I suspect when Shel Silverstein wrote The Giving Tree, he felt about trees the way I do, the way I always have. His was a story of a little boy so loved by a tree that it provided for him from childhood through old age. I am a 40-something little girl who is living her version of this story. For me, trees are friends. I’ve been mesmerized by them my whole life, love how their stories are told along side ours. I love to plant them, climb them, smell them and rest underneath them. When Ryan and I bought this house 13 years ago, the trees were as big a selling point as the house for me. I could see stories in and around all of them. They have become like family and over the last few years, we’ve lost some members.

This property was blessed with ash trees, not a tree usually found in this area. We knew many of them were old and some were dying, but as we worked on the house, even before moving in, we had favorites. We also had limbs falling around us. I can still hear that cracking sound and mobilize like a ninja to get out of the way. So after damage to our roof, our kitchen and because of general safety, we brought in an arborist to help us make decisions.

In January of 2020, we had three trees removed and I cried. I did. I knew they wouldn’t live forever, but having them go on my tenure in this house was upsetting. We’d made memories with them and they were markers of both difficult and beautiful times in our family’s life. In January of 2021, we had two more cut down. This time, we lined up someone to salvage the lumber to be milled for us. Six ginormous logs were taken to the sawmill, while we made a list of wants from the reclaimed wood.

Both of our families have history with lumber. Ryan’s grandfather bought lumber for furniture makers. Like him, Ryan has become skilled not just with carpentry, but design as well. My dad and granddad worked in logging and my great-grandfather established one of the first hydraulic sawmill businesses in the area. My first job was working in the equipment office as a teen. I’m so accustomed to the sound of planers and saws and the smell of wood. My favorite type of lumber (for those of you who want to buy me a birthday present) is walnut and I am always looking for character grade walnut for projects. When it was time to redo the hardwoods upstairs in our house (the previous update was during the 1920s), instead of oak like the downstairs, we chose walnut that was filled with character.

Our giving trees have truly given. From the salvaged wood, we’re making live edge tables from the 9′ slabs and several round live edge tables and mantles for Finley that he can one day place in a house of his own. Ryan hopes to create a desk and bedroom furniture for Finley as well, so he can remember that the trees he played on, in and around are now in his room. Heirlooms.

Finley was involved in the whole process and I explained my sadness and tears as trees fell and were hauled off. But he also got to go to the sawmill to see the next steps and he’s in on our plans for the wood, now resting and air drying for the next year. Their story is not yet over and that makes me so happy. New trees are already being planted with Finley and his shovel digging the holes by our sides. Maple, red buds, cherry, river birch, and sassafras trees all have a new home on our property. Fellow tree-huggers: enjoy this season. Hike among them, sit under them, climb them, eat their fruit and if you are able to use the wood once the tree has fallen, I hope you will.

We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs newborns and families, special events and portraits  of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.

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