i once read that, due to our evolutionary predilictions, humans are most soothed by a view from a height, looking out over grassland, toward a body of water in the distance. both before and after reading that statement, i have been drawn to edges where water meets land. and in the american upper midwest, that means spending a lot of time in the company of cottonwoods, and their expressive bark.

cottonwood tree bark

sucker creek, regional park, saint paul, minnesota