Maple is a big welcoming tree in full glory in the summer. With maple you know that you are included in the embrace of life and part of everything.
Maple is also industrious. Every year it gathers everything it needs to produce an abundance of leaves, sap, new growth, and seeds. It is not idle. Then, after all this effort, each fall it casts off all that is no longer needed in a big blaze of glory. This is a massive endeavor.
I had intended to go to the madrone for a burst of "get things done" gusto. However, I felt a persistent tug to visit the Chinese white pine first. As I approached the pine, I noticed movement just beyond it and felt that it was an owl. You know how that is.
The owl landed on the maple and stayed fearlessly looking at me as I sat up the video and nestled in the tree's substantial roots. It was a barn owl and could probably rip me apart, if it felt threatened. We enjoyed the afternoon in each other's company. No one knew we were there. It was everything.
