forts7

THE FORTS - Part 7
Winter 2003 - 2004 : The Final Fort?

Fort #22 "The Slide 2" February 2004
609 Blocks, 14' High
1 Door & 1 Staircase
Single Straight Slide
Lasted 7 Days

Though the pictures may look nice, Fort #22 was actually one of the most ill-fated forts ever. There were many factors conspiring against us this time, not the least of which was my own deteriorating health. Perhaps the biggest problem was the weather - we didn't have more than a couple of inches of snow, until almost the end of January! Even when the snow finally did fall, I was laid up with a very bad cold and was unable to get to work. Most of my helpers had fallen victim to similar ailments, so it was into the first week of February before any real work got underway. And even then, it didn't go too smoothly.
By now, most of my helpers had lost interest in these projects. Only one showed up regularly, but even his help couldn't bring this project up to a decent speed. Despite working for several hours each day, the progress was barely noticeable.
By February 26th, seeing that there was little time left to enjoy it, we decided to declare it "complete", even though it was still far short of the original plans.

Another thing slowing down the construction, was the introduction of square blocks. After years of trial and error, a working square block-making rig was finally built. It was basically a square wooden bucket, with a few special features such as heavy reinforcement. Although it produced beautiful square blocks (as seen to the left), it proved to be more trouble than it was worth. It took almost twice as long to make a square block, and the block itself weighed almost twice as much as a round one. Add that to the weight of the bucket - over 10 pounds - and this made for some very strenuous work. I ended up having to make most of the square blocks by myself, as none of my helpers had the patience (or strong enough back muscles) to work with this thing.
Once completed it actually didn't look too bad. The square blocks were used to build a ladder tower, which provided access to the slide itself. As with the first Slide fort, a lot of filling was required. But this slide ended up being overdone; the slope was so steep that it was not only scary to go down, but dangerous as well. The top portion of the slide (but not the railing) was soon hacked off to reduce the slope to a sensible level.

Not that it really mattered, since almost nobody would have an opportunity to enjoy this fort. My main helper and I were the only two people to go down the slide; a scant few other people came to see the finished fort, but nobody was brave enough to give the slide a try.
It was so late in the winter, that I made the controversial decision not to publicize this fort. As I said to my helpers, I did not want people to see this fort in the paper or on TV, and drive out only to see a puddle of water. You see, by now the temperature was rapidly warming up. We'd been fighting the above-normal temperatures throughout this entire project, but by the first of March it was clear that the fight was over and the fort had lost. One reason it deteriorated so quickly, was because it was built in a different location - away from the house, where it didn't have the protection of the shade. (The project site had been moved, because of the trouble created by last years fort). Had this been located in a shadier place, it may have fared a bit better.

Once the fort started to melt, there was no stopping it. The picture to the right was taken about 6 days after the fort had been declared "complete"; by now, most of the ladder tower had disappeared and only the main part of the slide remained. On March 4th the wrecking tools were brought out, and the melting carcass was finally put out of its misery. It was a sorry end to what should have been an great fort.

And, it seems, it was also the end of this entire saga. With my health becoming more uncertain, and no more helpers willing to devote their time, it would appear that this cherished activity is now over. There are no plans for any more forts, and at this point, it appears there never will be. I may someday release the fort plans that I'd never used, so someone else can have the fun of trying to build them. I'd like to see this activity live on, but I'm afraid that it probably has ended here.
UPDATE, JAN. 28, 2005:
The end may not yet have come - work has started (and is well underway) on what will hopefully be Fort #23. I'm working almost entirely by myself, but if all goes well, it should be completed within the next two weeks. Check back regularly for updates.
Thanks for your interest in these forts, and please E-mail me if you have any questions or comments.
UPDATE, FEB. 6, 2005:
Believe it or not, Fort #23 has been completed! Click here to have a look.

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