I wish it hadn't been planted quite so close to the house.

That being said, it is the BEST place to sit, when it's hot outside. In fact, there are some high 80's in our immediate forecast so I'll be spending a few afternoons sitting beneath the canopy of my 'air conditioned tree', sipping chardonnay and streaming 'Game of Thrones' on my lap top.

Almost contest worthy.

I'd like to get an actual GOOD camera (I'm using my MOTO E-5 cell phone). So often I'll see a bird and think, DAMN, I need something with a good zoom!!!

I'm going to start looking - maybe even hit the pawn shops.

And, thank you!!

Maple is good wood and that will have character.

That, or Oak. The house was built in the mid-1960's and the carpet was immediately put down OVER the wood floors. Now it's just a question of logistics - where to put the furniture so we can rip out the carpet, sand and stain the wood.

I suspect my rate of sneezing will decrease DRAMATICALLY.

I have made furniture and lots of small projects out of it. Nice wood to work with.

keep the bugs out, and prevent any kind of build up that could encourage fungi.
a copper fungi spray wouldnt hurt.

There are a few dead branches that are too high to safely cut, but I'm going after the lower ones. They will go into my woodpile.

fluid dynamics is my favorite field of physics. i do all kinds of things w a hose.

Any contusion of tree bark is an invitation to fungus or insects.

I had a friend, now deceased, sadly, that was a complete well of botanical knowledge. He taught me a lot of things like this - not just how to start and then manage something that's going well, but, more important, what to do when things aren't going all that well.

Not yet.”

did you call a tree expert to see if there was anything else you could do to help out this magnificent tree?

Another possibility--our town employs an arborist. Maybe yours does, too. Advice is free for the phone call here.

Very thick shade. Not my favorite the Norway Maple is an invasive. And they don't do a lot for other wildlife. Looks nice though.

I love the shade from the one in the back yard but the lawn doesn't. The other two are in my back lot.

There was a Birch in the front yard, but it aged out. It was a beautiful tree.

Very common to happen, not at all indicative the tree is dying.
In dying trees the bark peels.

Bark split also happens when a sunny winter day ( where it warms the bark) is followed by cold winter night where it contracts.