Tree House

We had a large flowering cherry in the back yard at 45 Locust Street in Garden City, Long Island. We moved in during the winter of 1963 and the next spring my father, brother, and I decided to construct a tree house in the cherry tree. The tree’s trunk divided into two large limbs about three feet off the ground. We picked a spot where the limbs leveled off about twenty feet off the ground for the tree house. We purchased two fifteen feet logs at the lumberyard, hoisted them into the tree running from one limb to the other parallel to the ground. So as not to hurt the tree we lashed them around the limbs with hemp rope. The two logs were now level in the tree, and we nailed planks every six inches across the logs. We had our tree house – safe, hidden, secure, and towering above the rest of the neighborhood.

—Dana O'Brien

Chinese Pistache (Pistacia Chinensis)

This Chinese Pistache tree is growing in our front yard. The tree is at least 50 years old—probably older and has been part of our family since we moved here 26 years ago. Rick's grandfather built the house in 1940 and said the majority of the trees were "planted" by the birds. We assume it was a gift from the birds or squirrels. When our children were little we would hide easter eggs in the boughs and around the base, hang Christmas lights and ornaments from the lower branches. It has also served as the final resting place of our most favorite cats who were laid to rest at the base of the tree as this was their favorite place to pass hot summer days. It's funny how something can stir up sweet memories.

—Sue Giari

Little Yew

Two days ago I found this posting on Craigslist NYC. The tree was growing in a Brooklyn back yard and needed to be removed.

Free little PINE TREE
You can have this little conifer for free! But you have to help me dig it out. It has grown too big for my backyard. I've seen this variety used in hedges, and I've also seen them growing freely and reaching heights of 40 feet and maybe more. This one is only 7 feet tall. Bring a strong bag for the roots. Today, with the help of a friend, we dug it and moved it to a location where we hope it will thrive for many years. —John

Weeping Hemlock in the Snow

So I stayed at your folks' B&B and your dad mentioned this GIGANTIC weeping hemlock. Off we went in a snowstorm, my wife and I, to see it. The next day, yesterday, I took some photos.
—Matthew Meltzer, www.drivingAcar.com

Richard's Tree

This tree is a young Weeping Beech. In 1997 it was planted at the Cathedral in Garden City, L.I. as a memorial to my son Richard (1964-1982). My son's ashes were placed in the earth beneath the tree. The ash becomes earth and the tree is nourished by that earth. It should reach a height of fifty feet and it's branches will reach out from the trunk in a fifty foot sweep. It is the final resting place for my son and it should live on for centuries. We visit the tree often.—Richard Duvall

Tangled Branches

Courtesy of www.sensitivelight.com

Jose

In 1968 a small pine tree growing at our house in Huntington, NY had a severely broken branch. My sister mended it with popsicle sticks. Two years later, the tree was dug up and taken to my parents new home in Connecticut. At that time, my sister named the tree "Jose."

Many years later it had outgrown its new home and had to be chopped down. Underneath we found three healthy saplings. Two were moved away from the corner of the house and the third was moved to our home on Long Island. When it was about three feet tall, we moved to upstate NY and took "Jose Junior" with us. It is now 7 feet tall and has become our outdoor Christmas tree. It seems to love its new home and we love it.
—Wendy Duvall