TREEHOUSES AND HIDEOUTS

Walking mile after mile actively seeking beauty, my definition of beauty morphed and expanded. I began to sense that there’s a kind of collaboration between the subject of my interest, whether person, animal or object, and my own eyes and heart as I focus my attention upon it. A friend of mine once wrote to me in a letter, “We make each other possible.” That’s the feeling I get taking photographs of something that enthralls me.

Over time, the practice of scanning the environment for the things that most move me as I walk has led to a deepening inner discernment. Some of the things I’ve been drawn to have surprised me. I’ve never thought of myself as a car person, but now I frequently find myself stopping to ask a guy about the wine-colored 1948 Cadillac he’s waxing in his driveway or another about a vintage Model T Ford in a restaurant parking lot.

I was not at all surprised to find that I love treehouses. They’ve always been a source of fascination and envy. To this day, I dream of having one, though my crab apple tree couldn’t cut the mustard. But, I wasn’t prepared for the Pipi Longstocking-Harriet the Spy- Dora the Explorer level bursts of exuberance that course through me every time I spot one. It takes true restraint to not climb up their ladders and take a look around.

If you know of any treehouses in Santa Cruz County (or along the California Coast) that you don’t see pictured here and that can be viewed without serious trespassing, I would love to hear from you about them.