Thursday, June 12, 2008




















I'm a tree hugger ...


I live in Broward County, Florida, which is located between Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade County. Broward's name was made famous by episodes of "Miami Vice," when Crockett & Tubbs chased the bad guys up I-95 "to Broward."

The tree in this picture is the only one like it that I've seen anywhere. And, I promise you that, not only do I get around the county, but I pay attention to trees! I took this photo while waiting at the stop light at Andrews Avenue and North 2nd Street. The property belongs to the City of Fort Lauderdale, but hasn't been used since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. It's been shuttered ever since and I wonder every day as I pass by it if they will leave it when they decide what to do with the property. I've seen developers cut down trees with absolutely no regard for the wildlife that might reside in them, the oxygen they produce or the beauty they add to our world, so my worries are based in reality.

I love trees of all kinds, even the "invasive exotic species" that are on the hit list for NatureScape and all the environmental protection people. I understand the reasoning behind the efforts to remove them, but some of them are truly spectacular and should be left for Mother Nature to take down (as in Hurricane Wilma). This tree, though, doesn't look like it's going anywhere any time soon. It's not too tall, it has a wide trunk, and the way the branches are constructed, I think it would take a licking and keep on ticking!

I love this photo. I am discovering that the photos shot quickly, like this one while sitting in traffic, come out the best. If only I could figure out how to duplicate that process so more of my pictures looked like this one! Ahhhh! The mysteries of life ...

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