The Sky Fort

For her birthday this year, Kasia received a new swing set.  But not just any swing set.  She was given the behemoth juggernaut known as the Sky Fort.  This fully loaded play-set includes, two swings, a glider, a slide, monkey bars, a rock climbing wall, a clubhouse, and a crow's nest.  According to the instructions in the box it would take "two skilled men twenty hours to complete."  Wow.  Twenty hours?!  And where was I going to find two skilled me to put this thing together?  For weeks this thing sat in our pieces in the garage while I searched high and low for the aforementioned "skilled men."  Alas, I could not  find them and so it was decided that we'd have to put this thing together ourselves.  

We started on a friday morning with Kenny and Jeff coming over to help in the assembly.  For awhile there is was real slow going, as we stared at these boards trying to figure out what to do.  Then once we realized that not all of the holes are pre-drilled for us, and that we would actually have to drill some ourselves, things started to pick.  

Kenny takes a break from his "supervisor" role to help out

Jeff becomes the first casualty.  He got bit by a drill (get it?  Drill?  Bit?  Just a little drill humor for you)

By the end of the first day, after over eight hours of work, the thing looked like we had hardly even started.  The pile of wood still laying in the garage was still piled to the ceiling.  Those two skilled guys would probably be halfway done by now, but all we had was a picnic table surrounded by more wood.

By the way, during the morning as we were building this thing, Kasia was playing over at her friend Gabby's house.  This was when she discovered the joy of pancakes.

We started at it again bright and early on Saturday morning.  Saturday was a little more difficult because that wind North Carolina is famous for was in high gear.  Screws, nails, and boards were constantly flying out of our hands as the wind whipped down on us.  But we persevered, and made a lot of progress.  By the end of day two, it actually looked like we were getting somewhere.  Kasia finally had a little clubhouse that she could play in, if she could get up to it.

Sky Fort, end of day two

After the second day, Jeff decided that he'd rather go on a vacation with his friend to Kentucky and drink bourbon and beer all week instead of finishing the Sky Fort for his granddaughter.  That's fine.  I'm cool with that.  I'll keep working on the thing myself.  

After another day of work and hard labor, Kasia soon had a ladder in the back to climb to her clubhouse.  She also had a slide to get down.  And she had a rock climbing wall for another way to get to up to the clubhouse.

Another day later, and she soon had the  monkey bars to climb on.  If I could do this thing all over again, I would conveniently forget to put the monkey bars up and just leave a big empty space where they belong.  Kasia is currently too small to really use the monkey bars, but she is big enough to climb up the rungs and grab the first bar.  After she does that, it is usually followed up with "HELP! HELP!" and then someone has to go help her cross.  

By the following weekend, Jeff came back and we were able to finish the thing despite an on again/ off again rain storm that was designed solely to irritate us.  

From the crow's next, Kasia is able to spot approaching pirates from up to two yards away.  She has also been known to stand up there and laugh as golfers completely mess up their tee shot.  "It's a par 3!!!" You can hear her shout.  "Even I can hit the green from here!!"*

Kasia keeps the clubhouse neat and tidy

Now Kasia has a wonderland that is also called the Sky Fort.  She spends hours swinging and playing in her clubhouse.  We spend hours pushing her in her swing.  In the end, she loves it, we love it, and it was well worth the effort.  

* she doesn't really say this... she only thinks it.