Trees

 In our neighborhood and nearby, the ornamental trees are lighting up with their peak of autumn color. 

Over at the park where we walk, there are pillars of fire.

In our yard the bright colors of maples haven't begun yet, but it's time for the cedar tree drop.

On Monday afternoon we were out in the yard preparing for a tree crew to come on Tuesday.

I raked up all of the accumulated cedar droppings and Tom moved furniture and pots off the patio.

On Tuesday, today, the crew from Pacific Arborculture arrived to begin the work of trimming our massive cedar tree and removing large dead branches from one of our large fir trees.

It took a while for this tree trimmer to get rigged up. He does his work suspended from ropes, much like a mountain climber. Here he is way up in the cedar tree.

His ground crewman helps manage ropes and equipment. He also carried big branches down the driveway to the chipper truck, since the truck was too big for the driveway.

On the ground some things could be reached by a long pole saw. 

Cleanup is part of the service. 

When they had the cedar tree done they moved to the Douglas Fir tree. That dark spot in the tree is the tree trimmer. 

Can you see them, up above and down below. When the grounds crewman wasn't assisting, he was cutting up limbs and hauling the green material out to the chipper truck. 

Sunlight can now get through.

The "logs" are ready to be cut up for firewood. The patio is all cleaned up, at least until the next big cedar drop. 

No more limbs overhanging the roof, and needles are blown off. 

Fir tree logs. 

This afternoon we got pots and furniture back on the patio. I did a little more cleaning up around the edges. Tom cut off a few more small low hanging branches with his pole trimmer. 

There is so much more light in the kitchen now.

We are happy with the work, expensive as it was. These guys are skilled. You pay for that, but these are important legacy trees, some of the few left in the neighborhood. They get special care. 

From BIG to tiny, here's another tree that gets special care, another one of Tom's bonsai trees. This is a grove style, made up of many Japanese Zelcova trees.

Tom designed and planted this grove maybe 30 years ago. It rewards us every autumn. 

It you live where trees bring autumn glory, be sure to go out and appreciate their beauty. November wind and rain will strip them all too soon.