Yesterday’s adventure had me scouring the neighborhood for a ladder that was tall enough to reach our 14 foot-high dining room ceiling.

An email alert to our newly adopted community produced immediate fruit, but none of the produce was ripe for the climbing. Of the many responses, either the ladders were too short, or it was the wrong type (extension variety instead of A-frame)–nothing that would allow me to swap out a newly delivered lighting fixture in time for the scheduled delivery and installation of a long-awaited pool table the following day.

While I struck out on ladders, it was a fine way to meet some of my neighbors, and learn about the joys and hazards of living in St. Augustine.

I  discovered that two hurricanes within an 11-month period (Matthew and Irma) after a 62-year respite (Dora in 1964) left our neighborhood shaken, but not stirred, with rising water from the Intracoastal Waterway barely penetrating the fence-line perimeter, while gale-force winds and blowing debris delivered negligible roof damage to a few homes, leaving our Madeira community relatively intact.

Additionally, the close proximity to the St. Johns County government complex and the beauty of sharing the same electrical grid resulted in a near, immediate restoral of power.

Meanwhile, it was beginning to feel like I was sitting behind the eight ball, but things have a way of working out when working tirelessly to carve out one’s little slice of heaven on earth.

Fortunately, a last-minute phone call to Smith Electric produced instant results. A crew arrived hours later…

with an 8-foot step-ladder and a 6 foot 7 inch electrician to dismantle the existing fixture…

and prepare the connections…

to hang and balance the replacing fixture…

on the heels of the Pool Table Doctor’s arrival.

Paul made quick work of placing and leveling the base;

stacking the slate slabs;

and shimming the playing surface.

Joaquin was nearby, building the rails and pockets…

while Paul was joining the slabs together with sealing wax.

Together, they finished felting the cushions.

Soon it was time to stretch the wine-colored felt across the table–a quirky color that Leah and I felt was befitting the carved ball and claw table leg design.

After trimming the excess cloth, and attaching the rails…

our Olhausen table was lit and ready for play. The entire process took 2½ hours, and the result–

worthy of a picture, and many future hours of fun.

Rack ’em up. It’s my turn to break!