Dream purchase - a Java tree.

I have wanted a Java tree for I don't know how many years.  I never got one for two reasons:  1. I didn't have space in the previous places I've lived and 2. it was just a bit too pricey with the cost of shipping.  Another reason, though a minor one, is because I had never come across a tree with branch placement I really liked.  I wasn't going to spend hundreds of dollars on something I felt mediocre about.  

My "dream" Java tree belongs to Natacha - http://poiworld.blogspot.com/2010/01/play-stands-in-my-living-room.html (last photo).  No tree has ever come close to hers.  I love her tree for several reasons:  1. the branches are multi-level, 2. the branch placement looks fairly "even" to where the tree looks balanced, and 3. it has a straight trunk.  I never expected to find a tree that looks exactly like hers, but I wanted a tree that had those three criteria.  Because no two trees ever grow alike, in my experience and YEARS of searching for "the" tree, I had never found one worth purchasing...  until now.

There was a tree I had been eyeing up on Bird Paradise for several months.  The tree had multi-level branches, the branch placement looked balanced, and it had a straight trunk.  Quite frankly, I was surprised it hadn't been sold a long time ago.  Then the store had an online sale - it was my chance!  I wanted to pick it up during the sale because I knew we'd have space for it when we move to the house next year.  I bought the tree I thought I would never have - even though the shipping cost more than the tree itself. >_<  It was a (bird) dream come true.  :)  I was very happy and excited for this purchase.  Then...


Something went wrong.  My tree ended up getting sold to someone else by accident.  I have to admit I was really sad over this because I had waited years and years and years for my tree.  Kathy, the owner of Bird Paradise, is such a wonderful woman to work with and she took it upon herself to personally make this right.  She went to her warehouse, keeping my criteria in mind, and sent me pics of some trees she thought I would like and were not on the website.  Out of the pics she sent me, one jumped out at me even more than the original tree I had bought.  This tree was amazing!!  I loved this tree even more and it made me happy that my original tree had been sold - otherwise I would never have known about this one!  Kathy did an excellent job of making her customer happy. :)  My tree was on its way to me when...


Something else went wrong! LOL  The tracking showed the package had reached Honolulu and then nothing.  Days and days went by without delivery.  Kathy had UPS put a tracer on the tracking number to find out what happened.  More than a week passed without any word from UPS so I had begun to lose hope.  It turns out my package somehow got rerouted back to the mainland!  So after a long journey of back and forth, it arrived this past Friday.  I could not be happier with the tree.  I love it - just as much as I love Natacha's. 

The new Java tree!

Raptor exploring.

He loves boings.

Nom nom nom.

Lots of play space!

Now, I'm on the lookout for one more Java tabletop stand and I will be done.  I'm constantly keeping my eye out for one with branch placement I like. :)