Hideouts, Otherwise Known as Outbuildings

As a child, I was always running around creating forts and my brother would build treehouses. My best friend Liz, however, had the ultimate playhouse. It was white with black shingles and a small cupola, and matched the main house. It was tiny, but it had a mini toy piano, a mini table for tea parties, and as we got older, we would stretch an orange extension cord across the yard and hook up an old black and white television.

Even as an adult, I'm still in love with the idea of outbuildings. My office is in a converted garage (it was an old garage from the twenties that wasn't wide enough for my ought-sized sedan). I find myself dreaming of having a romantic guest house, a poolhouse, a little summerhouse, perhaps even a treehouse back in the woods. I have a theory that it's a good getaway from the main house - away from those unfinished projects, the laundry pile, bills that need to be paid, oh, and other people when they are getting on my nerves! Let's face it - they are hideouts! Here are some favorites.