Back Yard
A Place for Everything
We love to grill here at 173. But, let's be clear - when I say we love to grill, I don't mean we love it in the way Texans love it. Beef Loving Texans writes, "It’s always grilling season in Texas. We’re the lucky ones who smoke up our backyards year ’round and never have to dust off the grill come springtime." A quick flip through the channels on a Saturday morning will show you no less than a couple grilling shows set in Texas! But here at 173, we just love the flavor of the food that comes off the grill every week or two during the summer. We don't grill a lot, but when we do, it's really something special. Anyway, this is the story of the Saturday morning I woke up and decided it was time to put some pavers down to more clearly define the space where the grill rests during the summer. Let's get into it...
From the Beginning
Who knows how some things come to be but, the northwest corner of the back yard has always been the home of the grill here at 173. This is evidenced by the old Weber grill in this very early picture of the back yard...
And that corner continued to be home to the grill even after the original fence replacement in 2001.
This just happened to be another one of those moments where I got started on a project, got carried away and forgot to take before - or even progress pictures. So, we flip from the very beginning of the idea to ... done!
As you can see, it's only six blocks and I used the same style as was used under the garden bench and the potting bench... you know - a little cohesiveness!
Wouldn't you agree that putting the pavers there as a place to keep the grill during grilling season looks a lot tidier than without the pavers?
A theatrical spectacle is inherent whenever family members congregate and reacquaint themselves with powerful universal themes educed from homecomings including hugs, food, drink, conversation, politics, games, music, conflict, terror, mercy, smiles, tears, prayers, misfortune, and self-discovery. - Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls
Another Benefit?
And finally, I tend to think that having the grill resting on some pavers rather than the grass all summer long, coupled with being covered and being stored in the shed during the winter has extended, the life of our grill considerably. As a matter of fact, I think we've had this grill probably a good 15, maybe even 20 years now and it's still in excellent condition.
The only thing we've done to it besides changing propane canisters, is we replaced the heat deflector that sits just above the flames. We change that out maybe nine years ago. Aside from that, the frill's lasted quite awhile and I think this little paver spot contributes to that!
So that's the story of the six little pavers for the grill spot in the back yard here at 173. Thank you so much for stopping by and hey ... see ya' next time!
