The Two Story Treehouse

When the backyard you’ve claimed as your own since you were 4 has the perfect tree for a treehouse, there is only one thing to do. Especially when your daddy tells you, ” We are going to build a treehouse in that oak tree.”

And so it began with Andy in January 2001 and the first level of his tree house accessible by a homemade rope ladder. ( He was well supervised and very careful up there as they built the sides on the first level.)

By autumn of 2002 there were walls and a step ladder added that could be raised and lowered by a pulley. This was quite an accomplishment, during the tree house planning and design time, each night for a bedtime story the father & son team read “how-to” books on “How to build a treehouse.” Throughout that time, one of our daughters was engaged and wedding plans were under way along with all the wedding festivities. It was a busy household for the 1st, now 2nd grader aka. “treehouse builder” of the family.

Andy shared some treehouse time with our house cat, Tootsie! This is surprising since he soon declared “No girls allowed!”

Alternate views of the progress in springtime 2004.

Mom observation:
Sometimes we tell ourselves we don’t spend enough time together as a family doing the things that really interest the children…
Well here is proof. Andy was determined to have a garden in the summer of 2005. We loved the idea, but when the “main gardener” has allergies to most of the outdoors, it’s a challenge. Here are radishes we grew in the garden…proof, we took the time and loved it.

One of those amazing “First day of school memories.” Andy went to 5th grade at Betton Hills School, August 2005, pictured here with our outdoor cat Marilyn.

The day came when our middle child, Elizabeth left home and after settling the new nurse in her apartment we got down to business. We decided we had to make a life as a family of three. First order of business that Labor Day Weekend 2006 was to finish the tree house. We weren’t adding electricity, a roof or anything but the two levels with “walls,” and a pulley dumbwaiter for breakfast under that big oak tree.

So they set their mind and muscle to it and finished the job right then & there.

Before long we were taking the first photo of the finished project. Then the fun started…more photos to follow.

First time camping out in the old oak treehouse! Andy & cousin David fast asleep in sleeping bags on an unusally cold October night in 2006. Take note of the carefully designed trap door entrance and exit engineering plan….
The boys loved every moment and campout in that big oak treehouse! #breakfastbypulley #lifeatthirtyseventwelve