This ‘n’ That

The Treehouse

(Our Treehouse)

I loved our treehouse.  Dad built it in an old apple tree out in the back part of our yard.  We kids spent hours in it.  One afternoon Peter and I decided to put a partial roof on it.  We worked a few dangerous hours getting a big sheet of plywood up the tree.  Peter hung from one arm while he hammered the board in place.  It was a shady get-away.  Our favorite swimming hole was in a canal that ran along behind the treehouse.  We would often leave our swimming clothes there, climb up and change, so we could go for a quick dip.  It was my treetop sanctuary.  Some of the sweetest hours of my young life were spent there.

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The Dry Bed

(The Dry Bed)

The Dry Bed Canal (its actual name) ran along the south side of our property.  It was a huge canal that seemed more like a river.  It fed the irrigation systems throughout the area.  The water from the South Fork of the Snake River was turned into the Dry Bed in the spring, and turned off in the fall.  It was always exciting when they turned the water in.  But the most exciting day was when the water was turned off in the fall.  The Dry Bed would empty and you could walk out and pick up fish and explore its river-like bottom.  Sometimes we were allowed to stay home from school for the day to do so.  The smell was kind of awful.  I have not been able to eat Sushi because of it.

There were all kinds of ditches, and canals, etc. around our farm that could easily drown us kids.  Mom made up a story about a mean, monstrous man named “Grumpy” who lived in the water and would reach out and pull children into the water to drown.  We had to make sure and walk far away from the water so he couldn’t reach us.  We were trusted to play and work near the streams because we were very careful.

(This photo was taken long after I had left home.  The treehouse was removed and replaced by a playhouse dad built in a corner of the yard for the younger kids still at home.)