Many years ago when I was a child growing up in Detroit, all of our family pictures were taken in front of the enormous oak tree in our backyard. Before me, my mother & aunt, who grew up in my house, were also memorialized in front of the oak tree. My grandfather built my childhood home in the 1920's and picked the lot because of the oak tree that grew on the site. As my mom and later I, grew older, my beautiful oak tree was quite a sight to see with its enormous trunk. A backyard game of tag was always a family favorite around the tree. One day when I was in high school, a city official came to our door asking to put a sign on our tree that designated it a "Centennial Tree", meaning it was at least 200 years or older. Unfortunately, my single mom could not afford the designation fee of $100, and so we did without it. Eventually, I got married and moved away and so did my mother and thus our childhood home was sold. Many years later when I found out you could subcribe to Google Earth, the first thing I did was enter my old address in Detroit. My old house has survived and so has my magnificent oak, now resplendent in fall colors. I know the current owners don't know the history behind it, but I hope they realize what a gem it is.
