The fort, the dugout and the treehouse

"Hang you Hat" by Artist Lisa Rae Winant
Image used by permission of the Artist
37x10/ oil on panel

It was late-May in a dilapidated neighborhood just south of Griffenville, New York. The scent of freshly cut grass lingered in the warm pre-summer air. There was a buzz of excitement filling the streets as the town’s Dream Baseball Camp was about to open for the season. It was a long sought-after dream for three young boys; Michael, Brian and Jacob, to one day play on one of the numerous leagues at the camp. Unfortunately, the cost to visit Griffenville Dream Baseball Camp was five hundred dollars. Every fall, the boys each asked their mothers if they could apply to camp and the answer was always a disappointing “I can’t afford it!” What could this Dream Camp have that was worth more money than a single mom’s two-month salary?
One day while Jacob was throwing a baseball around, he discovered an old abandoned baseball field just behind his mother’s mobile home. This would be his only chance to play baseball on a real field. Jacob ran the entire two miles it takes to get to Michael and Brian’s neighborhood. The other two boys were baffled as to what could have possibly gotten into their friend, who was now so wound up he could barely speak. As the boys made their way back to the scene of Jacob’s incredible discovery, they were anxious with anticipation of what they would find. When they finally laid eyes on the field they just stared in awe. The boys played for hours. They even lost track of time. It wasn’t until the sun vanished on the horizon that they realized it was time to go home. The boys planned to meet again the next day for another fun filled day of baseball.
That night, all three boys had the best dreams that they had ever had in their lives. They all dreamt the same dream, that they were playing with each other on their own private baseball field. The next day, after a few hours of playing ball under the hot sun, the boy’s needed to find shelter. Michael suggested they build a tree house, Brian suggested a dug out and Jacob wanted a fort. After arguing, the boys decided that they shouldn’t settle on just one form of shelter when they could go to the dump and find things to build their own dream shelter. And that’s what they set out to accomplish. They each experienced more from using their own imagination than they could ever get from one week playing at Griffenville Dream Camp. They now had a place to play baseball all summer long.