lkbum, the actual attachment is a large metal hoop around large logs ( 3 ft. accross) as the breakwater. The lake goes up and down by as much as 6ft from summer to winter. We're lucky, we have about 18' clear water off the end of our dock. Thanks for the compliment. We have views that can't be beat. The lake has an interesting history. During the 30's it was a mecca for hollywood types. Bing crosby, Bob Hope, The Ink Spots, etc. all played and stayed at the lodge on South Lake. They had a haute cuisine chef and a restaurant built on pilons out on the water. WWII came along, there was a fire and it all was forgotten. Before that there were dairy farms up the valleys that the arms of the lake go up and farmers brought in their milk by boat to a creamery in Lakeside. Kids still go to school via boat and our mail is delivered by boat. It is really funny when you get someone to deliver something. Our satellite TV had a special "anywhere in the continental U.S." The guy that called couldn't understand, our address is __ North Tenmile Lake. "But what road are you on?" No there is no road. We ended up having to pick him up at the dock with his stuff! It's also good for crime 'cause the sheriff is pretty vigilant and there are only a few places to access the lake. He can just wait for them to show up at the dock while getting a play by play from the residents who are full timers! Needless to say most thieves find easier pickings.

This is Biwa (aka Biwako-of-abi) again. Your thinking about these things show that you are a good cat owner. I personally would never trust my cats on a balcony, or high-up deck, again, unless it was on the first floor, and then there would be the problem of their escaping into the yard and perhaps getting run over. Don't be fooled by the fact that your cats have been all right so far on the 3rd floor deck. I am sure they like it, but even the cats in the same family can playfully do something that could lead to one or more of them falling. There is a first time for everything, and depending on what they land on, they could get killed. Suggestions about what you can do: (1) You could always keep the door to your deck shut so the cats can't get out there. They do not have to be able to go out on a deck to be happy. You probably know there are many types of toys for cats to entertain them inside the house. (2) If you own the house and can do what you like to it, you could put strong chicken wire or some other barrier anywhere on the deck where a cat might try to get out, or even build a large cage-like area on part of the deck if it is big enough. (In such a case, even the top of that area should be covered with strong wire fencing.) Alternatively, you could just have some sort of strong screen door where you go out on the deck--I mean, one that a cat's claws would not tear if it climbed up as if the door were a tree. I do think a cat would be miserable if it had to be kept in a small cage in the house much of the time, but that could be a temporary solution for times, for example, when you have guests who might unthinkingly leave the door to the deck open. (3) Climbing is also not necessary for a cat's happiness, although you are right that a 4-month-old kitten, especially, is going to want to climb and jump. For that, you can buy, or get someone to make, a pole for the cats that has 3 or 4 little platforms along it, so they can climb up and rest. (Cats, as you probably know, just looove to be up high and gaze down on everyone else.) We never wanted to spend money on something like that, but you can get the same effect using pieces of furniture that are different heights. You could even provide the kitten with fun and exercise by running around trailing a piece of string for him to chase. Just don't leave the string around where he could swallow it and necessitate an expensive visit to the animal ER. (4) I wouldn't rely on the following trick to keep your cats from jumping up on the railing of a deck, nor would it work to keep them off the deck, now that they know it is a fun place, but I did succeed by using noise to give my cats an aversion to climbing up window screens. You know that cats hate unexpected loud noises. We had moved from a place where our cats had had an outdoor cage-like area (about 6x6x6 feet) right outside a window so they could go in and out at will, to an older house where we couldn't do that, and I was afraid they might try to climb up the screen on an open window. The very day we moved in, I took the time to sit and be on the alert to catch any hint that the cats were interested in those open windows, and if a cat so much as stood on its hind legs to peer out through the screen, I briefly pressed the alarm signal on one of those devices a woman might carry to scare away an attacker. I didn't have to do it many times. My four cats very quickly caught on that something awful happened when they touched a window or its frame, and very soon I no longer ever had to worry about open windows and screening. You could probably get the same effect by clashing metal pots against their lids. However, the noise has to be something that the cats will not realize has a human source. Yelling at them and clapping your hands will only teach them to be naughty when you are out of sight. I hope you will find a good solution for your problem. Anyway, I commend you for your concern for your cats' happiness and their welfare. It's always nice to meet a fellow cat lover. Just for fun, here is a site I love to look at for the pictures of all the things one cat owner did with his house. How I wished we could imitate him, but I am sure my husband would never have agreed, lol. (So I am NOT saying you should fix up your house like his, either! But enjoy looking.)

The Trex trim seems to be a bit less dense /heavy than Azek but was less expensive. It also was slightly less bright white. This was shown to be the case because all the trim on the house is Trex PVC except the sheets ie. the gable triangles because they didnt offer it. So beware of small issues like this. Im not sure who is best among Azek, Versatex,Koma, Kleer , Trex and others. I wish I had researched the installation /bonding of the trim a bit more ahead of time. There are issues of expansion and contraction you need to deal with, especially on longer pieces. Yes the columns were wrapped in Trex trim. I used 1x12 on the larger ones and 1x8 on the smaller ones. They were first built up over 6x6 PT posts. John. No problem with dimpling ???? The turnbuckles attach using 3-1 1/2" stainless steel screws. Like I said I am most concerned about expansion and contraction on longer spans and filling some gaps and nail holes. Im looking into Bond & Fill, Gorilla pvc, and Trimbonder for this issue as we speak to address it on this and future project. Not sure yet what the ceiling will end up being. I had considered using metal barn siding sloped out to a gutter but nothing solid yet.

Do we know where Unc lives? It seems to me these trees have endured considerably more than one winter, albeit location unknown. Arbs are not typical plants of snow-free areas, so this "split like a banana peel" thing may be getting over-amplified. All that said-and as if I haven't made this abundantly clear by now, I hate these multi-leadered things, but for more reasons than just their alleged unsuitability in snow and/or ice. And I have seen this splitting phenomenon happen myself. But the main issue I've got with such plants is how very bastardized they are from the real thing-species Thuja occidentalis, a plant which, proven in my Wisconsin woods many times, is utterly qualified to handle snow. Not to mention, a far more imposing plant than these myriad icky cultivars. I continue to perceive that most responders in such threads have no idea what I'm talking about-native stands of this tree. I should think though that a true New Englander, at least from the northern half of that region, or a correspondent from northern Michigan (I know-not your home Ken) should have seen these remarkable plants, often in near-pure groves, in streamside swamps and even scrambling up moist hillsides. Oddly, in all the years I've participated on this board, not once have I gotten the sense that anybody has!