Those who are old enough can remember that a tree house from "back in the day" mostly consisted of a couple of two-by-fours, a few nails and a plywood floor.

It was a place where kids could climb up and scope out the neighborhood or hold members-only club meetings.Well, it's not the 1960s anymore.A Jim Thorpe family has been selected as a finalist in the 2015 Delta Faucet Ultimate Custom Tree House Giveaway contest. If James Denny; his mother, Carrie; and his stepfather, Bill Baines win, "Treehouse Masters," a television program from the Animal Planet and Discovery Channel, will custom build a fully equipped log cabin upon trees in their backyard.Carrie's desire for a tree house comes from her childhood memories of growing up in Somerville, New Jersey."When I was a kid, my brothers and I built outdoor forts all the time," she says. "So when we moved to Jim Thorpe 10 years ago, I started to bug my husband for a tree house. We have some beautiful and big hemlock trees in our yard that would be the perfect place for one."Although everyone in the family is a fan of the "Treehouse Masters" television show, Carrie's son James was the one who noticed the giveaway contest. With the help of his friend Talon Fogal, Denny decided to make a three-minute video during a holiday break from the college he attends in Alabama to explain why he would like his family to win the contest."I give my son all the credit," Carrie says. "He's a unique young man because he has such a passion for life. He's also very giving and he just loves people. He has no selfish determination to win. He wants to win for his family and for his town."Denny says he wants to win for his mom."She was a single mom for quite some time and she did an extraordinary job raising me and my sister."With the video entry sent, he believed they had a chance."So we get this call from the program people and they told us they liked the idea," says Bill Baines, who works as an accountant manager in Allentown."Treehouse Masters" then Skyped a video with Denny and his mother that explains why they wanted a particular customized log cabin.The finalists were announced on the website on Jan. 16."I stayed up late and just after midnight I saw we were in the finals so I woke everyone up to tell them," Denny said.If the family wins, Pete Nelson, the star craftsman from "Treehouse Masters," will come to Jim Thorpe in March and he and his crew will build the Baines family a custom log cabin within their hemlock trees."The first thing I thought of for my mom was to have a sort of "wine cellar" with built-in taps so she can come home from work and have a glass of wine while she relaxes in the tree house." Denny said.The wine room is only one of many ideas to be included in the log cabin's design.There is a plan for an area to smoke meats, a fully equipped kitchen, an entertainment center with a wet bar, a full bathroom, a porch with a hanging swing, and an outdoor shower."As a family, we love to entertain," Carrie said. "I always wanted an outdoor shower, and since Delta is sponsoring the contest, we planned for the shower and the bathroom to incorporate the use of water into the cabin.""Our eastern hemlocks will be perfect for our cabin," Bill said. "We sent pictures to the program people and they said these trees would make a solid foundation."The ultimate winner will be decided by a nationwide popular vote conducted on Facebook and Twitter. The Baines family's competition are the Filopowskis from Warwick, New York, and the Olds family from Springfield, Oregon. The deadline for people to vote is Sunday."I am campaigning to get my whole college campus to vote for us," Denny said.To vote for the Baines family, go to

www.animalplanet.com and simply cast your ballot where their video is posted. On April 17, "Treehouse Masters" will air the program that details the tree house, introduces the family and describes the town that are declared the winners."Of course I will be disappointed if we don't win, but I think we may have an advantage living in Jim Thorpe because of our town's history which would make a great storyline for the program," Carrie said.Denny said, "We just love the outdoors in Jim Thorpe. A tree house would simply be a wonderful inspiration for a lot of people we know. The Animal Planet network and especially Pete Nelson really rock. They are all about nature and if you watch "Treehouse Masters," you get a sense that trees have a mystical and spiritual value."For James Denny and his family, winning the contest is not just about having a tree house built in their yard."We love Jim Thorpe for every season of the year," he says. "To win would bring more attention to our beautiful hometown. It's truly a land of gold."