Pine Tree Sketch

A pastel pencil sketch from one of my hometown photos.     Tomorrow I'll get out the pastel box and I might painting this in water color also.   I remember growing up most of the trees around our home were pine trees, the long needle kind.   Most people cut them down these days and hardwoods are preferred but Loblolly Pine is a favorite.    These pines can grow 60-90 feet high.   They have a distinct needle with usually 3 needles joined together.   The long needles are around 6-10 inches long.  The bark is interesting and has a scaly gray brown to red-brown color.    The pine cones can be 3-6 inches long.   Wish I'd had some for the Christmas holiday decoration.   I remember my great grandparents had a cute little house surrounded by these huge trees.   In the south you frequently see azaleas growing underneath these giant trees.   They offer a dapple shade cover.    We cut down many a sampling pine for a Christmas tree growing up.