endless peach trees on my right. Or, as Nikiko later described them, a “cathedral of memory.” A dusty farm road led me to the Masumotos’ special Adopt-a-Tree orchard. The joy was palpable.

The farm has been in the family for generations. “The history of it is unreal, when you can go back to your grandfather, your great-grandfather, who I knew,” said Echols. One peach tree can ...