After three days of angst, cursing, gnashing of teeth, and arguing with Mark about how to interpret the chin-glish instructions, the new gazebo sits almost finished. And I sit with an extremely painful back ache caused by trying to stretch the one inch to short canvas top onto the frame. 
After overcoming the lack of parts by ‘gerry rigging’ the frame with a clamp from Home Depot it looked like we were into the home stretch. Everything flew together and we were feeling the pride of overcoming barriers of language and poor quality control until we came to the very last step. Maybe the frame was made to Chinese standards and the canvas top was to U.S. standards, you know, one is metric, one is inches. However it was done, it doesn’t fit. I have pulled and stretched and tried every which way and it doesn’t fit. My last option, which I don’t want to do is to saw one inch off of the frame. With my luck I’ll probably saw my finger off instead.
it looks beautiful! (from far away, at least.)
ReplyDeleteI agree, it looks beautiful...
ReplyDeleteI can just see the squirrels now...jumping off the electrical wires above after being electrocuted and short circuiting the house power, then landing on the gazebo, which acts as a trampoline, and bouncing into the pool.
Mark, who is making dinner at the time, runs outside to find out why the power is out, sees the dead squirrel in the pool, screams to high heaven, Alan runs outside to see what the problem is, trips and falls in the pool with the dead squirrel, Mark screams again.
Then the neighbors call 911 because of all the screaming. The cops arrive and see Alan dripping wet and holding the dead squirrel by the tail walking out his front gate to place in the trash bin. Marks dinner is burning and smoke is billowing out the house windows.
Yeah...typical Alan World Day. hehe
The only detail that Garet left out is the fact that Alan would be using a pair of tongs to pull the dead squirrel out of the pool and place it in the garbage.
ReplyDelete...of course they would be Marks favorite tongs.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the gazebo looks beautiful even if it is not perfect! And Garet and Russell have really caught on to the story- telling method of Alan!! Very funny guys!!
ReplyDeleteYes Peggy, but I think Garet and Russell are drunk when they leave a comment.
ReplyDeletehick-up
ReplyDeleteExcuse me ? !!
ReplyDeleteI beg your pardon! I find it very offensive that you would insinuate (is that spelled right?) that I am drunk when I make witty observations and/or comments in response to your tales.... I am naturally funny. No comments in response to this are necessary. :)
Let's take a reader poll on this issue.
ReplyDeleteInterior decorators call that "gooking".
ReplyDelete