I've never met a tree I didn't love. In fact, I have favorite trees in each city I regularly visit. For example, in Los Angeles, the twisting coral trees lining the center of San Vicente boulevard always make me smile. I don't know how or when my arborous love affair began. Perhaps it was the youthful Sundays spent in the park with my parents. Or maybe it was summer vacations in the Albanian countryside, following a month at the beach. Year after glorious year I would spend hours alone on top of cherry or mulberry trees eating the delicious fruits. My parents tell me that even as a small child, if I was ever lost, they would find me sitting next to a tree. Needless to say, trees inspire me and Hawaii is full of magical ones, such as this beautiful banyan tree I visited yesterday after a business meeting. Inspiring indeed.




