1 So, how did it go??

2 It took two hours to climb the first branch (probably 30" diameter, vertical until it took the bend over the guy's garage).  I had to spike the thing in order to get up..
once I got to the place on the branch where the thing bent over the garage, it became apparent that I'd need to cut holding on with just my legs, and with no other place to tie off I'd be forced to take a big chunk.  This big chunk was directly over the garage, and probably would have taken out some wires as well.  I climbed down removing the spikes along the way, and said "fuck it".
I'm happy that since we attempted the worst of it first we didn't get caught up in the entire thing only to have a disaster at that point.  Ended up wasting the Saturday morning of myself and my buddy who came along to help.  Bummer.
As we were leaving, an old guy from across the street came out and asked whether we were tree-cutters.  I explained our situation, and that we had bitten off more than we were prepared to handle.  He said that since we had saws perhaps we could knock out this lightning-struck tree in his yard.  Making no promises we took a look and saw that it was barely half the trunk left of a willow.  Couple cuts and the thing was down.  We then chunked and stacked the thing for him, intending to be on our way.
As we packed our gear, the guy forced us to take 50 bucks for the thing.  I found it somewhat offensive, since we didn't discuss pay at the outset and I had intended we simply do this thing as a good deed.  The guy then said if we carried the wood out and hauled it off he'd give us another 50.  I told him that we didn't intend to get paid in the first place, and that the only way he could get us to do it is if he promised not to force more money on us.
We piled the shit wood in the back of my truck and hauled ass before the fellow knew we were done.
We then had two beers apiece and a couple burgers using the ill-gotten money.  Sucks about the big walnut tree, but I have a line on a fellow with 50 acres of wind-downed oak which I will barter handyman-type labor in order to acquire.  And I'd better do it soon.