the Ever Lonely Evergreen

#16

01.16.10

I've always empathized with this lonely evergreen tree.  I first noticed it several years ago when I went golfing with my father-in-law at Anchorage Golf Course off O'Malley.  It's a gorgeous course, winter and summer.  This tree stands so very straight and tall, yet it is completely isolated from all of the other evergreens in the area.  How does it do that?  

The Chugach mountains are actually much closer than they appear in the photograph (you can see them through the clouds in the background); and the wind can come ripping through on any given day, often times exceeding 60 m.p.h.  Yet here stands the lonely evergreen, ever strong.

Today I thought I might drive by around 10 a.m. when the sun was coming up to see if it would make a decent photo.  I'm not thrilled with the photo, the foreground is too dark, but I'm posting it anyway.  I leave on a 10 day trip tonight, and I just needed to get something up for tomorrow while I travel.  I hope you'll forgive me.

I took another few shots at the golf course and saw the morning Sun light some amazing clouds on fire:

 

I chose Evergreen by Ryan Adams & the Cardinals for the soundtrack.  His career seems to parallel the previously featured artist José González.  Better stated, José González's career parallels Ryan Adams.  Both started out in punk rock, but then both switched to folk / alternative-country to better express their entire range of emotions.  After his punk phase, Adams was a founding member of the critically acclaimed alt-country act Whiskeytown, but they only made two albums.  He left and formed the Cardinals, with whom he has been rather prolific.  

Evergreen comes off his latest album 'Cardinology'.  I think it is a nice companion to the photos.  

I have been experimenting with posting blog entries from the iPhone on the road, but haven't figured out if I will be able to add music to those posts.  So Evergreen may be playing A LOT in the next 10 days.  At least I have the alternate up-to-date running playlist called "iPhone photo blog soundtrack" on the site, if desired.

Until tomorrow (I hope)... thank you for looking, listening and reading.  CCE