I took these pictures of a poplar plantation on Interstate 84 while driving east at 65 mph. I held my little Sony digital out to the right trying to exclude the car window and side mirror from the pictures. A little white sports car behind me flashed its lights before it passed. I think the driver was concerned. I may have been changing speeds, being a little erratic as I snapped the pictures. Ron told me not to get distracted on my way home, but boredom ensues on that highway, and I fell prey to my creative instincts. I remembered what he said and proceeded to behave. A little tweaking on these blurry images produced some interesting images.

I love these trees. We in Eastern Oregon have been watching them grow since the late 1900’s.  In the rolling grassy hills between Pendleton and Arlington immense fields of seasonal crops provide interest, but the area is devoid of trees and their changing colors. The size of these fields of poplars are also immense. I drive almost five miles before I am past them. They have been planted and harvested and replanted at different times, as indicated by small signs along the road. The first field ever planted has never been harvested, and has large trees and the dark of the forest beneath its canopy.  I have been told they are planted from cloned seeds, and I try to see if the trees branch out in the same places. I have often thought they did, but the way a seed turns in the ground obviously would affect the direction of the branches. Besides, when you are passing them at high speed, well, …