On a recent crisp Saturday morning, my father and I invested time, energy, and a little fuel pruning centuries-old southern live oak trees—a task that combines science and art in equal measure. The trees are impressive—their boughs twisting and turning like a meandering creek, searching for sunlight and fighting off gravity. Their natural beauty is sprinkled with an elegance that seems to transcend our world. That’s why Hollywood loves to use a live oak grove as a backdrop for any key southern scene, be it tragic or felicitous. They bear witness and are touchstones to unfolding events.