A Shady Pergola

What happens when you combine a pre-Mother's Day visit from my brother, the Queen Mother's backyard and some incorrigible DIY genes? 

This!

A beautiful pergola (you can call it an arbor if you wish) over the pond, providing a shady place to sit on a sunny day, a sturdy base for the weather station, and vertical support for the vines.

 Warning: Ugly alert!
You can fully appreciate the change when you see the extremely pathetic Before:  a spray-painted , much-repaired PVC frame doing a poor Leaning Tower of Pisa imitation over the pond.

 

I know, it's hard to believe it's the same place.  Quick, let's return to an After photos before our brains explode.

 

I have to say that my brother--the same one who was "allergic" to grass so I'd have to mow instead, left me only fumes enough to coast to the gas station, and never fought fair--grew up to be an amazingly artistic adult.  He planned this whole affair on the back of an envelope, waved a magic wand (along with some power tools) and created this oasis in the Queen Mother's backyard in a matter of days.  He rocks!

DIY is about unique results on a budget, but even more about making great memories together.

Happily,
 

Party Time: