The Garage Mahal, Part Two

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Back in 2010, I spent the better part of my summer vacation repainting our formerly dilapidated garage.  It was a grueling project, which we named the Garage Mahal.  (Click here for insane photographs.)

Now that the pitosporum tree is no longer obscuring the view of the neighbor's garage, we get to see what a neglected eyesore it is.  I spent an hour and a half scraping paint off the siding boards.  The paint seems to be held on primarily by habit and spiderwebs.  It's dirty work, and I have to start a lot earlier in the day than I did today.  By noon, the sun shines directly on this wall, and it is just too hot to do any work.

If you look closely at the photo, you can see Smog looking for adventure.  He's got his nose under the cream-color metal glider. And he also appears as an ectoplasmic ghost, between the extension cord and one of the orange chairs.

This is not going to be a fun job, but I'll be so happy when this particularly squalid corner of our garden looks less disreputable.  It's pretty trashy at the moment. 

Comments

Marmalade said…
So, let me get this straight...
You are in the neighbor's yard (I know it's unoccupied) and painting their garage, so you have a better view from your side? That shows determination and creative problem-solving, as well as generosity. Any of the other neighbors helping too?
Lisa said…
This garage forms one of the walls of our yard. The peeling paint stares us directly in the face. The owners of the house keep the parts that they can see well maintained, but did not help out the elderly lady who owned the house before we bought it.

We're not totally crazy.
Kim said…
So interesting how the neighbor's garage is one of your yard's walls!
Lisa said…
This garage probably dates back to the 1920s. It's no longer anywhere near a driveway. It's really a storage building, more than an actual garage.
Michelle said…
I certainly don't envy you that job. But it will look SO good when you are done. I just love your kitties names, so descriptive and clever. I hope they are all happy and healthy, and you and Robb too.
Marmalade said…
I forgot to ask what color you're going with. Can you plant an Espalier or something trellised or do you have something else wonderful planned?
Lisa said…
We *think* we're going to match the paint to our chicken coop.

And I think we'll be planting dwarf trees. Espalier trees seem like an awful lot of work.
Unknown said…
Actually an Espalier is pretty easy to do with two year of pruning you can turn normal looking nursery stock into a tree that looks quite nice. Time is the secret element (and some pretty heavy pruning).

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