Bye Bye Apple Tree, Hellllooooooooo Campfire!

Last night, the boys decided to have a campfire.  After all, we had the fire pit all loaded up with small twigs and branches that had accumulated this spring and others that had fallen from the last storm.

As the fire roared, we roasted marshmallows and hot dogs.   In the meantime, Riggs had been [proudly] dragging around a large log, approximately 4' long and 4-5" in diameter.  He seemed a bit forlorn when we eventually had to burn it.
 
After our logs, twigs, and sticks burned down, we were still in need of more.  Connor had an "idea" and dragged back a large branch that he had snapped off from one of our apple trees that was in its last stages of life (99% dead!).

As he tore it apart (laughing his rear end off), Riggsy "helped" by twisting and gnawing off branches.
To see what Riggs was made of, Connor stood on the base of the branch, while Riggsy went to work.  It was quite impressive what his doggy teeth could do!

As they worked together, Connor got a good bicep workout.  :-)

Piece by piece, it got smaller.

Eventually, Dad had to step in to try and break it in half.

And also to stoke the fire....

(Apparently the fire poker was left inside!)

Connor kept going back to the old apple tree and continued to tear branches off.   Branch by branch, he and Riggs widdled that poor tree down from something the size of this (our healthier apple tree, still standing):

~ sans the leaves of course.

To THIS pathetic stick of a tree, bearing only one branch:

Next step: CHAINSAW!  And.... another roaring good-time campfire to finish the good old apple tree's life cycle.  Thank you apple tree!