thanks for the ideas fellas
i appreciate the support that everyone is showing for this tree
marc,
regarding starting the foliage lower, i can see your insight with this one, but i love to see large canopies on junipers, and on cascades.
also, although this idea is not impossible, it would be quite difficult for me to make the decision to chop the first brach, there is a huge kink back up straight off the trunk, it's hard to see under the raffia, and it's only visible from the front view.
thanks for the input though, i never even thought of chopping the branch. it would make an interesting jin...