The Back Deck...

This is the finished deck. Well, except for the gutters, scheduled in two weeks.



This is under the porch area. The black wrought iron candle holder hanging on the left post is an antique. It has an orange ceramic candle in it. The brass bell and anchor is a farewell gift Richard received when he retired from the US Navy. Our chiminea came with us from Texas. The cushioned chairs were bought from a yardsale and the teak rockers are from Home Depot's end-of-season sale.



This is the open area. We've stood out here next to the rail and used the nightscope to look for animals and study the stars. Because of the clearing for the house, we have a nice view of the South eastern sky. BTW, if you've never used a nightscope to study the sky - do so immediately! The clarity is amazing (and beats dragging out the 8 inch telescope!). The horseshoe has a hinge made from another shoe that served as some kind of door or gate hinge.



This just shows the sitting area under the roof. The tree was left in place and a hole was cut in the deck to accommodate it. However, the tree has a very persistent borer insect who is drilling its innards out. We are trying to save the tree, but are worried we may have to cut it down. We'll either plant another or cover the hole in the deck if that is the case.



Another shot of the sitting area. The triangle dinner bell is a reproduction. The horse shoes are from around this area. Pa found them while plowing his property and on walks around the lake. One is from a large-breed horse such as a Belgian or Clydesdale. The other is a mule shoe.

The deck & porch...

I've not posted in a while because we just got busy. We made a couple trips to see the girls, went camping, adopted a new cat and have generally been doing yardwork and the mundane every day tasks of living.



This is the front porch - note the wrought iron inserts. Our neighbor Becky's idea. We love it and think it looks wonderful and unique. The inserts were bought at Hobbty Lobby on sale for $10 each.



This is a photo of the entire house, mostly finished outside (we still have to install gutters, scheduled for two weeks from now, I think).

Next spring and summer we will begin the massive landscaping jobs. Right now, Richard is clearing the woods of brush to reduce risk of fire. That smoke you see is him burning brush at the fire ring to the left (not seen in photo). Once we've cleared space for a garden and some "walk-around" room, we'll begin the task of taking out carefully selected trees - the spindly, non-thriving ones. What's the use of a house in the woods if you get rid of the woods? We plan to keep as much forest around as we can, but we want room for both the animals in the Sanctuary and ourselves to keep a wide berth from each other.