There isn’t really anything special about this photo except that it documents an event. The tree in the photo is one of the few Modesto ash trees still standing on a street that used to be lined with them, and it is the biggest one. Unfortunately this tree has been more dead than alive for a long time. It was probably planted in the 1940s, so it has reached the end of its lifespan, plus it’s full of mistletoe, a parasite that plagues most Modesto ash trees in the area. Every winter I worry that a heavy limb is going to come crashing down during a storm and destroy something or someone. Today the process of removing the tree began, and while I’m relieved that I won’t have to worry about it crashing through my roof any longer I’m also a little sad to see the big guy go.
