Spring Oak, Ahwahnee, California, 2011. A key element on our property is this magnificent spreading oak, which resides just outside our front door. We built the house where it is to feature the tree. I wait for the right conditions, like here when the new leaves just come out. I’ve lived in this home near Oakhurst, California, for 20 years. I’ve always found something to photograph over that time, be it my purple plums in bloom, the oaks or pines or manzanitas, moss-covered boulders, fog, snowstorms or the clouds, irises or poppies or lupine blooming. Or the first fresh leaves budding out on the large oak in my front yard. I watch the light and weather daily and wait for inspiration....