An Eye for Wood

I have always loved the odd, bulbous growths (called burls) found on some trees and the other day I stopped to look at one in a neighbor's yard.  As I was looking at it I suddenly realized it was looking right back at me!  And not only that, but it looked like an elephant eye which made it all the more delightful!

The wood spirits must have been especially active that day because I was also called to inspect a stump that I have walked by a thousand times.  This particular stump is about 5-10 feet from the sidewalk and doesn't look like much from the side.  But when I looked down at it from above I was struck by the beautifully aged "golgi-body" shapes that reminded me of petrified wood.  And this is not even mentioning its gorgeous muted color pallete. 

When I really got up close to it, it became a wrinkled landscaped of worn, ruddy mountains waiting to be scaled by a passing ant or termite.  I wonder what they feel when they scale this rugged terrain.  I guess at this time of year they are nestled deep down in the folds dreaming of warmer weather.  It makes me want to climb in there too.