what is "old"?

We were at the Bonsai Museum the other day looking at trees. Each tree's label said how old the tree was. David & Marnie had promised a 17th century tree, so we were on the lookout. Simon saw many trees from the 1880s, the 1850s, the 1830s...still no 1600s trees. We keep looking.

Finally, we see it...a tree in the Japanese Pavilion from 1640 or so. Jay & I go on and on about old the tree is, this tree is so old, it was around before the United States was a country. This tree is so old, it's older than George Washington. This tree is so old....etc. Simon is looking at us skeptically.

"Well," he finally says. "it's not as old as a shark fossil."