Treehouse

2015年7月10日 (金)

When I was 11 years old, my father told me he wanted to build a treehouse for my brother and sister and I to play in. He said it would be big and that he needed my help. I was  eager to help with the construction and imagined playing in the treehouse a few months later.

I didn’t really understand how big he meant until, after a month of working weekends, we had erected four telephone poles around a large black walnut tree behind my parents house. These were the supports for the structure. From there, construction continued at a snail’s pace.

Fast forward 25 years.

The treehouse is 95% finished. It has 3 stories, electricity for ceiling fans and a refridgerator, glass windows, insulation and the entire structure has been painted. Nearby, my brother built a stone fire pit and he and my mother landscaped the surrounding property with flowers.

What started as a summer project became a 25-year long excercise in experimental architecture. My family regularly holds parties at the treehouse and if I visit in the summer, I always have a relaxing place to stay for a few nights.