The new view of our deck

Our deck -- indeed, the whole rear of our house, including the big glass doors to the living room and kitchen -- have been wide open to the world since our project began at the first of the year.

Here's the way our deck looks to the rear neighbors now, as of this week.

We're not trying to be un-neighborly. We just want some privacy, security -- and the reassurance that no one is going to wander in and fall into the pool.

Arnold, Mr. B and Nate (ripping louvers in the second picture) labored all week to round the corner, fill the back and then start back toward the front along the north side of our lot.

The more we look at the panels, the more inclined we are to paint the columns brown (they've already been primed) and let the pressure-treated louvers and their frames weather down to a nice, unobtrusive gray.

We might give them a quick coat of water sealant, but after that . . . no more maintenance. We hope they'll be camouflaged pretty well from our side by plantings anyway.