my favorite tree

Every time I go visit my parents, I take about 1,000 pictures.  I wish I was a better photographer so I could really capture the setting.  Maybe then I wouldn't spend all of the memory on my computer on pictures of trees and moss. You know, quality over quantity and all that good advice.


So usually the first spot I head to when I want to take pictures is at the bottom of the stairs in the back, right by the river, looking upriver at this tree that is sort of split and makes a "V". It's just my favorite and I can't really explain it. I know Orange County (where I grew up) isn't a forest, but there ARE trees. This isn't the first time I've seen one. Still, I'm obsessed. And so here goes. I'll share with you my favorite tree, which has become my icon of the house- every season, angle, and time of day. I hope you can see a little bit of the charm that I see...

These past few weeks have been pretty rainy and the river has gotten very high. Scary high. My parents have been living there for about 7 years now and it is the highest they've ever seen it, and they got a notice on what to do if there is a dam breach. Eek! They kept reporting how high it was, and then my dad sent over a few pics. Not that I didn't trust them, of course, but they have been known to  exaggerate. I was shocked! The water was ABOVE the "V" in the tree! They had to move the bench on the bottom step up. Here are some pictures of the high river by my tree-