The Wretched Wreck of a Deck Project -- The Planning Phase

I had a good deal of trouble from the start envisioning what should go here. I thought this was because the wretched deck was in the way, crowding my vision...

... then the deck was peeled away, pitched aside, still nothing came to mind... A fire pit? A dance pavillion? A Suite at the Plaza? What?
And then... and then... a Gingerbread House! Truly. And a sandbox. And a pond... a Children's Garden.


A little thatched cottage (with a dutch door) at the back left, a bird bath, a raspberry bush to the right ... There in the center is a table and a couple of chairs -- a nice place for a snack or lunch or to pot up new plants. For the pond, I have been eyeing Ms. GreenThumb Jean's Tea Kettle Fountain... I have a pump that has been awaiting a place... and I think dishes will be a splendid addition.

On the back wall I have a harlequin of green -- that's an esplanade of ivy. I did get the structure for that set. It's twine now... but I am thinking what I need is something more substantial, something like affixed lath.

The little drawing gives me a direction, a notion of what goes where. Part of the plan has included watching the sun -- seeing how much of it shines where and at what time of day. The little house is placed where the sun shines the longest -- so even then it's shaded. And I thought it would be a muddy mess till the end of time.