April 23 - The Clubhouse

Today, I completed the largest project in several years. It started as a simple tree house. The tree house turned into a clubhouse. The clubhouse turned into a vacation home with a mortgage. Well, almost.

After 5 trips to Home Depot, 2 delivery truck rentals, and almost $2K in materials, the job is complete. The tree house now spans two levels, is 16 feet long and 8 feet wide. It has two ladders and a trap door. The before and after pictures do not do justice to the completed project.

Over four days, my brother Jeff and I worked 12 hours a day, measuring, cutting, re-cutting, and nailing more pieces of wood than Robert Wagner (if you’re under 30 and don't understand that joke, Ask Jeeves).

The end result is outstanding. My children and the neighborhood children have flocked to the clubhouse. If it had cable and a bathroom, I might move in.