Club Houses

Back in the day, one of the neatest things we kids on my block did was to build club houses in our backyards. We'd scrounge around the neighborhood looking for bits of lumber and 'what-have-you' lying around in piles of garbage and vacant lots. When we had enough to begin, we'd start hammering away. Not much future planning happening, you understand. The ultimate shape and size of the club house was totally dependent on the scraps we were able to find in the garbage and lots. I remember one of the clubhouses had a white silo/chimney on the side, courtesy of one of the neighbors on Hendrickson Street who threw out an old hot water heater. It didn't have a practical purpose, but man, did it look cool.

When we first moved into the neighborhood, I think Billy R, one of the 11 years olds, built one. Then Big Chris, then Glenn. This was all over the span of a few years. The wheel came 'round and it was my turn.

I didn't have to look far for scrap lumber and other nuggets. My dad saved everything (it's now seven years after he passed away and we're still cleaning crap out of the garage). Little Chris and I began construction with some other guys pitching in here and there, but it was mostly the two of us. The design was similar to the above right picture - only it had a flat roof and a wider doorway, but no door. We decided to put a ladder on one of the sides for easy access to the lookout post on the roof. You never know when bad guys will try'n sneak up on your club house and you want to see them far enough in advance so you can snap into a quick defense mode.

Not having had experience in building a club house before, Little Chris and I didn't know much about cross supports and other structural stabilizing features we might have used in the building of the club house. We simply hammered in as many nails as humanly possible and thought that would hold it together. Before climbing up to the roof for the first time, we gave it the shake test - each of us grabbing a corner of the club house and giving it a hearty shake. Like a ROCK, baby! It was time to check out the view from the lookout post.

Grabbing our binoculars, Little Chris and I climbed up to the top of the club house to survey our domain - my backyard and all the others to the right and left. My mom was in the house on the phone - your could hear her laughing at something someone said on the other end of the line. My dad was doing something which made a loud humming noise in the garage - probably welding. It was a really great summer day.

A few minutes later, while we were taking in the sites and sounds, Little Chris' three-year-old brother Curt came waddling into my backyard. He was a cute and curious little kid. We big kids all looked out for him - especially Little Chris. Curt stopped in front of the club house and leaned way back so he could look up at us. "Watcha doin' up there?", he asked.

"We just finished the club house and now we're looking out for bad guys," we replied. Curt then walked into the club house to inspect our work.

It couldn't have been any more than 30 seconds after Curt walked into the club house that it began to shake. I can't say what caused it - Curt was too little to push against a wall and cause such motion and Little Chris and I were just sitting up there quietly, minding our business. But shake it did, and a few seconds later, the club house totally collapsed.

"CURT!," Little Chris yelled, as we got to our feet and ran around to the front of the club house.

There standing where the doorway had been was Curt - completely surrounded by two-by-fours, nails, shelving and other lumber, and completely untouched. It was like in that old Buster Keaton film; where the house falls down all around him? (Click Here)

Epilogue - Many years later (in 1989) Curt was out in San Francisco on business. While he was there, a tremendous earthquake hit that killed nearly 100 people and injured thousands, destroyed a good part of the city and postponed the World Series for 10 days. Bridges collapsed, highways collapsed... it was a mess. As I remember the story from Little Chris, Curt was staying in a hotel that was pretty much leveled. What saved him was the fact that he stood in a doorway - much like he did that day in my backyard club house.

2 lives down, 7 to go.