These photos are from my June trip to Burlington, Vermont, where this beautiful tree house is nestled among trees in the city park along Lake Champlain. 

I'm fascinated with structures that incorporate their surroundings, such as tree houses, bird and hunting blinds, boardwalks, and even some residential architecture (and check out this one built FOR bird watching!). This tree house is especially artful, as you can see from the below detail photos.

A thoughtful structure takes into account what is there already, and manages building for future changes in the existing environment. Well, the structure doesn't do that; the people building it do. And in my opinion, trees ARE the view, as are boulders, cliffs, streams, wetlands, ponds, and whatever else challenges a builder to use imagination to include those things in the design.

I spotted this tree house while out for a run one evening, and lucked out in taking these shots, as the park was dotted with summer picnickers whose absence from the scene make this place look divinely solitary.