At Last

At last (insert Etta James singing "At Last" or Cyndi Lauper) the deck/screened in porch is done.  The company did a very good job.  The only exposed wood is the framing.  The decking, screening and railing are all composites.  The doors are aluminum.  The builder even  put screen underneath the deck so the bugs couldn't sneak in.  There is a screened in area, an open area for the barbeque (on the right) and there are lights on all the steps as well as lights over the doors.  The down side is we signed a contract in April and it was 15 weeks before they even started.  I thought we were in a slow down.  You'd think that they could provide a dozen people to do the work.  We had one or two.  I'll admit they had a task because they had to build it over a sunroom.  I don't think it should have taken 3+ months to get started and 3+ months to build it.  What I should have done is included a performance clause.  My hindsight is perfect.   A performance clause wouldn't have gotten the deck done earlier, but I could have financially punished them.   Each of the doors have dog doors.  There is a fan in the screened in area. There are motion activated lights everywhere.  The step lights are on a timer.  This deck should last at least another 20 years.  The last deck lasted just over 22 years.  The deck wasn't done for summer, so we'll have to enjoy the fall and barbeque until the first snow.  

The End

I created a Facebook page. What a fascinating concept. A giant billboard on the highway of life that many people drive by and say "I know that guy!" Such an occurrence happened when LuAnn saw my Facebook page and sent me a note.

Some background is necessary here. LuAnn's family and my family spent lots of time together, in Europe, camping. We were supporters of the Boy Scouts of America, we had kids in scouts and we were leaders. LuAnn's husband, Andy, was a riot, a hard worker, and a good, very good, friend. On one occasion our families were touring the castle Neuschwanstein in Germany, supposedly the model for the Disneyland Castle. http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Central_Europe/Germany/germany7.htm
The castle is huge. We were strolling through the kitchen, the area where the maids/butlers, whatever stayed, and I noted that the maids had a long way to go when the king wanted some coffee. Andy stated - "It would be a long way to go for a quickie!" Andy's son, Andrew queried, "What did you say dad?" Andy then had the stark realization that he had been overheard and was on the verge of having to provide a class in sex education, in the midst of a tour with a bunch of American and European tourist. Andy tried his best to stave off the inevitable by saying "Nothing", "never mind", and "it doesn't matter". Andrew persisted and when Andy quit acknowledging the question Andrew stated, "I know what you said Dad, you said Cookie!" What a great laugh we had over that for a long time. I loved asking Andy if he had gotten any cookies lately.

Fast forward to 10+ years later, Andy was a regular addressee on my emails that go out disseminating jokes. Andy didn't answer those emails, few people do. Every now and then I'd send a "comms check" and Andy would roger up - nuff said. My last comms check was in the spring of 2007, and Andy roger'd up.

Last week LuAnn saw my Facebook page and sent me a note asking about my family. I gave her the update and asked how things were in Texas (which is where they lived). LuAnn broke the news to me that she and Andy had moved to Utah in the summer of 07 to take care of family. Shortly after that Andy got sick and passed away in the winter of 2007. The sorrow that flooded over me is unmeasurable. Andy was like a brother in so many ways, and in some ways better than the brothers I have. The Internet and Facebook is a curse. I could have been ignorant of Andy's passing, and ignorance would have been bliss compared to the sorrow. We have lost one of those people who made a difference in the lives of the young.

Now what do I do? Do I delete Andy off my joke list? Should I keep him on it hoping he still gets to enjoy the joke about the monkey and the cue ball? I wonder if there are cookies in heaven. I use to be a Bob White, a good old Bob White too,.....

God Bless Andy Andreassen