Our treehouse is a memory of one person we will never forget, our Paw Jimmy. I’m 11 years old, the oldest of four boys: Grant (my brother), Charlie (my cousin) and Brady (Charlie’s little brother). The boys and I had always loved my Paw Jimmy. In the backyard was an old treehouse. All of us wanted to repair it, but it would be tough work. The stairs looked like they would fall through if you stepped on them, and the boards were all rotting. Paw Jimmy decided to hire a builder to fix it up. We could hardly contain our excitement. After we had thanked Paw Jimmy numerous times, we finally had the chance to check out our treehouse. It’s an awesome hideout! My Paw Jimmy died of brain cancer in January 2015, shortly after the treehouse was repaired. Yes, it was a hard time. A very hard time. But we have learned to overcome those bad times with memories like our treehouse.

Kendall Reece, Vilas, Blue Ridge Electric