Pecanese

While walking through this idyllic town, Woody took a wrong turn and found himself caged by the natives. He would ask for his release, but sadly, no one there speaks Pecanese.

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Photo of the town of Buffalo by F. Everett Leigh

A Parable

The experiment was a shambles.

"We'll just have to let God sort it out," said the Professor.  I laughed.

"What's so funny?" He was looking at me with an expression I didn't recognize.

I stammered, "Well, it was just... funny, I guess. I mean, you're a scientist, and... uhm..."

"And I shouldn't be calling on God, is that what you mean?"

"Well... it was a joke... right?" Nobody seriously believed in those dusty old myths anymore, did they?

"It's because of my studies that I believe in God," he began. "What do you think sets Man apart from the animals? Intelligence? Tool usage? Language? Nothing? When I was an atheist, all of those were reasonable answers. Then I realized that all other animals, though they lack intelligence, are born with a great deal of knowledge. Animals do complex things... amazing things for which there's no easy explanation, and we wave a hand and call it instinct. No one teaches the tailor-bird how to weave, or why. No one tells a sparrow where or when to migrate. No one teaches a bear to hibernate. No one teaches an ant how to build a city. On the whole, animals are not self-destructive; they do not wage war (except maybe some of those ants). They know their place in the world. They're born stupid, but wise.

"We humans are entirely different. By comparison we're brilliantly intelligent, but we're born completely ignorant. Why, we can barely procreate without someone more experienced to teach us how. Archaeology reveals that we started with nothing, and what learning we have survives only so long as we tell others. And we have to work very hard for that information. Numerous times we gained astonishing insights, only to lose them in a generation. How do you build a pyramid? I don't know either. You'd think we'd be smart enough to just look at one and see; but we're not. And it seems to me sometimes that the more we learn, the more we lose. Even as we put men in orbit, we kill our progeny and deny our true nature. We seem destined not only to be born ignorant, but to remain that way. Understanding this opened my mind to belief in God."

I cocked my head in confusion. The Professor noticed, and smiled kindly.

"Oh, don't you see, boy? What more fitting punishment could there be for a people who stole from the Tree of Knowledge?"

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Photo of Magnolia Plantation & Gardens by F. Everett Leigh

The Gauntlet

They call this road "The Gauntlet". It is the only way in or out of the idyllic town waiting at its far end. They call that town "Uninhabited".

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Photo copyright F. Everett Leigh, published on his Facebook page.

Dip It

"Momma! Momma! Look what I caught! It's so bright and shiny!"
"That's nice, sweetie, but you'd better dip it in the water to cool it before it burns your leaves."

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Photo copyright 2015 by F. Everett Leigh. Used with permission.

Temporary Setback

Captured mid-explosion, we see the result of a pound of C-4 and a remote detonator. The hairless bipeds think they won this round. They should have paid attention in Biology; especially the part about cuttings.

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This photo is copyright 2015 by F. Everett Leigh. Used with permission.

The Long Way Around

Once again the invading troop was thwarted at the border by a lack of knees.

"Single file, maggots!" barked the sergeant, "We're going the long way 'round!"

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Images copyright 2015 by F. Everett Leigh. Used with permission.

BayLeafWatch

Someone should have reminded this poor bedraggled fellow to frolic only on beaches with trained lifeguards. Also, that trees can't swim.

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This photo is copyright 2015 by F. Everett Leigh and first appeared in a post on his Facebook page.

A Story with a Morel

This is a rare "Tree Fable" that has no trees per se. Neither was it inspired by a photograph from my brother Everett. Rather, a friend of mine, Diane, posted the joke contained in the first paragraph. I took it from there. I'll add some illustrations later.

A mushroom walked into a tavern. The keeper yelled, "We don't serve mushrooms! Get out!" "What's the matter?" the mushroom replied, feeling hurt. "I'm a fungi."

But the keeper insisted, so he left.

He went to an all night restaurant where he sat at the counter on a toed stool. A female fungus walked in. She'd been kicked out of the same tavern. He took a lichen to her and asked her to join him.

As they left he gave some money to a young street urchin. She was impressed with his generosity, but he explained that once he was spore and knew how it felt.

As they were both morel individuals, I moss tell you they grew close very quickly, practically overnight. They went sailing together, to Port Obello.

They did kind things for one another, and seemed to be no truffle at all.  Eventually, he gave her a beautiful fairy ring and asked her to marry him. She said yes.

One day, as they were walking, they passed by the same tavern they'd been kicked out of. They decided to invite the keeper to their wedding, as he'd been instrumental in getting the two of them together.

As they walked in the door, the keeper shouted, "For peat's sake, didn't I tell you two we don't serve mushrooms! GET OUT!"

So they eloped.

Where's Waldo?

Where's Waldo? The trees know. He's behind you. With an axe.

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This photo is copyrighted by F. Everett Leigh and first appeared on his Facebook page.

Amateur Photographer

My friend Ash thought he'd take some photos on the beach, but as usual he left his finger over the lens.

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This picture is copyrighted by F. Everett Leigh, and first appeared on the Charleston Pics Facebook page.

Renewed Purpose

Though battle-scarred and weary, General Quercus makes his yearly pilgrimage to the gravesite to witness once again what they have done to his father's bones. Soon he will return to the fight with a dogged determination arising from his renewed sense of purpose.

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This picture is copyrighted by F. Everett Leigh, and first appeared on his Facebook page.
Rights reserved. Used with permission.

Surrounded

I've made it to the top of this tower and hooked my transmitter to the aerial, but now they have me surrounded. I don't have much time: I can hear their roots digging into the foundations. Is there anyone out there? If you can hear me, RUN! Find a desert or an arid plain! Take matches!

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This picture is copyrighted by F. Everett Leigh and first appeared on his Facebook page. Buffalo Mill historic district, Union County SC.

George

This tree has found a pet on the beach. The tree loves his new pet very much. He will take it home and he will name it George, and he will hug it and pet it and squeeze it...

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This picture is copyrighted by F. Everett Leigh, and was first published on his Facebook page.

Stumphouse Tunnel

The trees are out there, waiting for you. You're going to get hungry. You're going to come out. And then you're going to explain why this place is called "Stumphouse Tunnel".

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This picture is copyrighted by Everett Leigh and first appeared on his Facebook page. Visit Stumphouse Tunnel.

What Could It Be?

The trees awoke from their long sleep to discover that someone had left them a white box. "How curious!" they exclaimed, "What could be inside? Is it chewy? Is it juicy? Let's open it and find out!" They began to gather around...

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This photo is copyright 2014 by F. Everett Leigh and was first published on his Facebook page.

Missed Payment

Klyster and Struvitek stood on the wasted Earth and watched the cold and distant Sun recede as they left it behind. When they arrived to collect payment they found the population nearly gone and the place infested with biped animals. They had no choice but to repo the planet. Now it's back to the factory for refurbishment and resale.

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Thanks to JoAnn Abbott for the alien names
This photo is copyright 2014 by F. Everett Leigh and was first published on his Facebook page.

X-Y-Z

Here we have a rare glimpse of a rare Carolina Zipper Tree who is posing for an outdoor portrait. This one's going on the Internet. Unfortunately, no one told him that his fly is down...

Just Sit Right Back...

This tree is enjoying the tropical sunset. In the morning he and his little buddy will take a few clients out for a three-hour tour. Tomorrow evening he expects to be right here again, searching for his lost shaker of salt. Life is good.

Too Late

Mere feet from the open water and freedom, you are stopped by these brash young trees who have stepped in quickly to block your path. "Where are your papers?" they demand. Reflexively, you reach into your pocket and withdraw a small packet. Too late, you remember where paper comes from. This is going to hurt.

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This photo is copyright F. Everett Leigh and was first published on evleigh.photoshelter.com

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I Have A Dream

These brown trees have been corralled and separated from all the others. They stand there at the fence, looking out and longing for a day when trees are judged, not by the color of their leaves, but by the content of their character.

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This photo is copyrighted by F. Everett Leigh, and was originally published in the Images by Everett Leigh Facebook group

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