So why a picture of the Space Needle at night? Because none of the pictures we took at the Bob Dylan Concert Friday night at Key Arena turned out. YES! As incredible as it seems (even now, after the fact) Chris and I were given tickets to the Dylan concert, by a co-worker of his. Mai (the co-worker) has a fiance who works as a CPA for Miller Brewing and they have a luxury suite at the arena for events. Mai is half our age and my guess is that she has very little knowledge/interest in Bob Dylan. It was such a generous gift and unanticipated surprise for us. I truly don't know what I liked best but Tangled up In Blue, Highway 61. From his encore set Like a Rolling Stone had me up on my feet. What snappy dressers they are! Grey and black suit jackets, and hats like my dad used to wear in the 50s and 60s; so COOL! Thank goodness we brought our binoculars though. It was a luxury suite and we had free snack food and beer and the band looked like ants from where we sat. But I was in 7th heaven just to be there soaking in the music.

This is what our yard looks like now. This photo was taken from the east corner of our deck. It is a considerable change from the spacious greenbelt that used to be our view. The Tempelhof Pine will be up to the window of the grey house in 20 years so we have to adjust for a lot less privacy than we are used to. If neighbors become an issue a Sequoia or Cedar can create a screen a whole lot less time. We are also slowly cutting down the apple tree that you see in the center of the fence line, 4 limbs are gone already. The old apple tree just doesn't go well with the new pine which of course also needs more sun.

Japanese Tempelhof White Pine

This is the more expensive of the two trees. The tag says it has a moderate rate of growth which means that it will take 20 years to reach its mature height of 25 feet. I bought it because I fell in love with its needles that are green on top and white on the underside, creating a blue cast which I think will look attractive against the grey house. The tag also says it pairs nicely with rhodies which is what I want to plant close to the fence behind it and slightly to the left.

Here is my Pin Oak. It has a scrawny trunk no thicker than the bamboo stakes that hold it up. It's leaves are turning yellow, the Asian Pear behind it is still green.

A Changing View

Well, now that the big grey house behind us nears completion I must alter our landscape to cope with the changing view. So I went out and bought two new trees. One is a Pin Oak. I have always loved oaks and associate them with the two stately trees which graced my grandparents' farm house front lawn. From one of their trees hung a porch swing which easily held myself and two or three of my siblings or cousins. It took two of us working together to get it to swing straight. The other tree held a simple board swing that had long, thick ropes. We could fly so high that it took us to that edge of exhilaration that is tinged with white knuckled fear. My skinny-kid arms couldn't come close to circling the trunks of those oaks. The Pin Oak I planted will not reach that impressive size in my lifetime but every time I look at it I will remember the happy adventures of my childhood visits to the farm.