Roots

1/10/23 Loyal Heights neighborhood

Instead of our usual weekly route around Green Lake, my walking partner and I have been exploring neighborhoods around her house. In Loyal Heights, we came upon a row of trees with thick, gnarly trunks and exposed roots that look vaguely similar to the old cherries I have sketched nearby every spring. They were bare, of course, so I couldn’t check the leaves, but I’ve made a note to look in the spring. What was amazing about these trees was how badly they had buckled the pavement. I see that kind of damage from roots frequently, but usually with taller, older trees that have had more time to grow. These didn’t look that old to me. I was impressed by their strength and tenacity.

We were treated to a sunny reprieve from the continual rain that day, so that same afternoon, I went back to Loyal Heights to sketch one of the trees. The sketch doesn’t show how badly the sidewalk is broken with some pieces pushed up at a nearly 45-degree angle from the ground. I plan to go back on a warmer day and figure out how to sketch that damaged pavement as homage to trees that do not let anything as pesky as concrete get in their way.