Cast in Concrete....

Certainly not food related, but another of the days of our lives...

 

It was a busy time toward the end of the week and over the weekend for the flutter family.  Seems like everything happens at once.   As you may remember, way last spring, we made the decision to replace the pool deck surrounding the gray lagoon. After a summer of delays for various reasons that seemed plausible at the time, intervening jobs, vacations, a brush with Sandy, it turned out that last Thursday (15^th) was the day for the pouring of the new deck.  No matter that the next day was the Hospital Gala, in which I am involved and should have been spent setting up, but when the concrete guys are ready, you jump.

So the day dawned and we hoped to have a change in the condition we had been looking at for well over a month - plastic sheeting, reinforcing bars, blowing leaves and a pool full of water.. not real attractive.

 

And on top of it all, among the many other obsessions I have, the condition of my lawn rates high.  I’ve spent a lot of resources and time to keep it nice looking, and the thought of concrete trucks lumbering through it was horrifying to me.  Have to have it both ways, you know.  Well, the concrete folks said they “would take care of that”.  So, first thing Thursday morning, there appeared in our driveway a vehicle that could have come from outer space

 

Soon to be followed by a more familiar “cement truck”

 

After some preparations the alien vehicle started to unfold like a monstrous creature coming out of a chrysalis, and slowly began to advance over the digs...

 

 

 

 

Until eventually it crested the house, and reached the back yard and extended its proboscis down to the pool

 

All of this was done with a remote control device deftly handled by the alien vehicle's driver, whose first statement was:  "I hate to go over houses!".   Gee, thanks for that!  Once the nose and hose was in place in back, the other beast in the driveway opened it’s maw

 

And began feeding the alien machine

 

Pumps began to churn and soon enough concrete was exuded onto the pool deck!  How amazing is that?  The spewing concrete was then guided to the area where it was needed, spread out

 

And eventually hand finished (several times, actually) as it began to look like a pool deck.

Not content with just colored concrete, we wanted a slate like surface texture, and that called for a technique called “stamping”, which was achieved by taking little pads with protruding "bumps", laying them down and then doing a dance on them to impart the texture to the finished concrete.   Maybe it should more accurately be called “stomping”!

 

I was told that it took years of practice to perfect the exact pressure, location, and movement to make it work.  I didn't argue.  Finally we had the makings of our new deck!

It is still curing so the final condition won’t be obvious for a week or so…

Speaking of a week or so, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I realize I have not had a chance for my annual (boring) Thanksgiving Day foodie report.  By now I know your menu is set, but I’ll try to jump through my several Thanksgiving day issues of the food mags and maybe come up with some tips.. one of which will most assuredly be

DFD