The heat's back on

Back to bright, hot and steamy, after Ernesto -- and back to work on the deck.

Early Thursday, Shawn was figuring out how to stagger the seams, ordering up special cuts from Uncle Albert.

Later he drilled the countersunk screw holes, while Charles held the boards in place, and then Ben followed up with the stainless steel screws (nattily tinted brown, so they blend better).

His crew -- their hard work matches their great spirit -- is slamming to get as much done before they leave for Macon early Saturday.

It was great to see so much getting done. But the highlight of my day came when Shawn brought Ref over for a quick inspection. I was grinning, Ref was grinning -- and Shawn was ribbing.

"Man, he was calling shots even before he hit the front steps," little brother said.

Very late in the day, when the deck was finally in shade (though the house behind us was shiny bright) Shawn saw my camera, asked "Want a purty picture?" and flashed his amazing smile.