Five years ago, Taft and I first discovered the Magic Tree. At the time, there was no cement path yet, just a dirt trail and an old rope and tire that hung over the creek from the branches of the huge Cottonwood tree. Of course, Taft wanted to try the rope, which turned out to be extremely fun, and we both ended up swinging over the creek for hours. Eventually, the dirt path became the cement bike trail that it is now, and the tree became more visited. Taft and I decided we needed a reinforced swing. I convinced my dad to buy new rope, and Taft and I made the tire swing that is still there today. The Magic Tree was where we hung out during the summer when we were not shooting air soft guns, tubing down the brush creek, or otherwise reeking havoc in the neighborhood. Probably half the time Taft and I were together in the summer, we spent in the creek, tubing or discovering new swimming holes. We thought about making a new swing so we could launch ourselves from the Magic Tree into the creek. Any time spent with Taft was always incredibly fun, sometimes dangerous, and I never knew what was coming next. I wish I had more summers to spend with you Taft. Gino