Compulsive Builder

I’ve been busy recently with a carpentry project.  When I say carpentry, I’m talking about tolerances greater than 1/8″.  Tolerances on furniture projects are typically pretty tight; plus or minus 1/8″ just doesn’t work in that context.

The project I’m currently engaged in is a cover for our patio.  The patio was completed a  couple of years ago, using the broken concrete from our old driveway for the floor.  About the same time the floor was completed, I came across some cypress logs left over from the grape arbor restoration at nearby Rancho Los Alamitos.  They were perfect for our use.  Here’s a photo of the project in work.

The reason I’m mentioning this project has to do with the title of this post.  While I was out in the alley behind the garage, with six 4 x 4 x 16′s strapped on top of my Toyota RAV4 (thanks to my Yakima rack), one of my neighbors drove by.  He looked at the state of affairs and said, “You’re a compulsive builder, aren’t you?”

My first thought was, “…and your point is?…”  I’m not sure quite how he meant it, but it made me think.  Yes, I am a compulsive builder.  No, there’s nothing wrong with that.  I could quit any time…  Well, maybe not.

I’m okay with the title, though.   In fact, I kind of like it.