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When I was a kid, my mother and I used to go on hikes together. This was mostly through the parks near St. Paul, but sometimes we ranged further from home. Not terribly far, the farthest was probably Saint Croix Falls, just a little way up north and then over the border into Wisconsin.
My mother always knew every tree by sight, and most of the other plants too. She would show me the distinctive features on their leaves or flowers or whatever, but none of it really stuck. I usually have a vague idea of what sort of tree I'm trying to draw, but it's more "oak tree" and less "swamp white oak" or whatever.
I suppose Thorbjorn was more like my mother than he was like me, but I didn't ask. Mostly because we were moving too quickly for easy conversation, but mostly because even I could tell
