Madrones are one of my favorite trees. I love the way they twist out of rocky soil, their sinuous branches covered with a combination of smooth inner bark and a cracked and peeling outer layer.

This morning I went for a walk around Seward Park with Jim Demetre. He writes about art (among other capers) and has set aside time to walk and talk with artists. He laughed when I asked him if he had an agenda for our discussion. We had an interesting conversation about trees and food, art and family, remodeling and the pleasures of a good down jacket. He’s a charming tour guide and very knowledgeable about native plants.

We stopped along the way in a small grove of Madrones. Some of them are quite damaged by age or the weather but still growing around their scars. Now there’s another topic for conversation.