Twenty-seven years ago, in 1995, one year after we moved into our house in Northfield, we added a cedar deck in the back. Gary took good care of it over the years, but it finally started to deteriorate.
June 2022
We decided to replace the deck, and we decided to use composite material that does not need to be stained every other year. It should hold up well – perhaps for the next 27 years…
Going…going…
Gone.
The deck will be a bit different. We had flower boxes built into our old deck, which I loved. Our contractor said he had not seen that design before…well, that’s because we designed it, and the carpenter, who build our deck back in 1995, built it how we designed it.
In summer I planted petunias in the flower boxes.
In winter I added evergreen boughs and lights in the flower boxes.
At our home in Burnsville, we also had flower boxes on the deck…so I’ve had flower boxes since 1980. I think I’ll miss them.
On with the new…
We kept the pergola Gary and our son built years ago.
Looking good.
We enjoy our deck, and use it a lot. We have shade trees that help keep it shaded for much of the day…however, there are a few hours in mid-afternoon when there is full sun.
Finished. We like it!
We like the way the deck turned out… and the openness it offers that we didn’t have before.
I know it would have been smart to get in my daily walk during the early morning hours on our recent trip to NC, where we went to visit our son and his family. At this time of year, in July, the temperatures climb high, as does the dew point, so getting things done in the early morning is a good idea.
The front porch.
But the allure of their front porch won out. Our son and his wife and two children moved into a lovely two-story house with a veranda in the back – off the kitchen, and a porch in the front. They are at the end of a cul-de-sac, with a wooded lot next door and a landscaped, water collection pond across the street with more trees in the background. New houses were being built the next block over.
There are two very tall trees, with skinny trunks, across the street from where we sat on the porch. I loved looking at them – sometimes they would sway with the wind and intertwine at the tip top, and sometimes they would stand tall and alone – but they were striking, and greeted me every morning.
Sister trees…
I quickly got in the routine of sitting on the front porch every morning. I would usually be the first one up, make myself a cup of coffee, and head outside to the front porch. There were two comfy chairs waiting for me. I would enjoy my quiet time there as eventually the others would wake up. The best part was when the grandkids woke up, came out, and sat on our laps while we welcomed the new day.
Good Morning Sunshine.
There are a lot of front porches in the “south” as tradition dictates. It was fun to look at them as we drove through the area. In this new neighborhood, when we saw folks on their porch, we always said hi, and in turn, when I was sitting out in the early morning and neighbors walked by, there was always a greeting. What a wonderful thing.
Peaceful morning.
The porch made me think of my neighbor across the street from us in Northfield. She’s has made her front porch into a sitting area, an extension of her house, and she’s out there as much as her time allows (which is a lot). People always stop to visit with her. I think of her as our neighborhood watchdog, and find comfort in her being out on her porch so much.
Across the street, my neighbor has flowers surrounding her front porch…complete with rocking chairs and an umbrella. The corn growing from her flower pot was planted by a squirrel. We’re watching the stalk grow!
Our front porch, at our own house in Northfield, has a swing which I also love, and use often. However, a swing is not conducive to drinking coffee. Our front porch is covered and faces north, therefore shaded all day. Yet, it’s set back so it’s not as open and visible to passerby’s. We do use our back deck a lot. There are many trees providing shade in the morning hours and late afternoon/evening times.
Our front porch swing.
I ask myself would I do this – drink my morning coffee on the front porch daily – if our front porch had chairs instead of a swing? Would I fit it into my daily routine? I’m not sure. It just seemed right in North Carolina. Maybe because we were on vacation…
All I know is a front porch is inviting, and a great place to spend time!
