Had a landscaper come by last night to discuss options (more cha-ching) for the lawn. She proposed removing the dirt/lawn in front of the oak and exposing the granite below, then creating small islands of mulched bed areas with various shrubs (creeping juniper) and some perennials. She advised next Spring, we rototill the rest of the lawn nearest the driveway and reseed. The oak tree is really the culprit in a lot of this as it just sucks all avail moisture from the grass. We thought of cutting it down a couple years ago, but opted not to.