For many years, I have enjoyed building things as an outlet for my creativity – Often, my projects begin as a means to solve an issue, or even in this case as a result of simple clean up. For some time, my dog Theo (a tall 110lb Labrador) has been a digger ~ which is a massive pain in the ass for someone like myself, who thrives on keeping a zen, neatly manicured garden. This weekend, while removing some dead plants that had fallen victim to my pooch – I got the idea, to build a simple and small patio which would insure no more holes in this particular spot – as well as to create a neat new spot to sit in a seldom used corner of my garden.

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Years ago, I began to take an interest in gardening. I lived in an apartment, but was determined to use my limited space to create a bit of a garden paradise, even if only in pots. I was inspired by my travels to the tropics, and wanted to try my hand at growing some of the beautiful plants I had seen while surfing in the islands and mainland Mexico. My neighbor at the time, Jennifer – was an older Asian woman who seemed to be able to grow nearly anything, with fantastic results.

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When we bought our home a couple years ago, I knew that all the fences around the property were pretty beat up and did not have much life left. Strong winds blew portions of it down the last 2 years in row, and the whole thing has been somehow standing with props, temporary posts and maybe even a couple band-aids. (On my hands from propping it back up in the rain!~)

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