Dad the Tree Trimmer

This is Dad taking down a 50-60 foot tree. I think this was the tree he took down in my back yard at Palmer, not sure of the year? Seems to me Andrew was helping him and had to leave to work at Independence Center, so 2000/2001? Unbelieveable since he had heart surgery in Aug. 1999. He also took down a tree about the same size for their neighbor in Lee's Summit in July 2004.

Dad would put on his tree climbing gear then throw ropes into the tree to tie himself in and to hoist his power saw up to where he needed it. He then climbed to the top of the tree and would start cutting the branches and limbs off the top of the tree. After that he would work his way down and start cutting the larger limbs, tie a rope to them and drop them to the ground. After he cut the entire tree down he would cut up the tree into firewood size logs. Just makes me tired talking and thinking about it!

Dad became a Tree Trimmer when we lived on Cherry Street as a 3rd job. He worked full time on the Police Force and part-time Janitor work every evening or early morning (depending when he was on duty) Dad was the only one on the crew who would just climb up to the top of the tree and start cutting it down! The other men stood on the ground and helped him. He made a lot of money trimming trees. When we were kids and he had left the house early morning to a tree trimming job and we did not know where he was, we just jumped on our bikes and followed the sound of his power saw. I loved to watch him up in the tree's, he was like a Super Hero!

He was an amazing man and the hardest working person ever!