74jQW1pTLI3lleYRd_7K1b2Dzmfn2KAKYORQwOlAjzFiPOZnaadaaW0lq5OROi_A1yeDqeBiUuj9SaCB4Rg1w-0SZJImjYgKrRqWmMyVhyzsdpHYUxCrk_yjH0RQlGpgOMBzAsw/s1600/IMG_9325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRhsfm74jQW1pTLI3lleYRd_7K1b2Dzmfn2KAKYORQwOlAjzFiPOZnaadaaW0lq5OROi_A1yeDqeBiUuj9SaCB4Rg1w-0SZJImjYgKrRqWmMyVhyzsdpHYUxCrk_yjH0RQlGpgOMBzAsw/s640/IMG_9325.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
it’s muddy and marshy, loud with goose and duck, the mountain wind bouncing off
the still waters, bending every cattail reed.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Signs
of spring are here, if you know where to look, or what you’re seeing.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevq7bVtiBEd8W-JyiKNAWMrQoMOmwRJXG5tmd6CtiLHyWpdx9r4OKyBUrAyK8CndpWWhq-mIhyqdMa9ZJhl5eu_xwMKZGfhCMOYQrCHcYRjGBWJVlJhOwBT14Wx4MoUMqlHk50NOl2es/s1600/IMG_9329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevq7bVtiBEd8W-JyiKNAWMrQoMOmwRJXG5tmd6CtiLHyWpdx9r4OKyBUrAyK8CndpWWhq-mIhyqdMa9ZJhl5eu_xwMKZGfhCMOYQrCHcYRjGBWJVlJhOwBT14Wx4MoUMqlHk50NOl2es/s640/IMG_9329.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
pussy willow…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zc93-jeQ2JzTzncofQgt6IOFVyTk61purd0GT_Ua8lC00_smc5Yg8zBld9qz9VNP4u4YEmfCA6c7fgr5LU8yNNcEklfGXjMJ1fqlo3KMxiBxIXRqafiDe_qjF1-DAdi4yhBARBCoOJM/s1600/IMG_9331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zc93-jeQ2JzTzncofQgt6IOFVyTk61purd0GT_Ua8lC00_smc5Yg8zBld9qz9VNP4u4YEmfCA6c7fgr5LU8yNNcEklfGXjMJ1fqlo3KMxiBxIXRqafiDe_qjF1-DAdi4yhBARBCoOJM/s640/IMG_9331.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and,
rising out of the waters, here’s the native alder tree…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJofTJhAHAgfW415kDWlxE57Ibh8NXoMtU0fgrbJc4glbthczYLgDzRBviojMu1Ejeng19mf8ly6gTFhtCMsgrZugVfMI2_MiMbo3YqUGIMsQq_9M0_N26MkVvcWomUh15acf0dZVZYc/s1600/IMG_9328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJofTJhAHAgfW415kDWlxE57Ibh8NXoMtU0fgrbJc4glbthczYLgDzRBviojMu1Ejeng19mf8ly6gTFhtCMsgrZugVfMI2_MiMbo3YqUGIMsQq_9M0_N26MkVvcWomUh15acf0dZVZYc/s640/IMG_9328.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…if
I could get closer, I’d be able to see its catkins which, like birch, appear
early in spring before the leaves.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Along
the rim of the swamp, I also see some serviceberry trees and a redbud, two
other muck-lovers known for early, early spring blossoms but they were just
barely budding. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
hike back up the hill to take a quick stroll around the garden grounds
proper. Not much spring here, witch
hazel still the star of the show.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8Lno2fNZ2s9Tn3UDobj86MY_yWMLgRP53Vao2TlyskLLf4s5dnUbeDQmBKssIvLJQNhy5h2Ik95r7W6HQe5RsrOEvxSIQiU-jtrgjH2w-c2uuuQ7phblVPNLyiAD3LE2LD1O8sgWnjI/s1600/IMG_9341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8Lno2fNZ2s9Tn3UDobj86MY_yWMLgRP53Vao2TlyskLLf4s5dnUbeDQmBKssIvLJQNhy5h2Ik95r7W6HQe5RsrOEvxSIQiU-jtrgjH2w-c2uuuQ7phblVPNLyiAD3LE2LD1O8sgWnjI/s400/IMG_9341.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEj2on6OQ5lm2ja8-is4IMK5x1EVLaTBybI2nmZdEOz60njXs5rmPSpgjkJ-V1qs0SeqWkeqiMRCzE1iDDWUmJD0DZubqyNUMnmf9fzg888gtrkr81fMR7aKq9WfE2r-cfusUTnGMrR0Q/s1600/IMG_9349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEj2on6OQ5lm2ja8-is4IMK5x1EVLaTBybI2nmZdEOz60njXs5rmPSpgjkJ-V1qs0SeqWkeqiMRCzE1iDDWUmJD0DZubqyNUMnmf9fzg888gtrkr81fMR7aKq9WfE2r-cfusUTnGMrR0Q/s400/IMG_9349.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Outside the restroom, another sign of spring.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNk0_yboyihxTzKN38Xk7SgMXNNeB0lt8_hbpsgJThN8kB-2OfS3x-lMdwegvCzQ1Ebk2gYgJYQnTzEMccCHGnWWezzzQkASCvocV8q6Gmd1HDSYSk_UkzrWnp8_q9FAV03nSurAOP8Y/s1600/IMG_9308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNk0_yboyihxTzKN38Xk7SgMXNNeB0lt8_hbpsgJThN8kB-2OfS3x-lMdwegvCzQ1Ebk2gYgJYQnTzEMccCHGnWWezzzQkASCvocV8q6Gmd1HDSYSk_UkzrWnp8_q9FAV03nSurAOP8Y/s640/IMG_9308.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is identified as the Rose of Sharon.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
pretty as a princess but too small and precious to scare away winter or herald
spring.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR-cFSKvXBaQkB7_weG67hvUvXH8xrq5emBFmD9yQbfhM6cyD4KO-58xeJnM2OHiWbuc5WT3KmcXx6689vUKc3AvOYzGRcSyNw6hGFpsRmgYgCFAeUc68PsWlRvyyNxiIFjcExr8d4PY/s1600/IMG_9312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR-cFSKvXBaQkB7_weG67hvUvXH8xrq5emBFmD9yQbfhM6cyD4KO-58xeJnM2OHiWbuc5WT3KmcXx6689vUKc3AvOYzGRcSyNw6hGFpsRmgYgCFAeUc68PsWlRvyyNxiIFjcExr8d4PY/s400/IMG_9312.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09turCFpW-g_FNmAQ-yh_X5j_qS75iQXTJBxnLChWmxmyQgcvTajOUcrw9vOrMTysVBw9xDEMb0fwhjhK5SAcmr1Qy4aqXdTop2n1pzKxM5W31cmnHr1tOch2QWPmpHIVRaTpVl_vnS8/s1600/IMG_9310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09turCFpW-g_FNmAQ-yh_X5j_qS75iQXTJBxnLChWmxmyQgcvTajOUcrw9vOrMTysVBw9xDEMb0fwhjhK5SAcmr1Qy4aqXdTop2n1pzKxM5W31cmnHr1tOch2QWPmpHIVRaTpVl_vnS8/s400/IMG_9310.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Need
big blossoms. Need showy petals and big
bursts of flowers, too many to catch and name.
It’s spring, sure, but need a spring day. Need warm hands in the morning.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
drive out of the parking lot<span style="font-size: large;">, </span>down the long lane<span style="font-size: large;">, </span>back to Northwestern
Avenue, make a promise to myself to return in a week or so.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">By
then, I’ll see the redbud in action, the serviceberry in bloom. <i>April
come she will</i>, as they sing.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
she always will. That’s her promise.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Come again</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>You betcha.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>GINA’S FARM:
EAST SIDE OF PHILLY MOUNTAIN</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Elevation
410 ft above sea level. Temp 37°</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Back
on the road, I turn on the talk radio.
Everybody’s chirping about tonight’s game. Halladay’s start. Everybody’s nervous about his velocity.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
not. Spring training just don’t
count. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All
the crazies are jumping ship because they lost the opener. Half the teams around the league lose the
opener. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">People
forget. It’s a long season. You can’t start crying in April. Not with that rotation.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
circle around to the other side of Philly Mountain, climbing my way up the
eastern slope where Gina farms, back up in the air four hundred ten feet above
sea level to catch one more sign of spring.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Dirt
farmer planting onions.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyt3KCkNiYyrTAOT-T545M9y9EElnm4X2z8AxlcFjjR1w9esOHQ4nvuw5rp6WJ78Xel_BszeBtGQnD4Ezt4g9cqZWgYa57lXQZK9_Cuia5yE6MygWUDdaNOrKYQCDvLfasGttPPWXgnc/s1600/IMG_9246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyt3KCkNiYyrTAOT-T545M9y9EElnm4X2z8AxlcFjjR1w9esOHQ4nvuw5rp6WJ78Xel_BszeBtGQnD4Ezt4g9cqZWgYa57lXQZK9_Cuia5yE6MygWUDdaNOrKYQCDvLfasGttPPWXgnc/s640/IMG_9246.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
steal her away for an early lunch of greasy pizza.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>You see all
those onions?</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>I see you
planting onions but I didn’t see any onions yet.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>It’s a long
season</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
drop her off back at the farm, she digs back into work while I take a quick
jaunt into the woods, still on the lookout out for spring flowers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Instead,
I find a winter relic from the late snowfall a few weeks ago.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_k5vkDspeW2bzGgRvjfTPRPSBFxW9881CtkcbgMMnzCPGv7F3j6uESHppsx8oUC5OWV25uKabjdD8i9087-OkQOT2fo8b0ebge5FjEjDxtlg4iNYFasEVY6YiCvLdVYJNlHO6hkStZY/s1600/IMG_9260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_k5vkDspeW2bzGgRvjfTPRPSBFxW9881CtkcbgMMnzCPGv7F3j6uESHppsx8oUC5OWV25uKabjdD8i9087-OkQOT2fo8b0ebge5FjEjDxtlg4iNYFasEVY6YiCvLdVYJNlHO6hkStZY/s640/IMG_9260.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Giant
snowball, middle of the path near the white pine stand.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Obviously
the work of some trickster.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGSyxRsjAbA1XTScJYJGsYC-WnQPNH9_4aVStja-baqQhFlLhC9WwMMelZw4grwgv8IjwwAhEzDNFqHq-50mjcgZUeqOVaM8TIgKeO8xFFFxnQ0RuO5wzAPER1RLlID0orVqak2O2YHM/s1600/IMG_9261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGSyxRsjAbA1XTScJYJGsYC-WnQPNH9_4aVStja-baqQhFlLhC9WwMMelZw4grwgv8IjwwAhEzDNFqHq-50mjcgZUeqOVaM8TIgKeO8xFFFxnQ0RuO5wzAPER1RLlID0orVqak2O2YHM/s640/IMG_9261.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
funny.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
funny because it’s true.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>SOMEWHERE IN
FAIRMOUNT PARK, PHILLY MOUNTAIN VALLEY</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Elevation
108 ft above sea level. Temp 40°</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Closer
to the center of the city, eight miles away from Philly Mountain, dropping to one
hundred and eight feet above sea level, a deliberate detour through the scenic
roads that cut through the long fields of Fairmount Park.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
took a meandering way. Like the poet
says, <i>I wandered lonely as a cloud, that
floats on high o’er vales and hills.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
just like that poem promises, <i>all at
once, I saw a crowd, a host of golden daffodils.</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLG6GdjBdTRPomu5YpBIz-ey8QLhE2HFQybZM2eqeEFuHG3J0qvFSo73AwRHQ7iaGMotvlb0mhRyBye5klWUP4pDKLpx8AzJkylv6iL3zGVSalrj3GxzyxFeEJ_GTIJG7qfpUdlI-uJ0/s1600/IMG_9223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLG6GdjBdTRPomu5YpBIz-ey8QLhE2HFQybZM2eqeEFuHG3J0qvFSo73AwRHQ7iaGMotvlb0mhRyBye5klWUP4pDKLpx8AzJkylv6iL3zGVSalrj3GxzyxFeEJ_GTIJG7qfpUdlI-uJ0/s640/IMG_9223.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
famous poem talks about a field of ten thousand daffodils but I’m happy enough
with the few clumps found here, deep set into the dried bracken, behind the
horse chestnut tree.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdpc8XXqFRONNiCyIe5N_gRULX5iRS6a_yCJFUPB3GfCD_jDvK7spaMTczyyx3pWof_AQVqGc-Nd2Rg0e9SCeRhzk_KauEQnKdp4Izw8TarmVbvEoXugyS3gHO31YmX463CoyOXBhnCw/s1600/IMG_9229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdpc8XXqFRONNiCyIe5N_gRULX5iRS6a_yCJFUPB3GfCD_jDvK7spaMTczyyx3pWof_AQVqGc-Nd2Rg0e9SCeRhzk_KauEQnKdp4Izw8TarmVbvEoXugyS3gHO31YmX463CoyOXBhnCw/s640/IMG_9229.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
daffodil makes big bucks for the giant floral conglomerates, very popular
decoration for the Easter table. In
Germany, its name translates to <i>Easter
bell.</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sounds
about right, even if it sounds a little soft.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwquoyfEmvGejx5-q7SFHn81WtQYYVLBCBMGQRUlUNf6K1CQVA0eP6QpqGm82FbP6eOjS1Iou0oEdB1dlW9Pdwfgt4rHCx_clRyiTNukdPiY2VUhawl05NZhvibEYlIhhTbYvR4hKfzjQ/s1600/IMG_9231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwquoyfEmvGejx5-q7SFHn81WtQYYVLBCBMGQRUlUNf6K1CQVA0eP6QpqGm82FbP6eOjS1Iou0oEdB1dlW9Pdwfgt4rHCx_clRyiTNukdPiY2VUhawl05NZhvibEYlIhhTbYvR4hKfzjQ/s640/IMG_9231.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After
this long, long winter, spring needs more than just a bell to ring in the
season.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
needs a trumpet.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrbkwaMudoPvTllX8V5-w2vCqUsREADfNcaW_W80EB8PbFM66Ojnbi7NoiHy42KBkFFWtpBopu3DpapPK0-_4jKAS4CxMoOikN0iwAoq227JJHTtuiD8XosWpiGHomBs3aDJOrBpDC64/s1600/IMG_9236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrbkwaMudoPvTllX8V5-w2vCqUsREADfNcaW_W80EB8PbFM66Ojnbi7NoiHy42KBkFFWtpBopu3DpapPK0-_4jKAS4CxMoOikN0iwAoq227JJHTtuiD8XosWpiGHomBs3aDJOrBpDC64/s640/IMG_9236.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>BALTIMORE
AVENUE, WAY OFF PHILLY MOUNTAIN</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Elevation
100 ft above sea level. Temp 38°</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ten
miles away from the summit of Philly Mountain, I’m at a level of one hundred
feet above the sea, standing tall and shivering slightly, watching the apricot
on Baltimore Avenue.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhzamoU3S_w7aOeWy7ISQ3MA4JCWUEv6P2thtNLUfBiUvQUbVelMDYpc7pM7R-tQcZ4HFdUr-2aDqpCxNUhMqtv4DG00v2Ngl03drrDsTj-e_KZAqrt4Q8kkvWlGUYI8GRdYZ0NFp28Y/s1600/IMG_9406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhzamoU3S_w7aOeWy7ISQ3MA4JCWUEv6P2thtNLUfBiUvQUbVelMDYpc7pM7R-tQcZ4HFdUr-2aDqpCxNUhMqtv4DG00v2Ngl03drrDsTj-e_KZAqrt4Q8kkvWlGUYI8GRdYZ0NFp28Y/s640/IMG_9406.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is a member of the Rose family, one of the most important families of trees
worldwide, responsible for the peach and the nectarine, the plum and the
cherry, the apple, the almond, the pear and the rose.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
cherry blossoms get all the hype during the early spring season but I’m partial
to the apricot.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3aiwbfU0cT9gvM9HhM2CfrrKDVQMM7P81l2ucQCsBYaOhrO8B5muNjNHI3NMqUuowenqq9MoXYzlu0J7qf_YRhJKrQ6ZHNH4SzRBcC0HS9c5BPfFgJam8sL5FMpKb7rRFu3j4U5X90s/s1600/IMG_9400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3aiwbfU0cT9gvM9HhM2CfrrKDVQMM7P81l2ucQCsBYaOhrO8B5muNjNHI3NMqUuowenqq9MoXYzlu0J7qf_YRhJKrQ6ZHNH4SzRBcC0HS9c5BPfFgJam8sL5FMpKb7rRFu3j4U5X90s/s640/IMG_9400.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Slender
branches criss-crossing back and forth around the entire crown, dizzy with those
tight packets of flowers.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyVGjSN3VhIpbIZXItMzxq4-hUfmaMQbZgkCqiOnTYM0Cd9q2EvX3iqVmo3pvcrGXiETd6vcn9o0X7M_NFZDIX07YWXuYM80wSdg6T7ib11n-bsVCLs_5YXAU13BOeRm_zldRVuzMDTY/s1600/IMG_9393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyVGjSN3VhIpbIZXItMzxq4-hUfmaMQbZgkCqiOnTYM0Cd9q2EvX3iqVmo3pvcrGXiETd6vcn9o0X7M_NFZDIX07YWXuYM80wSdg6T7ib11n-bsVCLs_5YXAU13BOeRm_zldRVuzMDTY/s640/IMG_9393.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Step
to the side, line up the flowers against the crack of blue sky in between the
houses…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvCyU1dobeljiOiZMYx1FkKmkVsejD9BAxqBnxiCb3GFGg8vxvWyv_NG0aZ0qsZvz4iR5PAPmjyap4mgP6DCzB4Bvf5zDMrrzZPa2Mag3OV_YjUA220S2sHp85-bnoNtU9CsDRR6kWFM/s1600/IMG_9389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvCyU1dobeljiOiZMYx1FkKmkVsejD9BAxqBnxiCb3GFGg8vxvWyv_NG0aZ0qsZvz4iR5PAPmjyap4mgP6DCzB4Bvf5zDMrrzZPa2Mag3OV_YjUA220S2sHp85-bnoNtU9CsDRR6kWFM/s640/IMG_9389.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
it’s a Chinese landscape painting com<span style="font-size: large;">e</span> to life, west side of bustling Baltimore
Avenu<span style="font-size: large;">e.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A teenager eating candy watches me.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>What kind of tree is that?</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>It's an aprico<span style="font-size: large;">t.</span></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Where's the apricots<span style="font-size: large;">?</span> </span> </i> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE ZEROLANDS OF
PHILLY, NOWHERE NEAR PHILLY MOUNTAIN</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Elevation
2 ft above sea level. Temp 34°</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Journey’s
end. The swamp near the airport at the
John Heinz Wildlife Refuge, the bottom of Philly Mountain.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here,
my Altimeter App hits a measly two feet above sea level and, in some spots, it
goes down to zero.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">At
the beginning of the trail, the only color is still the witch hazel, although
this time the color is not coming from its winterbloom but from those
marcescent leaves shining gold in the woody gloom.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkvXG92TDFlFIGYJsnbwsfancF5QXj2yywtLcuVm-bm1EOv414AczRlEPOHErNJJQdRbWCOPkQmuF28qTEmLUfmELuQP0SWC7c95PMxH2oEcUtVavE1-gku0WZV5fQeDs_yZyM0-4Qys/s1600/IMG_8937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkvXG92TDFlFIGYJsnbwsfancF5QXj2yywtLcuVm-bm1EOv414AczRlEPOHErNJJQdRbWCOPkQmuF28qTEmLUfmELuQP0SWC7c95PMxH2oEcUtVavE1-gku0WZV5fQeDs_yZyM0-4Qys/s640/IMG_8937.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Finally
able to catch the native alder and its candelabra of catkins.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhVtWo6ehG-NHYtOrKf8Z3DMUBAP0xJleKWI0dMEH6huKtm0qJ7iGGHZnsiS3CgftjNA0NhNe5gUyGhkA1SLQkB_H94DNLWbM-4bSOZoVfLU2o9TAoOKGk4kQMBKSWq1b-P2kGPgF2ZM/s1600/IMG_8943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhVtWo6ehG-NHYtOrKf8Z3DMUBAP0xJleKWI0dMEH6huKtm0qJ7iGGHZnsiS3CgftjNA0NhNe5gUyGhkA1SLQkB_H94DNLWbM-4bSOZoVfLU2o9TAoOKGk4kQMBKSWq1b-P2kGPgF2ZM/s400/IMG_8943.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx01_jB7F9tqANnuyPoH_FNCsmvz7TcbRE3eVHmgEn3E9dDZozYwu-iW2wGcov8UXB5lf56rUnq9tBOWWJ047KTNNlbo01JJYKnmL30jWl6znBgMsE6ILm9L4l813r9XkA_mSa-MdvHM/s1600/IMG_8956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjx01_jB7F9tqANnuyPoH_FNCsmvz7TcbRE3eVHmgEn3E9dDZozYwu-iW2wGcov8UXB5lf56rUnq9tBOWWJ047KTNNlbo01JJYKnmL30jWl6znBgMsE6ILm9L4l813r9XkA_mSa-MdvHM/s400/IMG_8956.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
catkins are much longer than the birch catkins.
They open earlier too.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
in the very first days of spring, they are already colored and flared.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5WrlwrYjCHE8GMcWWLBXnwSN6Q3q-pAMJVgglV01JCcZfIkTXdlFUW9q2qK11xuoQCIYdcqgaq8OSJzcf_H4wr-w_raAG41i-tluuZYN6pTKxU5AdBxtjRuAl7jqIBaGQpHaLkMJ7uI/s1600/IMG_8946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5WrlwrYjCHE8GMcWWLBXnwSN6Q3q-pAMJVgglV01JCcZfIkTXdlFUW9q2qK11xuoQCIYdcqgaq8OSJzcf_H4wr-w_raAG41i-tluuZYN6pTKxU5AdBxtjRuAl7jqIBaGQpHaLkMJ7uI/s640/IMG_8946.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
alder is a water-lover, above all else.
Never found far from water. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
is a pioneer tree for a bottomland like this.
Deep inside its chemistry, it transforms the bog and the marsh, pumps
nitrogen into the mud, stabilizes the soil, helping to create the diverse arboretum
of muck-loving and fen-friendly trees and plants that we call swamp.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Past
the bridge, found an older alder near a grassy embankment…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGpmDv648oSEl59JFTJAQSW26kVbeVxAD9h57TTRMoMHsyOwxdTo61PaLZRDNvc2DrYWTFiAce_uOZvQ8zr7faw-iW7RxgVovnfxWr5gMUOiVv4WahbV-zeiRg5jOgCOGcQc9oVVRLIs/s1600/IMG_8976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGpmDv648oSEl59JFTJAQSW26kVbeVxAD9h57TTRMoMHsyOwxdTo61PaLZRDNvc2DrYWTFiAce_uOZvQ8zr7faw-iW7RxgVovnfxWr5gMUOiVv4WahbV-zeiRg5jOgCOGcQc9oVVRLIs/s640/IMG_8976.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…biggest
alder in Philly, I bet. Trunks for
branches. Still dropping its spring
catkins on the wet duckworts and celandines.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JFJHBXF3D0fBvvz17o0XfwtCyL-1pivlAjlvwpnx6P_7bwnI4yUmm0JqSTRNZ76CcS7-OMDIk-iI5yxP9WZCrJj5ljaPpwkAf8zjrYGFxIZIvqC2EsL641ZIO_HTouw76id87MZWEag/s1600/IMG_8983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7JFJHBXF3D0fBvvz17o0XfwtCyL-1pivlAjlvwpnx6P_7bwnI4yUmm0JqSTRNZ76CcS7-OMDIk-iI5yxP9WZCrJj5ljaPpwkAf8zjrYGFxIZIvqC2EsL641ZIO_HTouw76id87MZWEag/s640/IMG_8983.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
trail is crowded with bird-watchers.
Good people, great cameras. I don’t
know whether to make conversation for fear of spoiling their watch.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>It’s quiet in
here.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
say it to a few bird-watchers but I only get nods in return, as if they’re
saying in reply: <i>It was.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They’re
right.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
only quiet until I start listening. Lots
of caws and trills and honks, duck wings splashing, reeds rustling.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Down
the trail, red maple, another water-lover.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvo74Byd8Ws_tZ616H1dXj7SEybKFPt9VJYqaSAxfgPWwhcT2JBXs-MsHytrPGi_gslWJtvDsBsjUPxPkkY8gih4ViiTCJfGjEE0-WbsYok7ZVEC_FnCZcLgUSV1JCaYcvN8XubNHBIc/s1600/IMG_8998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvo74Byd8Ws_tZ616H1dXj7SEybKFPt9VJYqaSAxfgPWwhcT2JBXs-MsHytrPGi_gslWJtvDsBsjUPxPkkY8gih4ViiTCJfGjEE0-WbsYok7ZVEC_FnCZcLgUSV1JCaYcvN8XubNHBIc/s640/IMG_8998.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
the streets, this is a stately tree.
Here in the wild, it’s a gangly tangle.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its
flowers, tight on the branches, are in full spring.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0W5gSydCSSIxrXdlWaDKrj9r5dqHeNFx9Xnu1X1Ip-KqZ1Y34MoTP9g_f2qAr37VrmF9Q9g1Ay1JPylnFFbUGNpLrO73KL01nzZsCjSO_ht-8OpJ7z5xOS0gfcgkZWyvQlcc3u_vGxg/s1600/IMG_9012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0W5gSydCSSIxrXdlWaDKrj9r5dqHeNFx9Xnu1X1Ip-KqZ1Y34MoTP9g_f2qAr37VrmF9Q9g1Ay1JPylnFFbUGNpLrO73KL01nzZsCjSO_ht-8OpJ7z5xOS0gfcgkZWyvQlcc3u_vGxg/s640/IMG_9012.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Other
side of the swamp, elevation at a clean zero, walk into a stand of birch.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIJl7W7yjHCREMUeVbr52DSktkoF0gDV3UPC29S0-KwvZxVckFTdgSbZnQOxtdw-JsmVTVu4RJid3azej4gia-4mfd7zBjlPHaoogeH9rYv5bHXKK15CLlVIxh6hAU4I289h_iN-JLAo/s1600/IMG_9137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIJl7W7yjHCREMUeVbr52DSktkoF0gDV3UPC29S0-KwvZxVckFTdgSbZnQOxtdw-JsmVTVu4RJid3azej4gia-4mfd7zBjlPHaoogeH9rYv5bHXKK15CLlVIxh6hAU4I289h_iN-JLAo/s640/IMG_9137.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last
tree of the day, same as the first tree of the day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
these are old, old birch.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Can
tell by their height. Normally a
medium-sized tree, these birches are the tallest trees in the sky.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4He-tA7t_X_0eVVDXCnftpslHGQdvzc60BYGRgumDkFrDXqJryR6GUYgSpudZy9vuZEUFQEqiJ8Y1vhAQO2NvjBgKGlmHkH94cc2X1MR5Vk5wcDe16s6Oz08M67Kcql8KY0H_xMxegs/s1600/IMG_9123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4He-tA7t_X_0eVVDXCnftpslHGQdvzc60BYGRgumDkFrDXqJryR6GUYgSpudZy9vuZEUFQEqiJ8Y1vhAQO2NvjBgKGlmHkH94cc2X1MR5Vk5wcDe16s6Oz08M67Kcql8KY0H_xMxegs/s640/IMG_9123.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
tops of these birches, still that familiar, frosted white…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoCrTvidtUV4uzkX6fwDmZSZfH0LVFzKVTO4C_wCG92SktEE2Gngc1lyfIZgxwD7g40nMAzKE1rC3V8HidE_WMxqc1ro4D3ykQatKZ7IdwKW0VashNepzkiIC9-VYEneWdx0iKo_yp5M/s1600/IMG_9133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoCrTvidtUV4uzkX6fwDmZSZfH0LVFzKVTO4C_wCG92SktEE2Gngc1lyfIZgxwD7g40nMAzKE1rC3V8HidE_WMxqc1ro4D3ykQatKZ7IdwKW0VashNepzkiIC9-VYEneWdx0iKo_yp5M/s640/IMG_9133.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but
closer to the ground, they turn spotty with age…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOb0QzwxZScq9vvx-aX7aKe9WkL5mTbRGcHaZupWJyxV1D4MLIa99pVw_P1MmXDXhtwK883bZdjNb-iUMgqVuHiomQjUxKgnQA1yp6AVN5Gal8PkGdJX1WJ0Z_Jvl-2bpChLZ9tL4LsI/s1600/IMG_9135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOb0QzwxZScq9vvx-aX7aKe9WkL5mTbRGcHaZupWJyxV1D4MLIa99pVw_P1MmXDXhtwK883bZdjNb-iUMgqVuHiomQjUxKgnQA1yp6AVN5Gal8PkGdJX1WJ0Z_Jvl-2bpChLZ9tL4LsI/s640/IMG_9135.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…going
gray and furrowed<span style="font-size: large;">...</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9OfFkHHaUJyPKYpZuTMF9ZRzgff0zHVYQKIpbkjAqGMPgBfXa2_nt85nfr_Cmt6kOJcG3MabLn96eqpmrUH3Oht3S9HEZlXzb2JUgMZ-q-3Lh2f57mW2qOcaa9Aog4PYGd1mVWRVLTV4/s1600/IMG_9136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9OfFkHHaUJyPKYpZuTMF9ZRzgff0zHVYQKIpbkjAqGMPgBfXa2_nt85nfr_Cmt6kOJcG3MabLn96eqpmrUH3Oht3S9HEZlXzb2JUgMZ-q-3Lh2f57mW2qOcaa9Aog4PYGd1mVWRVLTV4/s640/IMG_9136.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">...</span>but still<span style="font-size: large;">, once again, about to embark <span style="font-size: large;">on another new spring season</span></span>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span>Back in the car, I catch the latest weather report. <span style="font-size: large;">Sounds like the weekend weather will break, might even hit si<span style="font-size: large;">xty-five on Saturday<span style="font-size: large;">, but that<span style="font-size: large;">'s just more promises.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Promises and expect<span style="font-size: large;">ations. The only sure-fire way to f<span style="font-size: large;">ind disappointment.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">No promises, no expectations, that<span style="font-size: large;">'s the best way to see what's out the<span style="font-size: large;">re, <span style="font-size: large;">be<span style="font-size: large;">st way to keep a lookout.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, <span style="font-size: large;">s</span>pring isn't weather. It's catkins, maple flowers, apricot blossoms<span style="font-size: large;">. It's the <span style="font-size: large;">last blaze of witch haz<span style="font-size: large;">el<span style="font-size: large;"> and the first flare of daffodil<span style="font-size: large;">s. </span></span>It's a farmer planting onions and a pitcher st<span style="font-size: large;">ruggling to keep<span style="font-size: large;"> the ball down but in the st<span style="font-size: large;">rike z<span style="font-size: large;">one.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's bear on <span style="font-size: large;">the mountain.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's a long season <span style="font-size: large;">because it takes so long to start.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jon <span style="font-size: large;">Spruce, over and out.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-8082393460082042452013-03-17T21:50:00.000-07:002013-03-18T04:08:20.029-07:00NATURE'S FIRST GREEN<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For
the last week or so, I’ve been keeping my senses alert for the earliest signs
of spring.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
a lot of ways, spring is our most flamboyant season but I just know, somewhere
out there, it’s making a subtle entrance. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Despite
the cold chill and the last flurries, I know spring is happening, can feel it
in my bones.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
race is on. Spring. Nature’s first green.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
I didn’t want to catch the kind of spring that makes the news. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
kind of spring is easy to see, hard to overlook. It’s a princess. I wanted to find the kind of spring that
doesn’t need to announce itself, the kind of spring that opens the windows for
the rest of the season, the trigger that draws back the curtains and calls the
rest of the kingdom to rise.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
was my hunt: spring’s modesty.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
wanted to find the meek spring before its gets too gaudy and too flashy.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’ll
take keen eyes, a quiet mind and small hands to notice its arrival but isn’t that
always the case when it comes to noticing humility?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
are, of course, the big signs of spring, signs so big that they are beyond my
four dimensions, signs that go unnoticed by my own feeble five senses.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like
the length of days. Beginning on March 17th,
the day is now equal parts sunlight and moonlight. Check the almanac. Sunrise at 6:52am, sunset at 6:53pm.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
twelve-hour day is back.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">We’re
seven days ahead of Daylight Savings Time, six days past the new moon, two days
beyond the Ides of March and three days away from the vernal equinox.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to the Medicine Wheel, we’re in the transitional phases between the Big Wind Moon
and the Budding Trees Moon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
look at that calendar.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
March spans five weeks, enough room to squeeze in just a few extra phases. This is sometimes called the Full Worm Moon,
a time when the ground softens and the worms begin<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>turning the soil and
crawling back into the sunlight which is, itself, a trigger for the birds to
return. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Up
north in New England, they call it the Full Sap Moon because it’s the harvest
time for maple syrup. Go even further
north, up there where the new angle of the sun now bounces off the everlasting ice,
and they call it the Moon When Eyes Are Sore From Bright Snow.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
all that is just pie-in-the-sky mumbo jumbo.
What really matters? The world is
no longer pointed north. East has
arrived, spring should be here, last moon of winter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thank
Wabun, last moon of winter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now,
where you at, spring?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>STREETSIDE
SPRING</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
are five common street trees that are reliably known for early spring flowering:
maple, pear, cherry, dogwood, magnolia.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thanks
to all those bright lights and all that heavy traffic, plus all that body heat,
the inner city grid is warmer compared to the still wild parts of the city.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So
it isn’t hard to see spring’s arrival down here on the mean streets.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK33kjRmkpy3T6Ep7Rrf72iUozfL4aGXAAnPU6nBhACE00-IbDXqsR5O6lqCUyS2llgLwLDDvGdc7GrbM21HoyeNjRKMkoG6asPJyUEX1wQxNViLwTfORMqJZ4B5AsSxIs0b3OIoO2Lp0/s1600/IMG_8835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK33kjRmkpy3T6Ep7Rrf72iUozfL4aGXAAnPU6nBhACE00-IbDXqsR5O6lqCUyS2llgLwLDDvGdc7GrbM21HoyeNjRKMkoG6asPJyUEX1wQxNViLwTfORMqJZ4B5AsSxIs0b3OIoO2Lp0/s640/IMG_8835.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the cherry.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some
cherries are even more ahead of the game and have already opened up some
flowers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOh9u1kCEveZsJoOxyTfm09ivH8G2x-qN4u33CNzZS9NAuG0tGXksai1Pnuw3puKv4zhZNraYXZeHNj-n6kZww5eKTgmGu6e8p2osLK49t-l0AKB-J2NjpzSuTShnGYsJv_M3IdOy6w4E/s1600/IMG_8821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOh9u1kCEveZsJoOxyTfm09ivH8G2x-qN4u33CNzZS9NAuG0tGXksai1Pnuw3puKv4zhZNraYXZeHNj-n6kZww5eKTgmGu6e8p2osLK49t-l0AKB-J2NjpzSuTShnGYsJv_M3IdOy6w4E/s400/IMG_8821.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuXJLX2WKIHhYl06RB9fHahf-OEQUq4Sb6qf1W6ggMck0tK1ozX-lBYmWdTX4-MLqej-D5VHYNLJwXQDHrY1bm0IaTsmCH_ilber7SnSBFuSAcdZHa9bpT8_iUUiaqjjVWkEO99dlCVM/s1600/IMG_8823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuXJLX2WKIHhYl06RB9fHahf-OEQUq4Sb6qf1W6ggMck0tK1ozX-lBYmWdTX4-MLqej-D5VHYNLJwXQDHrY1bm0IaTsmCH_ilber7SnSBFuSAcdZHa9bpT8_iUUiaqjjVWkEO99dlCVM/s400/IMG_8823.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
maples have also started its spring season.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhPbqvZ0FNmUfqt-5gGsEiZFBA_EkR1ubEYzkHO4mf2l7LQa5DLVw9DqLTdIgE1Yz8aZl9_VrbtPodXbaR79SfyRGWRgP3LRljfMzCxgfAoe7BXdWlZe4jleewhYRXPQS8KruuZ06h8w/s1600/IMG_8616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhPbqvZ0FNmUfqt-5gGsEiZFBA_EkR1ubEYzkHO4mf2l7LQa5DLVw9DqLTdIgE1Yz8aZl9_VrbtPodXbaR79SfyRGWRgP3LRljfMzCxgfAoe7BXdWlZe4jleewhYRXPQS8KruuZ06h8w/s640/IMG_8616.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
about as big as those flowers get and, within the next two weeks, the maples
will be the first trees to leaf out.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
magnolia flowers are still about two weeks away from their spring show, all
that fuss and glory, so while you can, take a quick look at those giant, fuzzy
buds.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirmBILCuliCurCB8DpQAaQwZJTQwKKfc3IsDddBlg542Y_bhqXiQm657G90Ic_Df1Tm2ZwO9YzlF-iXirgFqLXmMBxkDp1A-gRf5jntdYHIbM1K-XVKF1qSbV20H4n5d1Ekq9ogrH2yA/s1600/IMG_8839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirmBILCuliCurCB8DpQAaQwZJTQwKKfc3IsDddBlg542Y_bhqXiQm657G90Ic_Df1Tm2ZwO9YzlF-iXirgFqLXmMBxkDp1A-gRf5jntdYHIbM1K-XVKF1qSbV20H4n5d1Ekq9ogrH2yA/s640/IMG_8839.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Remember
the magnolia flower? Those spectacular,
showy petals are just churning away inside, waiting to spring out like a
jack-in-the-box.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
are the typical, predictable signs of spring and, in the next few weeks, these
kinds of trees will dominate the spring show and grab all my attention.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Show-offs.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was hunting for something a little more subtle.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like
this Japanese cypress called the cryptomeria…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32sGYb8ZhtpcLR37pvyzdCzYiH27cijIDwemzccGtP-ornDlhrDM_UlY61ECVK13Te76znmoDarWezVFU7Y1CTwaLxDqLWnw3sDNNaBZgtUppwFvu03jey9IiJU_X-FE0Wphp3YqHWOI/s1600/IMG_8620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32sGYb8ZhtpcLR37pvyzdCzYiH27cijIDwemzccGtP-ornDlhrDM_UlY61ECVK13Te76znmoDarWezVFU7Y1CTwaLxDqLWnw3sDNNaBZgtUppwFvu03jey9IiJU_X-FE0Wphp3YqHWOI/s640/IMG_8620.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">….if
I walk just a few steps closer, I can catch the budding of their cones.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3BxaObToX8jyu7s0oJoOR4EQM9QqHBwhJ2FZCwbld_r5Qs7qMV88imRYRRLBbopZ4jTr3MydxBhu1HyPcmA_0-_6E_9-jCEUr_Dj9TUjZLZcrTYwk1XRK2CyOYe6rO1Lmbzi5QEYM2k/s1600/IMG_8621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3BxaObToX8jyu7s0oJoOR4EQM9QqHBwhJ2FZCwbld_r5Qs7qMV88imRYRRLBbopZ4jTr3MydxBhu1HyPcmA_0-_6E_9-jCEUr_Dj9TUjZLZcrTYwk1XRK2CyOYe6rO1Lmbzi5QEYM2k/s640/IMG_8621.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
can also catch spring flowing from the willow trees.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-sLp4t1vjKMfRiLecVEPvgw1vVlySBnAfX_d9d1D-3x99jqS6UaUTJ8xi83nABO5GW2bK_CMZRsYpBx63lSe3mvj3blQe6MjeIFSoQUwwMxWHOVm5YuW6tkxw9_L9D-m907298twC_4/s1600/IMG_8805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-sLp4t1vjKMfRiLecVEPvgw1vVlySBnAfX_d9d1D-3x99jqS6UaUTJ8xi83nABO5GW2bK_CMZRsYpBx63lSe3mvj3blQe6MjeIFSoQUwwMxWHOVm5YuW6tkxw9_L9D-m907298twC_4/s640/IMG_8805.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
young, yellowish branches are called switches<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdVgYVSPm2Hwqq4XyxBg8IiERrH4qL04eFN5bny-JaJBway_NT4_s4-T7PeFzKdJDAhetAOCdIL0kxvgdmAHEOkLTQG0P4uTJSIchRDgFvz0b09UFQU0FWc1gsd0_9PILYZ95e0HTBaA/s1600/IMG_8800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdVgYVSPm2Hwqq4XyxBg8IiERrH4qL04eFN5bny-JaJBway_NT4_s4-T7PeFzKdJDAhetAOCdIL0kxvgdmAHEOkLTQG0P4uTJSIchRDgFvz0b09UFQU0FWc1gsd0_9PILYZ95e0HTBaA/s640/IMG_8800.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">T</span>here are farms out there that
produce willow trees just for these switches, harvested and sold to sustain the
wicker furniture conglomerates, those bastards.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then
there’s the ginkgo tree, a tree that’s always worth watching…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QyItHJn6T6vBa-nVUu6HBuVg5FvbZTZH3cEZLmv4V3IRz8DnMf6cP-Ic9Wjf9zDmBRcEQN84qaJv_FKoWtfcs3hxuXZ7S9STfT1MimEWWYZRR7fVIvAG_h-0E2r7IsMDQPKuk9DW380/s1600/IMG_8810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QyItHJn6T6vBa-nVUu6HBuVg5FvbZTZH3cEZLmv4V3IRz8DnMf6cP-Ic9Wjf9zDmBRcEQN84qaJv_FKoWtfcs3hxuXZ7S9STfT1MimEWWYZRR7fVIvAG_h-0E2r7IsMDQPKuk9DW380/s640/IMG_8810.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">...no
matter what the season, this tree is always working, always moving.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Those
weird knobby spurs are fattening up, ready to punch out those prehistoric
leaves.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGSsAQn6me4fKbRhvzBXbrM5xXi8RyoYhwcahYyiM04QS0EtvyyfiDEyDoZTS7pwRp6YwIgRZpHrzQ_hVytMi5s32fn2DaJ1clec36aBn0-JgQ2IhwEu__HKCmJMNNxNUqSx4MdnQvxQ/s1600/IMG_8811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGSsAQn6me4fKbRhvzBXbrM5xXi8RyoYhwcahYyiM04QS0EtvyyfiDEyDoZTS7pwRp6YwIgRZpHrzQ_hVytMi5s32fn2DaJ1clec36aBn0-JgQ2IhwEu__HKCmJMNNxNUqSx4MdnQvxQ/s640/IMG_8811.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ve
been watching the ginkgo for years now.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ve
become more and more convinced that, more than any other tree, the ginkgo’s
behavior is tied directly to the phases of the moon.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last
autumn, I noticed that the ginkgo trees dropped all their leaves right after
November’s last new moon. It’s true.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Based
on that observation, I am ready to make another official prediction: the ginkgo
will leaf out after the rise of the next new moon…which according to the
almanac…April 10th.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Okay,
maybe right after the next full moon, March 27th.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>WILDSIDE SPRING</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Seeing
spring on the street was great and all…but it kind of felt like cheating.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">After
all, these are street trees and street trees have a different sense of timing
than the trees out there in the woods and the wilds.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Down
here on the mean streets, the spring show is only a week or so away.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Out
there in the woods, trees are a little more patient and a little more apprehensive
about starting the growing season. One
look at the ten-day forecast and you can see why.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
a long season and there’s no need to rush out those delicate flowers.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
still…there must be some signs of spring out there in the wilds.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">With
that in mind, I drove out to the northeast to walk the trails of the Pennypack
Creek.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBmTABgv2dSFHEPAXBD5q_bsuIdrMiZHd4DobeFkh3OB_lyv0OAOWPlGXiq7EkVup8okvh4E6HHDN5Yw_LP9vmah8uOUKHGc7ZP9urYIeY30gc-LXWgwejXt0hyAiUi5wpem5-Qqr45s/s1600/IMG_8679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBmTABgv2dSFHEPAXBD5q_bsuIdrMiZHd4DobeFkh3OB_lyv0OAOWPlGXiq7EkVup8okvh4E6HHDN5Yw_LP9vmah8uOUKHGc7ZP9urYIeY30gc-LXWgwejXt0hyAiUi5wpem5-Qqr45s/s640/IMG_8679.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Spring?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
I took my time, if I stayed alert, I was sure I could hunt it down. I was certain that somewhere in this stark,
dormant, gray and silent woods, I could find the arrival of spring.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My
hunt didn’t start out that promising.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Turns
out, it wasn’t going to be so easy, leaving winter behind.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Right
at the beginning of the trail, I stood face to face with one of nature’s most
fearsome trees, a tree that just screams out winter.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6dvFM6TRjy0xW3K5oJKlWJXsQdUdNK38_-vFhHD0ZvF7K6a6woBwwUixfX3-Wo445II71fIHuordsmegcacWD2w-2FlidThsYcZKLNUzlQiJpNDBiN-jCNDp6i7ZnM21OzJ6Oc-6mEc/s1600/IMG_8761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6dvFM6TRjy0xW3K5oJKlWJXsQdUdNK38_-vFhHD0ZvF7K6a6woBwwUixfX3-Wo445II71fIHuordsmegcacWD2w-2FlidThsYcZKLNUzlQiJpNDBiN-jCNDp6i7ZnM21OzJ6Oc-6mEc/s640/IMG_8761.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the prickly ash.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
looks like it belongs in some medieval torture chamber.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or it should be the inspir<span style="font-size: large;">ation for some legendary<span style="font-size: large;">, <span style="font-size: large;">long lost king's deathblow weapon.</span></span></span> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
known around the world for its formidable defense.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
thick, sharp prickles grow out of its tender branches…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aruOScEy81YmejfgSCAEkIfIfq0kV5QFGm068DWBBMtgICyhp_2_f7uh0bGukALt_tUbpLMDOytSUMl2eHtWGpCLjGrw4dv0WzEvk-0NvnpuAU4DKSy4zbhevQl74o-5BLP-8EqDQOQ/s1600/IMG_8782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6aruOScEy81YmejfgSCAEkIfIfq0kV5QFGm068DWBBMtgICyhp_2_f7uh0bGukALt_tUbpLMDOytSUMl2eHtWGpCLjGrw4dv0WzEvk-0NvnpuAU4DKSy4zbhevQl74o-5BLP-8EqDQOQ/s640/IMG_8782.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
then, as the tree gets older, the wood around the older prickles grows thicker
and thicker…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrubw2Oo5o5Ll8AoSzZKThyA0o_MCOfogilhBjFiAwOQlJ5gPBJQrPGPUridScrM4mdGhUwJB-ya7qJuiQjZUON4JIHM6KsLiDPDdLLXmnEb_gXf2Kj8pWv_EcDoQbNzUB3Z5Bl4VoZs/s1600/IMG_8776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrubw2Oo5o5Ll8AoSzZKThyA0o_MCOfogilhBjFiAwOQlJ5gPBJQrPGPUridScrM4mdGhUwJB-ya7qJuiQjZUON4JIHM6KsLiDPDdLLXmnEb_gXf2Kj8pWv_EcDoQbNzUB3Z5Bl4VoZs/s400/IMG_8776.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVJ0bQqoO0k8GFOqaorV9p3S9Wcm7PDbEFO2MawKq5bE2SCJY6fH8TkvQGAl9db97hu01f27hI_vV0X0zf8WVWN1iHlLaTOQwkYiD9SmE_uAJP6kCv0-Zt6BdGa5oFvSluKTtPoEC4xQ/s1600/IMG_8764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVJ0bQqoO0k8GFOqaorV9p3S9Wcm7PDbEFO2MawKq5bE2SCJY6fH8TkvQGAl9db97hu01f27hI_vV0X0zf8WVWN1iHlLaTOQwkYiD9SmE_uAJP6kCv0-Zt6BdGa5oFvSluKTtPoEC4xQ/s400/IMG_8764.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> …eventually
forming the rocky, stumpy trunk that gives the tree its other name…<i>Hercules club</i>.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2AseUQhC9onRuaK03r-MMdAcgw8CELlpwhCLYdRY_wnwACRHl6akFpZrYP7l3Znq6HkURUTfS3neOGC-YjbkjHoUsp1sxwT5Cox7WQorzohHGvSvEjsMIIsrrv5WS4mMNYiq3LQZa20/s1600/IMG_8770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2AseUQhC9onRuaK03r-MMdAcgw8CELlpwhCLYdRY_wnwACRHl6akFpZrYP7l3Znq6HkURUTfS3neOGC-YjbkjHoUsp1sxwT5Cox7WQorzohHGvSvEjsMIIsrrv5WS4mMNYiq3LQZa20/s400/IMG_8770.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6gtvABog6sFc0Rm7I56SeHcJJlr3-Bb7_bn828Zhx8yNpIKQjquMq7R-wtjmSSrkJFbQeUsJ_NIUZukfmG7mrEp9u_2xUDK9yDyoWE_-5tsK190oGXTs7iBnTD4LkK7-392VxbWtJx4/s1600/IMG_8767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6gtvABog6sFc0Rm7I56SeHcJJlr3-Bb7_bn828Zhx8yNpIKQjquMq7R-wtjmSSrkJFbQeUsJ_NIUZukfmG7mrEp9u_2xUDK9yDyoWE_-5tsK190oGXTs7iBnTD4LkK7-392VxbWtJx4/s400/IMG_8767.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
Native Americans called it the <i>toothache
tree</i> because its bark contains zanthoxlyum, a chemical that causes numbing
when reacted with saliva. The Indians
used to chew on small pieces of the bark or twigs when they were battling
toothaches and<span style="font-size: large;">, on the other side of the world, </span>their seeds are harvested under the name of the Sichuan
peppercorn.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
isn’t what I was hunting for. Not at
all.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
tree belongs to winter. I was done with
winter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
trail continued and so did I. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
could tell I was getting closer and closer to spring.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiBDGJNfhNXykCyIfQXO7Lm_WtCqrp4t0BoWV0hEUFm-pCfgx0ObxKP2cic7CCrO7CtLvF_FvtYsNBu9RNpQhb6yHH3TxXc6jO5c7O0vkXAzBMCZYUQhy1Iefh0C-MrtSeTGTbPR55Mg/s1600/IMG_8664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghiBDGJNfhNXykCyIfQXO7Lm_WtCqrp4t0BoWV0hEUFm-pCfgx0ObxKP2cic7CCrO7CtLvF_FvtYsNBu9RNpQhb6yHH3TxXc6jO5c7O0vkXAzBMCZYUQhy1Iefh0C-MrtSeTGTbPR55Mg/s640/IMG_8664.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There. Hidden among those fallen branches, that
smitch of yellow creeping under that green cover above that fresh layer of late
snow…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dEXtX_hClNOC4-hp-G9qDi5_l6CRdEGVrsrg8jfydSVY1nzhZ9GU1TvdfRvRAXiQ0p3r5NLAPKNaC_Fr4zIJvnDzLOH3vKTrLAJZ9ETmy2yHIEsmnA75TbcLFY4WXOOT2lmhtCJ89TE/s1600/IMG_8659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dEXtX_hClNOC4-hp-G9qDi5_l6CRdEGVrsrg8jfydSVY1nzhZ9GU1TvdfRvRAXiQ0p3r5NLAPKNaC_Fr4zIJvnDzLOH3vKTrLAJZ9ETmy2yHIEsmnA75TbcLFY4WXOOT2lmhtCJ89TE/s640/IMG_8659.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that’s
the lesser celandine, part of the buttercup family.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
a famous flower, actually, in the history of English literature. William Wordsworth wrote three poems about
this little flower alone.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
celandine also appears frequently in the novels of D.H. Lawrence…<i>going down the hedgeside with the girl, he
noticed the celandines, scalloped splashes of gold</i>…and it’s also one of the
most frequent flowers found in the Elfish kingdom of Lothlorien in <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>…<i>great ilexes of huge girth stood dark and
solemn in wide glades…about them lay long launds of green grass dappled with
celandines…</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjv02Z9Qx3h0zaexmBAwZFBF-dbFJUBCNjVEvCQSXaHB2yOGRIODxatZgP0DrZiudOj2nkI2EKwb9FSmZomfRFWb8slF1UQItyWiFadtDrDNbqiSu_ccXj12VLbvtMaUzEhGHuCfToP8/s1600/IMG_8665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjv02Z9Qx3h0zaexmBAwZFBF-dbFJUBCNjVEvCQSXaHB2yOGRIODxatZgP0DrZiudOj2nkI2EKwb9FSmZomfRFWb8slF1UQItyWiFadtDrDNbqiSu_ccXj12VLbvtMaUzEhGHuCfToP8/s640/IMG_8665.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
felt like I was getting closer and closer to spring.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
the trail, I found broken twigs, decked with maple flowers…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmnehPNkXUbC7auRKw4WIaSoAkOuWg4kT_a1ofQco4zIxTt3VNMzkafa0EPH5howLbiZr0hvn6rSeynd17jxqGPbdLivNUtc1XS-H436AKFK3Z5VH64wBiPrqPAddIbDfFqOftnu9-GE/s1600/IMG_8705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmnehPNkXUbC7auRKw4WIaSoAkOuWg4kT_a1ofQco4zIxTt3VNMzkafa0EPH5howLbiZr0hvn6rSeynd17jxqGPbdLivNUtc1XS-H436AKFK3Z5VH64wBiPrqPAddIbDfFqOftnu9-GE/s400/IMG_8705.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewHB2FUkHRN6_6ATVsmloWyoQD393uexKrSDOgn5QtjRtUe-LitD6FHnSklARDLB2rFcy25QCWFu3uOuHexJQ6UDh3jHShsXfG7zdkMD9-VaJUoSGzD06VviysMOgKDP3kxGztoR3vTA/s1600/IMG_8711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewHB2FUkHRN6_6ATVsmloWyoQD393uexKrSDOgn5QtjRtUe-LitD6FHnSklARDLB2rFcy25QCWFu3uOuHexJQ6UDh3jHShsXfG7zdkMD9-VaJUoSGzD06VviysMOgKDP3kxGztoR3vTA/s400/IMG_8711.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…new
branches not <span style="font-size: large;">yet </span>strong enough for the final assault of winter winds.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
then…just a few bends of the trail later…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGny_gzRiHEaTwa3DzE1jbrym3x800QZubq-MiGwiBrukKlGuYVbpPZbGQnup5QwEKi7I0NGvyVsLszGSS3jEd19OGo9_cfcFMcTpD0e3RaOqcnUQy6_Y7ZPU2l9Kjl4qrbbNKJn-Avk/s1600/IMG_8690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGny_gzRiHEaTwa3DzE1jbrym3x800QZubq-MiGwiBrukKlGuYVbpPZbGQnup5QwEKi7I0NGvyVsLszGSS3jEd19OGo9_cfcFMcTpD0e3RaOqcnUQy6_Y7ZPU2l9Kjl4qrbbNKJn-Avk/s640/IMG_8690.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…growing
in a tight colony called a clump, drooping those bright white heads of flowers…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydc1wHp_d5L_qblBU0v9o-PPo4eN-g99ePHoGb9LWrUmq31EBegu_JQbsa-P4SaXKEuCeaUb8xaG0sCJnPxI3O2DnhhzXjQu3cF0QS2Zwo_zAAa5oPI4-GTvjpEF0pRbhGA3A8jSBqDk/s1600/IMG_8691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydc1wHp_d5L_qblBU0v9o-PPo4eN-g99ePHoGb9LWrUmq31EBegu_JQbsa-P4SaXKEuCeaUb8xaG0sCJnPxI3O2DnhhzXjQu3cF0QS2Zwo_zAAa5oPI4-GTvjpEF0pRbhGA3A8jSBqDk/s640/IMG_8691.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that’s
spring.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thank
Wabun, here’s spring.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
called the common snowdrop. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHc0GAxWaq5u4CWkyrcyPy5zNOOwh1eqiK7yWsN6e5mURRqPQQPdK1JVWGHT4rskWQVcFzC8Z5J_a7j5_YfoNy2XOCSxbwcO2iyxk4DQTrdlxt7QwM0vaCGh5NzQRp1Om32tidN_cOIQ/s1600/IMG_8684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHc0GAxWaq5u4CWkyrcyPy5zNOOwh1eqiK7yWsN6e5mURRqPQQPdK1JVWGHT4rskWQVcFzC8Z5J_a7j5_YfoNy2XOCSxbwcO2iyxk4DQTrdlxt7QwM0vaCGh5NzQRp1Om32tidN_cOIQ/s400/IMG_8684.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7weUqfS50K9vSvaKuPBI43uOL_tko5VPKvVCLgjKyGSwZtU7uv9HEdJvZAKrsM7Vrr6pP66tmegAZ_NDu17GRO2ai-ERdgIKhZXiu-JORzoxIlFjrC_uMayQZKk6IwrydTFXkIO5qywc/s1600/IMG_8688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7weUqfS50K9vSvaKuPBI43uOL_tko5VPKvVCLgjKyGSwZtU7uv9HEdJvZAKrsM7Vrr6pP66tmegAZ_NDu17GRO2ai-ERdgIKhZXiu-JORzoxIlFjrC_uMayQZKk6IwrydTFXkIO5qywc/s400/IMG_8688.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its
Latin name translates to <i>milk flower</i>
and, in the field guides, it’s often described as having a <i>bell-shaped flower</i> but I’ve always thought they more resembled
lanterns.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe
they were officially named before the invention of electricity, when
lantern-light wasn’t yet so white.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmoTysgRi-QaH0C0bjn3TRpkMn292WUJRoD1OEOlXiE6wp4wvRVSIHQRWGrDPbSDVD44KKhhRB-k22Wiyc_hnG21rNXoDUir4ybbffDmfq5YV3Me9DZkiFaQ7E5pShfjn1k1LzwAXXBE0/s1600/IMG_8698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmoTysgRi-QaH0C0bjn3TRpkMn292WUJRoD1OEOlXiE6wp4wvRVSIHQRWGrDPbSDVD44KKhhRB-k22Wiyc_hnG21rNXoDUir4ybbffDmfq5YV3Me9DZkiFaQ7E5pShfjn1k1LzwAXXBE0/s640/IMG_8698.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">ENTER SPRING</span></b></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
lot of times, Mother Nature is portrayed as a generous mother, wise and ancient
yet never wrinkled, with long hair full of flowers and outstretched arms with
open palms, maybe wearing a homemade dress with a train of dried leaves.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Citybillies,
nature writers and tree hunters, we usually see it as something else.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Pure
machine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Everything
great and small is just a moving part.
One thing moves another, an interlocking series of triggers and cogs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some
people see it as a Wheel.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Whatever. It’s an incomplete picture if it doesn’t
contain a sense of humor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
right. Mother Nature, benevolent and tender,
shrewd and practical, has a great sense of humor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
know how I know?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Because
the first sign of spring is a little flower called the snowdrop.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Nature’s
first green isn’t green at all. It’s
white and yellow, red and pink.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Soon,
it’ll be all blossoms: maple, pear, cherry, dogwood, magnolia.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Can’t
wait.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Soon,
there’ll be leaves, sprouts and strawberries.
Lots and lots of strawberries.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
long days full of potential.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-4088766804276013912013-03-09T19:50:00.000-08:002013-03-10T07:40:11.472-07:00STREET SMARTS<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Shiver
me timbers, it’s cold out there.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cold
and gray, wet and cloudy.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was out walking through Center City, weaving my way through the
rat race.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
temperature? Just barely above freezing.
Even the sunshine seemed frozen.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
the trees? Still dormant. Maybe, if you looked hard enough, you c<span style="font-size: large;">ould</span> see the
faint hue of spring budding on the tips of their branches but mostly <span style="font-size: large;">they<span style="font-size: large;">'re </span></span>just
lifeless, gray hunks of wood stuck in the ground.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
brisk cold burned my ears, dried my eyes and stiffened my knees. I braced myself around every corner. It was stark, grim and plain. The wind pushed me against the skyscraper
walls and my footsteps made hollow chimes as if the whole world was made of
glass.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sometimes,
I think it is.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">To
keep my mind from numbing, I tried to remember and recite my tree poetry but
even that provided no refuge. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All
I could remember was the famous line from Shakespeare’s sonnet, the one that
describes the bird-less trees as <i>bare
ruined </i>c<i>hoirs</i>, or the Edgar Allan
Poe epic that begins: <i>The skies they were
ashen and sober, the leaves they were crisped and sere</i>…<i>it was down in the dank tarn of Auber, in the ghoul-haunted woodland of
Weir.</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
wasn’t going to work.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
could’ve handled the bad weather, maybe, if I wasn’t sharing it with so many
other people. They weren’t making it any
easier.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
rat race was in full swing that afternoon…people racing from one side of the
street to the other, pushing their way out of the buildings, shoving and
hollering, weaving in between the jammed up cars…talking about sitcoms and surgeries
and lotteries…poking me with their umbrellas, arguing on the cell phone, spilling coffee, begging for money, sneezing in my face and
littering.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
ever want to feel lonely?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then
plant yourself in a crowded city street. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe
it was the weather, these last days of winter gloom, but it seemed like all
those people…the whole wretched hive…were just buzzing around for one reason
and one reason only: to get in my way.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Don’t
worry. I pushed right back.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
called the nature of the beast, baby.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When
I finally couldn’t take it anymore, I looked for the nearest exit.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
needed a small escape, just needed to break loose from the rat race, just for a
little while, so I ducked into the first warm door.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lucky
for me, it was the door to the Academy of Natural Sciences.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBljDOps2E5AoW2mP5x4g-fWudrIqX20SRNuj-wnfQT5rZkpt6svXyiD6Xw8iKt3_5poWJ2KpnUUN022IrfF8INnaRr8Fd9tyn9ORJq3J26yGL_B3IP71NEseTaAFnj4mVdQ5Ov3H3Qoo/s1600/IMG_8406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBljDOps2E5AoW2mP5x4g-fWudrIqX20SRNuj-wnfQT5rZkpt6svXyiD6Xw8iKt3_5poWJ2KpnUUN022IrfF8INnaRr8Fd9tyn9ORJq3J26yGL_B3IP71NEseTaAFnj4mVdQ5Ov3H3Qoo/s640/IMG_8406.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
paid the admission price, fifteen dollars per escape pod, and headed up to the
second floor. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Up
there on the second floor? That’s as
good a place as any to see the world.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
started at the very top.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSBqtksn9sas7c0dqT4h6ZMr5ARdKF4AS7PSqY6pt_zK5ZW7nqH6gI95dkpbODNtWjXSB125kxaf02L8eHp997Lo4vUsYA-7SQQAoUtQkMFChnY5UTiFeDhB0gAckkoLap99CPI1jgTo/s1600/IMG_8437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSBqtksn9sas7c0dqT4h6ZMr5ARdKF4AS7PSqY6pt_zK5ZW7nqH6gI95dkpbODNtWjXSB125kxaf02L8eHp997Lo4vUsYA-7SQQAoUtQkMFChnY5UTiFeDhB0gAckkoLap99CPI1jgTo/s640/IMG_8437.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
called the <i>alpine</i>. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the rocky roof of the world. Home to the
ram, home to the yak. That’s where the
sunshine starts, that's where th<span style="font-size: large;">e </span>wind is born, up there beyond the clouds, where the most common plants are
grasses, sedges and moss, the very few trees just scrubby weeds barely
breaching the splintered peaks.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There’s
no rat race up there on top of the mountain.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Turn
around and you’re in the <i>temperate forest
</i>biome.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzFXGfjBy4gk-EMWvHvtsyUsg-ERd-v54oNaIL5wmc_Vd7XF_OFCeOvLox7Iq1Rc40nMKETn1fap_v48vp2AsfprgrzdJpllMzN-tPQiZjP5PeMEABmHrx-TnvLT1hoHvJcgqVcmjQhc/s1600/IMG_8440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzFXGfjBy4gk-EMWvHvtsyUsg-ERd-v54oNaIL5wmc_Vd7XF_OFCeOvLox7Iq1Rc40nMKETn1fap_v48vp2AsfprgrzdJpllMzN-tPQiZjP5PeMEABmHrx-TnvLT1hoHvJcgqVcmjQhc/s640/IMG_8440.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is a dramatization of one of most important and revolutionary events that can
happen in the temperate forest zone, featuring one of the most influential
critters in the entire Turtle Island menagerie.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Meet
the beaver.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU27_May_5k0chp1-LBr7Ix2hcSZen9cx6D-_4gQgyNmv4-O9s25uV5P2uuxl28RtRCLdpAur0NVp0yDZJEAeHBdtc9ykeohDhHB7nKUDCliQd8P30rfbAPu8OPkn2kYFbV1aPKVcZOco/s1600/IMG_8441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU27_May_5k0chp1-LBr7Ix2hcSZen9cx6D-_4gQgyNmv4-O9s25uV5P2uuxl28RtRCLdpAur0NVp0yDZJEAeHBdtc9ykeohDhHB7nKUDCliQd8P30rfbAPu8OPkn2kYFbV1aPKVcZOco/s640/IMG_8441.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Except
for man, no other animal has had more impact on this country.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Chopping
trees, building lodges, fording and damming every major river from the Colorado
to the Mississippi to the Delaware…and all their tributaries…the beaver is the
great designer and landscaper of Turtle Island, responsible for the
pond-and-stream environment we typically associate with the temperate forest
biome.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So,
please, give a little respect and a whole lot of awe to the beaver. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You wouldn't know it to look at him but, here amongst the birch tree, this little
buck-toothed critter is a supreme architect, a world-maker.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1INimJsxJDi0DdQK7Vfltw8v9si0Eyf2wo-YOKShfQ80ej6PJiP8MOiA0pYdhwg9W3gWVwgZF6rdyhd1f-TaIcw2SmiKdaN8WNGJqUiH5bwNill7zTPGd4xJFI3-jfeuU_oZzyDtBFB0/s1600/IMG_8442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1INimJsxJDi0DdQK7Vfltw8v9si0Eyf2wo-YOKShfQ80ej6PJiP8MOiA0pYdhwg9W3gWVwgZF6rdyhd1f-TaIcw2SmiKdaN8WNGJqUiH5bwNill7zTPGd4xJFI3-jfeuU_oZzyDtBFB0/s400/IMG_8442.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkdR6GIqDAI5mzPAwlNhIpf3r9FyKy1ooSjTdnaGAx_jRwkAYLJFTaS_fdlu4AnFijYkFKI3TdtTXY3Boc65cVIdwjKc8716yVEB1P8qQJjUXdjnz3oGl8kvXssmUSudnPI5MTKA41FQ/s1600/IMG_8444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkdR6GIqDAI5mzPAwlNhIpf3r9FyKy1ooSjTdnaGAx_jRwkAYLJFTaS_fdlu4AnFijYkFKI3TdtTXY3Boc65cVIdwjKc8716yVEB1P8qQJjUXdjnz3oGl8kvXssmUSudnPI5MTKA41FQ/s400/IMG_8444.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Look,
it didn’t give me any pleasure seeing these great and mighty animals stuffed
and preserved under all those artificial lights and behind those thick glass
panes.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
isn’t the way I ever imagined meeting my Spirit Keepers.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pZanHDGTeGTkbRMWy8RNFvVWBRzCgIQFvgCsFR2T8fhkiLUPCyVjceP2ssFH3vji5I8QaXw6MjYa8G3Ig_21uwvX0ZMbO8ppvtW4V7Kt8zQyWia-b-jCEhZ0zSoKfmVhFHxx_a4Exc8/s1600/IMG_8430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pZanHDGTeGTkbRMWy8RNFvVWBRzCgIQFvgCsFR2T8fhkiLUPCyVjceP2ssFH3vji5I8QaXw6MjYa8G3Ig_21uwvX0ZMbO8ppvtW4V7Kt8zQyWia-b-jCEhZ0zSoKfmVhFHxx_a4Exc8/s640/IMG_8430.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
unfortunate but it’s not my fault.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Do
you want to know the saddest part of this whole taxidermical spectacle?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
it is. There’s nothing special about
these<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>particular individual animals except their own bad luck.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Right place, wrong time.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
weren’t seeking out the hunter. They
weren’t some place where they didn’t belong.
They weren’t looking for this kind of celebrity status.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">They
were probably just minding their own business…maybe enjoying some respite from
their own rat race…lazing about with their own kind under a pitch perfect day out
there in, say, the Serengeti and then whammo...</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3DTrQ-NMBXan4SQqhhCbyhVnlmneJxXwITxexNzeXq8TmITf5u0FrUNcuToJC2OW-81Bxyp7fns4dkgDlIKJYFmnp6R2w0f1SqKNdMZweLdGbPi2ZsAo7Ifxfg1A8E3alyGFxUaDCUw/s1600/IMG_8459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3DTrQ-NMBXan4SQqhhCbyhVnlmneJxXwITxexNzeXq8TmITf5u0FrUNcuToJC2OW-81Bxyp7fns4dkgDlIKJYFmnp6R2w0f1SqKNdMZweLdGbPi2ZsAo7Ifxfg1A8E3alyGFxUaDCUw/s640/IMG_8459.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…a
one-way ticket to Palookaville.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One
thing became all too clear.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No
place is safe. Even if you stay put in
your own biome, there’s something out there and it’s coming right at you,
head<span style="font-size: large;">ing</span> <span style="font-size: large;">straight<span style="font-size: large;"> in</span></span> your direction.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
is no retreat, no refuge.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When
you<span style="font-size: large;">r</span> number’s up, it doesn’t matter if, yesterday, you were safe and sound,
just grazing on the grass…</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmLT4EXvyTgHfRe0UhZsbE37Mer8NQjzpsmwRDdZSUjjIP14AeT4LQ-3L3tZwuIiA9AiSJRDmYB-MJb0mDnU3LgvwjDh8_gV4maEH2RSjFXaTCQJF-P0iIFYAce_OsG8izo2VRb6PooE/s1600/IMG_8425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmLT4EXvyTgHfRe0UhZsbE37Mer8NQjzpsmwRDdZSUjjIP14AeT4LQ-3L3tZwuIiA9AiSJRDmYB-MJb0mDnU3LgvwjDh8_gV4maEH2RSjFXaTCQJF-P0iIFYAce_OsG8izo2VRb6PooE/s640/IMG_8425.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or
prancing through the chaparral…</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIiAxHzsWhnp7kWrNlPdExyemMlbj8TAsK_LIi4Yvj5MfnwA6TTMRZgCrKZOf4myLBriZ8MR4WccRIsbWBmkvTYrGx1eIM4rpibruKt4qIQb88Zqwh1U4P_R5PY4490uimHmxHh3SR8s/s1600/IMG_8422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIiAxHzsWhnp7kWrNlPdExyemMlbj8TAsK_LIi4Yvj5MfnwA6TTMRZgCrKZOf4myLBriZ8MR4WccRIsbWBmkvTYrGx1eIM4rpibruKt4qIQb88Zqwh1U4P_R5PY4490uimHmxHh3SR8s/s640/IMG_8422.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…or
even hiding in the woods…</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8h3zhyphenhyphenPrRaPGt0pnQuE22F4ZL5mnM7uFuiXI50u4qfrLiT296KWjjbSXfSzOYMmKGo2mC2fkkI5bklf2haxozRKHBXmuyWKqn8P0db3NengFjj8IJjJQSleui85W2C5TPHtRwNkf1t5U/s1600/IMG_8475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8h3zhyphenhyphenPrRaPGt0pnQuE22F4ZL5mnM7uFuiXI50u4qfrLiT296KWjjbSXfSzOYMmKGo2mC2fkkI5bklf2haxozRKHBXmuyWKqn8P0db3NengFjj8IJjJQSleui85W2C5TPHtRwNkf1t5U/s640/IMG_8475.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…when
it’s your turn to go, you go.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
called the law of the jungle, baby.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakuiL9jWrcT2oTZtf35NKCagvgzxk4wuv_lmMDCqYaip0YVA0R5P7KH1uvFTUJPbmPOQFSZPB_mxBqMvXHBL657LAhYNel5chFrQ1jcetKsK9npdYvpyoCFsGrV759g-giGkUj4JPJA0/s1600/IMG_8466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakuiL9jWrcT2oTZtf35NKCagvgzxk4wuv_lmMDCqYaip0YVA0R5P7KH1uvFTUJPbmPOQFSZPB_mxBqMvXHBL657LAhYNel5chFrQ1jcetKsK9npdYvpyoCFsGrV759g-giGkUj4JPJA0/s640/IMG_8466.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Just across the hallway, I found another scene
from the temperate forest biome...</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIB9IYd1gxQAQLoOcjUTm1fNAz5DebvQGxqNrSSybq9nHLYZ8Q1Ptz0oGraALTHiPDz7LHSFF-Tly1Ew7D_iveTLrmM7yfE6dvlaaV-yMknfAw5t0RC2dbMu96MUpDAjMuqP2SU5drYRs/s1600/IMG_8426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIB9IYd1gxQAQLoOcjUTm1fNAz5DebvQGxqNrSSybq9nHLYZ8Q1Ptz0oGraALTHiPDz7LHSFF-Tly1Ew7D_iveTLrmM7yfE6dvlaaV-yMknfAw5t0RC2dbMu96MUpDAjMuqP2SU5drYRs/s640/IMG_8426.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
stood, face to face, with the most dominant tree in all of Turtle Island.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xx3tJ9sraPvdyyMlbs35T2kifN3k6wLzwztD84_Gn1OfqoexoivQJvgpy-2Ofc-0XZrqa1weNRpmeYpYH-edZxCrq8Y-QQ2RbZ_8dAIJ73tUDbYSJkbvH9HpjCGzcdSdTLV9HYLMvzU/s1600/IMG_8427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xx3tJ9sraPvdyyMlbs35T2kifN3k6wLzwztD84_Gn1OfqoexoivQJvgpy-2Ofc-0XZrqa1weNRpmeYpYH-edZxCrq8Y-QQ2RbZ_8dAIJ73tUDbYSJkbvH9HpjCGzcdSdTLV9HYLMvzU/s640/IMG_8427.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the quaking aspen, part of the tree family that includes the poplars and the
cottonwoods.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
tree has the widest and largest range of any tree on Turtle Island, found all
the way east in Newfoundland to all the way west in Alaska, dipping down throughout
the entire continent all the way to Mexico, one of the most iconic trees of the
Great Plains and the Rocky Mountain states.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">According
to the field guides, there should be aspens here in Philadelphia. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ve
yet to find them. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
thought I saw a few when I was in willow country, over there at the John Heinz
Swamp near the airport, but I couldn’t be sure if they were aspens or
birches. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">To
me, they are very similar in appearances and I’m not practiced in the art of
telling them apart. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Besides,
here in Philly, you’ll never see the aspens the way they’re supposed to be
seen.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
way they’re supposed to be experienced.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8T5Vz9pjE6sF4fxPNrw8ZarPasm1rJJlpWX5n0xAHZKOIuI175viup8eZuDklGztNJ9blrSBiMEtelDNIgaRgozItsP1TaQcG1LagnYKPFsoPIoa4n-_6rgXqvPHfAoCJeODkUzPzyI/s1600/IMG_8429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8T5Vz9pjE6sF4fxPNrw8ZarPasm1rJJlpWX5n0xAHZKOIuI175viup8eZuDklGztNJ9blrSBiMEtelDNIgaRgozItsP1TaQcG1LagnYKPFsoPIoa4n-_6rgXqvPHfAoCJeODkUzPzyI/s640/IMG_8429.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Do
you really want to see some aspens? Then
go west.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
hope someday I get the chance.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Unlike
birches, aspens reproduce by growing shallow roots parallel to the ground,
shooting up trunks every chance it can. They
say that entire groves of aspens can reasonably be classified as one living
organism. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_AMYCEWA-rw0jHQVo_lVRl2sXV_h7OlP3fFno5ZfzJYH3JPaWyqj4caS0_iGfAP3AqCa3xtS07X4FITcfRy6sJukWxX9AqPScV5O4u1Qd4f9UfFHKDkZbsLHPlrUOkuSo1enaePXdzY/s1600/AspenForest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_AMYCEWA-rw0jHQVo_lVRl2sXV_h7OlP3fFno5ZfzJYH3JPaWyqj4caS0_iGfAP3AqCa3xtS07X4FITcfRy6sJukWxX9AqPScV5O4u1Qd4f9UfFHKDkZbsLHPlrUOkuSo1enaePXdzY/s640/AspenForest1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
right. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Miles
and miles of trees that are actually just one tree…each tree connected to the
same root system, each tree sharing identical DNA, each tree connected to some
mother tree hidden somewhere in the giant grove.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkmgY5H9vYpONR1c2V-Exl1kOduhgXSOe1yt_rxjIjbnRv41X6NtK_F98ziPjeIBKZW7GyDbmXBdtr7YzqkcLr3q1r-5wjvFMOHIHCjMLeSVKKtsSAC-ixAkKnVlmKp8QM7lVskUs7aI/s1600/aspentrunks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkmgY5H9vYpONR1c2V-Exl1kOduhgXSOe1yt_rxjIjbnRv41X6NtK_F98ziPjeIBKZW7GyDbmXBdtr7YzqkcLr3q1r-5wjvFMOHIHCjMLeSVKKtsSAC-ixAkKnVlmKp8QM7lVskUs7aI/s640/aspentrunks.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
if you really want to see some aspens, then you got to go to Utah.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Located
in Fishlake National Park, there is one large grove of quaking aspens that has been
scientifically identified as one single living being. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some
say it’s the largest organism on the planet.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
long to see it in person.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcubxRYp7eRMSfRRwxkG6BU4umjstqWPVmqTJNvSJOpodcPCbeokiT_lgbdhULgc1fXcDORKbLSgtMD3NTZWuZef3gB9-N5IpCiQPfO8ErdEAHYlsxrqbCgQxgyLnxk1mSM0yOAkRxC0/s1600/Canada+Spring+2010+-+Jasper+NP+-+Aspen+near+Patricia+Lake+-+20100617.002+(em)+-+0005+%5BS%5D%5B640x426%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcubxRYp7eRMSfRRwxkG6BU4umjstqWPVmqTJNvSJOpodcPCbeokiT_lgbdhULgc1fXcDORKbLSgtMD3NTZWuZef3gB9-N5IpCiQPfO8ErdEAHYlsxrqbCgQxgyLnxk1mSM0yOAkRxC0/s640/Canada+Spring+2010+-+Jasper+NP+-+Aspen+near+Patricia+Lake+-+20100617.002+(em)+-+0005+%5BS%5D%5B640x426%5D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Over
a hundred acres of those snowy white trunks, miles and miles of those
twinkling, coin-shaped leaves…all that splintered sunlight…over 47,000 trunks
of the same tree, each tree the genetic twin of the tree next to it and even to
the tree miles and miles away.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Imagine
that.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHLh0HCEafjhAnSlc3zyFoUh-eiIKsRR3Xi8VpxMo2_FnV0iu-6yA17qYU6OCVaQzJj5Mxr_IceRLUNql0BJ0ZdWs1J2hyfJak9O8RRsYlDEdFQKMMpxtKXAh8qmwAfZteR34g0RB8Vo/s1600/Aspen+Forest+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHLh0HCEafjhAnSlc3zyFoUh-eiIKsRR3Xi8VpxMo2_FnV0iu-6yA17qYU6OCVaQzJj5Mxr_IceRLUNql0BJ0ZdWs1J2hyfJak9O8RRsYlDEdFQKMMpxtKXAh8qmwAfZteR34g0RB8Vo/s640/Aspen+Forest+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
forest that is one single tree…the heaviest, most massive organism ever
found…also the oldest living thing ever discovered, still going at 80,000 years
old.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
is named Pando.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrh7C-w_jlCNbk3lahELj7U05xX5TOd5E8QxbNwk19PEIElR_TBAPXZraesG9k_wScVpqfp4yRqVSYbaUUf5xs22QbFR_yMjOcM-nEMRF7q_lnF5pIy1ICaggJnAcuuOuVtTw59CjQ8o/s1600/pando-trembling-giant+(2)%5B2%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrh7C-w_jlCNbk3lahELj7U05xX5TOd5E8QxbNwk19PEIElR_TBAPXZraesG9k_wScVpqfp4yRqVSYbaUUf5xs22QbFR_yMjOcM-nEMRF7q_lnF5pIy1ICaggJnAcuuOuVtTw59CjQ8o/s640/pando-trembling-giant+(2)%5B2%5D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">People
are always asking me: <i>Hey, Jon Spruce, if
you could be a tree, what tree would you be?</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'll be an aspen.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Imagine
that.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Being
an aspen.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Imagine
walking miles upon miles, from tundra to desert, the whole time surrounded by
members of your own family…nothing but brothers and sisters, mama bears and
papa bears.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Imagine
that.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdJcv-QBYpRBrH4T-S6b9C4ioJSja1CTP52IKVd39aB89z7bZ0VtIo3hE-5pyLyyH4CjjSmW7MLQxVumydrA6asDIyFToHecPEe1Eypa09vUfMOB_i16evVBVazp_sc-EAW28VQr6cFE/s1600/IMG_8515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdJcv-QBYpRBrH4T-S6b9C4ioJSja1CTP52IKVd39aB89z7bZ0VtIo3hE-5pyLyyH4CjjSmW7MLQxVumydrA6asDIyFToHecPEe1Eypa09vUfMOB_i16evVBVazp_sc-EAW28VQr6cFE/s640/IMG_8515.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Imagine a place where everything that blocked your path and everyone that stood
in your way…when you really looked into it…they were all made of the same
genetic material, cut from the same cloth.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Imagine
a place where everyone you meet is part of the same root system, all headed in
the same direction.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Imagine
that.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Do
you want to see the Himalayans? Do you
want to live with the gorillas?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Want
to see the world?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Me
too.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Welcome
to the club. Welcome to the rat race.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Down
here in the rat race, you can be as smart as you want to be.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You’ll
still never figure out which way the cat’s gonna jump.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
called street smarts, baby.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-30904608224017239102013-02-17T18:50:00.000-08:002013-02-18T16:38:31.380-08:00CATCHING NOW<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Over
one hundred and fifty years ago, in a February, Henry David Thoreau wrote in
his journal: <i>we have such a habit of
looking away that we see not what is around us.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
is, naturally, a February thought.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No
other month is harder to catch. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
mean, it’s already half-way over.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
must’ve blinked.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
goes by so fast. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
like Thoreau noted one February so long ago, it’s a month that’s too easy to
miss, so easy to leap over.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
it’s not just because it’s the shortest month or, according to the history of
the Gregorian calendar, one of the newest months.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
because nothing is really happening now and, yet, that is exactly what we
nature writers are trying to find.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
is, after all, the grand subject of nature writing. It has to be about catching the now, finding
the here, living the moment.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Nature
writers, tree hunters, birdwatchers, storm trackers, leaf peepers, herb
seekers, stargazers, moon lookers…foragers, anglers, scouts, rangers…it’s all
about resisting the urge to look away and learning t<span style="font-size: large;">he</span> skill to see the now…turning
the act of observation into an exciting adventure…the passive bystander as the
most dauntless and intrepid explorer ever in the history of this exact moment.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now. Right now.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the prey.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Those
fleeting, spontaneous moments happening out of the corner of the eye. Those rare instances that take place right here
in the present time. The epiphany. The coincidence. The haiku.
The now.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
the catch.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
my experience, it’s never something you can really go out and actively
hunt. It’s just something that happens
while you’re out there looking for something else.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
certain slant of shadow. A deer on the
highway. A color, a ripple, a snow. Running into an old friend. An owl passing over the moon. Dust mites in a shaft of sunlight. A snap decision, a rash judgment, a blind
leap, a wild laugh. The plunk of an
acorn hitting the roof of a car. A
perfect strawberry. A red hot
Valentine’s Day kiss.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hey,
compared to other nature hunters, I got it pretty easy. All things considered, tree hunters have a much
better chance of catching the now than other observers.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Flowers
are mostly predictable, lea<span style="font-size: large;">ves</span> are pretty much out all year round, fruit is just
hanging off the branches or rotting by the curbside, and the trees
themselves? They don’t move around that
much. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My
now is much easier to catch than, say, a birdsong or a tornado or a dinosaur
fossil or a meteorite.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
there are certain moments that happen out there in the tree-scape that, I know,
I have no chance of catching.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
true. No matter what I do or where I go,
no matter how long I stay on the hunt, there are a handful of tree events that
I will never see with my own two eyes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Things
I’ll only read about in books.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
no other tree reminds me of this sad fact more than the <i>Hamamelidaceae hamamelis</i>…sometimes called the winterbloom but more
commonly known as the witch hazel.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE WITCH HAZEL</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
caught up with the witch hazel last weekend at the Clark Park Farmers’ Market.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTDbXXKbnBYImRYQadxj1bYpFIGIvfhL1TqWYRqNLNVlmhCpyP89Vd_c2cW2bw5njwgKQzJpQEJnXaEZNLBEDdxhPLrcNx5QqcEFWYyZDtB8h0gjYPJVtg_35O-zLdQke5fJuK68iE7s/s1600/IMG_8059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTDbXXKbnBYImRYQadxj1bYpFIGIvfhL1TqWYRqNLNVlmhCpyP89Vd_c2cW2bw5njwgKQzJpQEJnXaEZNLBEDdxhPLrcNx5QqcEFWYyZDtB8h0gjYPJVtg_35O-zLdQke5fJuK68iE7s/s640/IMG_8059.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
pretty easy to find now, at this time of year, especially here, standing out against the
blue backdrop of the local city health center.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCI9FG5ivQ-6gOdnEFNQlkLZVhcfU4mH1-zvFZl-luMcCmQHZjWyyU5GVvxyqd2j8ILXhKlPzNzT-zrHhHwKhmOQ3UcKDrqoN9krhxMvFybEOTi4Zfyc6oTiXKH8pg1boyIRx7UI0pV8/s1600/IMG_8064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCI9FG5ivQ-6gOdnEFNQlkLZVhcfU4mH1-zvFZl-luMcCmQHZjWyyU5GVvxyqd2j8ILXhKlPzNzT-zrHhHwKhmOQ3UcKDrqoN9krhxMvFybEOTi4Zfyc6oTiXKH8pg1boyIRx7UI0pV8/s640/IMG_8064.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Do
not pass by this tree without a good look.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFxs9Fma7bRxQM78QMme8d-A3Vyszt2LBjihiGpc15UN8F_RhqbxQLp7Ep1fN3VFWJTJIDJc8kMHKQXtNl_jK5JHLl4czZFUvmcSnnumdbyL-rEdWT-s-1Sjq_CZZ_5tvhXqQcQUfKTI/s1600/IMG_8038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaFxs9Fma7bRxQM78QMme8d-A3Vyszt2LBjihiGpc15UN8F_RhqbxQLp7Ep1fN3VFWJTJIDJc8kMHKQXtNl_jK5JHLl4czZFUvmcSnnumdbyL-rEdWT-s-1Sjq_CZZ_5tvhXqQcQUfKTI/s640/IMG_8038.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
do not judge this tree by its size or by its splendor.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
witch hazel is one of our most cur<span style="font-size: large;">ious</span> trees.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
is a common feature of the vast understory of woods found up and down the
mighty river systems of eastern Turtle Island, flourishing in the shady banks
of the Delaware, Mississippi and Ohio river valleys, but it also survives in
the higher, drier, rockier slopes of the Appalachian Mountains.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
two specimens across the street from the farmers’ market are two good examples
of its most common shapes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
is, by nature, a small tree, usually with several trunks, forming an irregular
crown of random branches or it grows leaning defiantly in one direction.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRWWd5ahcF7eQdyJzaGLcniWVHTeXIzTFX1s8FD-K28MwwQSOAPaxNCsxXS8mBKSXuaFtta_mYzTHVKJ7YtyDyZYMsj6TIUjjyQXkneXwupThDrAKXx9J4hz6wgi2J9kBfjlNXR4-WbM/s1600/IMG_8066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRWWd5ahcF7eQdyJzaGLcniWVHTeXIzTFX1s8FD-K28MwwQSOAPaxNCsxXS8mBKSXuaFtta_mYzTHVKJ7YtyDyZYMsj6TIUjjyQXkneXwupThDrAKXx9J4hz6wgi2J9kBfjlNXR4-WbM/s400/IMG_8066.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATO1AtPzRGo2VjE-szWxE-eCniCMcvy5ZmLVPnrk1N6OSB0Fyhg29bhLI6oNcT5XttYvPRwYZS7HFInZuCciMY-0mt1OS5bOzE3TxcZ1xCbwMPP7k3mCUxeKLB1TrJfiNrYmNOLR1LFk/s1600/IMG_8065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATO1AtPzRGo2VjE-szWxE-eCniCMcvy5ZmLVPnrk1N6OSB0Fyhg29bhLI6oNcT5XttYvPRwYZS7HFInZuCciMY-0mt1OS5bOzE3TxcZ1xCbwMPP7k3mCUxeKLB1TrJfiNrYmNOLR1LFk/s400/IMG_8065.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its
crooked shape is the origin of its name.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
<i>witch</i> part of <i>witch hazel</i> has nothing to do with those broom-wielding hags found casting
spells and eating children in old folk tales.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
comes from the Olde English word, <i>wych</i>,
which means <i>to bend</i>, a reference to
its crooked branches, naturally bending and easy to twist. That’s also the origin of the word <i>wicker</i>, although the most popular
branches used for wicker comes from the willow tree.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its
witchy name eventually did take on a supernatural meaning. Throughout the ages, it's been the most popular
tree for dowsing, the ancient art of finding subterranean water.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">John
Eastman writes, in his guidebook of eastern forests and thickets, <i>another ancient tradition is the use of
forked witch hazel branches as divining rods for “water witching.” Its adherents swore on its ability to point
[towards] underground water, coal, tin, and copper lodes, as well as lost
household items.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So,
even back in the old days, the witch hazel was used to help people find what
was happening at the moment, under your feet, right in front of you…the ancient
tool for catching the now.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Its
other name is <i>winterbloom</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
origin of that name is much easier to see, especially in February, now.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE WINTERBLOOM</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
witch hazel is one of the very few trees that flower in the winter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilj6bowGu2PzBpz0hPMZphQELQw96hYAPurKopLJydoZ_IPeCWN2tApDkYYRkgzPTfCl-yRqWlkGEONyXj-4oqv2saiYUAgDWbo9ojWm5Ihh7S-5pbENfeevEbU_znP-8hJnszVqJX45M/s1600/IMG_8039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilj6bowGu2PzBpz0hPMZphQELQw96hYAPurKopLJydoZ_IPeCWN2tApDkYYRkgzPTfCl-yRqWlkGEONyXj-4oqv2saiYUAgDWbo9ojWm5Ihh7S-5pbENfeevEbU_znP-8hJnszVqJX45M/s640/IMG_8039.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">All witch hazels bloom in the winter but, because
th<span style="font-size: large;">ese</span> <span style="font-size: large;">are</span> Japanese witch hazels, th<span style="font-size: large;">ese</span> trees flowered either during the tail end
of January or the very beginning of February.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58SpLSZrTbcBwcau0wv7ebDvQxNbjj3YY63zfvfH8It1je09UuexeKmaGLV5Geu8YPSBhcbKF3KqyfAIXnDSSc6CDjD3-Dy467GhdzXACqiYtPoU7KTtR3XjXMRHKHXgF8dI90aZdg4k/s1600/IMG_8047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58SpLSZrTbcBwcau0wv7ebDvQxNbjj3YY63zfvfH8It1je09UuexeKmaGLV5Geu8YPSBhcbKF3KqyfAIXnDSSc6CDjD3-Dy467GhdzXACqiYtPoU7KTtR3XjXMRHKHXgF8dI90aZdg4k/s400/IMG_8047.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mS4ZRIlh4I3dfrtDHT0itCT0KVnHBlKX13EprQCD9nWwdKMaWZCGZqabjnWtqpZlnBG5ka-RjFgH-NLj7CMviEmqcpjc1RpxgIkrQVQUe8P0DjEAd2OM-V7Z_teloin2UefvlgVqUQo/s1600/IMG_8033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mS4ZRIlh4I3dfrtDHT0itCT0KVnHBlKX13EprQCD9nWwdKMaWZCGZqabjnWtqpZlnBG5ka-RjFgH-NLj7CMviEmqcpjc1RpxgIkrQVQUe8P0DjEAd2OM-V7Z_teloin2UefvlgVqUQo/s400/IMG_8033.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>It gives a
cheerful touch of color on drab wintry days</i>, a tree-hunter once wrote.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
very rare flowering would, alone, make this tree one of the most distinctive
and curious plants of the winter months…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfB3040ys2zFpiGadTXqKAfqMlXfPW4b7WWQlsWKEd5gZKOihPAL-XoyAlAM9pg_sJXmReDbA91Abs1j1tBRwLdYT86T-zHKSf8y-NyQ1hFinVL1jbkHXX_Ms_SJwXS0zYRVF6VsJdrLQ/s1600/IMG_8034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfB3040ys2zFpiGadTXqKAfqMlXfPW4b7WWQlsWKEd5gZKOihPAL-XoyAlAM9pg_sJXmReDbA91Abs1j1tBRwLdYT86T-zHKSf8y-NyQ1hFinVL1jbkHXX_Ms_SJwXS0zYRVF6VsJdrLQ/s640/IMG_8034.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…but
my eyes, and my heart, kept being drawn to those open seed-pods nestled in
between those spidery, yellow flowers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is something that I will never witness, a phenomenon that I will never catch.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Because,
of all the witch hazel’s most peculiar behavior and habits, both natural and supernatural,
the most intriguing and the most amazing fact of this common tree lies in those
seed-pods.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">From
David Allen Sibley's description: <i>The fruit
is a two-parted capsule holding two seeds, which splits open explosively in the
late summer…forcefully ejecting the seeds and throwing them as much as thirty
feet from the tree!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’ll
never see this happen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
mean, what are the chances? This doesn’t
happen on any distinct day. There’s no
almanac that can precisely predict when this will happen to an individual witch
hazel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
are the chances that I’ll be there when this happens?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Thirty
feet! In a split second? And then not again until some random day next
year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">From
what I<span style="font-size: large;">'ve</span> read, you can actually hear the fruit pop.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">From
tree-hunter John Eastman: <i>this artillery
begins on a day when temperature and humidity are just right; hearing the
popping explosions and tracing the arcs of bombarding seeds requires the luck
of being there at the right time.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
right time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Gone
in a split second, a blink of an eye, a snap of the fingers.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdfIjOTnRvixao_X8UDAPPtd9Kp1CUbgS2Ju_-IXm-AA5nTgGw6AB1IdLuhwcDXYhXDBDt_zmFqo9PAmP68u6V65tqhk4PWSO6Qjz7D0fg1B600godvw-7qRn1kyeFL5WK2LzWC4oaQI/s1600/IMG_8041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdfIjOTnRvixao_X8UDAPPtd9Kp1CUbgS2Ju_-IXm-AA5nTgGw6AB1IdLuhwcDXYhXDBDt_zmFqo9PAmP68u6V65tqhk4PWSO6Qjz7D0fg1B600godvw-7qRn1kyeFL5WK2LzWC4oaQI/s640/IMG_8041.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">February
came and February went…same as every year.
Spring is right around the corner but this is about the now...slipping
by so fast<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">...always right on schedule..<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span>always the one that gets away.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
I won’t let it get me down.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Can’t
lose what you never had.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-86317402613431097152013-01-31T20:34:00.000-08:002013-02-03T07:17:35.765-08:00THE SEASON OF THE HOME<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">People
are always asking me: <i>Hey, Jon Spruce,
when you gonna settle down?</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yo,
baby, it’s not your fault. It’s not from
lack of trying. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
I got to do it my way…settling down without settling at all.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">To
be honest, I’m not even sure what <i>settling
down</i> even means.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
guess I was absent the day they handed out the long list of society’s
benchmarks.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Does
it mean just coming home to a list of errands?
Does it mean spinning the chore wheel?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Does
it mean just staying at home and saving the money and saving the gas and fidgeting
with the thermostat while, out there beyond the front door, the snow is melting
or the acorns are falling or the rivers are rising or the magnolia is budding?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
mean, you don’t want to give up a good parking spot, do you?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
few weeks ago, I got a good taste of <i>settling
down</i> and I ended up stuck in a snuggie, addicted to bad TV, moss growing
under my rump, asleep at the wheel.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
now I was on the outside, looking in. You
can’t say I didn’t try.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
lot of times, I think <i>settling down</i>
means staying put. It means people can
make a good guess where you are, at any given moment, and usually be
right. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On
the grid. At the desk. On hold.
Inside.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
means being home…which means choosing a house...buying roots, building equity and
nurturing moss.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Buying
a house? It can’t be as hard as I think
and it can’t be as monumental as they want me to believe.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’m
smart. I can do things. I can make an appointment with some
paper-pushing banker. I can fill out the
forms, let some lending company go through my personal purchasing history, sign
on the dotted line and then spend the next thirty years paying for my own front
door.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
a walk in the park.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
knowing what I want, forevermore. It’s
settling. That’s the killer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Why?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Because,
just like the trees, new ideas and new flowers blossom with every
season…there’s always new branching to be done…there’s always new fruit to
taste and there’s always old fruit dropping by the curbside…the colors are
always changing.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What
if…what if I buy that old ramshackle of a house? What then?
I move my stuff in. I change my
address. I fix her up. I learn about water heaters and garbage
disposals and septic tanks, if applicable.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
lay me some roots.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
hang up my hat.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
what if…what if I change my mind? What
if my mood swings? What if my weather
changes?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
bound to happen.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
mean, you can always leave. You can
always give up the interior occupation, sell the house and then go back to the reckless,
heedless lifestyle of a tree-hunter. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
not really.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">You
can always come back…sure…but you can’t come back all the way.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Trust
me. I know me better than myself.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">There
will come a night…an inevitable evening…when I am warm and settled in the
confines of my own house…gently drowsing to the rhythms of some old adventure
novel…and I will rise from my Lay-Z-Boy, startled by the sound of someone tapping,
of someone gently rapping, at my city door.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
will swing the door open wide and there he’ll be…my old younger self…hat in
hand…asking if Jon Spruce can come out and play.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvu2KDCq31SOzZvQIR_XSP7rwiDYUUmMDwMONVkAYGDfCFpBPa5tbDHwKJec4Dp4AtyROfvKWaXUMC2LVPBRl-M5JB5rE96fjAlwd0bI-Lu3UIVLqy5Om1fqESNYWn0uA6RPPThFZwDi0/s1600/jon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvu2KDCq31SOzZvQIR_XSP7rwiDYUUmMDwMONVkAYGDfCFpBPa5tbDHwKJec4Dp4AtyROfvKWaXUMC2LVPBRl-M5JB5rE96fjAlwd0bI-Lu3UIVLqy5Om1fqESNYWn0uA6RPPThFZwDi0/s640/jon1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
don’t know if I can handle that kind of rejection.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfZ2xvnPCpuz0Fnrv0VQQX9FOOL6kac9eegRtKylzbDJT0tv3acQ6nakioMR81-dMPT9E2ywACuo5CC1q8m8MnggZuZAVfw7WukHgArjkTB-mDKeqE4WhDpJ203zNf6bBixd__dSK4lY/s1600/jon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfZ2xvnPCpuz0Fnrv0VQQX9FOOL6kac9eegRtKylzbDJT0tv3acQ6nakioMR81-dMPT9E2ywACuo5CC1q8m8MnggZuZAVfw7WukHgArjkTB-mDKeqE4WhDpJ203zNf6bBixd__dSK4lY/s640/jon2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>HOUSE HUNTING</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
yet, that is the course of, what appears to be, everybody else.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or
maybe it just seemed that way, in that moment, walking through the neighborhoods
bordering the outskirts of Gina’s farm…Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill and North
Manayunk.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was surrounded by great trees…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJP-_jACfQP3u6Hyrw5SLMRnybG6L-b75X-VbdX7SaYytTlxEPpNj678X9UxdnBd-thTBakgrVDZG2K7b0mEWFHEaX-TMRTDoqErsUC4rxCbESu9k63nLzKydv_e4norheyeu5ytTX1s/s1600/IMG_7704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJP-_jACfQP3u6Hyrw5SLMRnybG6L-b75X-VbdX7SaYytTlxEPpNj678X9UxdnBd-thTBakgrVDZG2K7b0mEWFHEaX-TMRTDoqErsUC4rxCbESu9k63nLzKydv_e4norheyeu5ytTX1s/s640/IMG_7704.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and,
yet, every one of those great trees was owned by some house and anchored to
some lawn.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Someday,
I’m going to write a whole post on lawns.
It is a fascinating subject.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
modern lawn first started appearing on the home-scape in the 1500s. It evolved from a type of land called <i>the commons</i>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
commons was a patch of flat, unwooded land, usually somewhere between the wilds
and the farmsteads, and it was shared by the townsfolk as a place to graze
small animals and to pick the medicinal herbs that usually grow on the edge of
the woods. Nobody was supposed to use it
more than most or take more than needed.
The commons survive today in the form of parks, although parks are
regulated by committees, instead of the unwritten gentleman’s agreement that
governed the original commons.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then
came lawns…like moss, it was a game-changer when you think about the landscapes
here on Spaceship Earth.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynE0Wf0f52_s8A9lnK2HRrrOdnhn89rA5uourv04Vsh87F00lvOT08EbdOqHUCF9xYSQFT19gDJJ1Ovn5n2x6MHv9e_I7iPrQuW13lg1Z4bFSGri2DRJzcIL1Mv66RaJCzX_uGDZqqTo/s1600/IMG_7948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynE0Wf0f52_s8A9lnK2HRrrOdnhn89rA5uourv04Vsh87F00lvOT08EbdOqHUCF9xYSQFT19gDJJ1Ovn5n2x6MHv9e_I7iPrQuW13lg1Z4bFSGri2DRJzcIL1Mv66RaJCzX_uGDZqqTo/s640/IMG_7948.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The original lawns were privately owned patches of land, attached to a homestead and, so as not
to confuse the people looking for the town commons, usually enclosed with a
fence.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNHQdbmjyFZwRqVycN8DCBabIfl3PEw7uF2XtKuZt5OL_fe-FAqW07AnKlIxU8CYUv9i2FVYx-4JGRgBHfUXxvW8_EtuGyL5Hfs7v3ccqXJIKOJpDog1Ndm6U5uQWl3CsZJ7ihGc2CKg/s1600/IMG_7877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNHQdbmjyFZwRqVycN8DCBabIfl3PEw7uF2XtKuZt5OL_fe-FAqW07AnKlIxU8CYUv9i2FVYx-4JGRgBHfUXxvW8_EtuGyL5Hfs7v3ccqXJIKOJpDog1Ndm6U5uQWl3CsZJ7ihGc2CKg/s640/IMG_7877.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or
box-hedges.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSzJdR9cj-DUiiog12TNiuKThPQFrOvyOQT6FEI41LHOePyqCaznuziH2zllGqTMglsMsUCrRTkLhJDeFIMEsQkpuSOzgSV4VgJK3UdrOWDsY27g40SQ9Tifx9UHhX82JDRzMZHvgQmJg/s1600/IMG_7884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSzJdR9cj-DUiiog12TNiuKThPQFrOvyOQT6FEI41LHOePyqCaznuziH2zllGqTMglsMsUCrRTkLhJDeFIMEsQkpuSOzgSV4VgJK3UdrOWDsY27g40SQ9Tifx9UHhX82JDRzMZHvgQmJg/s640/IMG_7884.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Or
a wall.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-aFNdGizgcynhH_9_Wv0_gdarJ5Dh94ZjwIbO1a2gc0Ep9I9XTyn-vIA8zNbiaIwJSIgMnQH4o6gXiN_3HBKOaYu8enMIz6FrRQw79ZPQ9-tbwCq_p3zf7nsiIMe1pjAdT1lx0xV18Y/s1600/IMG_7925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-aFNdGizgcynhH_9_Wv0_gdarJ5Dh94ZjwIbO1a2gc0Ep9I9XTyn-vIA8zNbiaIwJSIgMnQH4o6gXiN_3HBKOaYu8enMIz6FrRQw79ZPQ9-tbwCq_p3zf7nsiIMe1pjAdT1lx0xV18Y/s640/IMG_7925.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
was a sign of equity and luxury…a bit of land that didn’t have to be worked and
weeded…mowed down each day by chickens and turkeys, goats and rabbits, sheep
and carriage-horses.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">By
the 1600s, it became fashionable for home-owners to turn a part of th<span style="font-size: large;">eir</span> lawn
into farms of inedible perennials and decorative annuals…</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">and a new kind
of landscape started showing up on Spaceship Earth<span style="font-size: large;">...</span></span></span>the garden…and a new kind of human
appeared too…the professional landscaper.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCexVX45Tg9duNdiCpfLEJ0LNVrrldTUI5X0B6gUtSVwH4Y_CR67OB_8FMGv98ybVHofR5ao852-X_rNJssjylcXPB0x2BaUHh3Eab-DZGyw2yDjWX4-EsmBF7-WqY8WnRosHDACxPuRU/s1600/IMG_7903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCexVX45Tg9duNdiCpfLEJ0LNVrrldTUI5X0B6gUtSVwH4Y_CR67OB_8FMGv98ybVHofR5ao852-X_rNJssjylcXPB0x2BaUHh3Eab-DZGyw2yDjWX4-EsmBF7-WqY8WnRosHDACxPuRU/s640/IMG_7903.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
on Turtle Island, lawns became big in the 1800s. At this time, city comptrollers started really
digging the idea of a public waterworks system, funded by income tax, that would
be used by both the families living in row homes right on the city streets and
the other families living away from the city in big houses on open lawns.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">By then, it was too late to <span style="font-size: large;">turn back the clock.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
1856, the first official rulebook for croquet was published.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
1868, Frederick Law Olmstead was commissioned to design Riverside, a planned
community outside Chicago. In his
original plan, Olmstead decreed that all houses had to be set back 30 feet from
the street<i>.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLl62FlKagXYw75mP4w4SSNCgjT18LjgL2V5muRO-K3pKEv5kGytNY061PtNmxLepS66N4Sx5tIY59X_OnQZthrImByAq6XyZtJxpbbmv7ycwBMgcgHnlRDM_hcNhZmepBo2GYk36vr4g/s1600/IMG_7942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLl62FlKagXYw75mP4w4SSNCgjT18LjgL2V5muRO-K3pKEv5kGytNY061PtNmxLepS66N4Sx5tIY59X_OnQZthrImByAq6XyZtJxpbbmv7ycwBMgcgHnlRDM_hcNhZmepBo2GYk36vr4g/s640/IMG_7942.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
each house would also be equipped with an area reserved for a private
transportation vehicle.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZ1YYh8olhOleag_GUgUjfZ-Pn1NqpT8ixoVOaUC3qFyju4X2pGO-3XGq4ZYXuw9JhkYVfyTcsQN8P_t2MpsdFg5TlISED9UywPfrhBrJzem3ZfMGk8DSKsnOxw9q_NoQtDJ769JGlHs/s1600/IMG_7886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZ1YYh8olhOleag_GUgUjfZ-Pn1NqpT8ixoVOaUC3qFyju4X2pGO-3XGq4ZYXuw9JhkYVfyTcsQN8P_t2MpsdFg5TlISED9UywPfrhBrJzem3ZfMGk8DSKsnOxw9q_NoQtDJ769JGlHs/s400/IMG_7886.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjij7OJ0BY0S8M5nlsz3FO-BtJgEcGxjzcddGFNfJh3oH_mfc9YqW4y1ITmXXQFgmShHTATFJoOsQrvVgJNELeH3U_w2VFPouHJLrzi5M7mP9yJRtPM63nO_I2q5rd7awbP6pSFFw8SNKQ/s1600/IMG_7891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjij7OJ0BY0S8M5nlsz3FO-BtJgEcGxjzcddGFNfJh3oH_mfc9YqW4y1ITmXXQFgmShHTATFJoOsQrvVgJNELeH3U_w2VFPouHJLrzi5M7mP9yJRtPM63nO_I2q5rd7awbP6pSFFw8SNKQ/s400/IMG_7891.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
1871, the first lawn sprinkler was patented.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE JON SPRUCE
GUIDE TO PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPING</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">North
Manayunk, Mt Airy and Chestnut Hill…these are great neighborhoods for a good,
old fashioned lawn-hunt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
it got me a-thinking. What would I do
with a lawn? What wo<span style="font-size: large;">uld I <span style="font-size: large;">do with such a blank canvas?</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Which
trees would I plant? How would I
landscape?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
I had a large enough lawn, I’d want to reserve one small section for one big
tree, somewhere on the lawn, that could just grab hold of the earth and vault
up to the sky.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Behind
the fence of this one big house, there’s a silver maple that does just that.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2HNmJNA3jYLY4dMpfFZ7trQjsPil7rKs2IAHrU16516O8-yi1zoDjtBhgseSrLKxCQnntfeywWJtw-lI42ieOCGr6Qa8PKU5Lrd-tdjT9Ae_lJ2M47CBRfWjsWHyGZGQXDH7kNVQthI/s1600/IMG_7889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2HNmJNA3jYLY4dMpfFZ7trQjsPil7rKs2IAHrU16516O8-yi1zoDjtBhgseSrLKxCQnntfeywWJtw-lI42ieOCGr6Qa8PKU5Lrd-tdjT9Ae_lJ2M47CBRfWjsWHyGZGQXDH7kNVQthI/s640/IMG_7889.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But,
really, all things considered, the right tree for this kind of space would be a
beech tree. Not many trees stand alone
like a beech tree.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OppMeqF4yYY_4jtxfWIsXEBfRCQhPOmYhFsLt9gjd9_GHIMGhP9zeKLVYX_hwJzs7zAVmBOfvYSylKtelwV1xLxTW7cLDvyATPlktThpAlKiqD0jgta2x_3ifXibO61i1m8-M7xw_Hw/s1600/IMG_7940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OppMeqF4yYY_4jtxfWIsXEBfRCQhPOmYhFsLt9gjd9_GHIMGhP9zeKLVYX_hwJzs7zAVmBOfvYSylKtelwV1xLxTW7cLDvyATPlktThpAlKiqD0jgta2x_3ifXibO61i1m8-M7xw_Hw/s640/IMG_7940.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
this case, you do lose a little grass because of the shallow roots of the beech…and
I’m sure this is just murder on the lawn mower…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_T_3t9k6Rqob6HvyF8HQxMHla_NXqIak4T5RjEDonvf7s3itD-asSCGw6Z1NqsYWLPa29U84fESqbmllAOhfbxctdKziuEusyimyKEnH2tRorskeS04wVexJFrENhue5VGlfhyphenhyphenICRDo/s1600/IMG_7927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_T_3t9k6Rqob6HvyF8HQxMHla_NXqIak4T5RjEDonvf7s3itD-asSCGw6Z1NqsYWLPa29U84fESqbmllAOhfbxctdKziuEusyimyKEnH2tRorskeS04wVexJFrENhue5VGlfhyphenhyphenICRDo/s640/IMG_7927.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">...but, yeah, I’d put a beech tree
somewhere near my house.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’d
also want some smaller understory trees dotting my lawn…trees like the
serviceberry or the dogwood or maybe even a sour cherry tree.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
passed one lawn that had a saucer magnolia planted right near the fence, right
near the sidewalk...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO40_QZbIpN2AT6KscP9euQ2yQOcYnGtAvALnPihPC5OzP-wn-bN3pUvu9SSIX0w0f9mrOlzKyCgl3ri_UbSCVvmxn43HXMA8RXpJrvJNs7vz8T8zPSdaxJzDLS0sJ9PQ3FJlApZQyakY/s1600/IMG_7912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO40_QZbIpN2AT6KscP9euQ2yQOcYnGtAvALnPihPC5OzP-wn-bN3pUvu9SSIX0w0f9mrOlzKyCgl3ri_UbSCVvmxn43HXMA8RXpJrvJNs7vz8T8zPSdaxJzDLS0sJ9PQ3FJlApZQyakY/s640/IMG_7912.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and, leaping lizards, even the magnolia buds
are booming on this lawn.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaEEClsyvHAS2247aIEInCfY0FJBITkIAera5XXKow3mymk0ASQniaor6Oq99d27id_DbM0SIemViIw7Nd_7md2ofECEnUBXbChUoyGs5MwqZDB6Np3DUy_t-Ll-TsJQDuzgFf99ofZI/s1600/IMG_7737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaEEClsyvHAS2247aIEInCfY0FJBITkIAera5XXKow3mymk0ASQniaor6Oq99d27id_DbM0SIemViIw7Nd_7md2ofECEnUBXbChUoyGs5MwqZDB6Np3DUy_t-Ll-TsJQDuzgFf99ofZI/s640/IMG_7737.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
only problem with a magnolia? It’s a
spring tree, early spring too. One of
the first trees to flower for the year, one of the first trees to leaf out and
then that’s about it. It kind of stands
still for most of the year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’d
want my lawn to put on a show all year long, which is why I really appreciated the
trees growing along th<span style="font-size: large;">is</span> fenceline<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVgS3L_81dn3lMh_C0HYsQLdVFMwH68kb8CIZIn7JfIUmoVzan9EhWaEqu5yLBFLQK-qo-LzOJWmNFL4CUGXezr-QvaGgGFwEC_0u-e0fIWWgqpW-iFQZUQlzvl8rGHVK0bUWhofDqLs/s1600/IMG_7897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVgS3L_81dn3lMh_C0HYsQLdVFMwH68kb8CIZIn7JfIUmoVzan9EhWaEqu5yLBFLQK-qo-LzOJWmNFL4CUGXezr-QvaGgGFwEC_0u-e0fIWWgqpW-iFQZUQlzvl8rGHVK0bUWhofDqLs/s640/IMG_7897.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here’s
a dogwood, which is known for early spring flowers, right next to a holly tree,
which will keep color all winter long…then, right next to the holly, there is a spruce<span style="font-size: large;">...and then </span>there are
two river birches, trees that have a very rich color in the fall…the last tree is
a Japanese cypress, which has a much fluffier, much snuggier winter nature
compared to the crispy, prickly leaves of the holly just a few trees down the
fenceline.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwukxeJmtpH2mL24ZKsTIP18DWbJPGYM6lm4uw6aMtjhnL8gpsE-80C-qNbWTkNQ3zYMFgxXt2y_8X5MC7gtm_tS8IO1ML5yNr4M2IxwStLehzzCJaqiB7vSkKuQ-n8tBtilmvu2_9AEQ/s1600/IMG_7898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwukxeJmtpH2mL24ZKsTIP18DWbJPGYM6lm4uw6aMtjhnL8gpsE-80C-qNbWTkNQ3zYMFgxXt2y_8X5MC7gtm_tS8IO1ML5yNr4M2IxwStLehzzCJaqiB7vSkKuQ-n8tBtilmvu2_9AEQ/s400/IMG_7898.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbH7VBuyBG2LKjSNLxhQuoeT0jN2-DvyYQbRULUnWm4EUxf9LRl5A1niSYxfJM8wlBzDNF1_WAuNdkaTjuwxrIqIFB9d4sTYzvbc5Cjf-lJTd9Rfr6F7I_g12SSQ9U3N_YzWc9tUGcNQc/s1600/IMG_7899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbH7VBuyBG2LKjSNLxhQuoeT0jN2-DvyYQbRULUnWm4EUxf9LRl5A1niSYxfJM8wlBzDNF1_WAuNdkaTjuwxrIqIFB9d4sTYzvbc5Cjf-lJTd9Rfr6F7I_g12SSQ9U3N_YzWc9tUGcNQc/s400/IMG_7899.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJ8gBEd282eRzmk3wmx7FIYb5_eD5HM0i0eEPqzZbe3EAfc0pQwKSK2-7EtuaRMh8GTH7AD-mPb6hfM1Qmon7iqiNXyHrA0XplJ9SYtKj3ktKQGNPam7-MUU9yFUi_i_3UtcTGWUkakk/s1600/IMG_7900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJ8gBEd282eRzmk3wmx7FIYb5_eD5HM0i0eEPqzZbe3EAfc0pQwKSK2-7EtuaRMh8GTH7AD-mPb6hfM1Qmon7iqiNXyHrA0XplJ9SYtKj3ktKQGNPam7-MUU9yFUi_i_3UtcTGWUkakk/s400/IMG_7900.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now
that’s a line-up that would keep me watching all year long.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
I guess all this daydreaming about my future lawn doesn’t mean much without a
house in mind. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The trees selected for a
lawn should depend on the house itself…its shape, its colors, its size.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s
why I particularly liked this house-scape…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoui3bhV3qEIO6PBPGYVk17LMBXKbwhQMaDVDRawhxN58Vepa5jGUaPyZlKayEFsNosNhGD5MVwzfvf5r8f4dXMplwoqUz-iAYtt-1_pnp5_VMFvVlVYv9Y1GQwqCvSMCFQQ2oOdjzhbY/s1600/IMG_7880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoui3bhV3qEIO6PBPGYVk17LMBXKbwhQMaDVDRawhxN58Vepa5jGUaPyZlKayEFsNosNhGD5MVwzfvf5r8f4dXMplwoqUz-iAYtt-1_pnp5_VMFvVlVYv9Y1GQwqCvSMCFQQ2oOdjzhbY/s640/IMG_7880.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and
the way the cone shape of the holly tree is mirrored in the steeple shapes of
the roofs. A good tree trimming would
bring it out even more.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
then there was this view from the wrong side of the fence…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5lJA91UK2w6PnQV0Zly_pLoT2upzWXofBB8JkiH83KbM_77arFQcjcBjJjAhdpgEYxGZjiCzeZxG0eqaRifZibyRSXfjd_qDVdRPEvwv0lL09KqiTYMnoy_3BaufL_F6lPwpJaj6laM/s1600/IMG_7917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5lJA91UK2w6PnQV0Zly_pLoT2upzWXofBB8JkiH83KbM_77arFQcjcBjJjAhdpgEYxGZjiCzeZxG0eqaRifZibyRSXfjd_qDVdRPEvwv0lL09KqiTYMnoy_3BaufL_F6lPwpJaj6laM/s640/IMG_7917.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…just
love the yin an<span style="font-size: large;">d yan<span style="font-size: large;">g of that thick, wide stone<span style="font-size: large;"> of <span style="font-size: large;">a house <span style="font-size: large;">and those thin, wir<span style="font-size: large;">y<span style="font-size: large;"> river birch <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">trunks<span style="font-size: large;">...just love the balance between a<span style="font-size: large;">ll those grays and silvers.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
then I was just thrilled to see this very thoughtful bit of landscape…a blue
spruce that perfectly matches that blue trim.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CtQvrVSdLZnxaK0g_72kZ7X1PCk3d_6B_eaU3bvnF7-50JruNX5GheQgw7BqaOhtz3Kq21t2Gh3U_W-UFV8x-bWep2mLbDgKR6xsVqTfmQt3DUzGiwKJE6zCTUcI9uorlGo1g_vujD8/s1600/IMG_7944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CtQvrVSdLZnxaK0g_72kZ7X1PCk3d_6B_eaU3bvnF7-50JruNX5GheQgw7BqaOhtz3Kq21t2Gh3U_W-UFV8x-bWep2mLbDgKR6xsVqTfmQt3DUzGiwKJE6zCTUcI9uorlGo1g_vujD8/s640/IMG_7944.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
yes, somewhere on my future lawn, there will be a spot for spruce tree.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE JON SPRUCE
HOMESTEAD</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The spruce tree can fit anywhere on a lawn.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
especially like the way a spruce tree guards a driveway…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje543JLv3XR03zaQ32xrCjoMbSttdzPR_nHSKBKryE_xKnHGvKTu9DLWj1PEMADzCh-9j9X1223zJyUb1MaFSyWNakTm5vbSqBVv70ORUXMLw2qgx6aJShVlwimzYdNMayNmU6RunEjCs/s1600/IMG_7681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje543JLv3XR03zaQ32xrCjoMbSttdzPR_nHSKBKryE_xKnHGvKTu9DLWj1PEMADzCh-9j9X1223zJyUb1MaFSyWNakTm5vbSqBVv70ORUXMLw2qgx6aJShVlwimzYdNMayNmU6RunEjCs/s400/IMG_7681.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…I
think that’s a terrific way to come home.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">If
I had a corner house, I’d plant a spruce tree right on the edge of the lawn…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX-p0ZsT7wsZ-0Ph3hQkkWJN1pyi-UsBZnpanYg0hnbOKVQcCtGlnMv-JdUodj6PTC09P_J2xJAB0kKzD86-4Y6QjPOwjmXvp6zimD7QH8cPhH_OYrVftgGBd1I47BkKTZE9Y62cOLCY/s1600/IMG_7503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX-p0ZsT7wsZ-0Ph3hQkkWJN1pyi-UsBZnpanYg0hnbOKVQcCtGlnMv-JdUodj6PTC09P_J2xJAB0kKzD86-4Y6QjPOwjmXvp6zimD7QH8cPhH_OYrVftgGBd1I47BkKTZE9Y62cOLCY/s640/IMG_7503.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that
straight, vertical spruce spire makes a perfect counter-point to any bend in
the road.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPUov2Gg_bMnH7hQFDRxY-ZJoKSQ5gjcZL_N0K-Ueg0q9cwaRChJj70Vre0T9CHn5eKm19G5TCcKl5CsaFwvwfLezs0F15X3pHjrHVzKR6Or6Vrn3vIDBqCwXWFk60OX5dOv29GNYBW0/s1600/IMG_7498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPUov2Gg_bMnH7hQFDRxY-ZJoKSQ5gjcZL_N0K-Ueg0q9cwaRChJj70Vre0T9CHn5eKm19G5TCcKl5CsaFwvwfLezs0F15X3pHjrHVzKR6Or6Vrn3vIDBqCwXWFk60OX5dOv29GNYBW0/s400/IMG_7498.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s
also a great tree to plant in between houses…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_p0fYzEwjKaD9F_cL44-WJLK6h1Jeqw3WrKfbEAOMoURIMVe7AJDV3BofL70CL1hW2QdHDvomqbYnhUOFaPYqw0morqszECPDvdHJBNNj-9uLh9Y_RqpUrn6xZaPpizWdd4tfdO-sOQ/s1600/IMG_7508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_p0fYzEwjKaD9F_cL44-WJLK6h1Jeqw3WrKfbEAOMoURIMVe7AJDV3BofL70CL1hW2QdHDvomqbYnhUOFaPYqw0morqszECPDvdHJBNNj-9uLh9Y_RqpUrn6xZaPpizWdd4tfdO-sOQ/s400/IMG_7508.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1KJsVtpe7ReE6OfU9FvVVH1z-cpKo4LOrykqa6djF_oYJKl93ArQoy7yLFhxNQqO8S3deldVR7ycycnTJM23CeX2MF9eomYSIUc9KpyhqPZcM57fCcQydCr825wu8C8Kn4yHsYgBJ-E/s1600/IMG_7506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm1KJsVtpe7ReE6OfU9FvVVH1z-cpKo4LOrykqa6djF_oYJKl93ArQoy7yLFhxNQqO8S3deldVR7ycycnTJM23CeX2MF9eomYSIUc9KpyhqPZcM57fCcQydCr825wu8C8Kn4yHsYgBJ-E/s400/IMG_7506.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…it
creates a natural commons, a shady place to meet the neighbors and to…I don’t
know what neighbors do…compare sedans, swap sugar, brag about lawnmower specs?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
yet, the spruce can also be used for the exact opposite of purposes…to hide
away from the neighbors…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe0VEB63RwL0eZs4UEMa-Mi6PuEoUMEVYGk0nVWBlmGugP4jguRvdfnUCaMQ2XKgJTvvQDpyNf-jknqTxHrnERqCAPmV_x0KM2nPqRKMBuLq5h6zgmY3J6NNhAm8MRGhZf91PnpYlyYU/s1600/IMG_7717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe0VEB63RwL0eZs4UEMa-Mi6PuEoUMEVYGk0nVWBlmGugP4jguRvdfnUCaMQ2XKgJTvvQDpyNf-jknqTxHrnERqCAPmV_x0KM2nPqRKMBuLq5h6zgmY3J6NNhAm8MRGhZf91PnpYlyYU/s640/IMG_7717.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…a
properly planted spruce can be the perfect tree to block the rest of the world
from view.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Walking
through that neighborhood hunting for lawns and gazing at homes, I was getting
more and more drawn to the kinds of homes hidden by the trees.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Usually
a spruce or two was involved.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yZ3PtyFmViNyWjTVsg78LKRx3T8i7PiXzTwtBKrG0G3_yqtj9Mew3Ikv9Q7V0nwO57Gb2Q3ITwve2cg-fyNskiu65LMtqmHGKmOPFve8CDXGDupi3v9s3MyUne51npsAsdllCKNY8fU/s1600/IMG_7706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yZ3PtyFmViNyWjTVsg78LKRx3T8i7PiXzTwtBKrG0G3_yqtj9Mew3Ikv9Q7V0nwO57Gb2Q3ITwve2cg-fyNskiu65LMtqmHGKmOPFve8CDXGDupi3v9s3MyUne51npsAsdllCKNY8fU/s640/IMG_7706.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Homes
that nobody sees.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEoAEDFoNpwuOUdeNq99bEYHOGlTm4vdF7VCdF-FY4GycfWlcXd8znhjswSunyAG96Ih5oU-U1IFJ5laRGuJexxZVMFv73LTPkHXAYqARW1rqGm7EJAGibmDW442i-8ahyDSsBj5LNxY/s1600/IMG_7710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEoAEDFoNpwuOUdeNq99bEYHOGlTm4vdF7VCdF-FY4GycfWlcXd8znhjswSunyAG96Ih5oU-U1IFJ5laRGuJexxZVMFv73LTPkHXAYqARW1rqGm7EJAGibmDW442i-8ahyDSsBj5LNxY/s640/IMG_7710.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe
I still had moss on my mind. Maybe I was
still freeing myself from the comfort of the snuggie. Maybe it was because I was walking around a
neighborhood full of houses, full of families and joggers and dog-walkers,
snapping photos up and down the residential grid and, yet, no one was paying
attention to me.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A
stranger that nobody sees.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
after a while, it was like stepping through the looking glass. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
seemed, more and more, that it was the houses that were planted, not the
trees…</span></span></div>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4_OpCSTDQFYUl3_BTs1yRLBpPGj49mrGoZxN20cZk7RtrpDUYZ9r3tM_8d-P16ilVbVlQYlFwMqUsHskDLQiPTbkF45pFTIrfZObkLpzN-VTviqgnDel0-mhsWnKMIzkIxk5ZZBc1WQ/s1600/IMG_7536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4_OpCSTDQFYUl3_BTs1yRLBpPGj49mrGoZxN20cZk7RtrpDUYZ9r3tM_8d-P16ilVbVlQYlFwMqUsHskDLQiPTbkF45pFTIrfZObkLpzN-VTviqgnDel0-mhsWnKMIzkIxk5ZZBc1WQ/s400/IMG_7536.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDo_kqNLQT3_cxTejtrxntpuAkZPjcjMAxzFEXxT4GcZFGj8iIfqmCcczjORont9DG1IUOfLgxDtW0wFZP_3Ts7ET562ti2ogNPmpuHw7YEgX7d8njMJ1pXLtS43QkAq7eQlhPyeyvbRI/s1600/IMG_7530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDo_kqNLQT3_cxTejtrxntpuAkZPjcjMAxzFEXxT4GcZFGj8iIfqmCcczjORont9DG1IUOfLgxDtW0wFZP_3Ts7ET562ti2ogNPmpuHw7YEgX7d8njMJ1pXLtS43QkAq7eQlhPyeyvbRI/s400/IMG_7530.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…that,
in this frontier suburb of Center City, hard-working pioneer families settled
down out here, staking claims in this boreal forest, building homes right up against their favorite spruce.</span></span>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzeWybel-xx1yCq4KKi02nOyTP7JMvho1BcJvhGpsHEzCn4nbtxLg1hd9dgvz1q6FHzM9cfIPO1i6txhbumG4YX3-hp1EUaVrt1vFB55oPhk0NsjfRDOZPI075srmTLYYNRYw5_sbBZs/s1600/IMG_7527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzeWybel-xx1yCq4KKi02nOyTP7JMvho1BcJvhGpsHEzCn4nbtxLg1hd9dgvz1q6FHzM9cfIPO1i6txhbumG4YX3-hp1EUaVrt1vFB55oPhk0NsjfRDOZPI075srmTLYYNRYw5_sbBZs/s400/IMG_7527.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIl3cPOPwFLakLCUfTXqMflhWqDOGdc-jh_L_knlH9RBXK5mEwloaPSRjOo2R5RS92MKG5i88-IAs3DgjFoIHhIBIIgI89qjsjfN7uGeGInOo3q1I31xCDPgtBb-psVK4AIflO-IAxNk/s1600/IMG_7519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIl3cPOPwFLakLCUfTXqMflhWqDOGdc-jh_L_knlH9RBXK5mEwloaPSRjOo2R5RS92MKG5i88-IAs3DgjFoIHhIBIIgI89qjsjfN7uGeGInOo3q1I31xCDPgtBb-psVK4AIflO-IAxNk/s400/IMG_7519.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
felt like that fish…plucked from his home and able to see, just for a brief
moment, the other side of the thin surface of his small world.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
natural order of the lawn-scape had flipped.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was just another prospector looking for the right plot of trees to lay down
some foundation.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yeah. Settle down myself? I don’t think that will happen until I can
see past all those trees.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXnHu2_rybVB3vfDFH0Cp2rabyMOwEefK3v-tFcblh2pUX-Qtsji2vXsZpksUIp85uSnd7Wb_Z34i6uO8t1p92o9tIhwJskJ7O0qX4SGXg-xSh1VN9RzGLBxy-YwF_yryvfd8QxtLl2I/s1600/IMG_7726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXnHu2_rybVB3vfDFH0Cp2rabyMOwEefK3v-tFcblh2pUX-Qtsji2vXsZpksUIp85uSnd7Wb_Z34i6uO8t1p92o9tIhwJskJ7O0qX4SGXg-xSh1VN9RzGLBxy-YwF_yryvfd8QxtLl2I/s640/IMG_7726.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>THE SEASON OF
THE HOME</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But,
like the seasons, that homeless feeling wouldn’t last long.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was already running late.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
drove out of the lawn-scapes of these neighborhoods and weaved my way to the
big highway, through Center City and towards Fishtown.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My
buddy Dave had invited me over.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He
said he had a big pot of gravy going…and a fridge full of beer.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Over
there in Davetown, compared to the neighborhood I had just left, there is a
stark difference to the kinds of houses and front yards that can be found…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xTEhsnA4WpYBMEkdD1ZWaFzQ3aGtqTFNvLbqo8WdJVn4OeOUm7N2RdDyKLm8fOlzEcnZqdFfJl0g2wShQD8D2vgr3NMmYLZCcO7jNihpD75JeqKD2NuRin8h9i1uZS1wYzkhS5OSSY0/s1600/IMG_7767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xTEhsnA4WpYBMEkdD1ZWaFzQ3aGtqTFNvLbqo8WdJVn4OeOUm7N2RdDyKLm8fOlzEcnZqdFfJl0g2wShQD8D2vgr3NMmYLZCcO7jNihpD75JeqKD2NuRin8h9i1uZS1wYzkhS5OSSY0/s640/IMG_7767.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…houses
with no lawns at all…doors that open right out on the sidewalks…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SZQUCs87z3JH7YNBkCYvgYaSt6fEJeLwDY6X8n_WYYVl9eImrlqizHvXGgsFi2uMhRhBmXzw3ySppgHxMGRzjfnAhaNabTql2R64bZN5_8xR9RKda7ZkC5Is9ORBgOELSBmG5HCe7Cc/s1600/IMG_7768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SZQUCs87z3JH7YNBkCYvgYaSt6fEJeLwDY6X8n_WYYVl9eImrlqizHvXGgsFi2uMhRhBmXzw3ySppgHxMGRzjfnAhaNabTql2R64bZN5_8xR9RKda7ZkC5Is9ORBgOELSBmG5HCe7Cc/s400/IMG_7768.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonO6XV4ATp86PN7fG6yIgiGLUa3Wt075leDuMxa1N6PE3gHmbwx3gx2C88XSGy3aSjPwq5m3LPdtxb3fnONe2WzomJRQkmk84PdF2N4W0JxLsu5k8OOV28rzXgXBpD5_4M-_IRnp4pKE/s1600/IMG_7778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonO6XV4ATp86PN7fG6yIgiGLUa3Wt075leDuMxa1N6PE3gHmbwx3gx2C88XSGy3aSjPwq5m3LPdtxb3fnONe2WzomJRQkmk84PdF2N4W0JxLsu5k8OOV28rzXgXBpD5_4M-_IRnp4pKE/s400/IMG_7778.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…not a driveway in sight…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFjP4VuoKXQo1azuJ9wdL0m7y1O79GOJArmJO56jv30uVPI9oEUsIm4UE0vn9XZI5XBfFAH0PHC1SVQ025YAFkOK-E_2ytuJjI5SB3qFeiIzoah4c35T7nKgtYXatDXI0DRQ8wllKtMo/s1600/IMG_7774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFjP4VuoKXQo1azuJ9wdL0m7y1O79GOJArmJO56jv30uVPI9oEUsIm4UE0vn9XZI5XBfFAH0PHC1SVQ025YAFkOK-E_2ytuJjI5SB3qFeiIzoah4c35T7nKgtYXatDXI0DRQ8wllKtMo/s640/IMG_7774.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…no
set back rules here.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjl9ZpozU-8gz0hihXYWgjLSHF-nz4Vlc2XxIsSSQq38yGeZkC4ZeYkTxS8NOAVx6Hj0YLMOsA-INVkEMEJzuf-XP8b8pcWYxKBBQVrVICT6sKVlW0Z9Aw-4UH3H6a_9U8wn7zMhTfuo/s1600/IMG_7772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjl9ZpozU-8gz0hihXYWgjLSHF-nz4Vlc2XxIsSSQq38yGeZkC4ZeYkTxS8NOAVx6Hj0YLMOsA-INVkEMEJzuf-XP8b8pcWYxKBBQVrVICT6sKVlW0Z9Aw-4UH3H6a_9U8wn7zMhTfuo/s640/IMG_7772.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Actually,
you can see by the s<span style="font-size: large;">hadows, </span>every once in a while, there are a few homes with a little bit of lawn…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPStRd1iG_sZrIUlj8umHUyoNbvA4-5Wyltv_3sdP5UUiHu3q_SL6hm3PLfJfXGhyphenhyphen6-TO9N8lw3JvmCO_yCKw_TQX5RontTFK5hdwXy4uiHtOf9L4XT8ZV1HBKOHGT5HyT8EU34xgWy0/s1600/IMG_7773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPStRd1iG_sZrIUlj8umHUyoNbvA4-5Wyltv_3sdP5UUiHu3q_SL6hm3PLfJfXGhyphenhyphen6-TO9N8lw3JvmCO_yCKw_TQX5RontTFK5hdwXy4uiHtOf9L4XT8ZV1HBKOHGT5HyT8EU34xgWy0/s640/IMG_7773.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…and,
wouldn’t you know, there’s usually a spruce right near the door.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
rich man, the poor man, the just-getting-by man…they’ve all settled down on the
other side of the spruce.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
I guess the question still remains: <i>Hey,
Jon Spruce, when you gonna settle down?</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
right now.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Unless
you count Dave’s couch.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No
worries. This won’t be like before. I won’t get stuck this time.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
time? I was going to catch up with a good friend, drink his beer and eat lots of gravy, try to make his pregnant
wife laugh at our shenanigans, take his dog out for a walk, and basically waste
the rest of the beautiful afterno<span style="font-size: large;">on</span> enjoying the daylights out of exciting
championship football.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeVP9hx7BC0N4d0CG0L2EnejM5yzcNFrOC6QMJEuYAXrF25HniZbTL5AZLBa_WnTFhI7wrmIMk0tzRZswqASfvWImCXvvhKe1DnFtgHLBlMLLAGd5liBg4NsiMX73z7xmNZ4fOvZFpio/s1600/IMG_7780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeeVP9hx7BC0N4d0CG0L2EnejM5yzcNFrOC6QMJEuYAXrF25HniZbTL5AZLBa_WnTFhI7wrmIMk0tzRZswqASfvWImCXvvhKe1DnFtgHLBlMLLAGd5liBg4NsiMX73z7xmNZ4fOvZFpio/s640/IMG_7780.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Settled
down?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not
quite…but close enough for now.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00242699976478278327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2383651215606335657.post-21677525605139287262013-01-23T16:21:00.000-08:002013-01-23T17:17:22.274-08:00THE SEASON OF THE MOSS<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Walking up and down the rows of Gina's far<span style="font-size: large;">m, </span></span>I saw baby turnips left to winter in
the fields.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…mustard
greens, paused in full flourish, and garlic shoots bending in the bitter
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the woods, under the thick layer of rusty leaves, I found cracked hickory nuts
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
found acorns caps and peeling river birch bark.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XlW9w4ZoBo65wES79eLXLo9Tbb3BcQnoMOyhYq3MrWiGAYpPH7vLVNCZ5KcbRl7liAO-ahZXB0zxX01s8965zT6sb3OrpG7IfDZ-oFR0f2d5oOLo5aqWkDQd7XwKJDVIsKAHUZyjRC8/s1600/IMG_7254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XlW9w4ZoBo65wES79eLXLo9Tbb3BcQnoMOyhYq3MrWiGAYpPH7vLVNCZ5KcbRl7liAO-ahZXB0zxX01s8965zT6sb3OrpG7IfDZ-oFR0f2d5oOLo5aqWkDQd7XwKJDVIsKAHUZyjRC8/s400/IMG_7254.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Walking
down the trail, the greeny underbrush was gone…just gone…and my eyes kept
catching the quartz, glowing through the thick gloom, splitting through the
damp dirt…</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhlV1u3g3xIQpIwA1gHooBmiLqry5mQ4hHkfsfoYarn7-z0Xhhc3IuxqiGOhHhlS1UCbDFRrWBNyUoC0KeeaWt7tSqhfJtFbZn86HxuFfJ28NL_6WtIagQURkcUNUBzQGiiYzTS2_9Es/s1600/IMG_7293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhlV1u3g3xIQpIwA1gHooBmiLqry5mQ4hHkfsfoYarn7-z0Xhhc3IuxqiGOhHhlS1UCbDFRrWBNyUoC0KeeaWt7tSqhfJtFbZn86HxuFfJ28NL_6WtIagQURkcUNUBzQGiiYzTS2_9Es/s400/IMG_7293.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…its
snow-colored facets bright as a moonscape.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXGdhFQ8ib8pLNfXJMEtgHay3SZLGVxT1FruQFh3Lr6Nz4XemurEj2i_msOPp1mxKY-HtUUbW9Lhlgqw079ypqcNXq7TfnBpRM7M3ndfsoz0fj7yZPBfKz5EiTnwNmvYlHZ65ipzdrZ0/s1600/IMG_7297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBXGdhFQ8ib8pLNfXJMEtgHay3SZLGVxT1FruQFh3Lr6Nz4XemurEj2i_msOPp1mxKY-HtUUbW9Lhlgqw079ypqcNXq7TfnBpRM7M3ndfsoz0fj7yZPBfKz5EiTnwNmvYlHZ65ipzdrZ0/s640/IMG_7297.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These are the totems of winter. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Season
of the home, season of the hearth? That’s
what I was running away from.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
almost done me in…the interior of my urban cabin felt more and more like a
trap.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was lucky to escape. A shutter no more, I
was out the house, out the gate, out in the January wilds.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I’d
left the house just after sunrise and drove north through the misty dawn…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…watching
the spruce trees tower over the scattered homes, breaching through the hanging
fog.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7afbs3T66UfsclQxUo3oMQ9Wb1l4OPfoBxchZ4WuJ_GYJLrTgJyNl3Mf2UrTMis9glB7Bjjwxr4EnObcauotGaLbUODsFEDTESA2-c8G_-HRc67H1MnPXPf0ahWj9ZdYdqYEVGQOBh8/s1600/IMG_7156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7afbs3T66UfsclQxUo3oMQ9Wb1l4OPfoBxchZ4WuJ_GYJLrTgJyNl3Mf2UrTMis9glB7Bjjwxr4EnObcauotGaLbUODsFEDTESA2-c8G_-HRc67H1MnPXPf0ahWj9ZdYdqYEVGQOBh8/s640/IMG_7156.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
parked my car next to the fence-row of hawthorns.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
woods and this trail were very familiar to me but I’d never seen them like this
before. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Where
was I?</span></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Gina's farm and the woods that lay beyon<span style="font-size: large;">d<span style="font-size: large;"> but </span></span>I
could barely recognize the scene.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here
is the path in the very heart of August…all green, all leafed out…bursting with
high ferns and long grass and wild grape…groves of flowering walkingstick trees
spilling over the trail.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4T1ML8Hli4q6dhh4RIXByfz0JTQXFWFmyuiOylusGT1lR5pcB1wIu40-SsAMYYCWPQgfW9entDZ111iTB5UmOs6Wu18Rt19VMgQEKXSxRBb8VEMYZmDGpS9bybCtSVjRZT_-veNHGljY/s1600/IMG_2754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4T1ML8Hli4q6dhh4RIXByfz0JTQXFWFmyuiOylusGT1lR5pcB1wIu40-SsAMYYCWPQgfW9entDZ111iTB5UmOs6Wu18Rt19VMgQEKXSxRBb8VEMYZmDGpS9bybCtSVjRZT_-veNHGljY/s640/IMG_2754.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
is the same place now.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaHX55FPcjMjvDGwHSe_Qma1xQ6vBrKfQIM0rhiY6L-LzxOP-XH7KTM1RBTfh3wh1Z2Kqz2MOuBp5xqzDMCK8usnVlzdO6YWnMQ3LKBEa9udxA_Qyt1Y4z4fdyxfHhje0LQ3ITd9eLzg/s1600/IMG_7190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaHX55FPcjMjvDGwHSe_Qma1xQ6vBrKfQIM0rhiY6L-LzxOP-XH7KTM1RBTfh3wh1Z2Kqz2MOuBp5xqzDMCK8usnVlzdO6YWnMQ3LKBEa9udxA_Qyt1Y4z4fdyxfHhje0LQ3ITd9eLzg/s640/IMG_7190.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Out
here in the January wilds, there isn’t much green left and, yet, that’s exactly
what I was here to find.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was on a hunt that would take me far away from my cozy home and light-years
away from the world I know.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was trying to catch one of nature’s most persistent greens, one of the most ancient
totems of the wintering world.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuCng-i0TMDDyD7GGZJhwylBTjnm4-LuwOi_vARdy_wZ4Xh3NADDn7Syv_D_yBHmYWFkthnXNmmQiG6y4pyzQ_Ye_9ZJsN3qreaAwOy6da4smil4UKTY97gHrpBlMHKPCB7gcbbw5LI4/s1600/IMG_7264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuCng-i0TMDDyD7GGZJhwylBTjnm4-LuwOi_vARdy_wZ4Xh3NADDn7Syv_D_yBHmYWFkthnXNmmQiG6y4pyzQ_Ye_9ZJsN3qreaAwOy6da4smil4UKTY97gHrpBlMHKPCB7gcbbw5LI4/s640/IMG_7264.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was hunting moss.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>YE OLDE MOSS</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
moss is considered part of the phylum of soft plants, characterized by their
lack of wood and their lack of roots.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
grows in soft mats, in shady and damp environments, usually close to a water
source.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsuXYXP_sokpFGgSwhhXsrUy4E-_6D8ePlkbwxxFBm8VtKvM2A8nTpA-QRDXv10wDGxSMAcltFt0WjfBT0FFNiGc6niQZvFYYRygFZpLAuQ2HqpOJSLP9W0qidM4iPSXMGaIVPWQ-Xcuo/s1600/IMG_7214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsuXYXP_sokpFGgSwhhXsrUy4E-_6D8ePlkbwxxFBm8VtKvM2A8nTpA-QRDXv10wDGxSMAcltFt0WjfBT0FFNiGc6niQZvFYYRygFZpLAuQ2HqpOJSLP9W0qidM4iPSXMGaIVPWQ-Xcuo/s400/IMG_7214.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeBliQc9tm4yVYTdiOc4xSUxzYWtFu3r_m-vfDPVAxXN0HO0VW7FQFY3kCnCxdhvvsaFyP1rOdsipQR2SApSORP3VHFFiLyNNk70r05vpgLogUv02GZPHq1NAVMlaextXshq6ejKT5TA/s1600/IMG_7210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeBliQc9tm4yVYTdiOc4xSUxzYWtFu3r_m-vfDPVAxXN0HO0VW7FQFY3kCnCxdhvvsaFyP1rOdsipQR2SApSORP3VHFFiLyNNk70r05vpgLogUv02GZPHq1NAVMlaextXshq6ejKT5TA/s400/IMG_7210.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Instead
of roots, the moss stabilizes itself in place with the use of creeping tissue,
smaller than thread, called rhizoids.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIK1NPSoh1V_Rrr3YydI9EUSIKZRW-LmuQecUPBcHfFHDg0yVQaUn7qpIM_xAQNy3Ol1_pV6THCT2d5Y0N9pjefv1-4bnp-eGaUmfi_om180ZTRqrVXT3zpLuLSa2rSAaNNODecn43E4/s1600/IMG_7652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIK1NPSoh1V_Rrr3YydI9EUSIKZRW-LmuQecUPBcHfFHDg0yVQaUn7qpIM_xAQNy3Ol1_pV6THCT2d5Y0N9pjefv1-4bnp-eGaUmfi_om180ZTRqrVXT3zpLuLSa2rSAaNNODecn43E4/s400/IMG_7652.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYI8zNiUASVg22ZMOu5MHnP2ZRX49F5tVan6_jSJVCwOsGs2xuIhXiPH4TXjt-YffDi5flpNLlBll6pj7qJALcJDxJ5Op2NQ2NLYE3pnV-esQofBmfBCmANlSSP-JNjXRMwCtMRdmThJA/s1600/IMG_7651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYI8zNiUASVg22ZMOu5MHnP2ZRX49F5tVan6_jSJVCwOsGs2xuIhXiPH4TXjt-YffDi5flpNLlBll6pj7qJALcJDxJ5Op2NQ2NLYE3pnV-esQofBmfBCmANlSSP-JNjXRMwCtMRdmThJA/s400/IMG_7651.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
doesn’t bear a fruit and it doesn’t need a seed. Instead, very thin filaments grow from their
soft carpets and open up at the top to release its reproductive spores.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15DUn6z_GU1Biy4HJm1RiFrPP6eteqm3G6EuC8vbgEZRlWdJw8_jMX5xpisGN5w04BrubukIIZZwdbXvBm32vbRQ2fc7ylbTYy_koxSmrLqp3xfw9MkP07WWsTR-0CHyHamDNuDx4hpc/s1600/IMG_7666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15DUn6z_GU1Biy4HJm1RiFrPP6eteqm3G6EuC8vbgEZRlWdJw8_jMX5xpisGN5w04BrubukIIZZwdbXvBm32vbRQ2fc7ylbTYy_koxSmrLqp3xfw9MkP07WWsTR-0CHyHamDNuDx4hpc/s640/IMG_7666.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here,
it’s easier to see them this way.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ElH67KUERibLrK3K_bvJJBw0JexrO1IXioHhpcjWfWR7SiNqzXTriVWOQ3fvkVWOkwCw9FNONApeEO8Yn6TbGjSP04F0uREcnKW_AypiJj9xRpPTS-znHVTm5bRVwrsqii7o2LoLtuU/s1600/IMG_7670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ElH67KUERibLrK3K_bvJJBw0JexrO1IXioHhpcjWfWR7SiNqzXTriVWOQ3fvkVWOkwCw9FNONApeEO8Yn6TbGjSP04F0uREcnKW_AypiJj9xRpPTS-znHVTm5bRVwrsqii7o2LoLtuU/s640/IMG_7670.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">These
distinct traits are important to note.
These characteristics, put in their proper context, help place the moss
way, way back in the long, long history of this Spaceship Earth.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hunting
moss turns any citybilly into a paleo-botanist.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
soft plant pre-dates just about everything that surrounds it…older than ginkgo,
older than Turtle Island, older than the very first tree, quite possibly older
than the dirt itself.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the history of Spaceship Earth…well, you know what? The moss pre-dates the very notion of <i>history</i>.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Pre-history</i>, then?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Perhaps
the better question would be: <i>what’s
history</i>?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Because
the moss comes from an Earth that would be completely unrecognizable to you and me, completely alien even to the trees themselves.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvY38XKizRV60ToDFqd6uTyF6AvWAiuHCT7vnPIpLGYtshyphenhyphenNXTAQVhl95msB_8uf4AWKCFzt3IDq1lICvKwlSF0OXsjfBm7ko24KqhdvZ5jh_1PEFAnjS8Ir61EQGLGDvtie9kDlh0_s/s1600/devonian_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvY38XKizRV60ToDFqd6uTyF6AvWAiuHCT7vnPIpLGYtshyphenhyphenNXTAQVhl95msB_8uf4AWKCFzt3IDq1lICvKwlSF0OXsjfBm7ko24KqhdvZ5jh_1PEFAnjS8Ir61EQGLGDvtie9kDlh0_s/s640/devonian_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
was the early Devonian Period. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
was about 470 million years ago. Maybe
only 420 million years ago.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
measurement of time that we call a year has very little significance when
you’re counting back to the Devonian.</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
was over a hundred million years before the first dinosaur. There were no flying creatures, no reptiles,
no amphibians, certainly no marsupials, definitely no mammals, barely any
scorpions and hardly any insects except for the trilobite.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And,
yet, it was an Earth bursting with life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
was the Age of Fish.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOEy853WhTOM2LjGpGFPfqWF_5SRVvhum2Hm8hTEQ7QxcWBeeUIZ3DwBhV5FuO9__9YiUXcwY6g4R5QnhMW7EJznGjXIVpc8F5hYuAlGkY3FfxfdGIQz8QnH8KuR-Nip4PSTEcET5pLQ/s1600/pra248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOEy853WhTOM2LjGpGFPfqWF_5SRVvhum2Hm8hTEQ7QxcWBeeUIZ3DwBhV5FuO9__9YiUXcwY6g4R5QnhMW7EJznGjXIVpc8F5hYuAlGkY3FfxfdGIQz8QnH8KuR-Nip4PSTEcET5pLQ/s640/pra248.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Back
then, there was only one home. For both
fish and plants, there was only one house…the watery hearth of the global sea.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGTyLrGgwx5d93zZnUOMSUEgM8d90ATCSAlN-3rBkOUbUCFXQCrUMz1LAFPf_Zk3-DZDAHJ2pk4LGpHGkBYXYgCTZM7Sds8Jw8XZ3nHm8boeBshinsuYrTnGGKbHrJCxt30fQO69CkVQ/s1600/L9_Devonian_Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGTyLrGgwx5d93zZnUOMSUEgM8d90ATCSAlN-3rBkOUbUCFXQCrUMz1LAFPf_Zk3-DZDAHJ2pk4LGpHGkBYXYgCTZM7Sds8Jw8XZ3nHm8boeBshinsuYrTnGGKbHrJCxt30fQO69CkVQ/s640/L9_Devonian_Life.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now,
since I am two-footed, air-breathing land-lubber of a mammal, it’s hard to
imagine the world of the first moss.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Even
if I could imagine this kind of scene, even if I can picture this water-scape
in my mind’s eye, it is almost impossible to think of the Devonian world
happening on the same planet as this modern one.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
it’s unfathomable that there are things still out there that belong to both of
those worlds.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZ8_vDXUkWUW2jm9iKJyue58yeATdSC20YDogyQfbV-x1CphqtrFd6JRZlDPvHhfUx2tPNpRNt-isPLDnGkPFAsKBRlGCKjIBIaexPoPY9AODvoa6j_xWuEC0J2dNppOgxLJnmJntc8s/s1600/IMG_7631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZ8_vDXUkWUW2jm9iKJyue58yeATdSC20YDogyQfbV-x1CphqtrFd6JRZlDPvHhfUx2tPNpRNt-isPLDnGkPFAsKBRlGCKjIBIaexPoPY9AODvoa6j_xWuEC0J2dNppOgxLJnmJntc8s/s400/IMG_7631.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMMbQDXSdYu3s8R_iOK8iG_446Y6U08Vrq6DB_GNZwMEawOmQ82YkRPa_eUPIShqXpAobWzgm8wJYWGFN2zgh-ijPHMULx6e0KZcj6OFBvz01KX0sxYWBr-PsFByr11ZnpsdzyckkXVc/s1600/IMG_7632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMMbQDXSdYu3s8R_iOK8iG_446Y6U08Vrq6DB_GNZwMEawOmQ82YkRPa_eUPIShqXpAobWzgm8wJYWGFN2zgh-ijPHMULx6e0KZcj6OFBvz01KX0sxYWBr-PsFByr11ZnpsdzyckkXVc/s400/IMG_7632.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
that’s moss for you.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
reminds me of the old Native American Zen story, the one where a fish bumps
into his friend, another fish. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That
fish tells his friend an amazing story…how he saw something floating on the
surface of the water…some morsel of food.
As he swam towards the food, a giant hand grabbed him and pulled him
through to the other side of the water. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7VDt0pRKc83ywS-6Rp1LRyoKBzCwO4wFkfxDsa7vt_CWzPYqQfmvKJ8_oV8dKrP0R_ZY1t3i-r8_NiV4SIJeg6AhOd4DcTu1priHp2xG7MSsPnWQipRapafe-16KTUwFEHIIG792lFc/s1600/IMG_7201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7VDt0pRKc83ywS-6Rp1LRyoKBzCwO4wFkfxDsa7vt_CWzPYqQfmvKJ8_oV8dKrP0R_ZY1t3i-r8_NiV4SIJeg6AhOd4DcTu1priHp2xG7MSsPnWQipRapafe-16KTUwFEHIIG792lFc/s640/IMG_7201.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
world above the water, the fish said, was bright and dry. He tried his best to describe it all to his
friend. He tried to come up with words
that could describe the full sky, the warm sunshine, the fresh air, the moving
wind, even the very idea of a hand was impossible to convey in words…<i>you wouldn’t believe what’s out there</i>,
he said.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjcAI8T-hiBlsgrjig2NZfQYJnBQmO6R8QzQCgxyDjipJ-8OhmqFyCN0w3Ro5RZLTINb7urV27mOiDe9NbvJQgUzucyxfmzT1EUAKgH1HqKQpn6K0v5feVOEKp4M_BhrxGewNnK3HQvI/s1600/IMG_7207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjcAI8T-hiBlsgrjig2NZfQYJnBQmO6R8QzQCgxyDjipJ-8OhmqFyCN0w3Ro5RZLTINb7urV27mOiDe9NbvJQgUzucyxfmzT1EUAKgH1HqKQpn6K0v5feVOEKp4M_BhrxGewNnK3HQvI/s640/IMG_7207.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And
then, just as quickly as he’d been plucked from his world, the giant hand
dropped him and he fell through the air and he was back home, back in the
water.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Wait</i>, his fish
friend said. <i>What’s water?</i></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFp9r7oOMz8Z23uLchYSjTaVBSPFV0dr26j5jI5W7ivXXqqkxT5tYdl56O1TdIkgFPMGDOhSx3-RLKJpa93Z6NqeS2RCUazT3WLgrhS4vdjjWspRJO3AKMR7Pwybq3df-U3WuzUs5fEsg/s1600/IMG_7260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFp9r7oOMz8Z23uLchYSjTaVBSPFV0dr26j5jI5W7ivXXqqkxT5tYdl56O1TdIkgFPMGDOhSx3-RLKJpa93Z6NqeS2RCUazT3WLgrhS4vdjjWspRJO3AKMR7Pwybq3df-U3WuzUs5fEsg/s640/IMG_7260.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>WATER WORLD</b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Back
in the Devonian, the world was almost all water. In fact, it was really just one great ocean,
called the Panthalassa.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
global ocean housed all manners of sea-creatures and fish...including the very
first sharks and sting-rays and, top of the food chain, a species of hungry,
armored fish called the placoderms.</span></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQbHYqVb4BTTsBMzRrjVClc_VWgRJ_43W3A2mKjhh6V2F0SNofoywGXizYhGK9JJy_T4azRMEXNKlPVMQG-YvCmWnyRJpDcSo9xrIO7LYg9SqX-EPQGjXQU67B2GHuIgQGcBp-QihLvw/s1600/placoderm-universe-review.ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQbHYqVb4BTTsBMzRrjVClc_VWgRJ_43W3A2mKjhh6V2F0SNofoywGXizYhGK9JJy_T4azRMEXNKlPVMQG-YvCmWnyRJpDcSo9xrIO7LYg9SqX-EPQGjXQU67B2GHuIgQGcBp-QihLvw/s640/placoderm-universe-review.ca.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sure,
there was some land, in the shape of very large and very unstable tectonic
plates, floating around the South Pole, a few million years away from crashing
into each other to form the super-continent of Pangaea.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
first life-forms to break the spell of the watery house of the global ocean? The first life-forms to escape the sea and
make the land its home?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’d
be moss. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Evolved
from single-celled algae, the first moss would’ve looked a lot like this and it
would’ve been found a lot like this…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnNDcZFqKfYToH6IntKBX2GQYCuFEg59OF09uukdwD7Gd9lYuPjN6effiApQySpQWg_1JOkdnqyqTzXaR2BHvyyZ7yuJ5sCR7soiLaqfOC_0NDy1BbOIaAJAofEoRYyFJI63kDLtbGnw/s1600/IMG_7218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnNDcZFqKfYToH6IntKBX2GQYCuFEg59OF09uukdwD7Gd9lYuPjN6effiApQySpQWg_1JOkdnqyqTzXaR2BHvyyZ7yuJ5sCR7soiLaqfOC_0NDy1BbOIaAJAofEoRYyFJI63kDLtbGnw/s400/IMG_7218.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Zjlv9nXmGAWJPRBWwiAKcKpBzvswIiCAaVg4eJypsgo3ccDHHAMOBcv4Z_gTbXnxkDVeE-yqZwU9P1LPacoBvhfFEu-9EA0B7IvdJRLLKJZwYhLhpyvssbUGGm3QELVUofg2gc524Dk/s1600/IMG_7663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Zjlv9nXmGAWJPRBWwiAKcKpBzvswIiCAaVg4eJypsgo3ccDHHAMOBcv4Z_gTbXnxkDVeE-yqZwU9P1LPacoBvhfFEu-9EA0B7IvdJRLLKJZwYhLhpyvssbUGGm3QELVUofg2gc524Dk/s400/IMG_7663.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…clamping
down to wet rocks on the water’s edge and developing the traits needed to
survive in this new home of fresh air and clear sunshine.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Life
out of the water? The land as a home?</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This
was revolutionary, in ways that make all other revolutions seem tame and
insignificant. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Because
the moss, using photosynthesis, started absorbing the carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere and, consequently, the world’s temperature cooled, enticing other
life-forms…both plant and animal…to make a similar step out the door of their
watery home.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaowtq_5AGcK15S7Cn3Gov3z0YjtJwtItmg9lGbAwFuw3zV_0ZCptUpME4sz6lSTJmY7x7uRqV3a1Ju_OQtN3CQFYxiDvovcT6JgtXueI0dtxpu4c2aVeoX2MnlLrIOEmWbf_HCzMCG3o/s1600/I10-72-Eusthenopteron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaowtq_5AGcK15S7Cn3Gov3z0YjtJwtItmg9lGbAwFuw3zV_0ZCptUpME4sz6lSTJmY7x7uRqV3a1Ju_OQtN3CQFYxiDvovcT6JgtXueI0dtxpu4c2aVeoX2MnlLrIOEmWbf_HCzMCG3o/s640/I10-72-Eusthenopteron.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">By
the end of the Devonian, the moss had done its damage. The world was greening.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfVntTQb9wXCyhyphenhyphenr4jP61fOJjG8vM-cQpEzFI5otVSLDzURAbXj17jzTwo9bx5wzJVO9Q3jumMlESmHIbSJCrPMRW0LVxqD78pD6QF9smVuZkUevKf4sUzZITg9VuS4HOqSpLs9mu4mE/s1600/middle_devonian_by_zdenek_burian.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfVntTQb9wXCyhyphenhyphenr4jP61fOJjG8vM-cQpEzFI5otVSLDzURAbXj17jzTwo9bx5wzJVO9Q3jumMlESmHIbSJCrPMRW0LVxqD78pD6QF9smVuZkUevKf4sUzZITg9VuS4HOqSpLs9mu4mE/s640/middle_devonian_by_zdenek_burian.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Earth <span style="font-size: large;">had added one more ho<span style="font-size: large;">use, one more h<span style="font-size: large;">ome...land.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Moss
was the game-changer.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">As
the years rolled on, the world began seeing its first trees, which turned out
to be even better habitats for the moss.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Still
is.</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4z9p_Tr1HXR9NUB-QkLigJHMakIc6LrCHQomjuHWV_oifcEGF9ILhJWMUo3sZpsazxsfOmEb7_mLlI9ZYkz800lMypbnim3XQLkm-iTpLROsSVlluLCZPbaMgvfUbL0i-0D4Kw4mVCQ8/s1600/IMG_7636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4z9p_Tr1HXR9NUB-QkLigJHMakIc6LrCHQomjuHWV_oifcEGF9ILhJWMUo3sZpsazxsfOmEb7_mLlI9ZYkz800lMypbnim3XQLkm-iTpLROsSVlluLCZPbaMgvfUbL0i-0D4Kw4mVCQ8/s640/IMG_7636.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
the right environment, moss will be the last thing to happen to a tree.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It
might be the last thing to happen to us too…</span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEwkfSmnTJC-_t84IPp0QvTgfTscnqC8K3YR7-kOfPcZfM111FxW2nm7GeYnVArFlKuZMJ8k27qd6s9T4JBbP8pelGmxNEqvXwu0TVG5ZGaCZyUKT1B_k9pUxLs0elCItD7BuFu2tL-c/s1600/IMG_7646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEwkfSmnTJC-_t84IPp0QvTgfTscnqC8K3YR7-kOfPcZfM111FxW2nm7GeYnVArFlKuZMJ8k27qd6s9T4JBbP8pelGmxNEqvXwu0TVG5ZGaCZyUKT1B_k9pUxLs0elCItD7BuFu2tL-c/s640/IMG_7646.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">…for
in the words of the haiku-master Basho…<i>one <span style="font-size: large;">dream</span> all heroes find to be true…</i></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4Yoc7pqMgehvmmNNuQFpuXAFCpY-i25DCdofzoebLxvwDD-s0KugRvZgx1js0GNAPULZ5PNbLbqzwfOmokWt4QiNbVA1YGY0tU239xeWx-aBz_TBHINHLLVdZ5qke3Uz-HtgwqroY-M/s1600/IMG_7643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4Yoc7pqMgehvmmNNuQFpuXAFCpY-i25DCdofzoebLxvwDD-s0KugRvZgx1js0GNAPULZ5PNbLbqzwfOmokWt4QiNbVA1YGY0tU239xeWx-aBz_TBHINHLLVdZ5qke3Uz-HtgwqroY-M/s640/IMG_7643.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>…cool green
moss…</i></span></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4kmKBUXNCrGPbpIh_zkVzl8KebP888UcDxZwsO9XerWTmHeDgge5Y__RftyOQDoU7GDMxI0swqpZDybYXJ1Q6i9mIwLsmEWK_0g5NlSGp3h0Dx1coo9lC6o1pmzEtMp9qKp3yPdsMBU/s1600/IMG_7649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4kmKBUXNCrGPbpIh_zkVzl8KebP888UcDxZwsO9XerWTmHeDgge5Y__RftyOQDoU7GDMxI0swqpZDybYXJ1Q6i9mIwLsmEWK_0g5NlSGp3h0Dx1coo9lC6o1pmzEtMp9qKp3yPdsMBU/s640/IMG_7649.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>…on forgotten
tombs.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>LEAVING THE MOSS
BEHIND</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
walked out of the woods behind Gina’s farm, moss on my mind.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJJBSvPGbI2Lw7AOtcYaaphMCV_03Ccozfc9EzTjwSNFkWp4ML8gofPZbHR09GgUoq8C0xBOnwffZ9Rtjgg4iiJm4NdaLa-0iuFBUyFDXPv-PURWeFJLDR3c2HZEhtgGxDlShHBRwDBw/s1600/IMG_7313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJJBSvPGbI2Lw7AOtcYaaphMCV_03Ccozfc9EzTjwSNFkWp4ML8gofPZbHR09GgUoq8C0xBOnwffZ9Rtjgg4iiJm4NdaLa-0iuFBUyFDXPv-PURWeFJLDR3c2HZEhtgGxDlShHBRwDBw/s640/IMG_7313.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
season of the home, the season of the hearth?
Yes, but I didn’t want to go home just yet. I didn’t want to get lured back into that
lazy schedule. I didn’t want to get
sucked back into the couch. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
had finally broken the spell of winter.
I was out and about. The fog had
lifted and the day turned out to be bright and cold…just the perfect weather
for another hunt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But
what to catch?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
hemlock? The hollies? The yews?
The birch?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">No.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Driving
around the neighborhoods next to Gina’s farm…north Manayunk, Chestnut Hill and
Mount Airy…it became obvious what my next quarry should be.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The
hunt was on.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I
was going to catch the very heart of this season…the very totem that I was
trying so hard to avoid.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDxocvjfX70JKCZGbikISFYN87nU44J0Dw6yFJef9cDE9N1hMkT3IoBi1-FMUTn2rqqpVUSpfwbJbukysIkKRbSmi3ZK6rmUlB40nOM_-hTrNqEwt0Oi0trUIfsGphskmoFv1MpU6L24/s1600/IMG_7582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDxocvjfX70JKCZGbikISFYN87nU44J0Dw6yFJef9cDE9N1hMkT3IoBi1-FMUTn2rqqpVUSpfwbJbukysIkKRbSmi3ZK6rmUlB40nOM_-hTrNqEwt0Oi0trUIfsGphskmoFv1MpU6L24/s640/IMG_7582.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Time
to go house hunting.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>To be
continued…The Season of the Home.</b></span></span></div>
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