children's habitat in natural setting

Big challenge. I had to take an existing kit and turn it into an original playscape structure. My client was a seven-year-old who let me have quite a bit of creative license to do what I thought he needed. My inspiration was the natural enclosures that you see at the zoo that mimic the animals original habitat. Camouflaged encloses and at the same time a sense of openness. My goal was to use all the parts before I bought anything not included in the kit. This slowed me way down on construction time. Also I had to reinforce everything to withstand wild adult use, just in case. This included the elements like the slat bridge and the free hanging platform. So for tests I would run around jumping on various parts. Always eager to help, my client and his younger twin brothers ran their own independent trials.
At the grand opening (birthday party) there were no casualties. I was alerted to a loose eye bolt by a little girl
but it had no structural function -so that won't count against me. The trapeze nets held up with the kids using it as a trampoline. My last count was twelve kids on the whole thing but there were definitely more at other points in the party.

Yard path under construction with my hard working brother-in-law and lovable nephew. The other photo is the first completed path that we worked on.
An awesome job with amazing clients! Landscape lighting is the last of the part to come... It has been an exciting job for me with invaluable help from my friend Mary E. for plan review and help with the plant selection. Sam and Sandy S. were there every step of each process which made things run so smoothly it felt more fun than I should admit. They're patience was admirable considering the weather and having to work with me. More pictures coming soon.

Lemons

I was in the store's produce section with my 6 year old daughter and saw the lemons. As we picked through them we realized they were mostly the same. It was quickly clear to both of us how no wrong choices exist in picking lemons. It occurred to me: what if this was the perfect moment, perfect lemon, perfect father, daughter, store, you know everything -everything. How simple. Nothing grand just picking out fruit with someone you love.
We took the pretty prizes home. Not much juice and hard as rocks. We cooked together chattering like birds throughout the whole endeavor. The next day as my wife and I bounced through the humid, craggy Houston streets in the creeky Volvo with no struts(absolutely no struts),I mentioned this little story. She reminded me that the car has needed struts for like,the last 2 years and that the lemons really sucked. Really, really sucked. And of course she was right... absolutely right.
I couldn't help but think to myself,perhaps the lemon story's deeper meaning: weren't they the perfect sucky lemons?