Penta Family Tree-House

Blog 02-06-2011: It’s Super Bowl Sunday and who cares! Packers vs Steelers, no real vested interest for me. The Pats blew their opportunity to go all the way and be playing in today’s game by losing to the Jets in a very lackluster performance….Tom Brady…what happened to your decision making skills that Sunday?

Penta Family Treehouse

Jane (Sue) and me (Tarzan) have scored what can only be described as a Swiss Family Robinson type Tree house in the Jungle with fantastic ocean views. Got a great deal on it too to keep to our budget. The howler monkeys wake us up each morning around 5:00 to 5:30am which is not a problem since we watch the glorious orange/red sunset each night around 5:30pm and then it is dark by 6pm. So, we eat and are in bed by no later than 8pm most nights. Saw a few this monkeys eating in the trees this morning while we were eating breakfast

The homes kitchen - outside on the deck

The covered deck wraps the whole house 360 degrees and the kitchen and dining are on the deck backing to the jungle side. If we walk around to the other side we sit (or hammock) and look at the Pacific Ocean. There is no one in close enough proximity to see thru the trees so going “au natural” outside is not a big deal … I am NOT saying we do, just mentioning that you could if you wanted to .... kind of like Adam and Eve in the garden before the fall. Keep hearing all the birds but have not yet seen the elusive Toucan which everyone else seems to say are all over the place.

yes, that is the jungle next to Sue

The lower level under the main level is a storage and workshop space and houses the batteries that collect energy from the solar panels. We are off the grid here but it works like any other home ... just plug it in and turn it on. Inside the home on the main level is a sitting area, bar area and a bedroom and bathroom. Then up the spiral stairs there is an open loft bedroom.

inside the treehouse

Fortunately up on the hillside like this there is a breeze that comes through although we go to sleep with the timer fan on and fall asleep. The mosquito net is more just to keep the bugs off of us, not a lot of mosquito's around. Keeping the lights off in the room the bugs don't come in much either, it's when you have them turned on and the big buzzy dumb beetle comes in that falls on his back and has to play dead until someone (me) flips him over and he jumps up, starts buzzing and flys out the door.

house windows & doors stay open, bugs stay out

Sunsets every day are around 5:30pm and it happens fast like in the commercial. Then it is dark by 6pm so the days are short all year long. I think the locals compensate by getting up early and using the daylight, i.e. surfing at 6am-8am, then breakfast, then work unless the tides are right and the surf is up and if so just go surfing again instead of work or go to work then surf later in the day when the tides and surf are just right.

Color of orange/red not captured in photo

Postscript: 020811 We watched the Superbowl at a local bar (wow, stayed up past 9pm) and were glad the Packers won since we are tired of the Steelers winning it. Still pissed the Pats blew the opportunity this year to win it all. Broncos will be back in 3 years under new coach .... hopeful thinking.

My favorite thing to do!