Kahlil Gibran once wrote,“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.”
I’ve had a love of trees as long as I remember. I’m fascinated by their endless varieties from decorative ornamentals to giant sequoias. Join me as we explore trees on journeys around the world. The photo above is a hike among beautiful Ponderosa pines at Chautauqua Park in Boulder Colorado.

This is a majestic and sacred Banyan tree at Goa Gajah temple in Bali. The tree is wrapped in a “Poleng”, a traditional Balinese black and white checkered cloth, symbolizing harmony and the opposing forces in life. Marla is shown talking to our guide on the right. She is wearing a sarong as this is a sacred site.

Our very favorite places for picnics when I was growing up were redwood forests. These are towering redwoods at the Samuel P. Taylor State Park in Marin County.

A tree covered “cliff walk” on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands.

Beautiful Lodgepole Pines along the Vail Pass bike trail. Vibrant, purple Fireweed in the foreground.

Marla studies the beautiful and very unusual “Cannonball Tree” at the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden north of Hilo Hawaii.

The Cannonball Tree is very unusual!

These are the famous “Lone Cypress” trees on the 17-Mile Drive between Monterey and Carmel. The trees are Monterey Cypress.

Lush oak trees along the Shell Ridge Open Space trail near Walnut Creek, California.

My nephew Steven and wife Karen walk under a forest canopy on the island of Herm in the Channel Islands.

A screw Pine in the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens by the sea.

A solitary Palm tree enjoys a sunset on Maui.

While cycling on Sri Lanka we stopped to tour the sacred temple in Mahamewna Gardens of Anuradhapura. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, shown supported by gold plated poles above, is a sacred Bo tree (Ficus religiosa) located in the Mahamewuna Garden, within the historic UNESCO World Heritage City of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is believed to be a tree grown from a cutting of the southern branch from the historical sacred bo tree, the Bodhi tree, which was destroyed during the time of Emperor Ashoka, at Bodh Gaya in India, under which Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) is believed to have attained enlightenment. In 236 BC, according to Sri Lankan tradition, the Buddhist nun Sangamitta, a daughter of Ashoka, brought the tree cutting to Sri Lanka. At more than 2,300 years old, it is the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date.

Marla and our good friend Lea, explore the “Pioneer Tree Trail” at Samuel P. Taylor State Park.

Our daughter Stacy crosses a stream among towering pine trees near Vail.

Gorgeous ornamental trees in the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco.

A towering pine is very dramatic at sunset in Ronda, Spain. I photographed this while on a bike tour of Andalusia in Southern Spain.

Trees are changing into their Fall colors outside of Evergreen, Colorado.

A solitary tree near the waters edge, close to the Anchialine Ponds, near Kolea, Waikoloa, Hawaii.

If you love dining next to exotic tropical trees and plants there is nothing better than “My Forest Cafe: near Chiang Mai, Thailand.

An huge carving is surrounded by exotic trees at My Forest Cafe.

Marla is under the cherry blossoms in Washington D.C.

A gorgeous, but very toxic, Angel’s Trumpet, at Wat Pha Lat near Chiang Mai, Thailand.

A stunning multitude of tropical trees and plants at the Taman Negara National Park, in Malasia.

Giant bamboo trees tower overhead at Wat Pha Lat, near Chiang Mai.

Giant trees border rice terraces on the trail down to the Gunung Kawi Temple in Bali. Marla and I love this area for its’ stunning beauty.

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.