Yes, We Killed It...

...and we're going straight to hell for it.

This was our beloved maple tree. Big and beautiful, broad as an oak, with perfect branches for swinging a tire. Unfortunately, this grandaddy maple did not survive the work we started here. After weeks of digging near the foundation of our house (which also dug up many major root systems) and driving heavy machinery around it, compacting the soil, we were told it probably would not survive. We had several tree experts in BEFORE the construction to see what we could possibly do. They all just shook their heads, and I felt like a horrible, horrible person. But as one kind tree guy put it, "It's either the tree or the house."

And so we chose the house. Smart choice, since we kind of need a place to live. But it still doesn't make us feel any better. We are very, very sad. We were just postponing the inevitable when a large branch fell on its own, sans storm or wind. We knew something drastic had to happen before someone got hurt (the trees branches were over our back bedrooms, several power lines, and the common driveway where children are known to play). And so the Mighty Maple is no more.

Joe asked the tree guy to leave the trunk so he could take it to a saw mill and get some good wood out of it to make a special piece of furniture. In the meantime, we leave you with photos of this beautiful old tree in its prime.