A lone tree

There is a tree that I admire.  This tree stands in the edge of a field, completely alone. You can tell this tree grew up in the open, away from other trees, by the symmetry of its shape and the wide spread of its branches.

Trees like this are rarely left to stand.  They become victims to progress.  As farmers buy larger equipment, they remove the fence rows that divide fields and the trees that grew up along the fences.  Trees that once stood in the middle of fields to shade cattle and other livestock are cut down and their stumps pulled up. 

I don't begrudge the farmers for doing this - larger field make sense and trees in the middle of a tilled field don't make sense.  I wonder why this tree has managed to survive?  Does the owner of the field keep it there for sentimental reasons?  Or do they, like me, simply like the way the tree look.

I have passed by this tree dozens of times.  Yesterday I stopped for a few moments to photograph it.  I like how it stands out above the horizon and how it fills most of the frame of the picture.  I also like how the mist/fog adds a softness to the trees in the background and to the sky.  This is already one of my favorite photos of the year.