The Old Sycamore Tree

I have to tell about our European Sycamore Tree. 25 years ago when we moved into our home I wanted a fast growing shade tree so I went to the wise one, my grandpa Wright and asked for his advise. He told me the European sycamore tree is the best. I asked " isn't that the type that has the fuzzy balls on it?" "Oh no it doesn't have those." So I search high and low and found one. We planted it and it took of just as he said. It gave us shade the second year. A few years later my grandpa passed away and I was grateful for the tree to remind me of him. A year or so later we had a bad bad wind storm that blew the tree in half, we were sure it was dead and so Kris cut it down to almost nothing. Low and behold in the spring we saw life in the tree. It flourished beautifully but with one flaw, it started growing those fuzzy balls........I sure do have some things to tell grandpa when I see him again!!! We never let our kids climb it much cuz it was so fragile when they were growing up. But when the grand kids came along.....well it became the climbing tree, and we even kept a small pool ladder to help them get in the tree. Since we won't be around the tree for much longer I had to get a picture of the grand kids in the "tree". I will miss this old tree, and I hope and pray that there will be other children climbing this tree again one day, it really likes to be climbed in, I can feel it does. I know that sounds a little crazy but it is true. I love the old sycamore tree fuzzy balls and all.