34/365 Messy trees and long shadows

One of the perks that came with this property when we bought it was a huge, healthy cherry tree. Every year it packed itself with these perfect sour cherries that would make your lips pucker and your mouth smile at the same time. I'm not normally a cherry fan -- whenever I get a milkshake at Steak n' Shake I offer my cherry to whomever will take it. But these cherries won me over. I loved to just stand on one side of the tree and search for the perfect selection, then eat handful after handful of them. We never even bothered trying to pick every single cherry because there was no way we could have handled that many.

Then, tragically, one summer afternoon, a particularly violent storm hit our area with marble-sized hail and straight-line winds. When we emerged from the house to assess the damage, we discovered that the cherry tree, heavy with fruit, had fallen victim to the strong winds.

We mourned our dear tree.

I requested a magnolia tree be planted in its place. Magnolias are my favorite trees in the spring -- they fill with big pink and white blooms and while in their peak are spectacular.

But, after they've peaked, and all of those beautiful petals fall to the ground, it causes quite a mess and hassle for anyone who needs to mow under and around it.

So I was overruled and my idea was rejected.

But, instead, we got this magnolia bush that isn't quite so messy and is actually quite pretty. It's certainly not the same as those glorious trees, but I conceded the battle and accepted the compromise.

And on my way back from the barn this evening, I snatched a picture of my l-o-n-g-legged shadow.
Camera: Canon Rebel DSLR at 7:00 in the evening. All natural light.
Magnolia pictures: 1/200s, f/5.6, ISO 100
3rd picture: 1/200s, f/8, ISO 100