Manzanita childhood memories
by janie hinkle-clayton
(portland, OR, USA)
Manzanita curves
I grew up in Jacksonville Oregon with 2 brothers and an identical twin, we were lucky enough to have the forest as our nearest neighbor ... just along the path (after you'd gone past the play house), on the left hand side of the path was a gathering of Manzanita bushes and a Madrone tree
... my grandmother made a holiday tree out of one of the Manzanita branches (putting it upside down in plaster paris), she painted the wood white and would decorate it with the seasons ... Easter, 4th of July, Halloween & Christmas. Small ornaments that she'd crocheted, others we'd made for her ... little bits of memories that come back when I found your site.
The Madrone tree had a wonderful branch just perfect for a small child to climb onto, and then you could gently bounce & sway on. A natural swing that I've always wished I could replicate, wishing I could go back to my childhood and climb the tree once again ... or more realistically take my grandchildren there and let them capture that moment.
The picture I am posting is from the Applegate Dam in Southern Oregon, it was taken in December (I don't know the year), but it truly showed the elegance of the trees from my childhood memory ...
Thank you for a wonderful site, I'll be sharing it with family and friends.
