Mother and daughter (Platanus racemosa, California sycamores)

These two grace my driveway, the mom on the right and the daughter on the left as you enter. The Mother is one of the grand dames of this property, gorgeous and admirable in her aged and spectacular rolls of bark. The calla lily patch crowds her at the ground level. She stands easily 75 feet tall with graceful arcing branches in all directions. After almost 20 years living here, I realized just today that the daughter across the driveway is at the outer reach of her crown, her seed dropped in soft aerated soil just past the gravel drive, and in just barely enough sun to thrive.

It occurs to me that these two reflect the people in our home, my aging self and the young sprout I’ve been nurturing all these years.