Nathan didn't bully us into helping him cut down those trees, he convinced us it was a good idea

And he was right. It opened up a wonderful view of the river.

At some point in the past he'd convinced Carole that we could open up a view of the Anacostia River by removing several unhealthy trees. Well, this was the week. The view is as seen from the new bench at the bottom of the Japanese Woodland (sitting in a stone alcove Nate built last year). I sat there for less than 10 minutes and saw a great blue heron and a greater egret....and the river. It was muddy today; some days its clearer, dark with sun splashed whitecaps. Amanda harvested grapes that came down from the top of the tree, actually, in the top of the tree. They were sharp tasting but good, a sort of bonus for our industrious behaviour.