A Midwest Meeting Summer in Missouri can get HOT and I get to a point where I'm restless and will leave the house to go anywhere, sometimes just to drive around and explore. Every time I leave to go nowhere particular, I find another gem in my town, St. Charles, MO. This place is truly spectacular - we have historic buildings, scenic parks, acres of fields, roadside wildflowers, and much more. On the day I took this photo, I had just dropped my daughter off at summer school and I decided to wander around the back roads of the town and see if there was anything exciting.

Sunflower season here is pretty short and though my personal sunflowers always bloom around this time, all of our fields were dying off. I was determined to find one that still looked nice so I decided to go on a drive and see what I could find. On the 4th of July, my husband and I were driving around this area so he could show me one of his favorite fishing lakes and along the way there as well as the way back, there were countless wildflower fields with sunflowers, daisies, and more colorful blooms than I have ever seen. I figured if I just took the same route we took, I would find a blooming field and could stop off for some nice shots with my neutral density filter (my photography bestie) with this gorgeous sky.

When I drive past this field initially, it did not catch my attention. Once you've seen a thousand corn fields, you start to tune them out, and I have to admit: I've been tuning them out for years now. What did catch my eye after I turned around, though, was this tree.

There is something strong about solitary trees. A tree standing alone, to me, is a symbol of resilience, power, and stability. When I noticed this tree in the middle of the bean field, my heart skipped and I pulled over immediately to enjoy it. As I approached the tree, I discovered that it was perfectly in the center of two crop fields; a stunning display of loyalty and protection, a cerberic display of care.

It was a joy to photograph this scene and as I worked, I reflected on what it meant to me and how special this field's layout truly is.

I genuinely hope that as others observe the world, they feel the magic and wonder that I do! Our world is an enchanting and unusual place and I cherish every sight to which I am treated.