I did not arrive as early to my appointment as I had planned, but I still had a few moments to draw. I chose the Rhododendrons next to the parking lot as my subject because I loved the way their dark twisted trunks and little green "umbrellas" looked in the rain. 
I was at the center to hear the author of Pleasant Valley Lost, Joseph J. Swope speak about the loss of his family farm to the Army Corps of Engineers. What was once his home is now under the Blue Marsh Lake. I can remember my Grandmother talking about losing her mother's strawberry farm in Benton Co. Missouri to the Army Corps' Harry S. Truman Dam project. She held out for more money when she discovered that the property would become a prime lakefront location after the reservoir filled. Family legend has it that after a multi-year court battle, she did get a little more money for the land.
Eminent domain: When is it for the good of the people? The government? Private industry/business? Discuss.
More Trees in Parking Lots:
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