The last tree...

It's so sad that the last apple tree from the old orchard finally gave up the ghost. We'd planned to take it down; the bugs had gotten into the trunk and we were worried it would come down in the first heavy snow.

Turns out we didn't get the chance. The heavy rains last week loosened the roots, and it gently tipped forward until it was leaning against the pump house.

I will miss looking at its gnarled and twisted branches, the way they curved above the small replica of our farmhouse, as if to protect and shield it. I will miss the first flush of brilliant green leaves each spring, watching the apples swell and turn color, the fall colors, the way the snow covered the branches. It was one of my favorite scenes to photograph.