The two pines needed to go, since they were heavily damaged by the fire, and aside from looking bad, their lives would have been shortened by the damage. The crew arrived at 8:30 sharp, as promised, and was finished by 1:30. Not bad for the amount of work done, including two dump truck loads of branches and trunks.
The two pines that needed their deaths hastened:

The third pine that happened to grow in the wrong place. It would have made a great Christmas tree. Too short for NYC, but nice just the same.

Relatively easy work when you have the right tools.



Interesting looking: I though about leaving it that way... then thought better of it.


We went to the ZBA the other night to request a variance to place the new garage closer than 10 feet off the property line. Naturally it's a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense: registered letters too all neighbors within 500 feet, notice in two local papers for two weeks before the public hearing.... Yup! I said public hearing--to put a garage on my own property when the only neighbor who can even see it has already agreed to it. That's our government at work.
One way or another, there will be a new building back there this summer, unless the money runs out--I just got the bill or the cleanup and repairs to the house. :::gulp:::
Happy summer!