Gazebo

We had a big weather change in Seattle this weekend-- 85 on Saturday, then thunderstorms in the evening (rare for us) and a gloomy, cool Sunday and Monday with just a little bit of rain. Not enough for a decent garden watering, but it wet down the dust.

Here is an early spring picture of our front garden. One spring day long ago in 1984, my parents helped us build this little gazebo. Amanda was sick most of that winter with a virus that kept her home from 3rd grade and me away from my depressing job at a flower shop. I know-- a flower shop job should not be "depressing" but you have no idea how quickly roses become nothing but produce with thorns!

Anyway, money was tight and I was trying to get up courage to apply to graduate school for my MLS. So we all sat at the table that morning and drew up a gazebo "plan" using some magazine pictures. My Dad's friend gave him a pile of cedar shakes for the roof, and we must have purchased a bit of lumber. But we were so frugal we even ripped old boards on the table saw to make the lattice. It was a beautiful sunny day, Amanda was healthy again and running around and by afternoon the gazebo was finished and painted.

Twenty-five years later, I can still stand in it and not get wet in pouring rain-- a quality job! It is starting to sag a bit with time, but this is not fault of the fine carpenter who built it. I think I spent the rest of the summer of '84 in that gazebo with my "How to Prepare for the GRE" book, and was accepted at the UW the next winter. So the gazebo brought good luck too!

Now I have the (somewhat trashy) annual vine Clematis vitalba planted on the sidewalk side, so in the summer I can hide behind the screen and have a cup of coffee or glass of wine. And if the eucalyptus trees next door don't fall on it, I think it's good for another 25 years.