A pergola for Highlands

We planned on adding a pergola feature to Highlands someday, but since the pergola we wanted went on clearance that someday was Sunday.  We may or may not leave the screen on the top, but for sure some tiny white lights will go around it.  Maybe solar ones.  And it may also get some vines planted near the bases.  We might put a couple of chairs under it, and maybe a small patio table.  Nothing as fancy as the pic below!

Off to Highlands we went to get started on the project.  Disclaimer: I did try to talk Hubby into waiting a week so that we could work in the very early morning, but the box was large, weighed 250 pounds, and would have been a pain to remove from the pick-up bed. And we had a volunteer to help.

Teddy and The Girl!

We unloaded all of the parts from the box in the back of the truck and lay them out in order of the numbered stickers on each.  It was a little like building IKEA furniture...

 They were covered with plastic, but under that sun?  It was like touching a fire poker, so you had to wear garden gloves.

And there was zero shade right here to work under.  {Which is another reason a shady place to sit at the top of the hill will be nice.}

Here is where it will sit.  May not be its permanent home, but it will take four of us to move once we get it assembled, so it will be here a long time in what will be our future backyard.

 Four support posts built.

 We drank a LOT of water and iced tea, and sprayed ourselves with sunscreen.  It had to be 100 degrees on that hill in full sun!

 We got about this far and called it an afternoon.

 All that's left to do is another couple of  slats across the top, add the screen, and anchor the whole thing to the ground from the bases.  So maybe tomorrow night Hubby and I will head up there so we can get that done early Sunday morning.

It goes without saying that we were pooped when we were done - even Teddy was pretty over it.  The heat can really take it out of you, so its a good idea to stop when you know your limit.  We drove to Sonic, got a treat, then headed home.  One more thing crossed off our list of things to do, and I'm thinking we need to take a break on those kinds of things until the weather cools!