One day I was in the yard cleaning leaves out of the rain gutter when I happened to look up and
note that in the branches of the tree there was a perfect place to build a platform. The live oak
tree in which the tree house, actually it is more of a tree deck, is built must be 70 years old. The
trunk is 3 feet in diameter and the height of the tree is 45 feet. The branches spread out from the
center of the tree in a circle with a diameter of about 40 feet. 15 feet up from the ground I saw
the perfect position for a platform. An original octagon window has been extrapolated into a
design theme and an octagonal shape would snuggle nicely between the branches. Gazing up I
imagined how it would be to stand there and look around. I thought about what it would take to
build a platform in this position. I devised a scheme in which I built the frame on the ground and
then hoisted it up into the tree. I then screwed the redwood decking onto the frame. I have two
excellent views of the mountains. One is looking south towards the South Hills. One is looking
north towards Blue Bird Hill. In the summer it is much cooler up in the tree than it is down on
the ground. I take my copy of Henry David Thoreau's book "In the North Woods" up onto the
deck and stretch out upon my bed roll. In the fall when the devil winds blow in off the desert the
tree deck floats like a ship upon the ocean, swaying to and fro. The winds bring with them
crystal clear nights and when the full moon is not shining brightly down upon the deck, the stars
twinkle overhead. Sometimes in winter the winds off the ocean bring with them heavy rain.
Standing on the deck as the rain pounds down, the lightning strikes and the thunder rolls is an
exhilarating experience. In the spring orange blossoms on the trees bring with them dozens of
hummingbirds zipping madly here and there. The treedeck is the perfect
observation post to watch the birds come and go in the yard.
