Howdy,
After a couple weeks at my new job, I discovered that the university in the town has an arboretum that butts up against my employer's property. It is a five minute walk, and a great escape from the fluorescent lights and gray cubicles. Although it would be a lot prettier in the warmer seasons, it still ofers a bit of nature during the day. Those of you who have followed me may have noticed that, throughout the last couple years, I have spent a lot of time in the state park.
This particular spot is a square, with the taller evergreens acting as a wind break. When the sun is out, this little refuge is significantly warmer than the area beyond. The little tree in the middle was almost comical, but it will grow up big and strong one day!
This little cabin sits right in the middle of the arboretum. There seems to be some sort of odd fascination with log cabins around this area. They are relocated and preserved in weird spots. There are even two at the state fairgrounds that date to the 1800's. Wile not particularly old compared with Europpean structures, 150 years is ancient for a wooden structure in this part of the USA. Harsh winters, woodpeckers, and carpenter ants are a few of the reasons there aren't more historic structures around. The top portion of this cabin looks like it was a conservation effort.
This stand of trees is along the entrance road to where I work. The cloud cover was breaking up as I walked back from the arboretum, creating strong color tones and contrast as direct sunlight peaked beneath the clouds to the east.
This might have been a better one for the first part of this post, as it was one I took on the way into work. There is a boat launch about half way between the town I live in and where I work. Giving myself about fifteen minutes extra to get to work provided the opportunity to pull off and take a look around. The river view there isn't quite as impressive as along the highway, but the speed limit is 65 mph and people tend to go about 80.
This scene was worth the stop, though! Apparently, the beavers wanted to fell this tree but it got hung up in the one next to it. It looks to have been there awhile, judging by the lack of bark and weathering.
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