Tree Houses

Kids love tree houses. Eventually, we grow out of the tree house, which becomes only a symbol of the places we seek out to find refuge and get away from our adult responsibilities. Apparently, there are some big kid adults that have found their refuge in actual tree houses. Along Biscayne Bay shoreline, I have found some of these hide-a-ways. Years ago, someone made a tree house on the bay in a clump of mangroves separated from the main shoreline. You can see it on Google Earth. Over time, it became dilapidated and unsafe to step onto. But, the location must be prime because someone decided to do some renovating. Above is a photo of the improved tree house, with a nice sturdy dock to support the upper stories. It is furnished with a comfortable chair and a container of nails.

To make this tree house, some one has to get the material there either by boat or from the shoreline which is only about 10 feet away. I think someone is getting the materials from land and below is a clue:

The photo of the platform above is directly across from the tree house. One can easily get there by foot or bicycle.

A few hundred feet south of that platform is another. I found this one by land while riding my bike in the area a year or so ago. From a dirt road, wood planks are strategically laid out along the muddy mangrove floor, taking you to this little open area on the bay. Notice the bench on the platform. Not the best angle for watching a sunrise, but its the thought that counts.

A couple weekends ago I launched from Blackpoint . About a 1/4 mile or so from the point, I spotted something in the trees. I wasn't surprised to see something as I am always finding debris washed up into the mangroves. Some of it traveled far to get here along the gulf stream and some things are too large to haul out in a canoe. What caught my eye this time were several bamboo poles tied together on the mangrove roots. My first thought was it was a washed up raft. Instead, it was a platform created for a tree house. I think the tree house in the photo above has an appealing quality to it because it is so well hidden from the main bay, but this new one wins the award for having the best view. In fact, it is a penthouse view with a hammock of sorts hanging about 12 feet off the ground. For this tree house, someone had to have brought in the building material by boat, and a large boat at that. Here's a view of it:

I guess some people are still living their tree house fantasies.