Artist notes: I was raised by trees, not because I didn’t have loving parents but because I spent so much time alone in the company of trees. Trees are great company. This particular Maple tree is excellent council on the strength of persistence and creativity. She is a gentle woman tree who guards the trail and brushes me with her falling leaves as she lets go of the southwest coast November sky. She has grown by spiralling around in mystifying swirls that allow her to perch on top of a large fallen conglomerate boulder while rooting down into the earth and holding herself and the boulder both in place. I cannot but wonder - how does she do it? A strong lesson for discovering how to grow where you are and “Thriving in Place”.