Dr. Seuss Trees

My digital camera was on the fritz this past weekend when I went to visit my folks in Florida. I’m not sure what was wrong with it; all the same I wasn’t going to let the opportunity to take some pictures pass me by. I bought one of those “one time use” cameras at the local drug store. I haven’t “finished off” the roll, something that might get me kicked off the family tree.

There is an unwritten rule that has to do with putting a camera away for later use; not sure exactly how it’s worded since I’ve been digital for several years now. My dad knows that you can’t put the camera up if it has so many shots left on the roll as he takes pictures of the concrete driveway, the trash can or maybe the toothbrush holder so that he can remove the completed roll, take it to the drug store for processing and feel good that nothing was wasted. I think it has to do with the Great Depression mentality, “finish what’s on your plate” and saving aluminum foil on the odd chance that one day it might come in handy.

There are still 7 pictures that need to be exposed before I can have my name firmly established with those of my ancestors. I suppose I could find something worthy of the task. Finishing the roll is not that easy once you’ve already returned home from the trip for which the roll was purchased to begin with.

Did I mention that I took some pictures of the trees on my folks street that survived the hurricanes? I thought there was something wrong, not being able to put my finger on it right away. I studied their overall appearance; huge trunks that reflected a light grayish brown high into the air, large elbows turned and bent off in various directions with patches of green here and there blowing their bright green leaves. There was too much sky showing through where the canopy of leaves would normally have been lush, it now was stark, nearly naked compared to the memories I held. That was it; the hurricanes had stripped these once proud trees of their leaves and smaller branches. I was witnessing a come back, if you will, as the new growth sprang from wherever it could.

It reminded me of the trees in the Dr. Seuss books. Maybe Horton the Elephant would attempt to hatch his egg in a tree like that while waiting for the Maizee bird to come back from vacation. I hope the pictures come out, the ones where the wind caused those patches of leaves to form pom-poms that bobbed and swayed forming lion’s tail tassels in the surrealistic moment. The next time I go visit I imagine that those trees will have figured out a way to be restored to full foliage and grandeur; but for a short while they could only be characterized as imaginative products of a children’s story book.

I wonder if the mailman has come yet, I could take a picture of his truck pulling up, dropping off some letters or putting the red flag down; then I would only have 4 more to finish off the roll and I could go get them developed.