Building Forts

We're not sure if it's because of the Home Depot workshops or if it's just their natural boy instincts, but the 5 boys have become little Huck Fins and Tom Sawyers. They spend every free moment outside building forts. They have built several from the ground up. They are quite creative in their building skills. As you can see from the pictures below, their forts have such amenities as a basketball hoop, picket fence, a birdhouse/mailbox, a slide for quick getaways, special shelving for toys, and even an outhouse a few yards away from the main structure (we've never visited the outhouse but have been told about it in great detail).

(CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE)

One Saturday afternoon, there were probably 15 boys from the neighborhood who came over to admire their handy work and to offer suggestions for new additions to the fort. Our boys allowed the neighborhood kids to help for a period of time, but made it perfectly clear that it was OUR FORT, and all final decisions would be made by the elect 5...

The fort pictured in this posting was the first fort the boys built (built 100% by themselves). While it is extremely cool and very creative, the inspector visited the fort and found it to be structurally unsound....Therefore the boys were denied the chance to sleep in this fort (even after hours of begging and pleading).

The following weekend, however, the boys built a new fort. This time they used real tools -- hammer, nails, drill, scrap wood, etc. This fort was approved by the building inspector and the boys were permitted to inhabit the fort for an overnight adventure. All five boys slept in the new fort and had a few added amenities. This one was draped with Christmas lights, had piles of blankets to keep the boys warm in the 42 F weather, and also had a laptop playing movies and connected to surround sound....pretty fancy fort.

We are sad to report that the 2nd fort was destroyed a week later by an awful windstorm. Fort #3 is now under construction with the help of Uncle Hollan and Grandma Harper. As a Christmas present to the boys, The Harpers bought real wood and materials to build a fort that will endure any kind of weather. It is firmly cemented into the ground and is built with 2x4 studs, real roofing tiles on the roof, and is completely enclosed. It is an impressive site -- we'll add pictures once it is complete. The boys are having the time of their lives!