TODAY KATHY AND I BADE GOODBYE to one of the proud, old deacon pines here at the Church O’ The Pines. Tall and straight, 120 years of age and weighing scores of tons, it had become infested with bark beetles. So, to protect its neighbors, we made the sad decision to have it removed.

Yes, look close and that is a very tall boom in the first photo, with a fairly good-sized human being in the ‘bucket’—to provide a sense of scale. Photo #2 shows my favorite view of the tree, and #3 the same view on the side with the damage. As Church Caretakers we love all our trees and feel a great responsibility to them. Hopefully this action, along with a big project on the other side of the woods, will protect the health of the forest. Goodbye, old friend—singer of wind and tickler of clouds.