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After the Fire…

The Burnt Trees of Bastrop, Texas

My friend Kelli Nicole asked if anyone could help her drive to Austin one day to buy a used car last October. I happened to not have any sessions that day, so I volunteered and we headed west for a quick trip to test drive and purchase a new-to-her Subaru.

I hadn’t been through Bastrop since the year before, when the wildfires of 2011 caused so much damage. It was shocking to see the formerly lush forest as just these blackened, charred remains of the trees that were left behind.

The drought isn’t over yet; while we’ve had some rain, they are still forecasting that it could rival the state’s worst dry years. We’ve had such a mild winter, I’m not looking forward to the summer. It will be here soon, and the mild winter means more mosquitos and other bugs.

It isn’t just the wildfires that are a concern; the parks here in Houston have also had a huge loss of trees. Lost habitat for animals. Lost shade for the people in the parks. Lost pieces of the eco-system that we need.

Day 2 of 365. Photograph taken with my iPhone on October 11, 2012 in Bastrop, Texas.