Deck

TO MANY builders and homeowners, building permits and inspections are annoyances best avoided if possible. The Memorial Day collapse of a 12-foot by 14-foot deck in Cockeysville that injured seven people, including a man burned by a falling grill, demonstrates the danger in that thinking.The deck, built four months ago, collapsed because it was secured into thin particle board sheathing rather than to the house's solid wood frame. Baltimore County code and enforcement officials say their inspectors might have been able to catch that fundamental flaw had they examined the deck.

Smooth way to fix fruitNo sleight of hand is required with this card deck. Any hand works. "The Smoothies Deck" (Chronicle, 1999) by Mary Corpening Barber, Sara Corpening Whiteford and Lori Lyn Narlock features 50 recipes for blended fruit concoctions. Cool Hand Lime (above) doubles as a creamy dessert or palate cleanser for a fancy dinner: 3/4 cup low-fat milk; 1/2 cup fresh lime segments, frozen; 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 3 cups nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt. Place ingredients in a blender.

Quote: "When I was growing up in Louisiana, we used to play tripleheaders in worse than this, then go home and play Wiffle ball. I actually enjoyed it."-- Diamondbacks' David Dellucci, who had a career-high five RBIs in 95-degree mugginess in St. LouisIt's a fact: The Expos have fared a lot better on July 4 (21-10) than they have on July 1 (Canada Day: 12-14).What's hot: A thermometer placed on the on-deck circle at Cinergy Field 15 minutes before the first pitch registered 150 degrees.Who's not: The Expos are a combined 3-12 during Rondell White's two stints on the DL.On deck: Randy Johnson and Cardinals rookie Jose Jimenez meet today, 10 days after Jimenez no-hit the Diamondbacks, ruining Johnson's 14-strikeout performance.

HERE'S A summer grab bag of contests and new products:Do you have a particularly affectionate relationship with your deck?It's funny how attached people can get to their decks. It can be the place you take your morning cup of coffee, to watch the birds and the squirrels the place where every container is a floral arrangement, lovingly tended the place where everyone gathers for a weekend meal, or the place where you sit at night with a glass of wine, watching fireflies and stars come out.Thompson's, the people who make water-seal products and numerous other products for treating wood, are sponsoring a contest to find the 50 best-loved decks in America.

A few years after shrapnel shattered his leg, Joe Taussig started begging his doctors to just take the thing off. Finally, they gave in. Taussig went back to work, keeping quiet about his missing limb."

A Virginia consultant has recommended that Westminster city officials build a parking deck on the Longwell Avenue lot downtown -- if they decide to build the structure at all."Site selection is the first step," said Thomas B. Beyard, Westminster's director of planning and public works.Ned Cleland, president of Blue Ridge Design Inc. of Winchester, was asked to recommend a site for a deck and to estimate the cost of building it there, as part of a parking-structure feasibility study.In a report to the mayor and Common Council, the consultant said the area bounded by Longwell Ave., Distillery Lane, Winters Street and Locust Lane would provide the most spaces for the money.

PUTTING TOGETHER the structure of a deck is a little like doing the proverbial jigsaw puzzle -- except, in the case of the deck, you have to cut out all the pieces yourself. This is the stage, however, when the deck begins to take shape, and all your hard work with the ledger (which fastens the deck to the house) and the main beam (which supports the far edge of the deck) will be rewarded.When you're planning your deck, adhere to the standard lengths of lumber -- that is, the depth of the deck surface should be some regular measure such as 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 feet.

CONSTANT READERS will have figured out by now that we have made a major commitment to helping you build your deck (short of actually lifting a hammer, that is).We would like to assure you that this is the last installment, and soon you should be lolling on a lounge chair, sniffing flowers and fresh wood, quaffing a soda or a brewski in the sun. (That is, those of you who are not soaking in a nice warm tub to soothe all those newfound sore muscles.)Take heart. The next part of building the deck, installing the railing and balusters, is not difficult.

In construction, "a firm foundation" is no cliche. It's a matter of tradition, good technique and honoring the building codes. How well the structure will stand--and stand up to time and weather--depends on how good the foundation is.It's true whether you're building a skyscraper, a house or a gazebo. You may be dreaming of barbecues and planter boxes, but even a backyard deck starts with a good foundation.Think of it as going deep (well, baseball is back). The first step toward a good foundation is a concrete footing.

Mary and Bob Siegel wanted a house that would catch people's eye, and the California contemporary they bought in Holbrook in February 1996 does just that.Their additions to the home -- a mahogany deck and an 18-foot-long stone outdoor waterfall and landscaping around both -- have made it even more eye-catching.Even though the home is a block or so from busy Liberty Road near Randallstown, the waterfall in the yard and another in the skylighted family room transport a visitor to a waterfront scene.

With a brick exterior and white marble steps, the Federal Hill rowhouse of architect Jiyun Park and Dr. Eli Perencevich looks like the epitome of historic Baltimore. But inside, the house blends the old and the new. Traditional wood plank floors are underfoot throughout, and the master bedroom features an exposed brick wall. The kitchen is sleek, modern and airy; the home is warmed by tinted walls that are brightened by light streaming in. "The kitchen and the deck are probably the most enjoyed features of the house," Park said.

Blending classic Greek ornamentation and elegant Tuscan-style color themes, this architecturally traditional house offers rural privacy in the southwest tip of Howard County. "I was inspired by the look and feel of '60s movies," says homeowner Madelene Bates. "I liked how the rooms are classically decorated, but show restraint." She helped decorate the home that was designed and built by her husband Bruce Bates, a custom homebuilder and real estate agent. The two have lived in the house with one of their sons since 2005, perfecting the interior and making small additions to the decor.

TOULOUSE, France -- There were no Jacuzzis or bowling alleys. No casinos or gyms. But the chilled bottle of champagne perched on an elegantly laid-out double bed said it all. Singapore Airlines introduced the interior of its first A380 superjumbo jet in an elaborate ceremony here yesterday, bringing an end to a decade of anticipation over what the airline has said would be a vast change in the level of quality and comfort in long-haul air travel....

GREENWICH, England -- London's famous maritime landmark, the Cutty Sark, suffered substantial damage yesterday after an early-morning fire engulfed the ship and destroyed much of its deck and planking. Firefighters arrived just before 5 a.m. as 30-foot flames and thick black smoke rose from the storied 19th-century clipper ship. They were able to contain the blaze within 90 minutes, but the deck had already been irreversibly damaged. The Metropolitan Police said they were treating the fire as "suspicious," and a police official told the BBC that video surveillance footage showed people in the area at the time of the fire.

I am beginning to like Thanksgiving. I didn't always. Halloween has long been my favorite holiday. No greeting cards. No gifts. Minimal decorating. And the only food shopping is for bags of cheap candy. Your mother never asks, with a chill in her voice, "So, are you coming home this Halloween?" And Christmas is hard to love. It starts earlier every year, and it is a heck of a lot of work. It is full of all the emotion and sentiment Halloween is not -- you never grieve for those who are absent at Halloween.

ABOARD THE FINNMARKEN, ALONG THE NORWEGIAN COASTShaking my shoulders to dislodge the ice cube that was slithering down my back, I stepped forward to claim the certificate verifying that I had crossed the Arctic Circle into the land of the midnight sun. This was a rite of passage on Day 5 of a six-night Norwegian fjord cruise. "King Neptune," a ship's officer in a grotesque rubber mask, was doing the honors, aided and abetted by the captain. No ice, no certificate. The Finnmarken is one of 13 ships of the Hurtigruten (coastal express)

Where Chad and Leah Gillespie are concerned, less is more. And this personal preference is evident in a minimalist style of home decor that is both artistic and functional. From street level, their rowhouse on Riverside Avenue in Federal Hill is a three-story brick structure, not unlike the thousands renovated in every neighborhood throughout the city. From the threshold, however, the interior sight is one of sleek openness, clean, natural, and sparse, yet elegantly decorated from front to back.

On deck -- Athletics at Rockies-- Oakland tries for its major league-best 11th straight victory tonight.

On deck -- Diamondbacks@Rangers-- Arizona's Brandon Webb (8-1) will face Texas and Kevin Millwood (7-3) tonight.

HELEN M. DECK, age 96, passed away Thursday, June 15, 2006 at Columbus Health Care Center. Preceded in death by brothers, Robert and Edmund Cook; and sisters, Catherine Spedden, Carrie Saunders, and Hilda Smith. Survived by son, Theodore J. (Patricia) Deck III; daughter, Marie Lindung; grandchildren, Theodore Joseph Deck IV and Michael D. Deck; and great-grandchildren, Theodore V, Heather, Keagan, Harmony, Tasha, and Jordan. Funeral service 11 A.M. Saturday, June 17th at SCHOEDINGER HILLTOP CHAPEL, 3030 W. Broad St., where friends may call 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. Friday.