Not building four mailboxes

The last couple of weeks free time was spent overhauling my front steps.  I had to pull, re-grade and re-lay all the brick pavers to deal with the erosion and settling on the hill.  That fix (so far) has proven a winner.  And then I needed to get a hand rail on my steps because of my many concerns regarding America's aging population.  (I've always been a bit of a demography buff)  Anyway, the stairs posed a challenge for my usual geometry because of their lack of straight-lines.  So I came up with this personalized "code-approved" design.

And I think it came out really good. My neighbor across the street, Jake, was watching the second post go in and wondered why the hell I was building two mailboxes.  Then I had to leave just the posts in for a while while it rained, I worked OT, etc. And it really looked like I put four wooden crosses on my front yard. Ehh... it's Ann Arbor.

Anyway, it's the front of the house and it's nice to show off in my own silly way. It's also nice working out there. The neighbors come by and chat and all give approval. I have really laid-back neighbors, which is good for a lazy irresponsible single-guy homeowner like me.

Yes, but the point of this post for an otherwise minor and uninteresting project is this:  I found I really like working on this exterior / landscape woodwork. The materials were a lot more forgiving than cabinetry and I like how my concept came to me and how it worked with the yard and the house.  Next step is the front porch, which will be more-or-less a basic re-finishing but I may still look to add some of my own touches.  From there, I've already got ideas for next year's side-yard garden-ararium.

projects...