Bone-sigh

Al,
Once again.....My hurricane analogy was only to prove that your statement of "mainipulation by man" in regards to John's tree was wrong. Because I have seen similar in nature...that is after all where we get our inspiration. And, Inspiration is all I have ever been talking about in regards to hurricanes and such.

Let me bring this home for you...if I had never seen the way that cal. Junipers grow wild in the desert I might look at their bonsai cousin's and think that all that carving crap is manipulation by man...who is trying to be more artist than bonsai-ist. But because I have a reference point to the way the real trees grow and recover from the deserts forces it gives more validity to the bonsai creations.

Back to hurricane trees...no one ever said anything about directly using hurricane styled trees for bonsai and calling them a finished product. Maybe as a starting point, but not as the finished product. Just like you would never collect your cali junipers and leave them as is and say "look at my pretty bonsai!". You would refine what nature has started. And that is what I am talking about. Starting with what nature has inspired us with and developing it from there.

Good article Al, I understand a little better what you were trying to say in refuting my (poor?) attempt at explaining hurricane damaged trees as inspiration for bunjin. Your article could use some fine tuning but other than that it was pretty good.

All the best,
Ryan

__________________
"If God meant for us to run around naked, we would have been born that way!"

----a Quote from my uncle's fridge