Lately I’ve been missing shade trees, specifically the dappled light under them, the sound of the leaves in a breeze, the way it feels cooler under them, and how they feel like an invitation to sit a while. I don’t know where this longing is coming from: I’ve spent most of my life living where shade trees aren’t really a thing that happens unless you have to foresight to plant them yourself. But it’s definitely something on my mind.

But on the other hand, a bunch of trees would block these kinds of views.

Lubbock County, Texas
photographed 5.22.2026