My older brother and I had the pleasure of playing in forts built by our grandpa. His nine acre farm had a small stream running through it that separated the home, garage, and garden from the large pecan field and chicken coop. By the time my brother and I were young Grandpa had retired his major farm work. The fields were left to grow tall grasses for the most part. Being a very active and industrious handyman, he built us two forts in the fields. We had to open a gate and carefully cross the stream, balancing on the six inch wide wooden 'bridge.' The stream was less than three feet deep, but no one really wanted to fall in.
One fort was a six foot high wooden platform right by the stream. With a rope we lowered a large glass jar into the stream that we could pull up when we wanted a drink. The stream was always flowing and the water was quite cold. My brother and I played many imaginary games in the fields, and the fort was our safe haven from any enemies.
One fort was a six foot high wooden platform right by the stream. With a rope we lowered a large glass jar into the stream that we could pull up when we wanted a drink. The stream was always flowing and the water was quite cold. My brother and I played many imaginary games in the fields, and the fort was our safe haven from any enemies.
| | Our other fort was a small A-frame building with a door. The outside was covered in corrugated aluminum siding, probably left over from his garage. Inside there was a wooden table and two small chairs, all built by Grandpa. If my brother left me alone I always found this little house to be a bit scary, especially if I saw spider webs. Once we saw a rattlesnake in the field and I was terrified. I screamed, jumped on my brother's back and made him run all the way back to the house, over the little bridge. |
I built a neat treehouse for my daughters and nephew in Florida one summer. It was about five feet up attached to some horizontal branches. A ladder was secured to a limb but I don't think I added rails. We took the kids popsicles and watched them carefully so they didn't fall. My brother demolished the fort as soon as our visit ended so we only had one summer with it.
At our WA home my husband and I built a wooden play structure for our girls following a kit design. Our house had a covered RV parking space and we were able to build there, keeping the kids out of the frequent northwest rains. It was two levels with a slide and swing. The neighbor kids came over frequently and everyone had a great time playing, even me.
At our WA home my husband and I built a wooden play structure for our girls following a kit design. Our house had a covered RV parking space and we were able to build there, keeping the kids out of the frequent northwest rains. It was two levels with a slide and swing. The neighbor kids came over frequently and everyone had a great time playing, even me.
We built a similar play fort for our granddaughter that provided hours of fun. Our cats went outside back then and they liked to climb to the top and balance on the beams, overseeing the neighborhood. Pretty soon we're going to take this structure down and hopefully build a grown-up play fort in the space, a gazebo. Always wanted one and it's never too late.
"For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God."
Hebrews 3:4
"For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God."
Hebrews 3:4
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