The Farm Table

My family is fond of projects and good ideas. As most people are, I would hope.

My mom came to me a few weeks ago with an idea. Holding her laptop open to Ana White's website, she pointed to her screen and said, "I want this."

A large farmhouse table. For the backyard. For the summer parties we host on a weekly basis.

...thank goodness I'm dating a carpenter.

A trip to Home Depot, my dad's large grey toolbox, power tools, some music and a long afternoon.

I present to you the finished product.

Instead of spending a thousand bucks on a fancy finished table, we spent little over a hundred on wood and supplies. Bribed with the promise of free lunch and a home-cooked dinner, my beau came over, ready to work.

This is where all the semesters of building theatrical flats, platforms and other miscellaneous set constructions majorly came in handy. As a result of my technical theatre training, I sorta kinda looked like I knew what I was doing.

Sorta.

I may have made a mess with the wood glue and gotten a little... overzealous with the drill. But nobody got hurt.

And that's the important thing.

Mostly, I just watched him work and took some pictures along the way, occasionally asking him to look up and smile...

...but he's a bit camera shy.

Six hours later, we were finished. In a professional celebration of our success, I immediately tap-danced all along the tabletop. He sat and watched.

But our work was far from over. Steaks had to be cooked, a salad had to be tossed, potatoes toasted, asparagus cooked, bread warmed in the oven, drinks poured and candles lit.

And so, after a long day of sunshine and sawdusty labor, we enjoyed an incredible summer feast, outside under the lights and the flags and the cloudy summer sky.

Keepin' the summer magic alive.

And now there's a giant table in the backyard. Go figure.