Gorgeous day today!!

[rbtree]

It snowed all the way down to 2000 feet yesterday. This is the Cascades behind downtown Bellevue. 520 mm lens equivalent on the ID Mk ll
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/3007553146_023e826e40_o.jpg
A foot or more fell in many areas! I saw some videos of people who hiked for their turns in the Wasatch above Salt Lake City today...it was super deep and blower powder! Others were skiing up around Mt Baker today. I was working....:/:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/3006717871_f24f339a2b_o.jpg

Spotted this venerable old 5 foot dbh oak a few days ago. Had a tiny job nearby today, and shot some better pics of it. Left a card with a caregiver. The owner is 96...won't be getting any work from them.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/3007553086_bf0181fcce_o.jpg
Drove up to find a Jap maple that I'd forgotten to prune last fall. gotta find the guy's phone number. The tree is 21 feet wide, 13 feet tall, one of the largest in the country..and prolly worth $50k....I have another one almost as large to prune as well!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/3007553324_22146a6c43_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/3006718093_dd1abb31a0_o.jpg
Just across the street, this upright maple still is in its glory
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3068/3007553270_54c30a8af3_o.jpg

Then, my lucky day, two houses away is an awesome copper beech that I've admired for 25 years, or since I first spotted it. It has never been touched. The original owner's (deceased 10 years ago) daughter was out raking leaves. I'd never been able to talk to anyone there before. She was happy to speak with me. I suggested that the tree be considered for our Seattle Heritage Tree Program. I'll nominate it. The tree is over 4 feet dbh, and 100 feet tall. Prolly the largest in Seattle.
I've rec climbed the largest in the state, which is just under 6 feet dbh, and 115 feet tall, in a cemetary in Everett.

[vharrison]

Roger, awesome pictures! You are looking buff!

[No_Bivy]

Nice..are you sure that the largest lace leaf. There are a couple around here that look bigger

[MasterBlaster]

Crazy looking tree! Nice!

[Old Monkey]

A good day to be alive hey Roger?

[fishhuntcutwood]

Damn you Roger. I miss the West Coast. I like it back in the Midwest, but I do miss the mountains.

[stehansen]

Pretty cool Roger. Looks like a lot of construction going on in town.

[Al Smith]

Damn you Roger. I miss the West Coast. I like it back in the Midwest, but I do miss the mountains. Well you certainly won't find anything larger than a mole hill where you're at now .

On the other ,you being a sports fisherman ,try the mouth of the St Clair river ,between Port Huron and Sarnia .They get some big old lake fish there .

Back to the subject,yesterday and today ,in the 70's .It supposed to turn cold though .

[CurSedVoyce]

chilly but nice this am... But they messing with the burn days already !!

[CurSedVoyce]

We love working up here in the mountains.. This is becoming one of our fav properties to work on this year... Took some pics today while we were brushing After takin down some cedar... .
This property has some beautiful big and not to mention plentiful Fremontia Californica that has yellow flowers in spring... Some unusual shapes too for the varity.
They also have some very old Manzanita, I place them between 200-350 years. Base on the few here range between 24 - 36 inches.

[CurSedVoyce]

The Back yard (so to speak, it is also the side yard..LOL) is a steep slope and cliff with a creek and high canopy. Canyon Oaks (Golden Cup variety also) along with Cedar and Ponderosa, grey pine (bull pine) Manzanita, Buck eyes, black oaks and beautiful rocks ...
The slope in the picture, about half way to the rock face in it is where we are clearing the ponderosa that was planted for reforestation eliminating the competition around them so they will flourish. Kinda steep and a bit of a hike in with equip...

[CurSedVoyce]

While we were up there.. There is an oak that is supposed to be one of the largest... A Canyon oak of the golden cup variety. Took some pics and measurements today.
Here's daddy!!!!!!!!!!
30 foot circumference at 4 feet which is above the leader on the right in the pics.
13 foot diameter at 4 feet at its widest point.
The right leader as you look at the tree is 11'7" circumference and almost horizontal for 60 feet or so..
The left leader is 19'6" circumference below the fork just off the trunk.
Height is approximatly 64 feet

The canopy is 148' X 120' across covering I figure about 2/3s of an acre.
The canopy pics were shot lying down.
The tree's size is very deceiving as you walk up on it. Butttt then!
Hope you enjoy these pics. :D

[MasterBlaster]

Nice tree. It would be a helluva stump to grind! :\:

[stig]

Thanks for posting those.
They made me really "homesick" for California.
I just got an invite to the 30 year black black belt reunion next year at Humboldt state university karate club, in which I've been both a student and a teacher occasionally over the last 27 years, so if the financial crisis doesn't beat me, I'll be going back next year.
Man, I can't wait!

[Al Smith]

--And I thought a live oak was gnarly looking thing .

[CurSedVoyce]

The guy that owns the property where this tree is has been paying to have mistle toe and dead removed regular.... He also takes contributions in a box near the tree to help maintain it. I wish I could just talk him in to a rec climb for some of us and just doctor the tree as we play .. LOL
But seriously.. would make a heck of day for the House...
And yeah Boss... . would be on hell of a grind... You would have to miss the alternator the tree is swallowing though.. some one stuck one in a hole in the tree many years ago and you just barely see it now.. It is swallowing it..

[sotc]

it is a live oak al, Quercus virginiana

[squisher]

Cool! what a monster.