Ghost trees

A group of pale white trees against the brilliant blue of the sky caught my eye this afternoon on the shore road along Loch Striven. The birds were singing, there was no wind, there was no-one there. It was perfect.

Shortly afterwards we saw a group of people coming off the hillside and niftily swinging over the wall, which at that point was topped with barbed wire. We spoke to the first to leap onto the road and realised he was American - and presumably these were crew from the refuelling ship we'd just passed at the Nato base, the USN Robert E Peary. (There's a big naval exercise building on the Clyde at the moment). It fair took me back to the days when you could expect to meet American sailors round every corner in Dunoon. 

I've included the photo I took of said refuelling ship, looming very large at the pier. And as we walked on we reflected on the alarming fact that it seems to be crewed by children ...

Or is it a matter of perspective?