strange tree

I guess, this is the tree-week, since I already had a tree for yesterdays mono-challenge (thanks so much for all the kind comments). But I like the trees, especially in the early spring and late fall when the leaves are off and the branches are bare and visible. It is mesmerizing to watch the patterns they make and it has something calming. 
This tree though is a bit different - someone removed part of the bark and wrote almost gothic-like letters on them. Wonder what´s that all about.