Wood on Wednesday...The Deck That Once Was

On a couple days last week, my brother Jon and I tore down my dad's deck that Dad had built many years ago. It was hard work, and it made me feel like I was 70 (I'm only 69.)

I couldn't get through the job without having some memories of times past on the deck.

1. High school open houses. To show you how old I am, one of the gifts from my parents was an 8-track player.
2. Monthly family Sunday dinners. If it was nice, often we were outside.
3. Dad lounging in the above-ground swimming pool. The worst part? He always wore a mint green Speedo. (Not really.)
4. Just off the deck, we had a trampoline. But, it wasn't one of the new-fangled above-ground ones, it was an in-ground one. We had to dig the hole, and when it rained, and you did a seat drop...you got a wet butt.
5. Mom on the deck making home made ice cream. Not the new-fangled electric machine, but the you-crank-it-by-hand kind. Did she get tired? Probably, but NO ONE ever offered to relieve her. (Not really.)
6. We took a lot of family pictures with everyone posed in front of the garage, in temps from 30F to 90F. From the pictures on the deck, you watch as children grow, and parents mature. (Including me.)

Even treated lumber eventually succumbs to the elements. On the morrow, Dad has a dumpster coming, and we will be putting the grand old deck into it.