I've had this blog on my mind for quite some time now, and just haven't really been able to follow through. As I am sitting in the BACK of an airplane for once taking the boys out to the Texas panhandle for a weekend of canyon hiking, I thought I'd finally knock it out.
Here's the deal: ever since we've lived in The Woodlands, I've always had it as my goal to create a backyard that my kids would love, just like my dad did for me. I remember when TJ was almost four and shocked me out of the blue one day while I was out doing yardwork; he told me I should put a swing set in for him. Well, that one swing set turned into a medly of three, or a threefer, thanks to craigslist and a generous donation. Plus a bunch of trips to Home Depot for lumber, bolts, bags of sand for the sandbox, several bags of cement, a LOT of sweat, and of course, my truck. And some splinters. I even added some PVC pipe, some green and blue spray paint and a bucket of golf balls to make a handy little golf ball/goof ball roller, courtesy of my imagination on some long transcontinental flights. Did I mention the 12 volt integrated Malibu landscape lighting system that makes the whole thing accessible 25 hours a day? Aaaaah, what're ya gonna do.............
Well, I'll tell you what I should've done, or didn't do. I didn't stop. I didn't stop mainly because I had some leftover pieces from the third jungle gym, like this extra swing and a tree branch that really needed a purpose. Hey, the hat needed a hook. 100 feet of climbing rope later and we ended up with this little gem of liability:
Not to be outdone and in order to keep up with The Joneses, the far corner of the yard decided to take on its own special project. It decided that its dimensions were just right for a trampoline, and much to my dismay one showed up in the back of my truck after a trip to Sears one day. Once it arrived, I of course had no choice but to install it. The kids have been working on their acrobatic skills ever since, with the occasional off-color landing and associated hurt feelings. I say occasional. Hey, it's 2013, so now we're required to have the politically correct net to keep us off of AFV. And the hospital. So far.......
Aren't there restrictions for doing such things to our yard in The Woodlands you might ask? The only thing I have to say about that is thank God for six-foot-tall cedar fences, a nice little green belt of trees separating us from the street behind, and some really cool and understanding neighbors. I say thank God, because if The Woodlands Design and Review Committee ever got hold of this little 12-foot wide by 38-inch deep 3000+ gallon nugget of non-compliance, daddy wouldn't be spending free afternoons post yard work floating Kid Rock style on a $3.99 Wal-Mart pink inflatable. Nope, he'd be in court begging for forgiveness and trying to defend his house from a penalty lien. At least no trees were sacrificed for this Woodlands pool. Or $40,000 or the kids' college fund for that matter. As an added bonus, it's seasonal. Seriously: it skips the crappy ones due to its portability.
On to our next exhibit of urban delight: inspired by the canopy tours of Costa Rica is this 100 foot zip line. Attached on one end to the garage-funnel-enhanced Loblolly pine tree behind our fence (don't ask) and on the other end to a Sweet Gum tree, this little source of kiddie amusement doubles as a convenient umbrella-policy-reviewing-motivator and has provided the whole block with hours of gravity defying forays past the bushes. Hey, most people go places and pay good money to do this stuff!
Even our driveway serves as a nice recreation area, as most peoples' driveways do. For instance, I foraged a basketball hoop from a neighbor who was moving and we have spent many hours honing our skills with that particular sport.
But seriously, does anyone ever take inventory on what objects around the house are used for recreation with wheels on a driveway? Well this guy did. Just out of curiosity one afternoon, I enlisted the help of the kids, and we rounded up everything in our house with wheels to see what we could come up with one day after school. It took no time at all to see that Santa Clause, Grandparents, the Easter bunny and the birthday fairy (whatever) are really good at the giving part, and mom and dad are equally as bad in the taketh away department. Kids, don't EVER complain that you were mobility challenged growing up.
So here ya go, kids. I just had to get this stuff on record for you to look back on when you get older. I don't know who has had more fun, the builder or the user, but one thing is for sure: life ain't dull at our house. As luck would have it, there is a perfect metaphor for our home. 23 W Misty Morning Trace very closely resembles a mullet haircut in one respect: It's all business out front, but it's a party in the back.
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