Happy Tree!

This is one of my favorite pictures, Happy Tree! available as a print or on several items available for purchase in my Happy Tree! Collection.

This was probably 7 years ago, I had decided to join my father on a several day camping trip in northern Michigan. I will not disclose the location for the safety of Happy Tree. After a quick tour of Detroit (always a delight), we drove a few hours north to our campsite. After setting up camp, we drove around a little looking for wildlife, or trails, or whatever shenanigans we could get wrapped up in. I am a bit of a Hemmingway fan, so we drove up to the Au Sable River to take in it's natural beauty and check off another Hemmingway hangout from my list. We were poking around some old logging roads and had stopped for here and there to hike a bit and take some pictures. I have some pictures that may be added to the Landscape Prints collection down the road. 

Those who have driven with me enough, know that if I see something strange, I NEED to get a picture. In a former life I once threatened to step out of a moving car because the unwilling driver did not feel the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile was worth stopping to fully enjoy. On this day I had a few very good pics, a few oddities. We were rolling along a dirt road when I first met Happy Tree. I immediately demanded to stop. He was in an area where many trees were marked for removal for one reason or another, and I believe his crooked smile got him on the list. I thought perhaps this may be the one and only time I will see this glorious tree, as it seemed his end was near, so I needed a picture. It happened to be the edge of fall and the leaves were turning. This picture doesn't capture that as much, I was focused solely on Happy Tree, as his smile had captivated me. I had been looking for a way to share Happy Tree, frankly, i love this tree. Not romantically, I mean I barely know him...or her...so it would be crazy to think anything could happen between us. We are from two different worlds and it would probably just end in heartbreak, But I digress. So I am happy to report that Happy Tree is still out there as of last year. Still smiling, he has a magnificant mustache and beard. It also appears he's given up birch and is now living a healthier lifestyle. So this post is dedicated to Happy Tree, may the chainsaw never find it's way to you. May you outlive us all. I love you.