The Gazebo

When we moved into this house, there was a tiny concrete patio in the back that was overhung by four very large spruce trees.  The trees were too close to the house and totally cut us off from the rest of the back yard.  We had the trees cut down very shortly after we moved in.

The next year, we extended the tiny patio with a gravel pad.  It was a good stop-gap measure, but we knew we would need to do something longer term.  The dream was to have a covered porch like we had when we lived in Derwood, Maryland.  The covered porch in Derwood was actually a carport that we used as a porch in the summer months.  It was a really great size and in a great location on the house.  But I knew that reproducing it on this house was financially impossible for us.

The tiny concrete patio and the temporary gravel extension.  That's Nutmeg, the chihuahua, on the patio.  

So we bought a cloth and metal gazebo from KMart.  With the slightest stress, the cloth cover would tear.  After one or two seasons, we had to replace the cover.  And the metal started rusting almost immediately.  It was a clear case of "you get what you pay for."  The gazebo was a bit small for our needs, we always worried about a strong gust of wind picking it up and throwing it across the yard, and we could only use it during the summer months when the cover was on.  So the dream evolved.  We saved and planned, and in the Summer of 2012, the modified dream came true.

The first step was to have a new concrete patio poured.  I designed it to fit the outside edge of the gazebo.  That would, I hoped, make it feel like the gazebo was nestled into the garden, instead of sitting off from the garden.  When I saw the newly poured concrete patio, I was worried.  It looked enormous.

The new concrete patio, with the wooden forms still attached, and the fabric and metal gazebo, which was on it's way out the door.  

The next step was to order the gazebo.  Within three weeks, we had our new gazebo.  The installers arrived early in the morning and were gone before noon.  The first thing I did was carry the patio furniture into the gazebo and set it up.  By the time the evening rolled around, I already had strings of white twinkle lights strung up around the inside.

Just hours old.

Look at the view to that gorgeous shed!

A peek at the beautiful and fragrant cedar interior of the roof.

It has been three years since the patio and gazebo were installed.  It is hard for us to remember what the old situation was like.  The new gazebo allows us to eat or lounge outside any season of the year.  Most mornings, when the temperature is comfortable, I take my morning tea out to the gazebo.  This spring, I had my first pot of morning tea under the gazebo on March 14.  I don't recall the exact details, but it was probably cool.  I was probably grateful for the hot tea, but I know I was grateful for the cover over my head and the dry patio furniture.  In the fall, we will continue to eat outside and take tea under the gazebo until it gets too cold.  And on unseasonably warm days during the winter, we will carry the chair cushions out and settle in for a brief lounge on the patio.

It feels like we have an extra room in the house.