Last Post

Cooler temperatures have hindered some of our outdoor activities lately, as has waiting for our digging permit to be approved.  We finally received that approval late Friday afternoon, so our fence-building plans were again active.

We originally had planned to have the gate on the northwestern corner post on our property, swinging into the back yard against the newly-erected fence.  On Friday we took the time to build the gate, making sure it was 46 inches wide which would give of clearance to swing past the HVAC cement hurricane pad on which the unit rests. When we were carrying the new gate into the garage, I asked Rick to put it up next to the post (seen on the right in the first photo below) just so I could see how it would look.  He grumbled but agreed.

I am glad that we did because upon doing so, we discovered that the hinge would not fit on the corner post with the fencing panels in place.  Oh, oh.  Back to the drawing board.  We knew that we could not just have the gate swing outward from that post because it would then swing into our neighbor's yard.  That is not allowed in Dunedin.  We thought about having the gate swing outward toward the front of the house on the not-yet-erected post that would connect the final panels to the house wall.  The problem with that is that we would have to move the planned sidewalk around the side of the house way out and down the driveway to accommodate the swinging gate.  That option, too, was not a good idea.

Rick finally proposed making the last wall wider so the gate could attach to that final post but swing inward in front of the HVAC unit and pad.  Of all the choices, we chose that alternative as the best.

On Saturday, Rick dug the last hole and we put in the final post (yeah!).  We had to build the wall wider than our original plan, but I am happy that we did.  By making that wall wider, it completely hides the HVAC unit from the front of the house even if the gate is open.  The house looks so much better without the pipes and wires of the HVAC unit visible from the street.

The HVAC unit now "hides" behind the newly erected fence panel.

The last post and panels complete the walls of the fence.

On our way to church this morning, we made a bagel stop and then went to Home Depot to pick up yet another gate kit.  We needed that to rebuild the now-too-wide gate.  After church and lunch, Rick disassembled and then rebuilt the north gate, changing it from 46" to 42" wide.  That opening still will be wide enough to move things like our garbage cans from the back yard to the curb. We now are ready to hang the new gate tomorrow.

Why didn't we do that today?  First, we wanted to let the post's cement harden for one more day.  Secondly, we wanted to watch the Packers- Cowboys playoff game which started at 1:00 p.m. EST.  Happily, Green Bay won, so they are off to Seattle next week.

Today was the first day this week that the weather rose into the high 70s again, so we took advantage of that fact and opened the windows in the house to let the fresh air flow in.  The sun was shining in the Florida room windows, so I am sending this picture to all of my family and friends in the north who begged us over the holidays to send some warmth and sunshine their way.  This is the best I can do, folks.

Fresh air mixes with sunshine in our Florida room.  The air
smells so good!

Tomorrow we will hang the gate and thus complete our major project for this winter.  The fence-building actually went better and faster than either of us had imagined; however, we will both be happy when it is completed and approved by the city inspectors.  Then, just maybe, we can relax.