Swing Set Dumpster Diving

We've been busy the last two days.  There's a little bit of a backstory here, and I think it's pretty cool (I've already told it to everyone who will listen because I can't get over the coincidences involved.)  Last Saturday, we had breakfast with my dad, and I recruited him to build a wooden play structure for Andrew from scratch.  The kits from Walmart and Kmart don't look very sturdy, and the kits from Lowes and other home supply stores look great, but cost too much for us poor folk.  So, he said yes...

But then on Sunday, at a birthday party Andrew was invited to, I was talking with my longtime friend Sue.  I hadn't known she and her son would be at the party, so that's coinkydink #1.  Somehow we got on the topics of swing sets and play equipment, and she said they were having new equipment delivered this week.  Their old set was still in good shape, but with three boys, she was worried about it lasting.  They were going to throw it away, so I offered to buy it from them...figuring, even if it needed some work and some stabilizing, it would still save us a bookoo (how in the HELL do you spell that?) of money.

The play structure, before the move.  I took this one basically so that we'd
know how to put it back together once we ripped it apart.

In two big pieces in Dad's trailer.

Trying not to get run over as Dad backed out of the yard.

I thought for sure the truck would end up falling through the garage.
I had been standing in the space between the truck and the wall, and scrambled down the hill to safety.

The only hardware we removed for the move.

It got dark last night before we could finish, but Andrew went immediately to the tower after school today.
I predict many mouthfuls of dirt in his near future.

Dad and James finished up this afternoon while Andrew supervised and ate the spiciest Martin's barbeque chips I've ever had.  This is the same kid who won't use mint toothpaste because it burns his mouth.

Swinging, at last.  And trying to kick my phone out of my hands. 

Teeter-totter.

So, I totally had this post finished, and for the second time this week, Blogger failed to save my work and I had to start again.  Boo hiss.  I have no idea what I wrote the first time.  Bummer.  The gist of it was that we finished this project, except for pressure washing it and restaining the wood--after which, it should look like new.  That part might not happen, because after all---it works just fine.  Unlike the last makeshift swing we tried to cook up for Andrew, which we never added to, and which eventually fell down.  This one isn't going anywhere, Andrew is super excited about it, and the best thing of all---it was FREE!