Finally, a full deck

After about 200 hours of work, 1,600 board feet of lumber and 27 pounds of screws, the deck rebuild is finally finished. I knew the task was going to be lengthy, but I didn't know how much it would test my short attention span.

I had a few hours of help on the front end coming up with a design and some good help on the back end from neighbor Larry who designed the bench structure. The middle, for better or worse, was all mine.

In my post of October 25, the photo shows that the original deck was built on a radius with California redwood. Going back with redwood was impractical, so the challenge was to turn a "round" deck into a deck with angles and make it look like it belonged there. If I do say so myself, the feat was accomplished. In my mind, the angles of the deck actually match the house better than the radius.

I will wait until late spring or early summer to stain the deck. The yard from which I purchased the treated lumber receives their material straight from the treatment vats. The wood is so wet that it oozes green stuff when a screw goes into it.

So, one of my biggest construction projects is complete. Now, I'll start planning my retaining wall.

First loaf of persimmon bread

B rose to the call and baked our first loaf of persimmon bread. It's much like pumpkin bread, but to my taste, is a little more tart. I can eat persimmon puree with a spoon. I would never attempt that with pumpkin-bread makings.

I'll have at least one more good harvest of persimmons to fill our freezer for the winter.

(Food styling for photos is an art. My attempt was meager, but an attempt nonetheless.)