Treehouse, Phase 1

The architectural plans were exacting, the specifications well-defined, and I can now say with confidence that The Treehouse, Phase 1, is completed! Ok... I guess that only two of three of the parts of Sam's plans are done - the walls that for some reason look like a bicycle seat in his diagram aren't up yet, but 66% isn't bad. Ok, I guess that technically 66% is an F, but only if you're not grading on a curve.

Anyway, as you can see the treehouse is perched amongst the branches of our apple tree which is a good use for the tree because we never actually harvest any apples from it (because we're lazy, not for want of trying on the tree's part). It's really a rather roomy treehouse - Steve and the boys did an exceptional job with it and the four of us ate our ice cream cones quite comfortably in the treehouse earlier this week. Obviously it's also pretty sturdy to support two kids and two adults and four ice cream cones!

And today Steve and the boys finished up the trap door specified in Sam's plans. In Mommyland, the presence of a trap door is basically equivalent to hundreds of pinched fingers and a few concussions as one boy drops the rather heavy door on the other's head as he climbs up, leaving the unfortunate bottom child hurtling to the ground from the rope ladder... but I will concede that may be more paranoid Mommy talk than actually likely outcome. Only time and emergency room visits will tell :)

But, if you're Sam and Ben, the presence of a trap door means that your treehouse is complete (or mostly complete, there's still the weighted down elevator and bucket on a pulley to finish, but I digress) because you can now require a password for entry to your treehouse. Sam explained to me tonight that the password to the treehouse would only be awarded if one brought "food or a drink or a new toy" to the treehouse dwellers. Those kids strike a hard bargain. Oh, and the trap door means that you can keep girls out - Sam has already finished his "No Girls Allowed" sign although he did concede that relatives are allowed up, but no other girls because they may bring up, and I quote, "dolls and stuff." And clearly this is precisely the kind of disaster that the treehouse trap door is meant to protect them from!

Sam's Calvin and Hobbes fantasies have finally been realized.