This photo was taken in February 2023 during a difficult time in my life. In December, our home was seriously damaged when three 150-foot Douglas Fir trees crashed through the roof during a ferocious wind storm. My partner and I felt lucky to escape injury, although the experience left us badly shaken.

Two days after the storm, we were living in our tiny camper when neighbours who we barely knew offered us the use of their tiny Airbnb cottage while our home was repaired. Their cottage was only a mile from our home, making it a perfect situation.

We spent the next seven months living there while our home was repaired. It was a surreal time, leaving me feeling a bit like a ship being tossed about at sea. During those months, my dog and I often walked down the hill from our cottage to a giant, dead walnut tree.

This tree had been part of an old homestead, and more recently, it played a part in our neighbours' family life as a place for picnics and climbing. When the tree died several years ago, our neighbours even held a celebration of life for it.

In February 2023, a snowstorm transformed the old tree into something magical. I spent a morning photographing it from various angles, and this is the one I liked best. The smaller trees in the background give the scene a delicate, lacy look.

We don’t get much snow in western Oregon, so the conditions were a bit challenging for me. Later, when we moved back into our repaired home, I had a print of this photo made on metal, which I gave to our generous neighbours.