Katherine Nicolai

that could only be permeated by grownups when snacks were handed through a flap in the blankets. The best version of this dream we could imagine was a tree house. And I remember sketching out plans with the stub of a pencil in a spiral-bound notebook with most of the pages ripped out. As long as you're dreaming, you may as well dream big.

that could only be permeated by grownups when snacks were handed through a flap in the blankets. The best version of this dream we could imagine was a tree house. And I remember sketching out plans with the stub of a pencil in a spiral-bound notebook with most of the pages ripped out. As long as you're dreaming, you may as well dream big.

that could only be permeated by grownups when snacks were handed through a flap in the blankets. The best version of this dream we could imagine was a tree house. And I remember sketching out plans with the stub of a pencil in a spiral-bound notebook with most of the pages ripped out. As long as you're dreaming, you may as well dream big.

So our treehouse would have retractable stairs to keep out siblings who might try to take over the place, as well as, um, maybe bears? We were kids. It made sense at the time. We'd have a fridge stocked with drinks and snacks. Where would we plug it in? Maybe a knot in the tree? Maybe we could figure out How to turn sap into electricity. Yeah, I'd make a note to invent that later.

So our treehouse would have retractable stairs to keep out siblings who might try to take over the place, as well as, um, maybe bears? We were kids. It made sense at the time. We'd have a fridge stocked with drinks and snacks. Where would we plug it in? Maybe a knot in the tree? Maybe we could figure out How to turn sap into electricity. Yeah, I'd make a note to invent that later.

So our treehouse would have retractable stairs to keep out siblings who might try to take over the place, as well as, um, maybe bears? We were kids. It made sense at the time. We'd have a fridge stocked with drinks and snacks. Where would we plug it in? Maybe a knot in the tree? Maybe we could figure out How to turn sap into electricity. Yeah, I'd make a note to invent that later.

We'd have binoculars for spotting friends in their trees a few yards away. A slide, or better yet, a zip line. to carry us back down. And we'd hold our meetings up there. About what? You know, nine-year-old stuff. Very important. You wouldn't understand. We never achieved our ambition of a treehouse. the logistics quickly overwhelmed us.

We'd have binoculars for spotting friends in their trees a few yards away. A slide, or better yet, a zip line. to carry us back down. And we'd hold our meetings up there. About what? You know, nine-year-old stuff. Very important. You wouldn't understand. We never achieved our ambition of a treehouse. the logistics quickly overwhelmed us.

We'd have binoculars for spotting friends in their trees a few yards away. A slide, or better yet, a zip line. to carry us back down. And we'd hold our meetings up there. About what? You know, nine-year-old stuff. Very important. You wouldn't understand. We never achieved our ambition of a treehouse. the logistics quickly overwhelmed us.

And when our friends, who claimed to have a cousin in the country, who had one, we looked at them with a good deal of skepticism. Maybe tree houses were only in movies. or adventure stories. Still, we kept attempting to make forts whenever we could. The school canceled on one sunny snow day. We met up at the end of the block. where there was an empty lot full of knee-high snow.

And when our friends, who claimed to have a cousin in the country, who had one, we looked at them with a good deal of skepticism. Maybe tree houses were only in movies. or adventure stories. Still, we kept attempting to make forts whenever we could. The school canceled on one sunny snow day. We met up at the end of the block. where there was an empty lot full of knee-high snow.

And when our friends, who claimed to have a cousin in the country, who had one, we looked at them with a good deal of skepticism. Maybe tree houses were only in movies. or adventure stories. Still, we kept attempting to make forts whenever we could. The school canceled on one sunny snow day. We met up at the end of the block. where there was an empty lot full of knee-high snow.

It was late winter, and the deep chill was giving over to slightly less frigid temps, so the snow packed together nicely. And we had a genius idea to shovel it into milk crates. The plastic kind with faded writing on the sides. All garages have them, though they aren't acquired in any way that I know.

It was late winter, and the deep chill was giving over to slightly less frigid temps, so the snow packed together nicely. And we had a genius idea to shovel it into milk crates. The plastic kind with faded writing on the sides. All garages have them, though they aren't acquired in any way that I know.

It was late winter, and the deep chill was giving over to slightly less frigid temps, so the snow packed together nicely. And we had a genius idea to shovel it into milk crates. The plastic kind with faded writing on the sides. All garages have them, though they aren't acquired in any way that I know.

They just appear in a corner or on a shelf and get filled with battered softballs or swim goggles. We found when they were packed with the heavy snow, They turned out perfect blocks to build with. We shoveled a flat space and started to lay them. First a foundation and then rising walls.

They just appear in a corner or on a shelf and get filled with battered softballs or swim goggles. We found when they were packed with the heavy snow, They turned out perfect blocks to build with. We shoveled a flat space and started to lay them. First a foundation and then rising walls.

They just appear in a corner or on a shelf and get filled with battered softballs or swim goggles. We found when they were packed with the heavy snow, They turned out perfect blocks to build with. We shoveled a flat space and started to lay them. First a foundation and then rising walls.

when the walls got to their third or fourth layer of blocks, we realized we'd forgotten to leave a space for a door and had fun kicking one out. Also, a ceiling stymied us. And as we started to make plans to swipe tarps from our sheds and basement, we got hungry and all trudged to the nearest of our houses to be fed soup and sandwiches while our snow pants dripped dry by the back door.

when the walls got to their third or fourth layer of blocks, we realized we'd forgotten to leave a space for a door and had fun kicking one out. Also, a ceiling stymied us. And as we started to make plans to swipe tarps from our sheds and basement, we got hungry and all trudged to the nearest of our houses to be fed soup and sandwiches while our snow pants dripped dry by the back door.