This next summer promises to be another Fence Project time for Nyel. Last year he worked on the worst part of our north fence – the falling down part – and completely replaced the north end of the west fence. He still has the rest of the north and all of the south fences to go.
It’s a daunting prospect. It’s mostly the posts and rails that need to be replaced. That involves removing the old fence, ordering lumber and making new posts and rails, painting several coats, pouring cement, measuring, eyeballing, and fine-tuning.
The pickets, made of cedar and for the most part kept painted over the last forty years, are in better shape. Many can be reused but, even so, each needs to be taken off the defunct rails and repainted on both sides and both edges. Nailing them to the new rails is the easy part, though even that takes careful measuring and a critical eye.
Each section that Nyel completes looks fabulous. The Gothic style pickets – hand-made because there is no longer a source for that particular shape – march around our property in proud, straight lines. They set off the house and garden perfectly. The trouble is that Nyel made it look too easy. And, in a bit of a twist on the Tom Sawyer story, our soon-to-be, one-house-away-neighbor Cyndy, asked him if he would make a fence for her. “I’d really like a Nyel Stevens Fence,” she said.
Imagine that! A designer fence right here in Oysterville. Nyel agreed to the hand-made pickets; Cyndy agreed to get someone else to install them. Her plan is to let the cedar gray naturally – no painting. I think that was the convincing piece of the proposal. It’s the painting part that is the pain, as young Tom knew full well.
Once again… life in Oysterville is just like a storybook. Sort of.
Keep Mychael in mind if the task seems daunting to Nyel. Mychael loves working with someone and he’s only just down the road. Dave has enjoyed working on several projects of ours with Mychael.