I got to visit an old friend today. As an arborist I first pruned this Oak tree thirty years ago when the trunk was only about 18” diameter at breast height (DBH). It was brought to Canada and planted in October 1901 by King George V and Queen Mary of England and presented as a gift to the family that owned this land on the lakeshore in Gellatly Bay on Okanagan Lake in British Columbia Canada. In the years since I first worked on this tree, a luxury resort has sprung up around it. Fortunately, knowing the tree’s story, the developers retained it and have had it cared for by legit arborists throughout that time. Proper pruning principles, watering and nutrition. There are well healed branch collar cuts visible on the trunk that me and my buddy Brent made on this tree three decades ago. The trunk is now greater than 36” in diameter. The really crazy thing is that the man who most recently procured the pruning services for this tree this summer, 21 years after I met my current wife, is my father in law who is on the strata council at this resort. Little did I know 30 years ago that the next time I stood in this tree’s shade, I would do so while visiting my in-laws. Life is a trip. It is nice to see that some things endure.