For the Birds

The Warden and I share an affinity for tree houses. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (or Strib as we affectionately call it) accommodated us by presenting an interesting and colorful article about people who have built tree house to live or work in. Click on the title "For the Birds" and you should be able to see the article. I hope you can access their site without signing up. I have signed up with the paper in the past, so they let me on, no questions asked. Once on the site, you can look at the galleries and find dozens of great pictures.

Our love for a bird’s eye view goes back to our childhoods. Suzi had a neighborhood tree which as a child she loved to climb for times of thinking and praying. Later on in life she used the tree to fall out of. Isn’t that right David?

I, on the other hand, had a wonderful fort-type tree house that my Grandpa Koehnen built for me. All the neighborhood kids and I used it constantly for years. It was a wonderful place from which to throw things upon those below. You could easily be king of the hill when you climbed up those treacherous stairs and placed yourself upon the small platform 15 feet above the ground. Thinking about it now, I really doubt that any city or a home owner’s insurance company would allow such a structure on a policy holder’s lot. It was very dangerous, but oh so much fun. I received slivers at least weekly. And on one occasion, I pushed a friend out because he couldn’t get the courage up to jump out. He fell out head first, and I still amazed to this day that he landed alive. I’ve never seen anyone that mad before or since. He chased me into my house, up the stairs and to the bathroom door which I had locked shut. He pounded and pounded for what seemed to be hours. I stayed in there until I knew that he was gone. I learned never to push people out of high places. It still scares me.