Go Fly a Kite and TIMBER

Aunt Sue, who I grew up with as a part of the Jansen fam, came over last week to drop off her car.  Tim helped her sell it with his stellar Craigs List and automobile skiiiils.  While she was here, Dude decided it would be a good time to fly his new, fancy pants, kite from Grandma V.  Turns out Aunt Sue is a kite flyer extraordinaire. 

That same day, we had to say goodbye to a very good friend of our little family.  He provided shade for the kids bedrooms, the sandbox and the swing set, a lovely green view out our back windows and a home for our lounging swings.  But his trunk was hallowed out from beetles and carpenter ants 4 feet up and 3/4 of the way through.  Meaning, he was likely to come crashing down with no warning. On our house.  He was 90 feet tall.  This would not have been a good thing for anyone involved, so he was chopped down.  The photo at the end shows how different it looks from the front of our house.  It's too bare and sad to document in the backyard, so I chose not to.  Farewell tree friend.