Editoiral note: Opinions expressed here are solely those of the blogger
When my wife Wendy and I purchased our house several years ago, its large deck was a key selling point. Extending off sliding glass doors from the living/dining room, it covered the entire back of the house. The deck featured space for a grill, table and chairs and plenty of room for lounging. It was appropriately sturdy for children who had yet been born.
We moved in with the best intentions for the deck, which we would christen the following spring. Reading the paper together while enjoying coffee and bagels, becoming engrossed in a good novel or just hanging out with friends or each other were sure to become regular occurrences. And all of those things happened with some degree of regularity. They just didn’t happen on the deck.
I’m not entirely sure why but we didn’t start really appreicating the deck until the past few years. Now, on most evenings, Wendy and I will head out to the deck as soon as the work day is done and our kids will join us if they’re around. And, this summer, it’s become our go-to spot for entertaining friends.
During the past few months, I’ve had countless great conversations on the deck, with a wide variety of people. The people vary from those I’ve just gotten to know during the past few years to longtime friends. So too have the conversations varied, from getting caught up on kids and school activities, to deeply personal topics.
Yet I didn’t truly realize the large role our deck played in my family’s summer until the other day when a client asked me how I’d spent our weekend. It was part of an email exchange where they included a photo of their young children at their first day of school. I explained that we’d had people over on our deck for drinks and they asked in response if I wouldn’t mind sending a photo of the deck.
“Hmm” I thought. I scrolled through my phone. Took a quick glance at social channels. But no deck.
Given that my client sent a photo of their children, I decided to do the same and rather than snagging a photo of the deck, sent the image that accompanies this post. It’s our family at the Hoover Dam in Nevada, from about 10 days ago.
It was our family’s first visit to the Hoover Dam and the place was pretty amazing. But, as corny as it might sound, it’s the happy faces of our family that really will stick with me, not Hoover Dam, the place. So, whether it’s something pretty basic like a deck off your house, or a standout attraction like the Hoover Dam, places, in the end, don’t really matter. Faces do.
shishkabobgirldad 