Cherry tree

Back in the city, my neighbor Joanne had a very large ornamental cherry tree that had succumbed to the burden of winter snow, after years of struggling with invasive English ivy. I offered to trim the dead branches, and she accepted, but then told me she was planning to pay to have the whole struggling tree removed. I summoned my neighbor Doug, who I new would love the wood for the custom canoe and kayak paddles he builds, and we promised to save her a few hundred dollars by taking care of it during the three-day weekend.

Only after cleaning up did we realize we cut down a cherry tree on Washington's Birthday. While the account of George Washington's story is debated among historians, we didn't know what to think about this, but we thought we could at least pose for a photo.