Do It Yourself: day 15

Drive around rural Alaska, and one thing will become very apparent.  They like to do it "their way".  Spray foam for chinking between logs, a plywood lean-to for an addition onto a trailer home, a scissors lift as a make-shift elevator for a two-story, self-built home, and a myriad of uses for duct tape.  We've seen all these and many other amazing, interesting  buildings and ideas for problem solving.  And now, upon moving to the South, we've found that East Tennesseans are somewhat akin to Alaskans, in that they too like to do it themselves.  I can think of no better example of this than the treehouse.  This is no ordinary treehouse.

This, my friends, is a full seven stories of patchwork, woodwork, handyman paradise.  It is also something straight out of a Dr. Seuss book.

You concur?  Built in and around a gigantic Oak tree, it is a maze of random rooms, corridors, staircases, ladders, and decks.  It's focal point however, must probably be this cathedral.

As you can imagine, these photos do not do this place justice.  I have never seen anything remotely like it, and probably never will see anything like it again, as I most likely wouldn't set a foot back in this place as it continues to age.  It's not...exactly....to code....if you get my drift.

 It is both beautiful and creepy.

Now picture ropes hanging from the top of this architectural wonder.  Imagine those ropes connecting to a full-size, padded chair.  The swing of all swings that would be, and indeed exists, on this treehouse.  I've got a great video of it, which I'd love to share, but seeing as uploading these few photos has taken me two hours, I don't think I'll go for sharing the video tonight.  Because internet service is not something to love about the South, but that's not what this post or series is about.

I kid you not, you can feel the ever-so-slightly swaying of the mighty Oak Tree foundation at the top of this lookout tower.  It feels just as a tree looks when it gives way to a breeze.  Bizarre.  Unusual.  But this treehouse is something any Alaskan do-it-yourselfer can appreciate.

Full listing of posts in this series is available here.