house atop trees...

sathya · Jun 30, 2007

hello

House atop trees..!

Mom you know ..nobody wants to buy the place…maybe it is because of the banyan tree..ajit said…It is not just one trunk but a whole lot of small ones to go with the big one..arvind followed.
I wanted to see the place right away .so all of us went in an auto..it was just a couple of kilometers from our place..a little out of town...i loved the place first sight..vijay said ..unless you have plans to cut the trees and uproot quite a few you cant have any buildings here…we will have nothing to do with uprooting or cutting trees.. so I suggest you forget the place…! Forget the place? My tree foot…!no chance..So all of us decided we buy it..
The papers and other formalities took some time..and it was a hard wait.. all the four of us thought of different plans …vijay said since we have tree saving in mind he will find out from the horticulture friend as to what plants or vines can be grown in between a banyan tree…or putting together their best foot(?) forward treeeeeeeeeeeeeeees..!
We can have a swing and come all weekends arvind said…ya and have monkeys as friends to swing too ajit laughed..
Or we can build a swell tree house I said…Wow yes agreed everyone…now to look for a good carpenter or builder…we didn’t want any concrete structures on the tree..say something like the ones they show on travel and living TV site..?..no no we will have something different..
Concrete pillars for sure as the house should have some support and the tree should not be made to bear all the weight..
Getting a carpenter and builder was difficult..the builder said all wooden structures can wither with time weather etc.. so why not concrete..say cut a few small root hangings but keep the central tree intact and put up a nice concrete structure… I can even give you a nice sit out ..he said.none of us seemed to agree on it..the carpenter atleast was better he came all the way with our imagination and more..!
we got together and discussed just wooden structures with the help of concrete pillars …put up a few hard teak wood and mix with bamboo structures …not all rooms were on the same floor you had to go up a couple of stair steps to reach the kitchen or bedroom.I was happy a cute little kitchen too was in the offing.. with tiny wash basins and bamboo windows..the staircase was made of wood …spiral that went between branches two small bedrooms with couple of bunk beds…a nice little room you can call reception hall in which we can have a TV and one or two stools or wooden sofas…we even had a swing fitted just outside this room….we decorated the hall with one or two sketches and paintings …a cute ganesha on the kitchen wall as puja shelf..!Whew it took some time finishing…we couldn’t thank the carpenter and builder enough..!
Squirrels ran about…birds twittered..(its our place ya…whatcha people doing here?)..monkeys visited..luckily we had the windows all meshed….People came visiting,.friends called …emails mailed in…relatives took a turn visiting..ajit and arvind came on more weekends and stayed on with TPs to work from home..!
Vijay kidded that I plant some vines to go up the trees…what about curry leaf..you have to run down a mile to get it not like the old house where you could pluck it from the window…we spent more time outdoors…(!!!!!) than indoors…I made more fruit salads to share with the prehensile visitors..the weather was pleasant with few showers and luckily didn’t lash out just yet… we have to get it rain proof soon….
Wanna visit…? take a dream step with me…!!

sathya

Meeta · Jul 5, 2007

Hi Sathya,

Its so good to read your post.
I just wanted to share my feelings about tree house. We live in USA and the trees are real big here. I stay in the an appartment which is as if we are staying in woods, all the big trees have their branches to our balcony, our balcony is totally surrounded by all kinds of leafy green big trees. And the house has big french windows with glasses that gives a clear view of balcony and off course the trees. In the morning, we can hear all the chirping of different kinds of birds and can hear the running of squirrels on the wooden roof.
Its really pleasant to stay with so much greenery around but you know it has some disadvantages too, none of our decorative flowering/veggie plants grow well as they are deprived of direct sunlight, so we have to plant only indoor plants which do not require more sun.
But still, taking launch outside in weekends or having dinner under moonlight is so romantic here, I can't just describe. It was my Hubby's dream to stay in a tree house and often seeing outside he used to say that he can feel his dreams are partially fulfilled now.
Its really nice to read your article. Keep posting.
Bye.
Meeta

sathya · Jul 7, 2007

hello meeta

so nice to have the same interests
mine is a dream
and yours is a dream come true
flying over to visit
your tree house
tell hubby he will have
more visitors soon
the romantic kind
but please rent the tree house
for a while?

sathya

Meeta · Jul 9, 2007

Hey Sathya,

You are most welcome here and I will be really glad to be your host and same with my hubby.
Waiting for another romantic experience with a frd like you.
Keep posting.
Take care and :wave

cheer · Jul 9, 2007

Dear Sathya great imagination, i love it. I too want to live it like that, i use to watch one cartoon " Benstein bears" they live in tree house & i love the way they showed it.

But don't worry if india population is growinbg fast like today/land prices are touching sky, very soon we'll start living in tree house

Malathijagan · Jul 10, 2007

That was really exciting! If only it was for real? But there are adventurous people in other countries who have tried house atop trees. May be we too have people residing in forests (Tribals) who do build huts on trees. But, it was nice of you taking us all to a dreamland!(Alice in wonderland came to my mind when I read this write-up!) It shows how much you must be in love with nature(especially trees and plants).

sathya · Jul 10, 2007

hello meeta
thank you meeta ...sure will make it sometime..read my other
post green cascade and red beaks?..
bye
sathya
............................

hello cheer
thank you for coming with me dreaming..! i dont watch anything
on tv except news sometimes and travel and living
sometimes..very limited time for tv..
ya we may have tree top houses provide we have enough
trees left..!

sathya
.....................

hello malathy

reading again itself is a dream come true..im glad atleast some
of you liked the post....guess tribals dont need to build a house
atop trees..they just live on it with as little needs as
possible..someday yes i really think we all will try and get a
nice tree top house and a get together where perhaps we
have to stand in a que to get in...ahaha

sathya

Meeta · Jul 10, 2007

Hey Sathya,

I read that before and also after you said it, I read it once more, I started feeling nostalgic. I remember my childhood days at my Nani's place (Maternal Granny). We used to stay in North Eastern States of India and every year in summer, we used to come to Bhubaneswar. My Nana has a big Farm house sort of house in his village, its a single house aloof from the village surrounded by Big mango, tamarind, berry, gauva trees and you know Jack fruit trees which are loaded with both ripe and medium size fruits. The smell is mouth watering and the big feast everyday with the jackfruits is delicious.
I have three maternal uncles (Mama) and they also have kids. We altogether 10 kids and all other kids from different relations used to spend whole day loitering around the grounds, seeing daring kids jumping into the pool, taking bath in different pools on different days, nana's house was surrounded by 3 big pools which is surrounded by small hybrid coconut trees which look too filmy but it was pure fun there. In the night after dinner, we used to carry small baskets and go to the mango garden to pick the magoes and we started almost a competetion about the numbers, like who picks more mangoes. The next day all the ladies will process those to make pickles which will be carried by our and mama's families to the respective places and it should be enough to last one year.
And we kids used to eat the sun dried mangoes as it is and even its so yummy.........
When I read your mail, I eventually landed up at my nani's place, where happiest moments of my life existed once.
Now, summer comes and goes by silently even there. Nobody is going for a whole month to spend the summer there. Everybody is so busy now-a-days with all other stuffs that those days has become only memories.
Even for me, its not possible to go back to those days, feeling like somewhat we are handcuffed in the chores of daily life, sort of routine, can't deviate from that and if tried have to face the consequences...........................loosing jobs..demotion.....................who will pay the bill..................
Hey, you are luckey that you dared to live with your dreams ...............
Bye and thanks for bearing the pain of reading such a long/boring mail.
take care.

sathya · Jul 11, 2007

hello meeta

not boring at all..ya a long one..a talk with long lost friends who talk on the subject for hours without knowing whether it is morning day or night...this is one of that kind...

sathya

abhatv · Jul 11, 2007

Hai Sathya,

The post is fantastic. As Laxmi said, it reminded me also of Enid Blyton whose works I love even now. You have a very good imagination, my friend.

Hi Meeta,

Your post was also good. I am sure that most of us have similar memories. Sadly our children have missed all these.

Best of regards to both of you,

Abha.