For posterity's sake, I'm going to be recording The Boy's Tree Fort Project here on the blog. The tree fort has been on my guys' list for some time. Here is the start they've made.
To begin, The Boy sat down with his pen and paper and wrote out a list of things he wanted as part of his dream tree fort. After some discussion between he and Lo, a few tweaks were made to the list... Here's what they agreed on.
The Boy subsequently sketched out some impressions of what the innards and out-ards of the fort might look like. Here are those sketches.
A few weekends ago they cleared the site of an old ornamental well which we'd previously (about 4 years ago) transformed into a covered bench for The Boy (see the final photo). I also dug out many plants from around the well. They are now in storage awaiting a new home.
This past weekend, Lo and The Boy began the tree fort work in earnest.
They dug 4 beautiful holes, 4 feet deep to reach below the frost line, and installed a concrete pillar in each hole. On top of each pillar is a metal bracket. Eventually, beams will span the width of the pillars and be held in place within these brackets. But that's a story for another day... For now, we have 4 lovely new pillars that will cure until next weekend when (hopefully) the next chapter will begin!
I have to say. It's pretty neat to stand back and watch them build this thing together. Lo is very patient with The Boy, explaining the purpose of every step, answering The Boy's questions, and encouraging him to take up the tools and be part of the process as much as possible.
I always feel so lucky to have such a fine daddy for my little one. They make my heart go pitter-pat just watching them together.
♥M
