alleged deck

We have lived in our home for 21 years. 21 years. That is a long time especially when you consider that many people move around, thousands of miles in their lifetimes and never even stay in the same state for 21 years.

Our home was built in 1896 and we are only the third owners. Not much had been done to alter the original plan of the house, though an old pantry had been gutted, waiting to be turned into a half bath, which we did, though not before I was done being pregnant so I still had to make frequent trips all the way upstairs to the bathroom. This was a bathroom with hot pink shag carpeting, I might also add. We have also kept most of the house in its original state, except for remodeling the kitchen and adding a large room on the third floor after our house fire in 1996. That is a story for another blog entry.

The most unusable part of our home, though, has been the back yard. Filled with “clinkers”, the leftover melted part of coal from a coal furnace, and hard clay soil, it has been mostly used as a place for the boys to play baseball.

Until now.

This past weekend we officially started our 2005 Gigando Deck Project. The lower deck will measure 24’ X 40’ and the upper deck will be a 16’ square. There will be plenty of room for the kids, grandkids, and visitors and will make a nice transition between the house and the yard where it is more level and grass actually grows.

Allan Jackson, our construction guy not the country singer, came on Saturday to dig and auger more than two dozen 3 ft. deep holes. He is returning tomorrow to pour the concrete that will be the anchor for the deck. Then the fun will begin as Clay, our boys, our son-in-law and a friend, Ken Kucginski, construct what will be the long-awaited Campbell family deck, aka the Kitty Hawk of decks. Ken does not think it will be done in three weeks for the annual family reunion. I hope he is wrong. I long to see babies splashing in a wading pool, Clay relaxing in a lounge chair, and friends, fruit slushes in their hands, burgers in their tummies, all having a grand time.





This is the "before shot"...wait until you see the after!