Thursday, April 19, 2007

Hi! Remember me?

I'm that guy, Chanman, who used to run a blog called Buckhorn Road. I can't remember the last time I went this long without posting, but I have a good reason. Here it is:

This project has been going on since Easter Weekend, and I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My Dad helped me with the six green support posts on the bottom, but everything else, I have screwed, hammered, drilled, and pounded into place. Almost every day after work, I have been plinking away at the 60 pages of instructions. I have never considered myself to be a Mr. Fix-it type of guy, so building this play structure for my kids has been a real confidence booster for me. The whole process gets my testosterone flowing, and has made me feel quite manly.

On the right side of the main structure will be a slide, and on the left side will be two large horizontal beams with a swing set on the bottom and a tunnel with a crawl space on the top (you can see the two beams and the tunnel on the ground at left). The tunnel will be accessed by the window on the left side of the clubhouse on the upper floor. At the other end of the tunnel will be a ladder studded with those rock climbing things you see everywhere. All those boards stuck into the ladder are to keep my son from accessing the upper story until the slide is mounted. I think my daughter, who turns one on Sunday, is now also capable of climbing to the top.

It's a really cool play structure. I have already figured out a way to run a green extension cord from the back patio, along our fence, into those cypress trees behind the structure, and then string the cord from the cypress trees into the back wall of the clubhouse. The cord will be plugged into a power strip, and then you can mount a light into the rafters and plug in a radio. Uhhh, this structure is for my kids right? My wife told me I could plug in a laptop with WiFi and she would never see me again!

I have a post in the works about the massacre at Virginia Tech (did you think I wouldn't), and I will be discussing that soon. Thanks to all of you for your continued readership.

Good Day to You, Sir

2 comments:

Dan Edwards said...

LOL ! I know what you are experiencing ! Several years ago, we purchased one of those big backyard fortress playthings for our sons.....and quickly learned that the directions lied to us regarding the reality of the time these huge lincoln log/tinker toy/erector set stuctures require to create.

But, our boys love it and have spent countless hours with it. My youngest, now 10, has constructed a complete world out there that he refers to as "Friendlytown". And pruned tree limbs from our many Mulberry trees are considered additional building materials....the place looks like some hobo encampment, but it is a tribute to our son's imagination that they are getting to live.

Texas Truth said...

Chanman: good to have you back. I was wondering what happened to you.

It looks beautiful. I know your children will have many hours, days and years of enjoinment from it.

My father, God rest his soul, was a genius with his hands. Just describe something to him and he could build it.

Went I looked at your house, it brought back many memories.

Congratulations on a great job and thank you for bringing back to me some fond memories.