Pruned the Apricot Tree

I made the time to prune the apricot tree today.

I cut a little more than I have in the past and tried to open it up a bit so the branches weren't as crowded and running into each other. And I also used the saw on some of the larger ones growing branches that were out of reach.

Some of the branches that looked dead. Should I be worried about that?

And I found a weird growth. I really hope the tree isn't on its way out because we sure do love the fruit!