Nirvana at 30 feet
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When I was a young kid, my Dad took me to go see the movie “The Swiss Family Robinson” at the drive-in. Now here was one happy family! One would think that I would love the movie. But actually it was making me sad because my parents had just gone through a messy divorce and all that family goodness was bumming me out.
Well anyway, it wasn’t a bad movie, usual Disney fare, until I saw IT. Something that took my breath away and overtook all thoughts. It was a TREE HOUSE!
That summer I became obsessed with tree houses. Every day I would go to the back of our farm, where we had a small creek that ran through about 10 acres, and hunt for that perfect “treehouse” tree.
These things had to be thought out in a detailed manner, not to be taken lightly. What was the best defensible angle if overrun with large bug creatures? What was the best escape route in case of surprise attack by zombies? You know….the usual stuff.
I eventually scrounged up enough boards and about…I don’t know….around 50 pounds of nails, and proceeded to make some steps going up a tree about 5 feet and then constructed a small platform with no walls and just barely enough room to sit down.
It was the coolest thing!!
I would go up there and eat lunch, read books, watch birds, throw sticks. Doesn’t sound like much in this age of instant media and video games, but it did leave the memory of several perfect moments. I would be sitting up there on a summer evening, sun going down, and everything was just ….right. I can’t really put in to words that feeling of almost nirvana like calmness. Looking back on it all, it probably represented some sort of emotional shelter for me but enough of the dime store psychiatry.
Well, summer ended and school began. By the time summer rolled around next year, that old tree platform had sorted rotted away. But the memories remain….
Suddenly jump ahead several decades. When my 5 year old daughter, who was with me at the local home improvement store while I was staring at lumber, mentioned something along the lines of….”Hey Dad, wouldn’t it be cool to make a tree house?” little did she know the sub-conscious ID monster that would be unleashed.
So I built this tree house….this 2 story tree house……this 2 story tree house with secret compartments and staircase…..this 2 story tree house with secret compartments, staircase, and partially floating over a Koi pond so they can watch the fish swim.
This was about 4 years ago. And it has been worth it….all that effort just to give my children that one perfect moment…that same moment I had when I was 8 years old.
For me it was a tree house. For somebody else, it could be something completely different. Maybe a certain river or mountain trail…..only the parent would know.
But shouldn’t that feeling be something that every parent be able to give to their children?
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Really nice post Krell… 🙂
Jeez, I have lived in more ramshackle houses. Lovely job you did. Your workmanship matched the story.
Thanks Holte! I hear a birthday congrats is in order, so happy B-day.
Sorry, I cannot find anything that matches what Gwen found.
That is perfect! That is so cool, that you did that but also how something which had so much meaning for you as a kid was able to also be something meaningful for your kids too. Shared “across the generation” stuff. Memories.
My only connection to treehouses was the Tom Sawyer Treehouse at Disneyland, my big girl loved to climb up there when she was a kid and talk about how much she wished she could live there, so when we went her and I would spend an inordinate amount of time hanging out in that treehouse.
Hope you’re keeping the chickens out.
When the rooster crows too much, Krell puts him in a little compartment under the stairs. “Rooster jail” is usually used to store toys.
How absolutely cool. By the way is that a parrot cage I see or is that yet another rooster jail ?
Parrot cage- but he escaped due to a cage malfunction and I never found him (or his carcass for that matter, so I am hoping he is safe). Now it is used to store the overflow doves when they get too amorous and pester the females constantly.
Poor parrot…Lucky doves.