It's starboard and larboard on deck you will sprawl

Zoiks, I started this entry weeks ago and somehow haven't managed to finish and post it. It's really unfortunate, because it's such an exciting development and we've been enjoying it quite thoroughly in the interim (perhaps that's partially responsible for my lack of posting. . .?). So, as you may have gathered from my earlier preview, we have a deck! Tres's dad came up to stay with us a few weeks ago and the two of them gathered the materials and got it all up in about 3 days.

I wasn't able to get many process photos of this project (they were too speedy and I was too busy wrangling the small one), but it is quite simply a glorious thing. We've been eating outside most nights now and enjoying breakfast on the weekends out there too. 

facing west

facing south

facing east

We have grapes planted at each post, which will eventually grow up and be trellised (can I use that as a verb?) over the top for shade. At the moment, we have some garden shade cloth stapled up there (not shown in the photos above) and that's helping to cut down on the sun a bit. The finishing touch will be to construct a bench between the posts on the east and half of the north sides (that post in the middle will be cut down to the height of the bench).

Silas has been enjoying the deck too -

here he is doing so with our dear friend Matt