Deck

Inside Westminster Abbey, eight 20-foot-tall live trees lined the center aisle during the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William. The trees transformed the space, doing what even the most elaborate floral arrangement could not — providing a natural, living sense of permanence and an air of drama. The move was unexpected, unpretentious and bold. A potted tree on your patio or deck can have the same effect. While not every tree is well-suited for a container, there are a surprising number of options, ranging from crape myrtles to hollies.

When your team knocks off a third seed and a sixth seed by a combined margin of victory of 18 goals in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, you should no longer be considered an underdog, right? That is not how Cornell coach Ben DeLuca, however, sees it. Despite the Big Red (14-3) evicting Ohio State (the third seed) and Maryland (the sixth) by a combined score of 32-14, DeLuca thinks that his team is the underdog as it prepares to face seventh-seeded Duke (14-5) in Saturday's first of two national semifinals.

What's the difference between a porch and a deck?That's the question from a reader in Baltimore, who notes she sees a lot of articles about deck construction, but wants to know, "Why don't I see articles about porch construction (especially since they have become popular again)?"As for definition, we would consider a porch to be (a): an integral part of the structure of the house. It often constitutes an entrance because of characteristic (b): porches have roofs. (If they don't have roofs they're stoops or terraces)

Orioles designated hitter Steve Pearce entered Thursday night hitless in his first 13 at-bats this season. Certainly, it's not the way the 30-year-old wanted to start the year, but it is not without explanation. Pearce has made five starts in 2013 - two against reigning American League Cy Young Award winner David Price (including Thursday), one against former Cy Young winner CC Sabathia , one against current AL ERA leader Clay Buchholz and one against Minnesota lefty Pedro Hernandez . Not an easy group to begin a season.

On deck -- Red Sox vs. Blue Jays -- Former Marlins teammates Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett face off tonight in Toronto.

After hundreds of nights of lane closures that have made driving the Bay Bridge a white-knuckle adventure, the work to replace the deck on the westbound span is scheduled to end this week. Unless the weather turns perverse, the work crews that have monopolized the westbound span of the bridge at night since late 2007 will pack up the tools of their trades and give the road back to drivers. Except for a little grinding and grooving, the roughly $65 million deck replacement project that has made bridge traffic an ordeal at night is complete.

Waterfront Kitchen has opened its outdoor deck. We can't wait to see it. Waterfront Kitchen opened late last October on the ground floor of the Living Classrooms' education pavilion. Jerry Pellegrino guided Waterfront Kitchen's farm-to-table menu, which is executed by a kitchen led by executive chef Levi Briggs. I reallly fell for this space, which takes full advantage of the museum's waterside location. The deck could be simply bonkers. There's other good news coming out of Waterfront Kitchen.

As the parent of a freshman at Cardinal Gibbons, I am saddened by the potential closing (though the Archdiocese insists it's a "consolidation') and outraged at what they aren't saying. My son was accepted at several archdiocesen schools and Gibbons after the eighth grade. After visiting the campuses, the choice was clear. Did other schools have nicer facilities? Absolutely! Are they quality institutions? Without question. Did they offer my son the warm and welcoming feeling of a family?

Ruth's Chris has had a good long run in Pier 5 Hotel. It opened in the hotel's main restaurant space in 2005. But nothing seems to work in hotel's smaller restaurant space. The Peacock Grill, Pizzazz Tuscan Grill and My Panini have come and gone. But that space has an amenity that Ruth's Chris doesn't have -- a waterfront deck. Actually, that deck hasn't always been there, and none of the cafes ever took full advantage of it. Now, Ruth's Chris at Pier 5 has taken over both the cafe space, which it will be using as a banquet facility and the adjoining deck, which they will open Wednesday through Sunday nights.

Baltimore City fire officials reported a one-alarm fire on a Canton home's deck Monday evening. Officials said they received a call 7:38 p.m. for a fire in the 1000 block of S. Baylis St. There were no injuries, officials said. The cause of the fire is not known. joseph.burris@baltsun.com Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Rita Custer, of Aberdeen, has always been self-reliant. A former assistant manager for a Rite Aid Pharmacy, she is currently living on unemployment due to prolonged illness. She is also raising two sons, age 11 and 16. Her oldest, Justin, has Down's syndrome and has been the victim of bullying in his own back yard. For many years, Custer's wish has been for a place where her sons could play in safety. Justin is a client of the Arc Northern Chesapeake region, and after his mother suffered two strokes, the organization stepped up to help.

Pickles Pub, located across the street from Oriole Park at Camden Yards, has long been synonymous with opening day. Thousands of orange-drenched fans make it their first stop (usually of many) on one of Baltimore's most lively days. But at 10 a.m. on April 5, hours before the Orioles host the Minnesota Twins for the first home series of the season, the Deck at Camden Yards - a new, outdoor beer garden at the Hampton Inn -  will open next to Pickles. Deck partner Fritz Brogan says the latest addition to Washington Boulevard will open for Orioles home games, Ravens home games and special events such as the Grand Prix.

St. Patrick's Day Celebration Don your best green outfit for this Irish celebration. Ocean City is hosting their annual St. Patty's Day celebration complete with parade and golf tournament. Sign up for the second annual St. Patrick's Golf Scramble at Eagle's Landing Golf Course and enjoy the luck of the Irish while you play, and a traditional Irish-American Lunch. Also, make sure to head down to Ocean Highway for Ocean City 's annual St. Patrick's Day parade. The St. Patrick's Day Golf Scramble at Eagle's Landing begins at 9 a.m. on March 16. Entry fee is $50 per person, and includes lunch.

This is an extraordinarily bad article. It needs a lot of work, the which I do not have time to do.

Recent news coverage of the U.S. Postal Service's proposal to end Saturday mail deliveries has focused mainly on the public's reaction to the change ("For mail carriers, Saturday routes roll on - for now," Feb. 10). What has scarcely been mentioned, however, is the elephant in the room: The main reason the Post Office is in trouble is not a decline in first-class mail but two laws passed by Congress. The first was the 1971 Postal Reorganization Act signed by Richard Nixon. This required that the Post Office be run as independent agency that makes a profit from its services.

Picture a house magnificently perched on a hill in Cockeysville with windows overlooking a garden oasis in the foreground and, beyond, a rippling one-acre lake. There is not another house as far as the eye can see from the top of a stone staircase leading off the home's large deck and winding along an alpine garden path to a swimming pool and gazebo. The path continues onto a stone bridge over a cascading stream with a 17-foot drop over waterfalls sliding toward a pond. Beyond the pebble path, a fanciful teahouse rises up from a grassy plain.

Rita Custer, of Aberdeen, has always been self-reliant. A former assistant manager for a Rite Aid Pharmacy, she is currently living on unemployment due to prolonged illness. She is also raising two sons, age 11 and 16. Her oldest, Justin, has Down's syndrome and has been the victim of bullying in his own back yard. For many years, Custer's wish has been for a place where her sons could play in safety. Justin is a client of the Arc Northern Chesapeake region, and after his mother suffered two strokes, the organization stepped up to help.

On the 10th day of Christmas, someone's true love gave them 10 lords a leaping. At the Carroll County Farm Museum, in Westminster, that gift was a little bit challenging for Beverly Rose and Dorothy Duerr, who were tasked with displaying that scene in the dining room. "Ten lords a leaping? How do you do that?" Rose asked rhetorically - before revealing a small tree decorated with fruit ... and 10 paper cutouts of lords a leaping. "We thought it should be cheerful," added Duerr about the room's decorations, which feature festive garland and a table set for a Christmas Eve feast of turkey, soup, vegetables and more.

It is not often that a visitor receives a Dickensian welcome at the front gate of a historic Monkton home decorated for the holidays. Dressed to the nines in fresh greenery, this circa 1840, white-washed brick structure wears red bows and pine cones on green wreaths like haute couture. Two women arrange garlands to sweep the length and breadth of the white picket fence surrounding a small front garden. Large brass lanterns on either side of the front entrance light the steps up to the front door.