Where in the world are Emily and Gideon?: There's a man up in that thar tree

Bless his heart, that hubby of mine is so darn sick of studying for the California Bar that he'll do just about anything to put space between himself and his Bar review materials. And I mean anything. He's recently taken to climbing trees. I'm not talking the apple tree variety, or even a healthy oak tree. No, he's been making frequent climbs to the very tippy-top of a 125 feet pine tree up here on the Hill. No joke.

Why does he do it? Why not just play a game of solitaire, or hunt for some more chanterelles? Well, the boy has always liked a physical challenge; add to that a love of technology; and to that, a lack of said technological access on the Hill; and you've got a good excuse to escape studying and start hauling all kinds of antenna up the tallest tree around to equip the cabin and Polly & Aaron's house with high speed Internet, and... wait for it... local television!

Yes, Gideon's first forays up the tree were for the purpose of getting us connected to the World Wide Web in a way that would keep us from pulling out all of our hair, as dial-up is known to do. A few weeks ago is when it all started. Gideon had built a 30 foot tower out in the field, on which was connected an Internet antenna. We were connected! It worked well until the rains set in, which made the signal fail as it tried to fight its way through wet leaves and fog. It was clear to Gideon that the antenna needed a clear line of sight to the other antenna on Sonoma Mountain, across the valley. He started mumbling about climbing a tree. I just tuned out his crazy talk until one day, not too long after, Polly came to the door with a panicky look on her face.
"Emily, I don't want to sound too much like my mother here," she gulped, "but I'm not too comfortable with what Gideon is doing out there." Yes, Gideon was setting up ladders preparing for his ascent up the pine tree next to the house. Keep in mind it was raining.
"Polly," I responded, barely looking up from my book, "I just can't be involved in this. If something happens, well, we've had a good go of it." I've learned that it is an absolute waste of energy to fret over Gideon's daredevil antics, so I no longer go there. Poor Polly. She just kind of shivered and walked back outside.

To make a long story not quite so long, Gideon has made it up and down the tree a number of times to install and adjust the Internet antenna. We now have a high-functioning, reliable Internet connection and everyone is beside themselves. During his climbs, Gideon wears his climbing harness and ties in, or so he's told me--I never actually watched him climb until today.

Today he assembled a giant, old school television antenna in the living room of the cabin. It was so big that it freaked out poor Josie and she had to go outside to calm herself down.
"So, what are you hoping to get from this antenna?" I asked.
"PBS," Gideon replied.
"Hmm. I was kind of hoping for a bit more than that," I said.
"I'm keeping my expectations low," he explained. He harnessed up and dragged the antenna out to the base of the tree.

Being that I wasn't exactly busy, I decided to go out and document the craziness for you. Here's a little glimpse of today's ascent.

My man, on a mission...

I decided to climb onto the roof to get closer to the action. Nice view up here...

There's our little Home Sweet Home. It's even cuter from here!

My climbing gear... crocs and velor pants from outerspace.

Did I forget to mention that Gideon climbs with a saw in one hand? It comes in handy for sawing down weak branches. I think it's just another procrastination technique.