 |
| Removal near the beginning |
Last fall, I
wrote about the sadness I felt when demolition equipment arrived to tear down the house of our longtime neighbor to make way for new construction. In the beginning, I posted photos of the process almost every day but haven't posted any new pictures until today. The house sold recently and the new owners are expected to take possession in a few weeks.
New restrictions in the city of St. Paul on such projects came too late for this property, but I actually felt fairly happy with the new house and was told my next-door neighbor that it's beautiful inside. Open floor plan -- what I'd like in my own house. We were delighted to learn that one of the residents will be a girl exactly the same age as the lovely little girl who lives in the house just west of ours.
 |
| End of the job |
This morning sadness crept into my happy little world. A landscaper working on the property told us that my beautiful lilacs are right on the property line and will have to be removed to make way for a retaining wall between the properties. I felt tearful most of the day, but tears gave way to rage when we arrived home this afternoon after being out for several hours. Most of the limbs had already been sawed off the striking maple tree in the yard next door. It will be replaced by a patio in the bit of yard that remains on the lot.
The maple was the prettiest tree in this neighborhood of stately old elms, maples and oaks. Now, it will soon be a memory preserved in many seasons of pictures I've taken over the years. It's a sad evening on the street.
Photo album.
