Treewhispers

Growing up in Northfield, we had two trees in the front yard that were probably 50 yards apart. And my father — I had two brothers. My father had the idea of putting a rope high between the two trees and fixing a pulley system with a rope and a round seat. And then he took a — probably a one-story ladder,leaned it up against the higher tree, and you could take the swing up with you, put the round swing between your legs and glide down between the trees. And so that was our own little amusement park in the front yard

Anyone ever get hurt?

No. No one ever got hurt surprisingly. We even got creative in the fall. We would rake the leaves and then burn them. And then of course you’d go over them — not flaming, but smoldering. Do something kind of daring. But the trees weren’t, you know, extremely mature. And now I drive by the house in Northfield and they’re fortunately still there. But they’re very mature.

Did you bend them?

No, they were quite strong when we had them. But the rope had to be a good 15 feet in the air at the high point, maybe 20. Not quite 20. But the rope was angled enough that you could do that. And I think my two older brothers, myself, and my sister, all that was a tremendous enjoyment for us and the neighbor kids. Liability.

Think of liability today.

No. No one every got hurt.

Contributed by David as told to the Official Court Reporter