Nature Observation - Tree Type TBD

 As I was studying in my living room this afternoon, I looked out the window to notice that a handful of bright pink flowers have bloomed in the trees surrounding the house. My roommate and I live in a second floor apartment, so the bulk of the tree foliage is framed nicely by our windows.

I decided to take a break for a breath of fresh air, so I walked downstairs to examine the trees. From the ground-view, the trunks reminded me of the crepe myrtles that grew outside my dining room windows as a child. Four skinny stalks extend upwards, each sprouting knobby growths about halfway up their length. From the knobs sprout more, skinnier stalks that extend vertically upwards once more. 

These lanky branches are absurdly reminiscent of Dali's spindly elephant legs; I can't help but imagine a few upside-down elephants walking through the foliage. 

Grey-ish bark peels from the tree trunk and limbs, which extend into dark green leaves stretching skywards.

The sky breaks through as the limbs thin into leaves, ends sprinkled with the bright pink flowers that brought me downstairs.

I'm still unsure of what type of tree this is, but I'll have to leave that mystery for another day. My biochemistry notes are calling me back upstairs. At least I'll have a few flowers by my window for company!