In August I started interviewing arborists, as we want to have a certified company come yearly to see to our trees. After meeting with a handful I chose one, but since they recommended we not do any work until their leaves dropped, we put off the work until December. They recommended that one tree in particular be removed and Agent Smith’s father was visiting, so…you guessed it: Agent Smith and his dad got to work and took down the tree.
It was a gum tree that stood within the house yard, but out near the fence between some scraggly palms and oleander bushes. Because gum trees like to suck up all the water and drop their bark to poison the ground to keep other trees from growing, this meant a little persimmon tree nearby was barely holding onto life, and the palm trees were pretty haggard even by palm tree standards. We hope that this winter, with the heavy rains and the absence of the big brute, the little tree may make a comeback and start to flourish.
1-4. Instead of just using a chain saw and cutting the tree down, Agent Smith’s dad used Bambi to excavate the base. Once the soil was loosened sufficiently, Agent Smith used Tony to pull the tree down.
5. And we were left with a giant hole.
6. While pulling down the tree, they bent the pin holding the chain to Tony.
7. After cutting off all the branches and carting off the large logs to the woodpile behind the stables, they used Dumpy to take the stump to the west pasture, where it was dumped into the Pit of Sarlacc.
