This ring is the light that shines down through the gentle green forests of the Appalachian ridge lines. It’s the reflection off a still lake in the High Sierra, reflecting the rocky peaks in the background. This ring is the amber glaze on the western hemlock just at sunset, and the fluorescence of the larches in autumn. It’s the flicker of cottonwood leaves as the wind ripples through them, and the soft mat of fallen leaves that cover the northeastern meadows. It’s the roots of the aspen forest, intertwined, and forever one.