Irene-struck sycamore tree pierces nave of Maryland church
Not much news has rolled in to the Café in the way of churches suffering damage related to Hurricane Irene, but this one caught our eye:
CENTREVILLE [Md.] - A sycamore tree has fallen on St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Centreville and penetrated the roof. The Rev. Chris Jubinski said the church steeple also has been damaged. The church dates to 1835.
The St. Paul's web site indicates that the tree "toppled into the church and penetrated in the nave."
Shades of Amos, you say? Or Zacchaeus in Jericho? The plentiful cedars of Solomon's reign? Tread carefully: those are variants of fig (Ficus sycomorus) - they're native to the Middle East, not here - and they aren't quite the same thing as the American Platanus occidentalis.
