Going UP! And it's a Tree House, not a Deer Stand!

The Loyd place has gone a long time now without

a tree house.  But I think the adventurous grandkids

deserve one as yet another outlet for their energy

and imaginations.  The site below may be the one

perfect spot on our entire property that features four

hardwood trees in a nearly rectangular configuration.

Thus, the finished product will be called Four Corners.

The last tree house around here dates back to

the 1980's, when Jennifer and Amanda and their

friends clambered up and down a three-level

model, the remnants of which are pictured below.

The trees bear the scars, but they're still alive.

I'm sure the kids have some scars, too. But

those were good times.

Being a minimalist in all things, I first selected

some treated 2x6 boards which I would re-purpose

for my "foundation."

The first two boards go up, with an extension

on the left for a "deck."

This pallet, sturdier than most, fit neatly

between the four trees.  This is the first floor.

Next, two more 2x6's are added for the upper

level.  On this floor, the beams extend to the

east and the west.

This is how things looked after Thursday's 

work session.  I headed to Lowe's to purchase

the only items I would need to buy, some

additional nails and a 4'x8' sheet of 3/4 inch

exterior plywood.  That thing was heavy!

Friday morning, before working at the site,

I constructed a ladder, since I'm not sure I'm

going to "donate" my aluminum extension

ladder for full-time use at the tree house.

The sides of the ladder are 4"x4" treated posts

and the steps are held on by 3 inch screws.

I had to do everything that required power

tools around the garage.

The 4'x8' plywood was transformed into

three platforms.  Two of them, below, are

5'x2' decks on the uppermost level (so far).

Here's the eastern view.

Here's an identical deck with a western view.

Note: these decks do not have railings, would

not pass a county inspection, and are not for

the faint of heart!

This is looking down at the lower deck and

the central area.

Here are a couple of views of the entire project.

It doesn't look very high, does it?

Trust me, when you stand up on the top

level and take a picture looking down, it

seems much higher.  

And there was a 20 mph wind, too.  I got

down as soon as I had my pictures!

It will continue to be a work in progress, and

one play area will be at ground level, between

the trees.  We'll let the grandkids make some

suggestions.  The last change I made before

wrapping it up at lunchtime was to move my

homemade ladder so you can either get off

of it on the lower deck or proceed to the top.

At least at first, I don't think any of the kids

will go to the top unless I have a firm grip

on them.  But that will quickly change!

So, it may look more like a deer stand than

a tree house, but soon it could be a pirate

ship, a fort, a castle, or a rocket to the moon.

A New Year and a New Trail at the Loyd Place

There are a few 30-somethings that may think

this new trail at the Loyd Place looks familiar.

And it should, for Jennifer, Amanda, Taryn,

Kenneth, Elizabeth, Grace, Rachel, Sally, and Jane.

Possibly others.

Because this "new" trail was a favorite play spot

for many of these kids back in the '80's.  The funny

thing is, it never was part of our property.  But it

is now.  You see, for decades, Pinehurst owned a

wide swath on the west side of the Murdocksville

Road (in addition to the right-of-way) which was

their bridle trail.  Since 2000, we've acquired the

0.4 acre frontage that was once that trail.  And I've

been at work cleaning up the little corner where the

kids once played.

In this view from the road, you can see the drainage

ditch where water has NEVER drained!  It's odd.

There's a pipe under Murdocksville Road, but even

in heavy rain, no water comes through the pipe.  I

think it's been blocked or clogged since before we

moved here in 1978.

So the "dry" ditch makes a fun play place,

especially with a good carpet of soft leaves.

I've added this makeshift "ladder" so the 4 and

5 year-old grandkids can easily get up and

down the slippery banks.  There's also a knotted

rope to the left of the ladder by which they may

want to rappel up.  If a four-feet height qualifies

as a rapel.  

I need to do a little more cleaning of this

pipe before the explorers start crawling 

through, but I've blown out the leaves

that were in it.

It's plenty big.  Even I could crawl through

it in a pinch.  But if any kids get stuck, I'm

sure we can pull out from one end or the other.

I expanded on a narrow surveyor's path to

make a mini trail system.  Here's the way

to the "ravine."

This is a parallel "upper" path that comes

directly to the ladder and rope.

A large blackberry patch borders the trail

area.  I've begun to "tame" and prune it,

making a cut-through so we can access all

sides of the berry patch more easily.  It 

yielded some great berries for cobblers, pies,

and muffins last summer.

The blackberry patch reaches all the way

to the roadside.  And at its edge is a fine

little dogwood tree that has great possibilities.

And speaking of possibilities, I can't wait to

see ways the grandkids dream up to enjoy

this new play space.

Wrapping up the holidays

If things were busy before Christmas, they

got even busier afterwards.  After our fun

rendezvous in Concord with Charlie and

Liz (previous post), we were off to Atlanta

for good times with family and friends.

Several of us dined at Athens Pizza the night

we arrived, so we got a picture of the infamous

Loyd siblings: me, Buddy (Ellis), and Caryn.

The next morning we gathered for a long-

awaited visit at Amanda's in-laws and enjoyed

the fellowship, refreshments (even the gummy

worms) and the "grand tour."

Hunter and Kaleb have a game rolling

balls down the stairway bannister to

Oma (Leila).  Then they retrieve the

balls and start all over again.  Ingenious

way to burn up some calories (and energy).

We took turns playing with some Batman

and Ninja Turtle action figures.  This stuff

really goes in cycles, doesn't it?

And rocking horses also never go out of

style.  But these beat any I've ever seen.

Even cowboys Evan and Hunter couldn't

flip them over.  To really see them in action,

check out the video and cute anecdote on

my Facebook homepage.

That evening we had the famous Loyd Family

get-together that we've had for well over 40 

years.  We welcomed some first-time guests as

 well as many that have almost never missed it.

Here, Brianna shares a good book with Caryn.

I'm not sure who's reading.

Stephen reads a new Superman book to Hunter.

Evan is excited with new Batman pajamas.

Claire, Bri, and friend Mallory entertain

themselves with a brand new "Frozen" puzzle.

This isn't everybody-- we had at least two

dozen, but this gives a flavor of the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the girls were still content to

stay out of the way of the grownups.  Could

they already think we're boring?

But Evan, Hunter, and friend Logan didn't

think the food table was boring.  How did

they get left in there unsupervised?!

After a festive time of caroling, including

some moving duets, Bri shared her routine

of knock knock jokes, which had everyone

cracking up.

We were home for New Year's Eve and

New Year's Day, which includes the 

traditional meal of

Hog Jowls

Collards

Black-eyed peas

Cornbread

Put 'em all together and what

do ya get?

A great meal, along with the

promise of good luck and prosperity

for 2015.

On January 2, we paid a short

visit to the Kirby household so I

could fulfill an obligation that went

with my gift to Claire.  But I also got

to play with Evan.  This sturdy punching

bag should hold up to his most vicious

assaults.  Until he's about 8, that is.

Here's the deal.  I promised Claire I'd build

her a customized horse ranch with the oversized

wooden blocks I gave her.  It's even big enough

for some of her dolls to sit on the sun deck.  I'm

not sure the horses can get up there.

But I think My Little Ponies can do just

about anything.

Evan says, "Meet the Caped Crusader."

Even Batman likes to build with

Lincoln Logs.

Do you think Grandpa enjoys getting to

relive Christmas morning memories?

Grandma, too?

Evan transforms Grandpa into a Ninja

Turtle with just a few costume additions.

But I'll never be a teenager again!

Wouldn't it be neat if I really got a pony,

Grandma?

Claire, these friendly horses are just for you.

I think they're the ones we didn't quite get

to see at Thanksgiving!

And this week, the first full week of 2015,

we'll be back on a normal routine.  And that

includes playing inside and out.  Even playing

Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Bullet.

And for that occasion, I've got all our toy

weapons-- quite an arsenal-- hanging on

two gun racks.

All I can say is, between Batman,

Ninja Turtles, and Roy Rogers, the

bad guys don't have a chance this year.

HAPPY 2015

EVERYBODY!!!