Posted by: Deanna
The picture below is of my favorite oak tree as seen from 50-60 yards away, it’s one of the tallest trees on our property that I can climb, and the easiest.
This picture shows how I climb it. What I do is I step up onto footprint 1 with my right foot, and then holding on to the branches of the small forked tree, I brace my left foot against footprint 2. Then still holding on to the branches, I jump my right foot onto print 3, and then swing my leg over the branch with print 4 on it, and hoist myself up. It’s rather easy once you get the hang of it, and to get down, I straddle the big branch, lean down, get the rope, and then while holding on with my legs I slide around the branch so that I’m hanging on the underside with my legs, and then I just let go. (with my legs that is.)
This is my favorite picture that I got of the view in my favorite spot in the tree but it still doesn’t even show half of the beauty of the real thing. One thing I’ve noticed that really bugs me about pictures is that they show things like they’re twice and a half times as far away as they really look. This particular part of the view looks more like a map when you’re really seeing it, and when I was sitting in my place and the branch was swaying in the wind, it reminded me of part of a psalm we sing in church, the third verse of psalm 148:
From earth o praise the LORD! Ye deeps and all below, Wild winds that do his word, ye clouds fire, hail, and snow. Ye mountains high, ye cedars tall. Ye cedars tall, beasts great and small, and birds that fly.
It really seems to fit, especially when you’re out in the woods swaying in the wind, surrounded by cedars (even though they are not tall) and listening to birds singing. (and in case you didn’t notice I am higher than the telephone pole in the first picture when I sit here 
)
The arrow points to my special spot, and if you want to look at the first picture you could probably see it.
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Oh, tell me you didn’t climb this tree preggles! ;-O
What a fun post! I like your illustrations. Looks like you had a lovely time!
Chances are, you were using a 35mm camera (or so). This creates an “objects-are-further-than-they-appear” effect, as the camera’s lens is designed to have a wider view.
If you want your picture to look exactly as your eyes see it, you’d need a 55mm lens or so.
The smaller the number gets (for example, 18 mm) the further away the photo subject looks. The larger the number (maybe 200 mm or so) it has a telephoto, or close-up effect.
Mrs. Pharris,
My tree climbing days happened mostly in the ’80′s. This post was written by my daughter.
Deanna you are one brave and crazy girl!!
Deanna,
What fun! I’m a tree climber to. (Although at 38 and pregnant, my tree climbing days are not as frequent as they used to be.) All my life, my best places to go and be alone- to think, to meditate, to pray were in trees. Good memories, good times.
I LOVE to climb
Hello Deanna!
You have been greatly blessed with such a beautiful climbing tree!
I live in north east Oklahoma, near Tulsa, but dearly wish I lived near you. You and your sisters (and brother!) sound like a lot of fun! I come from a “micro mini” homeschool family, I’m the oldest of 4. I am near your age (16) and love climbing trees. Sadly, our 5 acres does not have any sufficent climbing trees, but my church has several. (Although Mom has banned me from Sunday morning climbing!)