All Decked Out

I have to say I love having a deck.

I've lived in (count 'em, I had to) 21 different houses, apartments, and holes in the ground through my 38 years. Some of them had balconies or patios. Not one had a deck.

There's something about a deck, or at least THIS deck, that invites, almost compels me, outside. It's an extension of the house, extra living area equipped with breeze.

The wall, pre-patio door, separating us from our backyard. Note the evidence of the baseboard heater that Eva removed, which was, surprisingly, a non-trivial operation.

The yard didn't look quite this bad. This was lurking under the patio.

P.O.S. fence. Or rather, two of them.

Watch that first step, it's a killer.

Ta-da!

Eva's new SmokeStation (tm)

The intersection of Deck Overlook and Georgia-Ball Boulevard

There, one fence that's better than two.

All this was done by Star Fencing. It took them considerably longer to accomplish this than I had thought it would. Then again, the weather didn't exactly co-operate. They've also given us an imposing gate which really sets our yard off and gives us a feeling of privacy and security.

The dogs love this deck: they play king-of-the-castle on it every day. Georgia, of course, appreciates the new Georgia-ball launching pad. And even B.B. seems to be completely entranced with the patio door.

This is the first step in the rehabilitation of our unspeakably ugly yard. Catelli has suggested we put some turf down, on account of my habit of destroying push mowers (three in one summer!) and my visceral dislike of yardwork. Don't think I haven't thought about it. The problem is, at some point we're going to sell this place, and people generally like to buy houses from fellow human beings, not turf-loving indoorsmen like me.

So, eventually, sod it, we're going to have to...well, sod it. And fertilize it. And grow it. And maintain it.

At least now I have some space outside where I like to be.