I'm a good old-fashioned, flag-waving, patriot. I love the 4th of July. We had a very busy but really wonderful holiday weekend. The biggest thing we did was construction. You see, when Mark & I were engaged (for eight whole weeks), he spent a lot of his spare time in my mother's backyard, building a gazebo for our wedding reception. It was built with a minimum of tools and supplies, used lumber, and Mark really didn't have that much experience under his belt at the time. Still, it turned out lovely. And it lasted for almost 10 years before we had to tear it down so it didn't collapse and kill someone.
Well, my sister, Shiloh is getting married next month. She's the last of seven daughters to tie the knot. And she really wants the gazebo. So, Mark spent his Fourth rebuilding it. But only because he's a great sport, and he really likes my family. It's kind of what he does with his holidays. In 2005, he spent his Independence Day moving 8,000 pounds of concrete stucco, to help finish his parents' new home. And at the end of the day, it looked great, and he was absolutely spent.
Setting the posts and floor joists
But here are the pictures from our 4th. My brothers Dave and Wil, and my bro-in-law Tony were there, sawing and hammering along side Mark. The rest of us just watched. No, that's not true. We also painted the picket fence (the last one was put in, again, for my wedding reception twelve years ago, and has had to be replaced, too).
floor joists done
This gazebo is going to be MUCH better built, and will last a lot longer (new materials, treated lumber, Mark has a degree in Construction Engineering, he got to use AutoCAD to plan it...)
starting on the floor deck
Floor deck done!
Shiloh is thrilled, but more importantly, so is my Mom. She is rather particular about what she wants, and when she and Mark are in a project together, things get a little...uhm, intense. But everyone is happy with this project. Which is good!
Tony builds the (very shallow, easy to walk up) steps
And right before dinner - Barbecue! - those talented guys got most of the rails up.
Doesn't it look good? I hope I'm not boring y'all with all this construction stuff. After 12 years of marriage to a builder-man, I'm completely into it, and it makes sense to me, not to mention interesting conversation. :D
2 comments:
Oh, love that gazebo. I share your comments about being married to a builder - -I remember one time we were eating in a fancy restaurant (I think it was our anniversary - -that's the rare occasion when we go fancy) he looked around and was in total awe of what the handrails had cost. And he loved it that the bathrooms had a certain brand of fixtures. Men are funny.
It looks amazing!!! I'm so excited! Thanks so much guys. It looks like you guys had fun... whish I coulda been there.
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