The Leaning Tree and a Lovely Hike

What a lovely surprise it was this morning to get an email from a friend with an invitation to go on a hike. I jumped at the opportunity and worked on getting ready to go.

As I took the munchkin for a walk before leaving, I also pondered what to write about today for the letter L. Right in front of me was what I call the leaning tree. It's my favorite tree on the five-acre property where I live. I sometimes think of the leaning tower of Pisa when I look at it and feel like I have my little own version of it right here in Maine.

The leaning tree, gracing the right side
of the photo

Some of the first hopeful shoots of the year --
at the base of the leaning tree

The hike was fabulous. The sun was shining, and the day offered a temp in the area of 60 degrees. I ended up wearing a winter vest, which was not really needed while hiking but it was definitely appreciated at the windy summit. (I say that somewhat tongue in cheek, because although it was officially called the summit, it was just my kind to attain -- meaning getting there wasn't excessively challenging. It was only a mile or so of a doable incline along a forested path, with the only real challenge being navigating the mud from the snow melt.)

Here's the view from the top, which certainly doesn't do the summit experience justice.

Hope you're having a great Monday!