Admittedly, I’m no expert on tree house building, so I thought I’d start a little closer to home—reading. I love to read, and I figured there must be something on tree houses.
Well, in yesterday’s post I shared the book that inspired the whole tree house idea, this one:
It had a little something in it on building a modest little tree house. Truth be told, I thought it was better than modest. I thought it was awesome. But I then shared it with someone else and that’s when everything changed!
You see, my father in law, Bob—let’s call him “Bob the Builder” for reasons that will become all too apparent shortly. Well, Bob the builder took one look at my little “Dangerous Boy’s” tree house and said, “The only thing dangerous about that is the laughter and ridicule my grandson will have to endure if you build it! Seriously, they call that a tree house?! Gime that book. If you’re serious about build—”
I didn’t hear the rest as he walked into the other room, book in hand. All I remember is a cold, dark feeling coming over me and a picture of the Swiss Family Robinson Tree house forming in my mind complete with running water, electricity and a plasma, big screen TV! One word,
AAAAAaaaauuuugggghhhh!!!!
The next day after sensing impending doom, my mother and father in law left for home. A few days went by and I began to think I had over reacted. I mean, just because Bob the Builder constructs everything a notch above the Taj Mahal didn’t mean he was going to bring that same level of perfection to this project. In fact, for all I knew, he’d forgotten all about it.
I was wrong.
Dead wrong.
About a month later—roughly the time it took me to pick out the right tree—my in-laws returned and Bob brought with him three tree house books from Barnes and Noble, blueprints, a trailer full of tools, and a list of about $600 worth of purchases we would need just to get started!
“Hey,” he said, “you were talking about building a tree house last time I was here. You serious or not?! If I’m going to help it’s not going to be some sissy tree house for six year old girls to have tea parties in. It’s gonna be something Nathan can be proud of—something he and his friends can practically live in, hunt from, launch battles, etc. Now let’s get started. My time is limited.”
And so it begins.
To be continued…
P.S. — Don’t forget, Brookies—THIS weekend is our grand opening at Southbrook Weddington and the start of our “Vintage Jesus” series. If you don’t invite everyone you know, I can’t stop the weeping and gnashing of teeth you’re sure to endure!
Use this E-Vite HERE for an easy way to invite.