The Sycamores are all dying

These big sycamore trees here in Carondelet and Holly Hills are getting old and one by one they're all dying. It's a turning of the page for the South Side. The trees were planted along with the neighborhood in the 1920's and '30's. I started thinking about this when the big wind storms blew through here last month and took a whole lot of Sycamore limbs with them. In some case, whole trees came out of the ground and some just snapped off above the ground. And, now I think about it every night as we walk the neighborhood and I glance around from tree to tree. Some of them are still in good shape, some of them are gigantic. Will this neighborhood survive for 50, 60, or even 100 years? What do I mean by "survive?" I don't know. It's so nice right now. We sat on the porch tonight, 11:00 pm or so, and it was so quiet. We feel safe walking late at night. Do I want my daughter to settle here to raise a family? I don't know.

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