A huge favor

Robert and I ordered an awning in late December and, as luck would have it, it arrived Friday.

I mentioned it to Shawn and wondered whether, since he and the guys were in town. . . .

So there we all were at Home Depot at 11 a.m., with Li'l Shawn at the wheel of their huge diesel dump truck, the back jammed with equipment going back north, sliding 21 feet of ungainly shipping tube over the truck bed and lashing it down.

Installation would take "15 minutes," Robert had been told.

Shawn was too bright to buy that (he hasn't been around Robert long enough to know that "5 minutes" is usually about an hour), but even so I don't think he figured on four hours.

They had to rip a few boards into 2-by-10s, lag-bolt them just below the ledger board (not smack in the middle, as I'd thought), then lag-bolt the brackets to the new boards.

Robert and I performed such high-skill tasks as unwrapping, handing drills, tools and bolts up ladders and fetching sodas.

Of course, Shawn engineered it beautifully, and everything clicked into place after a big heave-ho.

We gave the crew yet another round of thanks for yet another job above and beyond -- though I did hear Shawn say, "Next time I come to Key West, I'm not bringin' a hammer."