This tree...

This tree...




This beautiful tree.

I loved this tree from the first moment I spied it.

This tree, it's awkwardly proud stance as it leaned out as far toward the water as it dared. It held to it's roots but bowed in it's trunk... a sign of wanting to be true to its nature while fighting to give in to exploring what was beyond the waters it had watched over for all of it's long years. Leaning out to 'see' but remaining ever shored.

This beautiful tree.




This tree, that out of all the trees that lined either side of this little camp road...

...had been the ONE tree that I had asked to save from the land clearing.

Enz had told me I was nuts, that the tree was bent and crooked and ugly and that the tree needed to go. I had dug my heels in and demanded the tree would stay and I had carefully tied a bright pink ribbon with multiple knots around the bowed middle of the trunk of my beautiful tree.

And the tree stayed.  

The tree that leans in it's obvious desire to swim.

The tree that sways wildly in the wild Lake Superior winds yet holds firmly set.

The tree that makes crooked look uncrookedly fantastical!

When Day and I had our First Spring Visit picture after a long winter of missing camp, I made Enz promise he was getting my tree in the picture along with us... he assured me the tree he hated was "IN THE PICTURE, GILLIANNNNN!!! 

Technically, he wasn't lying... half of the tree was in the picture.....

And when Play came home just a few weeks later, I again made Enz promise he was getting my tree in the picture along with us... he assured me the tree he hated was "IN THE PICTURE, GILLIANNNNN!!!"

In this one he managed to force himself to capture a few wisps
of my beloved branches..... thanks, Enz.......

This beautiful tree that stood watch as we built our cabin foundation.

This beautiful tree that I always take my boys down to visit so we can admire it's beauty together...

...before walking beneath the comfort of it's knowing branches.

This tree that I made Enz stand beneath so I could take a picture of him beneath the tree I love so much, even though he argued and said he didn't want a picture beneath the "ugly tree".

This tree I love to watch over the water with while taking in all the perfect while preparing to share a perfect picnic on our newly cleared lake lot.

This tree that stood watch as we started building our walls.

This tree, this tree that just last week looked like this... so perfect, so beautiful.....

 

































...is the tree that last night, after days of vicious windstorms, we took a drive out to camp and found..... like this........



As my heart sank I was at a complete loss for words in fear of tears... until I glanced at Enz.

"Are you trying not to..... SMILE???!!" I asked him when I turned to see him biting back a grin.

"What? NO!!!" he answered quickly. "But, Gillian," he continued, "even YOU can't deny how it opened up the view..."

"My tree WAS the VIEW, ENZOOO!!!!! You big JERK!!!"

The tears followed.

"Maybe we can plant another there..." he suggested quietly when we were about halfway through our drive back home.

"Maybe..." *sniff*nod*sniff*


Now, I know it's just a tree and I've really only known this tree for three years. But, it's become important to me and I've spent hours upon hours envisioning life in our new cabin which included my beautiful wonky tree in view for years to come.

I has a sad.

But...

Enz has a glad.

So, all in all, I suppose it evens out...