“Jay and Kayle test the tree house their grandma Knisely has built for her summer camp, including the trap door. Matt Johnson, staff photoThere’s almost nothing that has quite the appeal, even charisma, of a tree house. The idea has fascinated both kids and grownups for centuries.Pam Kniseley of Clinton became so enchanted with the idea of a tree house that she decided to build one. And what better time to do it than during camp.This camp is also known as Grandma’s Camp. It is Kniseley’s second annual summertime gift she gives to her grandchildren, as well as their parents. The grandchildren who came for the week were eight-year-old Jay and Kayle, age seven. The other grandkids will have to wait until they are six years old. That’s my rule, Kniseley said. The two visiting grandchildren obviously felt happy and privileged to be at camp as they showed off their new tool belts and hammers. They also pointed to the large tent in the middle of the yard. That’s where we all sleep at night, they said, including Grandma. Kniseley described last summer’s camp project, taking the grandkids to the Pacific Science Center and other points of interest in Seattle. We spent a whole day going by bus from our doorstep in Clinton to the Ballard Locks and home again, she said. I discovered that Seattle bus riders are extremely nice and eager to help lost travelers, which is what we were. This year tree house fascination had worked its magic on grandma, as it has so many other grandparents and parents. Maybe it’s because adults remember how delightful it was to climb up a tree and sit on a branch, lean against the trunk and peek through the foliage. So Grandma’s Camp project for this summer was the tree house, and the kids could help, of course.Kniseley did considerable planning before making her final decision to construct a four-tree tree house, 7 feet off the ground, and maybe even with a second story. At the end of the fourth day of construction, she said, while pointing to the incomplete structure in the trees at the edge of the yard, That’s where I hope I’ll be when the big earthquake hits. She walked over to it and thumped on the heavy duty framing with double lag bolts anchoring the structure to the trees. She smiled with satisfaction at the sturdy flooring and the wall framing.That trap door is a work of art. I’m really proud of it, she said. A major bit of engineering. The children demonstrated how easily it could be raised and lowered. It’s been a big help to have Grandpa Jack starting his vacation this week and able to be around, Kniseley said. The structure is obviously a great beginning for what will be an incredible tree house. Our plans have undergone several modifications, Kniseley said. I started out thinking the kids should have a say in the design and construction, but since then both Grandpa and I agreed it wasn’t such a good idea.Undaunted, the youngsters interrupted with a new proposal, both talking at once and clearly pleased with themselves. They would not allow grownups in the tree house. They would get a large bell with which to summon Grandma when they wanted food and she could bring it out and put it in a pail which they would pull up into the tree house. Grandma murmured, I don’t think so. But looking on the bright side, Kniseley added, On the Fourth of July we hung a flag on the framing. The entire effort thus far has been bloodless. Grandpa and I have been sleeping very well. I’m learning a great deal about building a tree house.She recommends studying one of several good books on building tree houses before tackling construction. The one she is using and likes is Tree Houses You Can Actually Build, by David and Jeannie Stiles. Two others are Home Tree Home and Tree Houses, both by Peter Nelson. The books provide considerable detail on the construction of various types of tree houses. Included in the first paragraph of the Introduction in Tree Houses is advice that Grandma belatedly learned. The author points out that one must figure on the building of a home to take once again as long as planned, and the building of a tree house to take four times as long.But Kniseley is optimistic. I’ll have it finished by the end of next month, but then, maybe not, we are expecting quite a bit of company this summer. Finished or not, the tree house stands as an expression of what anyone would consider a most courageous and devoted grandmother. “