Figure 1 – Freshly broken, Maynard, MA. (c) DE Wolf 2017.

The northern forest is dynamic. It changes with the seasons, with the winds, and with the storms. At the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge the woods are very brittle. Trees are always breaking, and I admire the efforts of the rangers at keeping the paths safe. Today i came upon a newly cracked tree. Some wind had snapped it off its base. The color and the smell of the freshly broken wood was evident. I took a picture (Figure 1) first with my cellphone and then with my Canon. It is curious how the different formats demand different perspectives. Here I chose the Canon’s image as preferable. Despite the big lens, I think the image worked, meaning nice and sharp, nice and close-up.  It reminds me of a mineral rather than a botanical specimen. And I also think of the monolith rising in “2001, a Space Odyssey.”