We are very sad this week after having to cut down our lovely Birch tree. It gave us many cool evenings on hot days and fun climbing branches for the kids to climb on when they were young. The drought the last two years took its toll on it and it began to die last year. We were a little concerned about it this summer when some of the branches started cracking off when the wind would blow. (believe me the wind blows quite often here. It definetely is going to get some getting used to without it here but we will soon replant a new tree there.