Red Oak - Casa Linda neighborhood, Dallas

This was a 42” diameter tree in the 9500 block of Springwater Dr. near White Rock Lake in Dallas. Located very near the lone entrance to the neighborhood, the tree seemed to be a common bond that they all shared.

It fell during a storm on Sunday, June 9, 2019 and was dated back to at least the 1940s by residents. The storm made local news for its intensity and for the number of large, old trees that it toppled in the neighborhoods around White Rock Lake.

While I was salvaging this tree, the homeowners - and all the neighbors, in fact - were quite kind throughout the heat of summer. They were glad to have someone repurposing their tree into various items that could be carried forward.

Each day, there were 3-4 retired good ol’ boys who would come out to say hey and help me lift a slab or three when I needed help. Most all my work was done during the day, but I did make it out one evening. A block party of sorts broke out that night, as approximately 25-30 people came out to see the mystery man who was slowly whittling away at the tree - their tree - during the day while they were at work. One memorable story was a woman who drove down Buckner, saw everyone, and turned back around to take a closer look. Turns out that her grandparents used to live in the house! She was in her 40s and remembered her grandfather putting concrete (seriously) into a tree hollow at the bottom of the trunk back when she was 7 or 8 years old. She lived in the area still and drove past the neighborhood most nights while headed home from work.

While this was an extraordinarily difficult tree to cut into slabs, hearing the stories and having the neighborhood essentially bless my efforts were truly special.