The Highlander

We got a little refund from the government and we have been wanting to get the girls a playset since we moved into the house a year ago. Wait. Has it been a year already? Wow....

Anyway, Mike and I did a lot of research, as always, and found that the set being offered by Sam's Club was really the best bang for our buck. It had good reviews, lots to do, looked really solid and was under 1K. SOLD! They were out-of-stock on it last month but when we called Saturday morning, they had just gotten another load in. So off we went with the trailer, and 4 gigantic boxes and a slide later, we were home, puzzling on what we had gotten ourselves into!

All the lumber laid out in groups alphabetically...

It took us about 2 hours to lay it all out and get all the bolts open and ready to be used. The girls were a big help, getting us pieces and holding tools while we got started. We were actually really lucky that our friends, the Youmans, were free in the afternoon to come give us a hand. Mike and Jim worked the power-tools while Jeanne and I ran parts and kid control. Perfect!

Boys with toys...

We were able to get most of the "Tower" built on Saturday and then Mike and I were on our own Sunday. Both days were really kinda blah with cloudy skies, cold winds and colder temps. I don't think it helped our cause any. Finally, at 9pm Sunday we had the majority of the set finished, with only the little steps and green handles left to install. Mike finished that part when he got home from work this afternoon so the set is officially done for now. 

You can see our old set over to the side. When we pulled it out of the ground to make way for the new set, the timber that was in the ground was completely rotted. We're lucky no one got hurt on that thing. However, it does have some nice rings and a pancake swing that we would like to transplant onto this set. We'll add another arm to the left side in the next couple of weeks and I think the Playset will be complete. The girls love it and can't stop playing on it. 4 levels, 1 picnic table with 2 benches, 2 swings, a rock climbing wall, a glider, a super-fast slide, plus all the extras...what more could a couple of kids want? Wait, forget I asked.   ;)