Completion

As was mentioned in a previous blog, we have redone our decks to both enlarge them and to get good new lumber installed.  All of the new lumber is Cedar.  The project was finished a couple weeks back and I am now getting around to this new posting.  Also included with the new deck pictures are a couple bird pictures and some house pictures.  First will be some house pictures and then the deck pictures and then the bird pictures.  Hope you enjoy.

This is the back side of the house in total and showing the new deck off our bedroom and the Gazebo.  Pat used my new camera with the wide angle lens to get all this in the picture.

This is a shot of most of the front of the house.  The third garage is cut off.

Another shot of the front of the house.  If you look closely, you can see the two new plant holders I made this past winter.  They are on either side of the walkway.  Also up on the porch is the plant holder made by our friend Chuck Sachs for us a couple years back.   We just put them out with new flowers this past week.

This is a wider angle shot showing most of the front of the house.

Close up shot of the front RED door.  You can see the plant holders much better here.
 


 This is the main deck right after completion.

Walkway around the Gazebo coming from the main deck above.

Wide angle shot of the deck.

Main deck with our new Glider and the two new side tables I made out of the scraps of lumber from the redo of the deck. We also have a nice table and four chairs for our future outside dining.  Didn't get a picture of them.

I call this one the kitchen deck as it is right off the kitchen area.  It is about 5 feet longer.

This is the kitchen deck with our grill in place and the new bench I made for this deck, again out of the scraps from the redo.

This is the male Bluebird that has moved into one of our houses.

This is both the male and the female Bluebirds that are in residence now.  She is the lower one and he is in the upper right corner.

This is a shot of a Baltimore Oriole that visited for a couple days.  It is one of the best and clearest shots I have seen of any bird we have pictured in the past.  Pat took the shot.

Patrick

Latest

Several things going on around our place recently.  The following pictures cover them including one project that isn't finished yet.

This is our Crabapple tree in full bloom which happened this week.

This is our deck without the railings  The first step in rebuilding it.

Another shot of the deck without railings and floor boards.

Last shot of deck being readied for rebuilding.  The debris pile is growing. 

This is the small deck off the kitchen without it's rails.  Floor boards will come off next.

We got the pontoon home and on the lift.  We have been out for one ride already.

Close up of the Tulips I just picked from the flower bed.

Tulips in the vase.

The guys came this moring and took down the pine tree at the head of the garden.  It was causing problems and wasn't that great of a tree anyway.  We still have two others.

Here they are just starting to take down the dead Apple tree.  The apples were never any good anyway.  We will replace it with a good apple tree.

That's the latest.  More on the deck when it is all finished.

Patrick

Bird Houses

Last fall I took down all the bird houses to refurbish them.  Yesterday I put them back up again and they are all ready for the birds when they return.  There are a total of 10 of them, 3 of which I put back up last fall before we left for Arizona.  The following pictures are of the 7 houses I installed yesterday and the 3 that were already up.

These are the 7 that I installed yesterday.

This is a new house that replaced one that was not worth repairing.  It is made out of Redwood scraps.

One of the repaired ones.

Another of the repaired ones.

 Good for another season.

Hope some pair of birds like this one.

Another new one made from Cedar.

This one had Blue Birds in it last year.

This is one that was put back up last fall.  It has had Blue Birds in the past.

Another one installed last fall.  It is built for Wrens.

The other one installed last fall.  It is also a Wren house and has had Wrens in it several times.

That's the group.  Hope the birds like them.

Patrick

Oatman Trip

We took a trip to Oatman Arizona today.  It is around 30 miles from Lake Havasu City.  It is an old mining town that is now a tourist stop.  There were three big tour buses there today and a lot of other tourist besides.  Surprised us a little that there were that many people there on a Monday.  The following pictures were taken on the way to the town, while we were there and a few on the way back home.  All of the pictures were taken with my new camera and lenses which are finally repaired and working great.

This is a secenry shot on the way to Oatman.

Another scenery shot on the way to town.

A real rock wall.

Have seen this fellow each time we have been to Oatman.  His wife is the town Sheriff.  Didn't get her picture.

A rock formation sitting above the town.

Another shot of the mountain above the town.  Note the cell towers on top.

These cactus were all along the road on the way to Oatman.  Got this close up shot in town.

Another shot of the same type of cactus

 Pat met up with one of her buddies from last time we were there.

 This is Silver.

Oatman hotel.

One of the main side streets in Oatman.  See next picture.

This is the side of the building on Smith Lane shown in previous picture.

 This is a store on the other side of the main street on Smith Lane.

Post Office.

He isn't dead.  Just decided to lay down and take a nap I guess.  He got up later.

A small part of one wall in a cafe in Oatman.  All of the walls in the place are covered like this with one dollar bills.

Scenery shot on the way back to Lake Havasu City.

Another scenery shot on the way home.

More scenery.

We were pretty much back down out of the mountains here and this is a shot of the river valley.   If you look closely you can see the river.  It was very hazy today down in the valley.

Another river valley shot.

This weed, flower, I am not sure which was all along the road going to Oatman.  I stopped and got this close up shot on the way home.

The road to Oatman and on through town is the famous Route 66.  Not sure what the sign below the route number means.

 That was the trip.  We have gone to Oatman at least once each year we have been here and I am sure we will go again next year.  Bullhead City is only about 20 miles from Oatman.  Hope you enjoyed the pictures.  If you ever get out here you have to go to Oatman and pet the donkeys.

Patrick