Tree House Rules
While we will admit that you have to get older as the years go by, we've discovered that you really don't have to grow up. Growing up is optional...it's a choice. The question is not how old are you? The question is how old do you feel?
We had our share of tree houses as kids and enjoyed every one of them. As high in the tree as we could get it. "No girls allowed." Defend the fort at all costs. ...you know the adventure. We had some cool forts, but at the same time we were always dreaming of the next bigger better version. In 2019 we finally got around to building what might be our tree house pinnacle.
Three or four years ago we located a cool grove of very big trees...three huge cotton woods and one awesome sycamore. Standing between the pond and the creek - we had the location figured out. With some help from friends more construction savvy than we are...and a bit of creative craziness on our part...we built what may be our final tree house...ten feet off the ground complete with a tree up thru the middle of it...and a front porch...a beautiful interior...and of course, a set of rocking chairs because of that getting older thing.
The final decision to go forward on this project came to us while sitting in a very cold deer stand in the winter of 2018. Not that we're getting old or anything, but cold wind and snow in an open deer stand high in a tree just doesn't seem to be as much fun as it once was...
...so we designed and built what we're calling a Gentleman's Deer Stand. (Don't miss the high-end engineering seen here in the picture to the right.)
But while it is indeed a great deer stand for a couple of weeks out of the year, it's so much more during most of the year.
...with a nice library (including one of Dad's old high school literature books, a bit of poetry and some favorite devotionals) it's a great reading room.
...with a hammock strung across the interior it's a wonderful overnight escape from the craziness of the world these days.
...with a bottle of wine on the front deck it's a great place to enjoy a quiet evening in the woods.
Primary takeaway: its great to grow older and not grow up.
[Pictured: one of the latest additons to the Farm, the new tree house is proving to be a favorite for kids of all ages.]
