The camp was 4 feet wide by 8 feet long. Note: see inside pictures of camp. I completed the camp before Christmas Eve, and moved in that evening. The tent was a tarp turned into a teepee. It wasn't sealed like a regular tent.

     The camp did not have a gate when I moved in. I added the gate when the Lord put an idea in my head to use a Pizza Hut cooking grate.
     The opening required a 3 foot high X 2 foot wide gate. The gate I found in the trash fit exactly to the inch. This gate had two hinges that fit into a notch in the tree. The hinges rotated in this notch like your shoulder does in the shoulder socket.  Note: See photo of gate/inside/outside
 

     The camp was secure and camouflage was added in the construction, and I added more to conceal the camp’s presence.  Photograph of camp/tree from outside

     The storms were raging in the Bay Area. This was the wettest winter the Bay Area had in nearly a hundred years.  El Nino was causing flooding and homes were sliding down hill sides.  The camp fortunately had a natural drainage. There were two cracks in the foundation. One crack was near the gate where the water would enter, and a second crack was outside the camp; and this allowed the water to exit the foundation. Without these two cracks in the foundation, the camp would have flooded out. There was a lake outside my tree, and I had to build a bridge with wood to high ground- during the heavy storms.  Note: see photo of cracks/drain

     "Hobo" the homeless cat came to my gate in November 98. She ran away before I could feed her. I prayed to the Lord to send her back and she came back the next day and moved in. Hobo had part of her tail bit off, and an old wound on her rear leg that was healed. She must have been attacked by a dog. She lived on top of my tent. See photo's of "Hobo" in camp, and her new home.
 

     In the construction of the camp; it turned out that I had a skylight without trying to build one; and this skylight would become instrumental for providing sunlight for reading my bible in the afternoon when the sun was in the west. The sunlight would come through the skylight and shine directly on my bible while sitting outside of the tent, but inside the tree. I set a lawn chair outside for that purpose.  Note: see photograph of skylight.

     The location of the camp was ideal. I was close to a main avenue that ran through Richmond, El Cerritto, Albany, Berkeley and Oakland cities. The camp is across the street from the train station that has 40 stops in the Bay Area, including San Francisco. I was close to a number of fast food places and right behind a laundry mat. Two dumpsters were within 20 yards.  Pizza Hut had an outside water faucet, and was only 30 feet away. Two grocery stores, post office, post office box and other stores were within walking distance. The camp provided a place to rest and be restored for hitting and returning to the streets.  Note: Photo/me/dead tired and resting in camp.

     I had privacy and it was safe and secure. The Lord led me in the many details in the construction of the camp, and the maintenance. This place was truly a gift from the Lord, and  I give the LORD the glory!