Just what we need as summer approaches....

We built a deck in our yard so we can hang out, have parties, whatever. I've always wanted a chimenea for cold nights or S'mores (regular or Peeps), but I didn't want something that someone could accidentally brush up against and toast themselves.

We went over to some friends' house and we had a great time around their fire pit. "Not too shabby!" we thought, so we found one and picked it up.

It's best used in the dark.



Here's a shot with the flash, and you can see our protective measures in the background. Fire + wooden deck == Safety First!



We live next to a green belt with plenty of firewood, or so I thought. On our first foray out for wood we stuck around the back fence, where we found wood but it basically sent smoke signals directly to the neighbors' porch.

Forced to punt, I looked around for anything ready to burn and remembered that we had a lot of cedar planks left over from our playscape bridge wall, so I chopped some of those up. Next time we're at the farm we'll pick up some mesquite.