The View from Here

I stole this blog title from a column in Birds and Blooms (which I am going to get a subscription to someday when I have time to read it). It's used for photographs sent in of beautiful views from say, someone's back porch or bedroom window. Well, one day, I was bent over picking beans in our far garden. I happened to look up and this is what I saw:

That tent that I knew the boys had been working on was so charming nestled in between the pines. It brought a little smile to see this surprising addition to our property. And something that makes you smile while picking beans for hours is a true treasure. -Kara

Here is what Jared has to say about it:

One evening, Marcus and I decided to build a tent out of some scrap logs that we had gotten from the landscaping. I am not sure about Marcus, but I had no idea that it would turn out as it is right now. We started building. We got it all done from at least 7:00 to late in the night. Now we have been doing so many improvements (that will come on another post) but first let me show you what it looked like right after we were done that first night and how we used it. 

(Here we are patrolling the state of Illinois)
at our own little homestead I guess, or maybe you
want to call it a Civil War tent.

Here I'm just doing my job.

That apple really filled me up.

Here I am taking care of my rusted up rifle getting ready for a real War. 

I must have kept her up too late last night because of all the 
gun shooting.
                                                                                   
                                                                                                                     -Jared

The tent underwent some renovations one day when the boys had some friends over to camp in it. Tuesday evening, after supper, Mom, Jared, and I went to Jeff and Sara's house to pick up Corbin and Owen.  We came home and had s'mores around a fire. They had brought their guns and we had a lot of fun shooting at birds, riding around on bikes and jumping on the trampoline. Then we went in got ready for bed and went out to the tent.

Corbin and I were going to sleep in this tent but there was no door, we were freezing cold, there was a cat walking around, and we heard coyotes close by, so we got in the tent that the younger boys were with a door and some more body heat.  The next day we actually put boards on the sides (and a real door) and turned it into a cabin. We aren't quite done with it but it will be in another post.-Marcus