Tall Pines campground trees model U.S. presidents
A resident of Tall Pines campground since 1987, Raymond Smith, 78, is a Vietnam veteran who’s passionate about his country. He has a 40-foot-long white fence in front of his house where he decorates a garden around the American flag. Next to the flag, there are two trees that he trims and upkeeps.
He never noticed anything special about the trees, until one day his niece told him that the tree on the left looks like Abraham Lincoln and the tree on the right looks like George Washington. Smith was surprised and delighted at her observation. It did indeed look like the two former presidents.
“No one is ever going to see something like this around,” Smith said. He has a light shining on the American flag and another light with color settings shining on his garden.
In addition to his lawn display, Smith also shows his patriotism through his singing. He has been singing since 1997, but lost his voice in 2016 when he had a stroke. He worked diligently to restore his singing voice, and once he was ready, he wanted to do something for veterans like himself. Smith started singing the national anthem and “God Bless America” for people at the campground.
He still sings to this day, and he also works with special needs kids at the Tall Pines campsite.
The Tall Pines campsite is located at 29551 Persimmon Road. It is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. To learn more about the campground go to tallpines-del.com or call 302-684-0300.
