Painted Steps

The actual re-painting of the concrete steps didn't take that long, although it required, in advance, re-sweeping, re-washing, and letting the concrete re-dry -- while waiting for the weather to warm up to 60° so the paint would dry quickly.

(Molly is wearing a party hat to remind us that her birthday is very soon, although not as soon as she would like. She wears it every day after school.)

The red is a much nicer color than the tan stain was, bold and bright. At least 4 people have stopped on the street to compliment us on the color and the overall effect. One of these was a complete stranger (a mother picking up her child at the pre-school in the church next door; she said she's been watching us at work all summer).

Another was a neighbor -- the one with the tidy lawn which ends abruptly at the sidewalk with no stray grass-blades hanging over the pavement. You know, that neighbor, the one we all have. We sense in their approval also a vastly relieved sigh, that the neighbors (i.e., us) have once again pulled back from the precipice of Trailer Trash Yard.

Personally, I'd give the red a 90 out of 100, where 100 is the ideal color. I expect the dark green that I had wanted would have been a 92 -- assuming it was the shade of green that I thought it was, and not the shade of green that Mel thought it was, which would have clashed. Mel is better with colors than I am, so she's probably right. Even so, a difference of 2 points -- and when the red works well enough -- is certainly not worth a re-paint.

The final photo is by Molly, if you hadn't guessed from the shadow-silhouette (showing pigtails), of the stairs at the base of the entry sidewalk. Another artsy shot.