Today I got the deck to the point where we can start letting the boys out to play on it; that is, I put in all of the floorboards, the hand rails and balusters. There is still a lot of finishing work to do and I am going to add an awning over the whole thing so we can use it when it rains.
Here's a shot when I had about half of the balusters on the east side done:
And here's as I was doing the balusters on the west side.
On the north side, I decided to try Plexiglas instead of balusters. But it was too dark by the time I got it done to get a photo.
Ma spent the day renovating the landscape on the west side of our house. It used to be an unruly patch of roses but Ma tore most of them out a while back and it's just been kind of weedy and bare. She dug out several wheelbarrow loads of dirt and added most of a cubic yard of 4-way potting soil, rototilling over it several times. Then she moved several of the large Boston ferns that were behind the house into the area.
Here's a before view:
And an after view:
The boys have been sick for several days and they're phlegmy and generally cranky, especially Grant. He'd be happy to just be held all day long if I were available and had the stamina. But once he gets outside and starts playing he almost forgets that he's sick.
I think Cole is almost back to normal. Tonight he kept making silly faces whenever I'd look at him. He's such a little tease! As I was working on the deck he would come and stand at the sliding glass door to watch and if I hadn't
closed it all the way he would reach his arm through the opening as if to dare me to grab him. It's a game the boys play with me when I'm going to work and they're standing at the top of the stairs.
Cole has started doing a funny thing when he runs. He puts both arms behind him, as if he's going so fast the wind resistance is causing his arms to flap behind. Maybe he thinks it's aerodynamic and it'll help him to stay faster than Grant.
As bedtime approached, both boys just about fell asleep on the floor. Grant drank a little milk and then curled up with his blanket, sucking on a tassel like he does when it's bedtime. I put him in his crib and he was practically asleep before I finished tucking him in. Speaking of which, it's past my bedtime.
Oh what fun it is to ride....in an old beat up trailer with an empty water bottle and some left over dirt. Grant was appropriately enthused on the ride from from the road back into the driveway. Who needs a wagon? You can't pretend you're surfing in a wagon.
Just cleaning out the trailer the old fashioned way - one handful at a time.
A 90° day calls for a good squirt in they eye, and a chance to soak your brother. It didn't do anything for covering up the mishap cutting Grant's hair today, though. See the little chunk missing in the back? He doesn't have much patience for the whole thing, and just starts throwing his head around.
This is a great place to run and hide to avoid a water fight. (Or just to find some interesting bugs to eat.)
On the deck front (or top, I guess you could say) is Pop putting up the beams for the cover (with UV protection for the pasty white boys.)
...the process of both getting in can be a little hazardous. Grant is less aware of the discomfort, of course we've always known he has a hard time understanding "personal space" boundaries. He's more of a "full contact" kind of kid.
On deck news, some braces were added for stability, and several boards were screwed down on the top. It's fun to walk around on it and pretend we have a real deck. Pop is truly incredible when it comes to this stuff. I'm not sure how he seems to know exactly what to do even though he's never done this before, but he's very thorough in making sure everything is perfect. Everyone should be happy to know this when you're standing on it 10 ft above the ground, eating your hamburger.
