Buteo Bonsai, Durango Colorado

I have lived along the spine of the Rockies for nearly my whole life, minus some early years in the Sierras and Cascades. To live in the Rockies is to know the Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) by sight, scent, and sound. When I first dove into Bonsai, found a book at the local library, and eventually got my hands on a copy of Bonsai Today, I was mystified by the short, fat, and all too groomed Japanese Black Pines (Pinus thunbergii). To me, a pine was often tall, thin, and gangly. The branches were widely spread along the trunk, often sparse, and pretty disorganized overall. Really, I had never seen a pine like what I was seeing in the books and magazines.