I remember this tree, a sugar maple that stood right outside the back door. I loved drawing it. The tree was full of romance. In 2003 hurricane Isabel damaged all the maples so badly that we had to have them cut down. We were lucky that none of the trees completely uprooted. None of them fell.
However the storm left them all tilting precariously. It was clear that any ordinary thunderstorm could finish them off. They had figured in paintings and drawing over the years. These two drawings are ones I found in an old notebook. I ignored the leaves in these and fixed all my attention on the graceful trunks and branches.
And then they met their match.