The house is sort of plain from the front, but our back deck overlooks a small, upper yard and a lower field, that is bordered by a tranquil lake which runs along the 14th fairway. Beyond the golf course flows the Yadkin River which shimmers when the water is high. In addition to the plenteous geese and mallards and deer, blue heron nest nearby and often pose majestically, one-legged at lake’s edge. More than once, a bald eagle has perched in the back yard. It’s a beautiful sight – if you can see it.

There has been a problem with the view—over the years, two huge trees, when full-leafed, have increasingly obscured the panorama of the vista. The larger of the view-hampering trees, a massive oak, stood in my neighbor’s yard. Nothing to be done about that. But the second of the large panorama blockers was in my yard.