We rolled into my parents' town late, late Thursday night / Friday morning to make good on a Christmas promise for some backyard revitalization at their house. We had worked for awhile (too long a while) on the plans for an enlarged deck that would open out into the yard more and provide more seating and better views of the farm beyond. The old porch railings were past their prime, and so the new design included a deck extension, new cedar pergola, new columns and railings, brick stairs, a new formal courtyard area, and a built-in backdrop for the outdoor grill and dining area. In five days we got things rolling, but left plenty of homework behind. It will be a nice summer long project, but at least at the end of a long day there are plenty of good places to sit and enjoy the progress.
E and her cousin got to spend loads of time together, and they maximized their playtime. Both girls spent the time swinging or reading to each or causing general mayhem in and around the construction site.
Lots of nighttime reading occured...she tapped into one person after another, drawing from the stash of books her mother enjoyed listening to as a child.
All of the cedar will receive an opaque stain in an off-white color to match the existing house. But first the lucky owners get to become one with the miter - all twelve columns will receive the trim shown mocked up in the photo above on all four sides. Once that is complete the railing will be installed. The deck floor will get a deep stain after it's dried out a bit more.
After five days of work - fun but tiring - we hit the road heading west, straight into the setting sun. It was nice to see the skyline of home once again. Time to rest our achy bodies for a short spell before we take up the hammers again on our own never ending project list!
