Rosie's Gate

Rosie's Gate

Mr. Bryant and ADR spent so much time on the fence, that there was nothing for it but to create gates that were amazing works of art.  They had planned for three walking gates in the fence, and then one large gate that runs across the driveway.

Back in December after the fence was done, there was a two week period with no gates.  Every time little Bella needed to go outside (and that was every 20 minutes), I had to bundle up, leash her up, and out we went to walk around the cold yard.  Many times it was rainy, but it always seemed to me to be freezing for those outside trips.  We had piles of coats on every chair, scarves and hats and mittens on every table.  I was not at my happiest with stuff everywhere, on top of more stuff, not to mention having to go out for a walk every 20 minutes.

I complained to Mr. Bryant, and he took action at his first opportunity.  He, Bella, and ADR created a "Christmas Miracle" back in December, and put up temporary barriers across all the gate spaces.  Mr. Bryant did make one working gate, back at the back driveway.  He called this gate "Rosie's Gate," as she is always in and out this gate when she visits.  The gate was very plain, though, and not to his liking because it didn't close as securely as he wanted, and the lock was makeshift.  We really want these gates secured, so this has been a source of concern for months.

The security matters to us, like many things, because of our history.  Years ago, before cell phones (seriously, there was such a time), we had two amazing dogs - a Newfoundland (Christmas Carol "Chrissie") and an Australian Shepard "Buck."  Chrissie was the younger of the two, and pretty sweet most of the time.  She was happy and loving with a Newfoundland's great heart, and the most beautiful Newf I ever seen, in a very rare color called Cream.  She was most precious to me and I miss her still to this day.

Buck was another matter.  He was large for an Aussie, black with a white blaze on his chest.  He had been mercilessly teased by construction workers in a new development when he was a little puppy, and the teasing had made him afraid and super super protective.  It took him a long time to trust people, but once he trusted you, he believed in you without question for the rest of his life.  He was the most dedicated dog I have ever known. He held my heart.

I knew we were safe as long as we had Buck, because NO ONE could come into the yard or the house uninvited - not even family.  He meant business, and he loved us to complete and total distraction.  He was deeply loved and I miss him still, oh so very much.

Back then, back there, we had a fenced in yard for two reasons - we had an in ground pool and we had the dogs.  The gates were always closed and we had Beware of Dog signs up on each gate.  One day while we were at work, someone came and opened the gate.  We think they were going to take a dip in the pool, but the dogs surprised them and when they took off running they left the gate open.  The dogs were out - and it was hours before we got home to set things right.  Buck wouldn't even let the postman up on the porch to deliver the mail.  It was mayhem, and we nearly lost them both that day, as we lived on a busy neighborhood cut through street.  When I think about it my heart gets tight again, even now.


So now that we have puppies again after all these years, we need the gates to have locks, to close even when they aren't pushed.  We need good strong gates that no one uninvited can open.  And we need gates that are works of art.  That show our love of mixed natural materials.  That tell our story, that allow Mr. Bryant time to play with welding, and that give the puppies a way to see out.  The gates, they are taking some time to make. In fact, only one is almost done - and the rest are still in design and materials collection stages.


Above, you see Rosie's Gate.  Still not done, but much closer.  Up on hinges in its space, with a solid lock to keep the puppies safe.  I do love it, with the wood and the metal, the textures, the excellent workmanship.  Mr. Bryant said it was so heavy he could hardly lift it, but is swings gently on the hinges, like it weighs nothing.

More to come as the finished product is ready.  :)

Life Moving

When we last talked I was doing some traveling for work. That travel cut into my updating time and into my "real life." I love seeing my friends and colleagues across the country in a face to face setting. We have the opportunity to be more casual in our interaction and to get to know each other better. However, I hate travel - planes are uncomfortable no matter where you sit, other people are everywhere, leaning over your book, interrupting your thoughts, listening to your phone calls, gazing at you from across the aisles - and that doesn't even account for the security lines and checks, the indignity of being treated with complete disregard, and the lack of trust. Add in the unsanitary public rest rooms and the rudeness of fellow passengers, and you have a perfectly dreadful experience. Yuk.


So glad to be home, folks. So very glad.

Getting back home meant catching up on everything. While I was gone, Mr. Bryant and Mr. Rentschler were working on the new old pick up truck, and did some very cool work on the engine.


They also replaced the horn and Mr. Rentschler was able to drive home in the very cool 66.


Mr. Bryant had been working diligently on the fence and made some good progress. And plans were in place for Mr. Bryant senior to come down to Charlotte on a Friday and spend a day and night for visit and a trip to the car show!

We cleaned up and organized the guest room and got a brand new bed in preparation. The kittens love the new bed, especially since it provides an unfettered view of the parakeets!!! They enjoy watching them, and as long as we are in the room with them all is well.


Mr. Bryant senior slept quite well in the guest room, and our cousins enjoyed the suite above the garage. The trip to the car show was excellent fun, and the visiting afterward lasted late into the evening. We had an amazing four course breakfast and then our company went off in search of more adventures. Meanwhile, Mr. Bryant went outside and finished a pergola.

He is working diligently. He wants to have the fence and all gates completed before Christmas. He is feeling the pressure more than we expected, because over the course of the last five days we made a decision.

***


It has been almost 10 years since we have had a big dog around here. We have, of course, our wonderful Gizmo, who has become a fabulous friend to the new kittens.


And we have our new kittens, that make us laugh ever single day. But we have always had big dogs, and we have missed big dogs since we lost Chrissie, and we have been talking about dogs for years now. So with the advent of the fence we began some dog research.

We looked at Bernese Mountain Dogs. Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs. Kuvasz. Great Pyrenees. And then we found the Leonbergers. We had never heard of them, and as we began to do our research, we were both enamored. The Leo's are big dogs, rare dogs, very athletic. They swim, have webbed feet and layered coats (like our Newf), and are very intelligent.

***

On Sunday, after all that cleaning and buying and organizing and visiting and eating, we went to meet some Leonbergers at Mandolin Trails Kennel in Virginia.

What amazing and wonderful dogs. They had longer legs than we expected, and fantastic personalities. We visited with the owners and talked dogs for quite a long time. After getting home we really reflected on dogs, what we wanted, what kind of dog we wanted, our favorite characteristics. We talked about how many dogs we wanted, and why, and talked about how much we missed Chrissie, Buck, and Tony.


We talked about why now was the right time to get a dog - or two. And when we came to a conclusion, we called Mandolin Trails and asked about getting one of their female puppies in December - and are working with other breeders to find a male puppy to get quite soon as well.

!!!!

Take a look at this lovely laughing momma.


And then, these two leos - one a youngster and one much older - and their patience as they obey the "LOOK" command from their owner, rather than much on the tempting treat that is on their paw. :)


So it looks like we will need that fence soon, and we will be heading back up to Virginia in December to get our first Christmas Present. We have been busy this month!

For the rest of today I am going to take it easy, as Max and I work on our plans for NaNoWriMo.

New Fencing

Mr. Bryant and Mr. Rentschler are on to their next project. The list is getting longer every day, despite their determined focus.

Just to recap - one side of the yard fence is done. Paths around the side of the house to the front have been laid. A side flower bed has been built and planted. A gate and pergola have been designed, built, and installed. The tree-house is done and done [although we are still waiting on the tree-house-warming party for the final pictures].


And so, the rest of the fence is now due. Good timing, what with thieves about and all.

Two weeks ago, Mr. Bryant rented a big post drilling machine and he and Mr. Rentschler managed to dig all the posts for the new fence in one day. The machine was loud and super effective and the holes were both deep and wide. They ran into a few rocks and just stopped there, planning to get the rocks out by hand.


With the holes dug, they did some prep work on the posts, sanding the edges so that they had a nice bit of smooth rounding, and then they set them in the holes - where there were no rocks, of course. (HA!)

Take a look at the bones of this fence. We want our dogs to be able to see out, but we don't want anyone to get in or out except by the gate. Mr. Bryant wants the fence to help our property value over time. And he just can't do anything part way, either.

So we begin this project....

Two men on a mission

Work continues on the fence, and lots and lots of work continues on the fence. The rain didn't stop them, and now the blazing sun isn't stopping them. Take A Look.

The framing is done.

Inside the yard.

Down the side of the house - that bush has got to go!

From the outside of the fence at the front of the house.

A nice long view of the outside.

What is left on THIS side? Finishing the lengths up the hill. Finishing the inside (boards, framing). Finishing the top posts. Doing the front gate.

What happens after that? Building the grandkids a tree house - at THEIR house!

Then next? Finishing the fence. :)

How deep are those post holes?

Mr. Bryant is making great progress on the fence. Every post hole is being dug by hand, and he is regularly running into some interesting obstacles. Rocks, pipes, cables buried in unexpected (and unmarked!) places. But he is persevering, and ADR has been helping him, and I can tell that each one of the fence posts is solid and will hold the fence and every bit of climbing flower that I can plant, with no problem.

So seriously, he tells me that the fence posts are three feet deep, and I understand that intellectually. I even understand what that means when looking at a yard stick (duh!). But I just didn't get the real picture, even though I was looking, until he gave me a little demonstration

Mr. Bryant beside the newly dug post hole.

Note the post hole diggers.

Mr. Bryant beside the newly dug post hole, shot two.
Note the post hole diggers.

I do love this man.

The fence project

When we first moved here, we talked about fencing in the yard. We drew pictures and knew how we would run our fence line. We looked in fabulous bungalow architecture books at Arts and Crafts fence styles - books like "Outside the Bungalow" and "Arts and Crafts Gardens." We researched Gertrude Jekyll and read about her garden designs, and we drew up plans for plantings and beds all around the house.

But the space was so open, on our new street, and the neighbors were so wonderful, and we hated to put up fences that would block our views.

We couldn't get dogs without a fence, and so no dogs stayed at our house. The planned paths and landscapes never materialized. We just had a pretty regular yard on a pretty regular lot - but we did walk through each others back yards to get to friends houses, and we did have free range for walks. The neighborhood community encouraged this open sentiment, and we loved it.

But as time goes on, everything begins to change. Neighbors moved away, other's moved in, fences were built, the only open walking path was in front of the houses on the side walk. Still, we resisted the fencing. It was expensive, we hadn't agreed on a design, we weren't sure how we wanted to proceed, we had forgotten where the property survey lines were, and on and on.

Finally, though, we started looking at pictures of dogs. And thinking that, if we had started the fence two years ago and just had built a section at a time, we would be well done by now.

So it was back to the design books - which were very inspiring. We spent several weeks looking at possibilities, and running around the neighborhoods near and far taking pictures of fences.

We had the property surveyed. And drew up our design. And talked about how we would landscape the fence with climbing flowers, and how we would landscape the paths, and how we would make the gates fabulous.

We took some starting pictures of the yard - and were surprised when we had the survey complete at exactly where the property lines ran, but now, the fence project - which will absolutely be a work of art - is in progress. Mr. Bryant is building a section at a time, and both sides of the fence will be "finished" to present a beautiful backdrop no matter where you stand. He was working hard to plant the first posts - he dug the holes 3 feet down and then it rained.

There are two posts in the ground now standing 7 feet tall for the 6 foot fence, and they are 3 feet in the ground. These two posts mark where a gate will stand someday. We have begun.

My Bryant was tired once these two posts were up, but the building is a super work-out, so his muscles are getting bigger with every fence section! :)