Bean Tree

Another nice feature of this house where we live is the bean tree.  I've seen several kinds of bean trees, but never one like this.  It's actually called a catalpa tree, but bean tree is a much cooler name. 

I read Barbara Kingsolver's "The Bean Trees" long before it became required reading for high school English classes, but never pictured the tree having beans that look just like the green beans people eat, only giant-sized.  These are seriously long, amazing beans.  The day we moved in, my son picked a bean sword.

One interesting thing about this particular bean tree, is how it has grown around the metal bar that holds up the tire swing.  Here are pictures of either side of the bar.