big b and i have a little deck off of our bedroom. its my favorite part of the house. but for very good reason, i only use it when hanging laundry, and even then i have to be careful about who follows me out and what they are doing. the problem? it wasn't built to code and the railings are so far apart that a curious toddler, or even a mischievous five-year-old, could easy slip through. this past weekend, after discovering a pile of extra red cedar tomato stakes, i decided to do something about the situation.
this is a shot of the railing as i was starting, that horizontal strip was the first to go up and i hadn't yet leveled it, i just forgot to take a "before" picture::

moving right along....the tools and the cutting station::


and look, my ipod saved me a trip to the basement to search for big b's level::

i know, it's a little off, but it's close and looks straight enough to me. who's to say an ipod level is really accurate anyway? and besides, any inconsistencies in the leveling are overshadowed by more noticeable slip ups, such as::

and::

but in the end, the deck is now a safe spot. perfect for sitting in the sun, bird watching, book reading, tea sipping, or just enjoying the view::




i'm so happy this was finally accomplished. a nice little table and some chairs and this will be a great new hang out. sans anxiety!! phew! it's a whole new world out on the deck.