We snowshoed up to the Carson Range ridge on Sunday and it was beautiful. It was one of those wonderful Tahoe days of blue skies and warm weather in the middle of winter.

While resting and the girls hamming it up for photos, I saw a tall tree that looked like it was twisted with rheumatoid arthritis. It looked to have been struck by lightning several times. It had branches twisted around each other. It had competing tops from at least two different branches of the trunk.

If measured by symmetry, this tree was about as ugly as they come. If measured by longevity, heartiness, and a will to grow old in splendid dignity, this tree is beautiful… Kind of like a few people I highly respect back home.

Zoom in on the image to see the detail.