Postcard For Reader

I've realized that I really like tree houses.

This post has little to do with young adult literature, so feel free to disregard it. (Unless, of course, you're also a fan of tree houses. Or T.A. Barron's The Lost Years of Merlin, where many houses are in trees. Or Christopher Paolini's Eragon, where all the elves live in trees. You get my point.)

I stumbled upon this StumbleUpon (ha!) link a few weeks ago and keep going back to it. It's got so many pretty pictures of tree houses.

There's fancy treehouses.

There's affectionately nicknamed 'kid's nests.'

There's houses that look like they could be out of Alice in Wonderland.

And then there's more fancy ones. I had to show this one, because I want to live in it.

I was trying to pin down why I love tree houses so much. Part of it, I think, is the fact that I love trees and nature and being outside. (From somebody who spends most of her time inside, you wouldn't expect that, but I really am outside whenever I can feasibly manage it.)

I think part of the reason I love tree houses is the same reasons I love dragons and magic and Arthurian legend. There's something fantastical about it. I mean, living in a tree? Come on! That's silly.

But magical at the same time, isn't it? Being a part of nature and still being you- I can't help but think there's something mystical and pure about it.

Or maybe that's just my love of elves and forests and trees coming out in full force.

What do you think about tree houses? What other things give you a sort of 'magical' feeling?