The Shoe Tree, Houlton, Maine

 Shoe trees represent the American spirit -

along our highways.

It may begin as casually as one person

tossing his shoes high into the air,

allowing them to hang among the branches.

 It may end there.

With that one pair of shoes.

Or -

it may blossom as person after person

stops traveling long enough

to add their shoes to the tree.

 Historically shoe trees have documented

weddings, baby debuts, graduations, funerals.

Any time family is celebrated.

The shoe tree is a form of remembrance.

 These trees may last generations,

tracing our history by our shoe wear. 

This particular shoe tree is located just outside Houlton, Maine, close to where we live. The branches are loaded down with shoe after shoe after shoe. If you were able to look closer and inspect the shoes, you may notice writing and notes detailing the occasion the shoes were tossed among the branches.  And there are so many pairs and singles just laying on the ground.  Ghosts of shoe wear past. Surely. Hahaha! And we have been trying to find this tree again. We first saw it about a year ago. Well, today was the today. The Maine version of the shoe tree!