NPR did a little story on the UK based Cloud Appreciation Society this past week. (I can’t for the life of me remember which program. Anyone else?) Operating under the premise that “clouds are unjustly maligned and that life would be immeasurably poorer without them,” the CAS brings together thousands of day dreamers from around the globe.

They’ve recently released their first book, the Cloudspotter’s Guide, which I’m thinking could come in handy on lazy days this summer.  Check out member submitted cloud photos, cloud poetry and music to watch clouds by.

1. Cloud Watching, 2. Just Watching the Clouds Go By, 3. Fiji Clouds at Sunset, 4. Phenomenal Cloud Day, 5. T-Heads, 6. Angry Sunset, 7. Clouds I, 8. Sunray, 9. Sunset Sky, 10. Nuvens sobre a Amazônia

THE LONELY CLOUD

We were driving along on the western slope
We were kidding and someone was telling a joke.
When all at once someone spoke,
They spoke aloud,
“Look up in the air at that lonely cloud
It looks to me like it’s lost from the crowd.”

It was just hanging there in suspended flight
It was not very big but was fluffy and white.
We thought it was probably filled with fright
about where it would go or would spend the night.

All the rest of the trip we watched in the sky
But the little cloud was gone,
We will never know where nor will we know why.

© Glen L. Ewing. 1978.

Holy hot wheels! I am loving this smartly designed and super utilitarian line of bikes. With ever expanding eco-consciousness permeating our culture, people are looking for ways to shrink their carbon footprint.  (Calculate the size of your carbon footprint here.)

Leaving the car in the driveway and cruisin’ around town on your bike is a great step towards achieving that goal… but not exactly practical for hauling anything larger than what will fit into the traditional lunchbox size bike basket.   Available in cream, blue or black, Madsen Cycles offer a solution - and a mighty fine looking one, I might add.

“After hauling six neighbor kids around in a wheel barrow bucket bolted to the front of our first prototype, we started to realize what a bicycle can really do. But the bucket on the front, like the box of the European design, creates an awkward center of gravity. So we stretched the chassis and put the bucket on the back. With the natural feel and balance of the rear bucket, you can ride with confidence knowing your load is secure and your cargo is protected.

Our production models have come a long way since that first prototype but our mission has stayed the same; a bicycle should do more. We are not the first to place a load on a bicycle but we are the first to do it right. Tested for up to 600 pounds, the Madsen kg271 is as burly as it is elegant.

So whether you use your Madsen Cycle to drop the kids off at soccer practice, pick up your groceries from the market, or pile in your tools for your next project, we hope you’ll fall in love with your new Madsen Cycle—like we have.”

Well friends, here they are - treehouses 80 through 100…and with them comes the end of our week long ode to the arboreal abode!

1. Gifford Pinchot National Forest, 2. Orcas Island Treehouse, 3. Untitled, 4. Untitled, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. Lake Highlands Treehouse, Dallas, 8. Untitled, 9. Untitled, 10. DSC_0317, 11. DSC00150, 12. Redwood 2-story treehouse, 13. Yellow Treehouse Restaurant at night, 14. Treehouse., 15. Treehouse in Madison Square Park, Manhattan, 16. Untitled, 17. Untitled, 18. Fur ‘n’ Feathers Treehouse, 19. High up, 20. Modern Tree House

Considerably smaller than their full-scale cousins, these treehouse playsets will fit comfortably inside your home. Find them at these independent retailers:
Three Sisters Toys
Blueberry Forest Toys
Tree Blocks

While I’m fortunate to have a lemon tree outside my kitchen window, it’s far from being a suitable spot for a treetop getaway. If, like me, you’re just not in a position to construct a treehouse in the backyard - perhaps you’ll want to consider a treehouse vacation? Amazing travel destinations around the world offer you and your family treehouse lodging opportunities.

• A wonderful list of international family-friendly treehouse resorts compiled by Cookie Magazine
• A wide range of options from the Chicago Tribune from $40. to $1,000. per night
• A ‘top ten’ list of U.S. based treehouse resorts compiled by America’s Best
• Treehouse lodging suggestions from The Treehouse Guide
• Extensive list from Odd Inns and Uncommodations

1. Treehouse_Nice, 2. Castle in the Sky, 3. Treehouse, 4. Yakel Village Treehouse, 5. Waal Treehouse in Holland, 6. Tree house…, 7. Treehouse overlooking the river, 8. Tree House, 9. Up in the Treehouse, 10. Jerry climbing down from our treehouse, 11. Kofi upp í tré / Treehouse, 12. 2nd February 2007, 13. firstlook_treehouse1, 14. Neiman Marcus Treehouse, 15. Treehouse at Sanchacho, 16. Untitled, 17. Restaurant at Onoyama, 18. Korowai Tribe Treehouse, Indonesia, 19. Untitled, 20. Untitled

So, you’re inspired to build your own treehouse. Where do you start? Here are a few sites to use as your jumping off point.

Do-It-Yourself
Treehouse By Design
Features do-it-yourself plans, step-by-step instructions, blueprint examples and construction tips - also offers book recommendations and instructional videos
The Treehouse Guide
Walk-through design process, tutorials and even a free set of plans
Treehouse Guides
Selection of downloadable plans for purchase including complete instructions including full cutting lists and detailed color diagrams

Call in the professionals! (Check out their amazing portfolios.)
TreeHouse Workshop (U.S.)
Offer consulting, design, construction and how-to workshops
BaumRaum (Germany)
Offer consulting, design, construction and how-to workshops - feature extraordinary modern designs
BlueForest Exclusive Tree Houses & Eco Lodges (Europe)
Offer consulting, design, construction and maintenance

It’s day three in our five day treehouse cavalcade! More images to inspire:

1. The Ultimate Tree Fort, 2. What’s in a Treefort?, 3. Treehouse 1, 4. T r e e h o u s e, 5. The Fort (Winter), 6. Wish I lived here!, 7. Tree House, 8. Enchanted Forest - Revelstoke - 8, 9. Treehouse, 10. tree hut., 11. Treehouse at Treebones, Big Sur, 12. Castle in the Sky, 13. Tree Fort — Redwood Park, 14. Tree House, 15. Treehouse, 16. House in a Tree, 17. Room with a View, 18. Treefort, 19. Magic in the Treetops, 20. 20080517 Makaino Farm 02

Want a treehouse but don’t have a large enough tree in your backyard? Consider the amazing options from Daniel’s Wood Land - treehouses that come with their own tree!

Tree houses have a long history. From the Middle Ages on, tree arbors were popular in Europe. During the Italian Renaissance, the Medicis built a marble extravaganza in a tree. A town just west of Paris became famous in the mid-19th century for its arboreal restaurants. But the most famous tree houses of all time existed only in the imagination, including the one that was home to author Johann David Wyss’ shipwrecked clan, the Swiss Family Robinson.
- “Tree Houses Take a Bough”, Smithsonian.com

1. Canim Treehouse: Path, 2. Fairy Treehouse, 3. Treehouse from below, 4. Violet’s Treehouse, 5. Treehouse, 6. Mysterious Building, 7. The Treehouse I, 8. Untitled, 9. A Young Boy’s Paradise , 10. Luxury Tree House, 11. Untitled, 12. Treehouse at the Nature Center, 13. Wish I lived here!, 14. Jeannie’s treehouse, 15. Treehouse 04, 16. Whistler Tree Fort, 17. RALDER_11-17-20, 18. IMG_0553, 19. Tree Forts In Madison Sq. Park, 20. The Ultimate Tree Fort II

Further Reading:
New Treehouses of the World by Pete Nelson
Treehouses: Living a Dream by Alejandro Bahamó
Treehouses (The House that Jack Built) by David Pearson

A tree house, a free house,
A secret you and me house,
A high up in the leafy branches
Cozy as can be house

A street house, a neat house
Be sure to wipe your feet house
I not my kind of house at all-
Let’s go live in a tree house.
-Shel Silverstein

With a nod to Earth Day (which officially falls on Wednesday of this week, April 22nd), I’ve decided to compile a pictorial ode to that much loved structure - the treehouse. For many adults, this architectural genre is inextricably linked to childhood and the place where they first learned to commune with nature. 100 treehouses: 20 a day for the next 5 days.  Enjoy!

1. Tree House, 2. Botsford Tree House, 3. Treehouse, 4. Best Tree House Ever, 5. Raven’s Treehouse, 6. Tree House, 7. Treehouse Quilt Home., 8. Treehouse, 9. Untitled, 10. Retired, 11. Treehouse 03, 12. Treehouse Summer’s End, 13. Treehouse., 14. Cool Treehouse, 15. Treehouse, 16. Treehouse Railing, 17. House upon a tree!, 18. Treehouse, 19. Do you believe in magic?, 20. Treehouse

Chickens, cooped up. Picture by Nanimo.

What to do with the playhouse when the kids outgrow it? Well, you can always keep it up in hopes of grandchildren in fifteen years…or you can take a note from the folks at BackyardChickens.com and convert it into a coop. This is one of the most creative ‘green’ reuses I’ve seen for children’s play structures.

The Backyard Chickens site was started by a family who back in 1999 suddenly found themselves the proud owners of some chicks brought home from one of their children’s kindergarten class. Originally it was a simple site on coop design but with the popularity of raising chicken, especially in more urban and suburban areas, it’s grown into a much larger information sharing resource. Research particular breeds, read about other family’s experience raising chickens or check out a chicken-cam with real time chicken action!

Below are some of my favorite playhouse to hen house conversions.

And when the family car goes to that great garage in the sky, consider keeping it out of a junk yard here on earth - like Michael Thompson who converted a 1970 Morris Traveller into a hen house for four. (It’s hard to see, but the bumper sticker in the back window reads, “I’d rather be flying.”)

The weather is warming and kids who have been bouncing off the walls all winter are now getting a little relief from their cabin fever and a chance to run around the backyard. As you consider outdoor activities for your kiddos this spring and summer, you may want to look to the Children & Nature Network for some great ideas. This Santa Fe based non-profit is building a network to reconnect nature and children and one way they’re going about this is organizing Family Nature Clubs. “They go by different names, and slightly different forms, but they all offer free, low-cost, fun family-oriented activities – ones that help kids (and adults) become happier, healthier and even smarter.” Here’s an example:

Kids In the Valley, Adventuring! (KIVA)

While reading “Last Child in the Woods,” Chip Donahue and his family were inspired to spend more time outside as a family. In December 2007, they launched their own family nature club — a free outdoor adventure network for families in their own neighborhood in the Roanoke Valley. One day their five-year-old son had an even better idea: “Dad, why don’t we invite everyone?” Chip sent a notice to the local paper, and within a few months, over 170 families joined.

Kids In the Valley, Adventuring! now helps families get together for outdoors adventures or nature reclamation projects. The club publishes a monthly e-mail newsletter that lists recommendations for places for families to play, recommends books, and offers other resources. “One important thing is that we have required that parents or guardians stay with their children at all times,” Donahue emphasizes. “We say, ‘Stay and make a memory with your child.’ The only thing we ask is that they consider joining us on volunteer days or finding another volunteer opportunity. There are so many beautiful free things to do outside.”
http://www.kidsadventuring.org

Download their free tool kit for inspiration and resources to start your own club!

This clever and sweet tee comes from Wire & Twine, an Ohio based design house whose work I’m extremely fond of. Their website is lovely, their design sense spot on and their studio is a brilliant barn I’d consider moving to Ohio to work in. A portions of profits from the sale of the Play Station tee are donated to the Children & Nature Network.

If you were out and about in downtown in Chicago this past weekend, you were likely there for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and the dyeing of the Chicago River. The what now? It’s been a standing ritual in Chicago since 1962 when green dye was used in pollution-control efforts to trace illegal sewage discharges. Forty pounds of the stuff are released by speedboat, turning a length of the river bright emerald green for about four hours. The ingredients of the dye have changed over the years and are now a more environmentally friendly vegetable based colorant. The surreal waterway make-over lends itself to amazing photographs, like those below. Learn more at GreenChicagoRiver.com.

Images from Flickr.com: 1. Green Chicago River, 2. The Greening of the Chicago River - 2008 Edition, 3. Boat in Green Chicago River, 4. Green Chicago River, 5. Dying Chicago River Green for St. Patrick’s Day, 6. Green Chicago River, 7. Chicago River, 8. a bright green river in a slightly overcast Chicago