This spring we decided to finally get rid of this old dog pen that came with the house. We have no more dogs to use it, the wooden fence posts were rotten and we tended to just clutter it up since it was a handy space.
So we had it torn down and an arbor built. The design is like an arbor we had in Kentucky. Since we used cedar posts, but untreated lumber above, we decided we could do the painting ourselves. I believe the builder had the easier job! It took an entire day for two people and buckets of liniment and pounds of aspirin when we were finished. I haven't spent that much time on a ladder in years! This picture was taken before the painting was done. But it looks great doesn't it?
Now we have a clear view through the arbor into the alley behind our house. The greatest part about the new arbor is that the people who walk by with their dogs or riding their bicycles as well as neighbors who live nearby stop to talk with us. We can see what goes on and who is passing too. Our world has gotten larger. Look how much more open it is than in the first picture. Then we realized that we were also going to look at the utility area behind the house across the alley. It is behind their fence where they don't see it, so they pile everything useless or broken there. This was the condition that led to the tomato screen idea. There is no spot on our property that has enough sun to grow tomatoes, so I grew them last year beside the wooden fence along the dog pen where they got a half day of full sun. They did very well. So, we decided to add more pots, move them to the other side of the parking pad and use them as a screen. This picture shows the first three pots in place with the view we wanted to hide in the background.
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