Thirty years ago I was influenced by a documentary on the life of surrealist painter Salvador Dali. Filming his return home to Spain, he is shown greeting the olive tree in the front yard with a hug. I began to practice this ritual on each return to my parent's home in upstate New York.

Picking the tree was easy. The Norway Maple behind their home had long been a source of beauty and conflict. As it grew over the years the massive limbs would fill with large maple leaves each spring that would block the view of the town below until late fall. My mother and I fought and won the argument over my stepfather's wish to cut it down.

Now living only a few miles from my parents old home I was told the new owners had taken down the huge maple behind the house. I was so upset it took several days before driving over to see for myself. There it stood in all its graceful beauty with another tree nearby cut up in a big pile. I am so grateful to know it still exists.