What do you see in this tree?
One of them looks like a dragon, its “face” and gnarled branches recognizable to anyone who’s ever hiked Milemarker 417, aka “Skinnydip Falls,” a popular Blue Ridge Parkway trail. The Dragon Tree and other arboreal delights of the southern mountains are the subject of These Trees (Rose River Press, 2017) by Ruthie Rosauer of Hendersonville. In 140 frames, plus 25 poems and quotations, she examines the big and small picture, as it were, of the tree world — vintage “whole beauties,” as she puts it, plus botanical details about barks, leaves, and nuts. Early praise from critics includes verdicts of “delightful,” “soothing,” “artistic,” and “thoughtful.” Rosauer appears at Tryon School of Arts and Crafts (373 Harmon Field Road) on Saturday, July 22, to discuss her book, accompanied by poet/cellist Carol Pearce Bjolie. 10am-noon. The book is available at A Walk in the Woods in Hendersonville.
For information about additional appearances, see ruthierosephotography.com.
