The Lonely Tree

One of the many lakes on Vancouver Island. The boggy, overgrown shoreline made shooting difficult: it was hard to find the right spot. On top of that, the wind kept the mist moving, and a minute later the lake looked completely different.

In dying, trees often give life to new ones. This Douglas fir, too, grew in the middle of the lake, rooted in an old nurse log that fell into the water long ago. Autumn on Canada’s Pacific coast is often rainy, and the mist that settled over the lake lent the scene an air of mystery.