I always thought decomposed granite was crushed granite, what is left over after the larger bits have been screened off. Here in Phoenix the terms decomposed granite and 1/4 minus are used interchangeably. But selling decomposed granite with clay in it seems like a scam to me. 50 years ago in Upstate NY many people used crushed granite and decomposed granite for driveways. Concrete and asphalt driveways were very rare then in our area. Larger crushed rock was put down, generally not rolled because that cost money. You drove on that for a year which pushed the rock down into the soil and you raked loose stuff back over into the ruts. Over time that made a good base. Then you brought in some smaller rock and repeated. Then decomposed granite. The bigger rock helped keep the decomposed granite stay in place. The bigger rock pushed down into the soil reduced future rutting. But you still had to re-level and bring in more material every 3-5 years or so. Here in Phoenix I like decomposed granite a lot. I like a thin layer, 1/2" max. More than that and it's like walking on the beach.

I lived in Massachusetts for my first 10 years then Illinois for the next 15. I came to California 31 years ago. Out of all the places I have lived I would say I like this the best. I like the weather most of the time and there is quite a variety geographically. We have beaches 5 miles away, ancient redwood forests within walking distance, we live in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mts. so have great views of valleys and even the ocean. I can drive to the mountains in a few hours if I want to play in the snow or to the desert if I want heat. I have lived close to the CA coast for 22 years and enjoy the Mediterranean climate. I can garden all year long and have fresh veggies, flowers and fruit. We are north enough to have some seasonal changes, but don't usually get the extremes in heat or cold. Though in the last couple of years I have been noticing some changes in the weather pattern. Everything you could want is close by, great 5 star restaurants, big shopping malls, historical sites; Santa Cruz, San Jose and San Francisco museums, symphonies, theaters. We get lots of big name entertainers. You could go 24/7 for a week and never repeat anything if you wanted. I don't miss the very cold snowy winters or hot humid summers of the East Coast or Midwest. Occasionally I get nostalgic for the Autumn changes that you get in New England. And I miss the fresh clams and fresh picked blueberries. The only other place I would want to live is Hawaii. Clare

I purchased some Ipe decking and my ends are splitting worse than Griffse. Is this normal as I have never built a deck with anything other than pressure treated? How much end split is too much? I asked the company I bought it from, Eastteak.com, and they said end splitting is normal. I asked two different people there the same question and they both agreed….but obviously I am still concerned. Will it continue to split? I did not use end sealant, should I put it on now or does that only work during construction? Should I put a oil on to stop it? One coat..two coats.????and what type of oil is best? Could I use polyurethane to totally seal the wood? I was thinking marine polyurethane but a gallon of it is a bit expensive because it doesn’t seem that it covers a lot of square feet because the finish is thick.

Wow....what an amazing list of people.... too many of them no longer with us or active here. It is nice to remember some of their names and their struggles that we shared. Thanks for the memories.