Up a Tree With a Whole Different Meaning

 I had my camping out period back when my son was in Scouting. Those weekend trips where my real first experience of the great outdoors. We would pack up on Friday night, drive a few hours, unpack and sleep under the stars and wake up the next morning at the butt crack of dawn.  His Dad and other parents would fix breakfast and we would start our day in nature. I have to say I really did enjoy those times but camping out is not for me at this time in my life.

Cut to present time.  Recently channel surfing I came across a program on Animal Planet called Treehouse Masters. I have to say, I am hooked!. Pete Nelson started this tree house building empire 30 years ago . Born in Brookhaven, NY his love for building and art was partly inspired by artist Michael Ince.  Over the weekend I came upon his special Ultimate Treehouses-The Roots, where he talked about how tree houses are not what they used to be or where they are going.

A brief overview gave an interesting look back at some of the first tree houses. France's oldest known tree house is build in an old oak tree in Allouville Bellefosse. Struck by lightening in the late 1600's, it still proudly stands today.

The oldest known tree house in the world is located in Great Britian at Stropshire's Pitchford Hall. Once visited by a 13 year old Queen Victoria, this house once a tourist attraction, still strands proud and untouched.

One of the repair projects that Pete Nelson took on stands right in my old back yard in Sherman Oaks, California. Rick Polizzi built a "haunted" tree house in his front yard. Each year he elaborately decorates it for the ghoulish holiday and conducts tours. See pics at hauntedlawn.blogspot.com.

In most of the episodes I have watched of Treehouse Masters, the prices seem to run between $40,000 and $90,000. It all depends on how much your childhood memory turns into an adult reality.

One tree house in the State of Alaska Pete did a repair on was all built with recycled materials and literally put together with just a saw, hammer and nails. After almost 20 years, this tree house can only be accessed by helicopter and has no heat, running water or electricity. This is the true meaning of "back to nature".

As a kid my grandparents had two very large avocado trees in the back yard. I always imagined having a tree house in them, someplace to have personal, quiet adventures. Much like Scouts' brother Jim in "To Kill A Mockingbird" a place to get away and just think, the tree house's of today bring a whole different meaning to up in the trees.

Futuristic tree houses and science fiction, reptilian looking mock ups, many people have a view of what they see in a tree house in the future. Somethings are best left to plain old nature. This kind I don't mind at all.