Birch tree.......

As an artist, I like to take resource pictures of birch trees. I like to refer to them when I paint watercolor scenes with birch trees.

My parents house is across the street from an elementary school as you can see that in the background. The tree was originally a clump birch, but a couple parts of it died out a few years back. This is still a great specimen tree.

This close view of the trunk and branches makes a wonderful sculptural form. If you are a "Lord of the Rings" fan, and if you remember the talking trees, this tree reminds me of one of those guys. The one branch has been really distorted probably because it was crowded from the original clump of trees. Now that the two other trunks are gone, it looks unusual.

I spent another day on my house putting up siding. It is slow work, one board at a time, but I am almost a third way up on the outside wall. I had visiting friends today, telephone men moving wires, and it takes a lot of time to set up to do this kind of thing, so it was a slow day. The weather forecast is good one more day, so I may be closed in and ready for the winter.
I am not planning to get the entire side done until next spring as I know already that I have been way to lucky to get this work done this time of year. I will have new siding done up to the old siding on second story and I will tie it in to make it water tight for the winter. It will look funny to my neighbor lady, and she will say so, but she can get use to it. I will be motivated to get to it this spring to get the one last window in above the new one and then get the entire south side finished with new siding.

Thanks for reading.