Spruce on Granite

I had stumbled into a small forest that felt quietly enchanted. I had walked this trail many times before discovering this place. Older spruce draped in lichen and moss rose from pink granite, so close to the coast I could smell the salt air, and for a while it was just the trees and me. Returning again and again, I deepened my attention --to the birds, the shifting branches, and that sense of wildness that still persists in small, overlooked places. Thankfully, the forest and time stood still. I had just the right framing of this spruce protective over its pink granite, which had supported it for decades. My heart leapt a bit as I readied to take my final shot.