It was a whirlwind past couple of days, trying to meet the July 4 deadline for completing the Tiki bar deck. During all this activity I learned it takes serious concentration and a special technique to drive a nail properly (something I haven’t quite learned yet) and that, no matter how much you think you have your measurements right, you’ll be sawing an inch or two to make everything fit.

I won’t lie to y’all – I’m sure if I were to invite a tradesman over for cocktails on the new deck he’d probably puke at the amateurish results, but I think it still came out kind of OK, and, more importantly, that $#@%! neighborhood cat is gonna have to find another litter box. After cleaning up the area and re-installing the Tiki torches my sister-in-law Tam put up the ribbons for the formal champagne launch of the Tiki bar at 6 PM EDT tomorrow:

…and it wasn’t more than an hour later that the first dust storm of the year blew in, creating an early darkness that allowed the patio and Tiki deck to be lit up like Coney Island:

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All in all, I think it came out OK. Like I said to Tracey, anytime you can do a project and make it: a) look like it’s always been there, and, b) make the area look larger than it looked before you started, you can consider it a success. Compare these pics with this post from 2010, and you’ll see the difference. I hope y’all like it. It was a learning experience for me – I don’t know if I’d tackle another project like this – but if I did, at least I’d know how to start.