Decked

The Sealing Crew

Deckzilla was very, very thirsty. Providing my oversized backyard monster with an initial coat of sealer was every bit as much fun as I anticipated, that being zero. The best part was the overhead section which resulted in numerous face splashes of the sealant. I’m here to testify that Thompson’s Water Sealer is not tasty. At all.  My wife volunteered to assist me which turned out to be a Godsend. She’s built much closer to the ground and took care of the lower extremities. She kind of owed me that though since Deckzilla owes his gargantuan size to her.

The Afternoon Shade was Most Welcome

The contractor told me that the wood would absorb the initial coat in amazing amounts. He didn’t lie. The finished product was worth the effort (almost). I still would much rather have been down in Rhode Island celebrating St Mary’s Day. I also think Rhode Island partying would have required significantly less ibuprofen.

Wife Hard at Work

Buddy watched mournfully from the air conditioned environs behind the sliding glass door wondering what we were doing to the back deck he assumed responsibility for. It was a boring day for the Wonder Pooch until my wife noticed some of the neighborhood rabbits (we’re overrun with the damned things) eyeing her flowers. I was sent on a stealth mission with Buddy out the front door since the deck was still wet. When the very excited Buddy finally figured out what I was pointing at (he’s not the brightest bulb on the circuit) he launched in spirited pursuit. The rabbit took an overlong moment to realize Buddy was no longer held by his normal restraint and they both disappeared into the woods behind our house.

The Finished Product

A few minutes passed and Buddy returned rabbit-less but extremely pleased with himself. Apparently the word didn’t get passed amongst neighborhood rabbitdom because we had to release the hound twice more. The neighbors were having drinks on their back deck and took to cheering every time Buddy launched in a vain lagomorphic quest. He was exhausted by the time we adjourned to the man cave at least until I accidently ran over one of his ears with my desk chair.

The Las Lajas Print

I was not in the man cave for one of my usual pursuits. Somehow, and I’m still trying to figure this out, my wife convinced me to assist her with locating online some Panamanian art work to place over the fireplace. We were successful and I even bought as second sketch of my favorite beach and site of future second home – Las Lajas. Anyone who knows me will realize the fundamental shift in the cosmos my willingness to engage in any kind of shopping with the acknowledged master of the art – my Favorite Panamanian - is. I must have been overly appreciative of her assistance with Deckzilla. We did field a FaceTime call from the First Blog Reader while down there. As the pictures below testify – she’s still a bona fide guaranteed morale boost. You’ll also notice Riggins continues his growth unchecked.