On the way into my board meeting this morning I drove past our old home in Indianapolis and was able to shoot this image through the window of my car while driving by (not a recommended practice for good photography or accident free driving). Although I love living in Concord, there are many things I miss about this 80 year old classic English Tudor that was our home for 8 years. Heating 9000 square feet of poorly insulated living space is not one of them and the first thought that came to mind on this particularly cold November morning.
I worked in Cambridge today and grabbed a 7PM flight for Indianapolis via Chicago. Once a year I participate in an all day strategic planning session for an Indy-based private company called Cine-tal on whose Board of Directors I serve. I believe O’Hare is the only airport in which you will encounter the skeleton of a dinosaur while making connections. Despite more than a hundred visits with this particular fellow, I never cease to be amazed and always pause to enjoy the moment which places me in the good company of most children but few adults.
Jeanine returned yesterday from a 5-day trip to Indianapolis. She joined her sisters there to close on the sale of her father’s home and continued the work of finalizing his estate. She was able to take a break and visit with her nephew’s son, Bradley. She also had a chance to connect with dear friend Monica Frost for a dash of fun and relaxation amidst the otherwise work packed visit.
Today Maya and I added a ladder to the treehouse. I am fairly certain that we spent more time on the ladder than the rest of the construction combined. We mortised the rungs into the stretchers at Maya’s request (she described it as digging little holes in the wood). This makes for a very sturdy ladder but quite time consuming to machine the 24 mortises needed. I should add that Maya wanted the rungs angled to match the slope of the ladder so each foot fall would be on a level surface. What Nico is doing flying through the air I have no idea.
Rainy days always inspire me to take portraits. Today Nicolai is hanging out with his friend Isabella and I coaxed her into the bubushka outfit for this shot.
This is the antique carved wooden chandelier that hung in the bedroom of our home in Indianapolis. It has adorned our attic for five years now and it is time for it to find a better home via Craig’s List.
Maya and I continue to make progress on the tree house. By the time I get home at night it has been dark for hours. We find an hour to work together each morning at 7AM.
Nala in hyperdrive this morning. Jeanine is in Indianapolis for the week attending to the sale of her parent’s home. So far I have managed not to lose any of the children.
A view from the bottom reveals the structure of the cantelevered base and angled support members. We used composite decking over pressure treated pine. The floor stands some 14 feet above the ground. The entire structure is supported by four lag bolts. Key joints have been reinforced with steel tape and all the hardware is galvanized steel. I will add safety lashing around the tree to guard against a bolt failure. Ladder design is still under development.
Maya’s treehouse is starting to take shape. The main platform and roof supports are in and the roof section is assembled and is ready to hoist into position. Kyle provided invaluable assistance this weekend as we tackled the tricky bit of securing the assembled main platform to the tree. Maya worked on the project for the better part of the day and Nico also pitched in for a while.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
