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Prying out a stump reminded him of how deeply a tree clung to the ground, how tenacious a hold it had on a place. Though he was not a sentimental man ...more

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He could not tell all of the California pines apart, the gray pine from the coulter, the bushop from the knobcone and the Monterey.

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It turned out plant collecting was a solitary occupation. In the past Robert had enjoyed being alone, or so he thought. Actually he had rarely been al...more