What a year! We were all over the map in 2007, and boy was it fun!

It's always going to be a good year when we kick off with the Dreams Happen Gala event. For the 2007 auction, Barbara went magical and tuned in to her inner witch. The Wizards Hideout was a huge success, raising $52,000 for Rebuilding Together Peninsula. We've participated in the bi-annual event since 1999, and it's always an exciting night! True to our high standards of play-ability, the Wizards Lookout Tower features lots of climbing and sliding to complement the coziness of the Wizards Playhouse, a perfect spot to study spell books! There will be plenty of attacks to watch for, damsels in distress to rescue and captures to make and escape from in this structure!

Our play structures made some big journeys in 2007. We sent a Hideaway Fort carved with numerous sea creatures to gorgeous Hawaii; a custom play structure & treehouse to Seoul, Korea; plus we got the chance to visit our friends to the north again, delivering a Robin Hood's Fort to Vancouver, British Columbia! We are proud to be making a quality product in the U.S., but it's always a pleasure to know that our products are appreciated internationally as well.

One of our journeys this year took us to Texas, where everything is big, and a play structure is no exception! Fort Fiesta offers something for everyone with multiple forts, a catwalk through the trees, bridges, swings, rock climbing, rope net ladder, two slides, flags, a firepole, a pulley bucket, a 100' long zip line and even monkey bars under the Treefort deck. Phew! Now that's a lot of play. Plus this structure pays homage to its Southwestern/Mexican roots with its wonderful colors, intricate hand-carved images and unique details.

Treehouses have become a big trend, and we had " tree-mendous" one this year. The Tree Top Inn is sure to spark imaginations in everyone who sees it! With the rope railings, bridges and stairs, not to mention the lookout perch, all weaving between the trees, the structures feel as though they've always been there. It's hard to not imagine a band of merry children (or those who are still kids-at-heart) gallivanting through the trees, resisting growing up. I can almost hear the laughter now! The spectacular views abound with multiple decks in multiple trees making it a perfect spot for any day, whether you're in the mood for playing chase or just reading your favorite book.

You can now find us in Las Vegas as well! Four of our structures went in to the Children's Park at Turnberry Town Square Shopping Center. All of the structures meet ASTM F 1487-07 Standard for Playground Equipment for Public Use and ADA Handicap Accessible Guidelines.

There are:

Romeo & Juliet's Playhouses for the 5 to 12 age range and The Bakery/Cafe for the 2 to 5 age range,

The Roughhouse Treehouse for the 5 to 12 age range

The Town Square Theater for all ages.

As you might imagine, this was an extraordinary undertaking, but as anyone can see from all the happy children, it was worth the effort. The Playhouses were designed to have the same old world European appeal as the surrounding buildings, while still having lots of fun features, including the Stainless Steel Firepole, the Coil Climber, table and chairs, Rope Net Ladder and slide. The Bakery/Cafe even has a built-in Kitchen Set and cakes that look good enough to eat! For the Treehouse, Barbara even made a trip to Texas to help choose the right tree, which was then shipped all the way to Las Vegas. With a triple slide, swinging bridge, rock climbing wall, rung ladder and more, there's fun around every turn, all while under the welcoming branches of a picture-perfect tree. The Theater is a beautiful structure that gives all those budding stars a chance to perform for their adoring public!

Barbara even made time this year for a trip back to her hometown of Watertown, NY, where she toured her childhood home and was featured in the Watertown Daily Times. Barbara has always maintained that this eccentric house gave her a multitude of playful ideas, and she had a great time re-visiting it. We can't wait to see what new ideas the house will inspire this time around!

You may have seen us on HGTV this summer as well! Barbara's Tree Top Bungalow was featured on a one hour special, " Sizzling Summer Backyard," which aired on July 8, 2007. Built into the side of a mountain, this multi-level custom structure boasts not only lots of fun play elements, but also magnificent views that are matched only by the imaginations of the kids!

The family members were great sports being interviewed for the segment. They did a fantastic job, and we really appreciate their support!

With all this jet-setting, you might think we're tuckered out ourselves, but we've been busy at home too! Our stain supplier went out of business, so we decided to start making the stains ourselves. It's been a big learning curve, but with such a wonderful product, we are enjoying going back to school, in a way. Our Master Stainer has proven that he's up for the challenge, making our transition as seamless as possible. We've also had the opportunity to expand our shop space, which allowed us to reorganize and become more efficient. The new Stain Department is tucked away to help keep the redwood dust out. Well as much as possible anyway. That dust is everywhere around here! The new space has also allowed us to create a " construction loop" with structures starting on the building side of the shop, then moving to staining and ending the loop with detailing. Plus Barbara has moved in to a new office, which lets her be closer to construction, and she has room for meetings now!