Whisper in the Pines
17 Dec 2022

I first discovered that lovely little patch of loblollies only a month
or two after arrival.  Growing at a forgotten intersection between two
busy roads, it was a dense, green wall seen at high speed between
other destinations.

I first walked it one cloudy afternoon in early winter, footsteps
silent on the mdense, matted needles.  I returned several times, and
found it different each time.  But last January was the most
memorable: the morning after a decent snowfall, the forest was another
world, white and green overhead, the morning sun bright against a
cerulean sky.  But not silent: the strong winds were moving the
treetops and the forest was a tapestry of whispers.

A year later, the city very cavalierly mowed down the pines over the
course of a week, leaving ruptured, red earth. The land will be a
redesigned highway entrance.  As an engineer, I understand this.  But
the rest of me misses that quiet, magical green corner.  All that
remains of it are these two videos.  Enjoy the whisper: this memory is
all that remains.