Uncle Lyn's Treehouse

I found the draft of a post I was going to write last month, about going out to the house my uncle built on the Oregon coast. I was going to write about how terrific it was to get to spend some extra time with my parents, and to see Lyn after so many years that my kids didn't remember him. My parents had stayed in Portland for a few days, but their visits are always too short for me. Having an extension after they traveled up to Seattle and back was the perfect bonus.

But Ben was quite grumpy about going on this trip, as I recall. He'd enjoyed our time with Grandma and Grandpa, but he was ready for more friend time. I remember how hard it can be to spend time with your family when you'd rather be with your friends. I get it. Do I care? Not so much. Because I also remember the time I spent with family, in far more detail than the time I spent with those oh-so-important high school friends, most of whom I haven't seen in a decade or more. (Apart from Chris--still seeing him pretty frequently, as it turns out).

I believe something less than enthusiastic was said by my dear boy, regarding seeing a relative that he didn't even remember. I always thought Uncle Lyn was a pretty cool guy, but my personal taste in uncles was apparently irrelevant in this instance. Nor was the fact that he's an architect who's designed some impressive stuff.

"Yeah, I know. Can't I just stay home?" 

I'm happy to report that it took about 5 minutes for the boy to change his tune. Maybe it was the amazing compact multi-level house Lyn has designed to fit the space on his property....

...because by the time we were on our way to lunch, I'd been informed that my uncle was "so cool!" Ben wondered if maybe Lyn could design a similar house, but smaller and in the city, for him to live in when he grows up. (Me: See I told you being an architect is cool! Didn't I say that?)

We all had a wonderful lunch together at the Mexican restaurant in town

L-R: Lyn, Chris, my dad, my mom, Ben, Evan

and then Lyn sealed the "cool uncle" deal by offering the use of his wifi for the rest of the afternoon

while the rest of us sat around the fire gazing at the view, reading, and putting together a simple feast for a great meal to end our brief visit that reminded all of us--teens included--that sometimes it's worth putting family first.