In just a few days (May 30, to be precise), The Arena Open tournament will be live on MTG Arena, promising cash prizes of up to $2000 USD to the top players. The first day of the tournament will be best-of-one (BO1) Standard, with players who manage to achieve 7 wins before 3 losses will advance to the second day. This is a rare case where a high stakes event is making use of the game mode, as most Magic: The Gathering tournaments are best-of-three. The first Mythic Invitational last year (won by Andrea Mengucci) experimented with this, but has not been repeated since.

Ever since the announcement was made, competitive players who have been playing primarily BO3 matches have been testing the waters in the BO1 metagame. As many might know already, BO1 is by far the most played game mode in MTG Arena as it allows for quicker games. This will be a great opportunity to see some of the great minds of the game create some fine tuned decks for BO1, as until now they have been far and few between!

Below you will find a growing list of BO1 Standard decks from pros, streamers and Mythic players. This page will be updated until the tournament starts on May 30, which then after we will publish all the known successful decklists from day 1 in a separate article. We also collected some BO1 resources for you below, as the format is quite different to BO3 in many ways. We also have an overview article for it that coming soon.

Be sure to check out our new Metagame page for the latest tier list on all the top decks in Standard at the moment! You can also toggle between BO1 and BO3 decks while browsing our deck sections under Mode.

Read more here:
Best-of-One (BO1) Standard Decks for The Arena Open from Pros, Streamers and Mythic Players MTG Arena Zone - MTG Arena Zone

Installing a deck in your backyard is a great way to add value to your home while also making it easier to enjoy outdoor meals and gatherings with family, friends, and neighbors. But not all decks are close to the ground. Depending on the setup of your home, you may find that it makes sense to build a deck well off the ground, in which case you'll be left with some space underneath it.

The question is: What should you do with that space? Here are some options to consider:

You may be inclined to write off the space under a raised deck as unusable, but actually, there's no need to do so. While grass underneath a deck may not thrive due to limited sun exposure, you can install a patio under your deck and use it for additional seating space. That patio can be made of simple concrete, or you can choose a higher-end material for it, like stone, that goes well with your deck from an aesthetic standpoint.

Sheds are a smart idea for many homeowners. If you have a lot of tools, adding a shed gives you lots of storage space, thereby eliminating clutter from your basement or garage. But if there's one drawback to sheds, it's that they can sometimes be an eyesore. The solution? Stick one underneath your deck, where it will be out of the way and less noticeable.

On a warm summer's day, there's certainly something to be said for escaping the heat. The beauty of having an above-ground deck is that the space underneath it is shaded. As such, you don't necessarily have to do anything specific with that space. Rather, you can use it as a play area if you have children so that they're guarded from the sun and heat. Move some toys under the deck, or invest in a small sandbox they can play in if you don't mind the potential ensuing mess (think sand being dragged into your home). There are plenty of options to explore without spending much, or any, money.

Of course, if you're really looking to hide the space under your deck, you could always try closing it off with a trellis or screen. Doing so could actually add a nice aesthetic element to your outdoor setup. But why give up that space when there are plenty of things you can actually do with it? Whether you choose to put in a patio, house a shed there, or take advantage of a shaded play area, be sure to explore your options before writing off the idea of putting the space beneath your deck to good use.

Read the original here:
Have a Raised Deck? How to Maximize the Space Below It - Motley Fool

Aby Rosen of RFR Realty and the Chrysler Building (Getty; iStock)

The last observation deck at the Chrysler Building closed in 1945. Now, its getting a new one.

Aby Rosens RFR Realty and architecture firm Gensler received unanimous approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for the plans, which were presented in a Zoom meeting Tuesday.

The deck will be positioned on the terraces that frame the 61st floor of the 77-floor tower, according to the New York Post. They will feature eight-foot-tall protective glass walls, which Rosen reportedly told the commission would be virtually invisible from the ground.

RFR and partner Sigma Holding GmbH bought the ground lease for the building at 405 Lexington Avenue from Tishman Speyer and an Abu Dhabi fund last year for $151 million. Since then, Rosen has been discreet about his plans for the iconic structure, however, he told Bloomberg last year that he wanted to bring back the Cloud Club venue, and has reportedly expressed a desire to include retail and restaurants at the site.

The Real Deal previously reported that RFR gave existing retail tenants notice last June that their leases would not be renewed, because the owner wants to restore and renovate. At least six retailers, including a barbershop and a dry cleaner, have since vacated the site.

The previous observation deck, known as the Celestial, was on the 71st floor. Its unclear when the new deck will be opened to the public, but it will face competition. SL Green Realty is planning an observation deck at the nearby One Vanderbilt, and last year Related Companies opened The Edge at 30 Hudson Yards, the tallest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere. [NYP] Sylvia Varnham ORegan

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Aby Rosen is bringing back the Chrysler Buildings observation deck - The Real Deal

As I get older I worry a little less each year about weeds in the yard. Hey, if its green, were good. But one reason why I worry less about weeds growing in the yard is that I have fewer and fewer of them growing than just a few years ago.

Why? Well for one, I stopped being my own worst enemy when it came to weed control. I like a well-kept yard and I also believe that the best landscaping tool we have is our lawn mower. That said, it can also be the cause of many of our lawns issues as well.

Nothing helps a lawn naturally suppress weeds more than a thick stand of grass. We can overseed and fertilize to help our grass be more productive, but it is probably more important to not injure or kill the grass you have by operating your mower at less than optimal conditions.

The first thing you should try to do is raise your mower deck to 4 inches in height. Most all of our lawns are comprised of cool season grasses that grow best in the spring and fall. These grasses lose too much of their photosynthetic abilities if they are cut lower than 4 inches.

Warm season grasses, by comparison, should not be allowed to grow past one and a half to two inches in height. In our area, most of the warm season grasses are found on football field playing surfaces or golf courses, not in the normal lawn.

You may find that the only way to get your mower deck to mow at 4 inches is to trade your current mower. While that is a drastic step, it is something you should keep in mind if you are purchasing a new machine.

Besides mowing at 4 inches, you also need to check your blades for sharpness. Dull blades tend to tear the grass instead of clipping it. In much the same manner as an incision heals better than a laceration, clipped grass rebounds faster. That will equate to needing more mowing, but it will also mean that the grasses will tiller (spread out) more and cover more area resulting in a thicker turf.

Thicker turf will result in less sunlight penetrating to the ground level where baby broadleaf weeds like dandelion and thistles are waiting. Thicker turf will also keep the ground surface cooler so it will take less water to keep your lawn green. Finally, thicker turf just looks better so you dont react so quickly to put down extra grass seed and fertilizer.

Finally, mowing at the best height and proper sharpness will hide imperfections in our surface smoothness as well. Mowing low will bring out every rut and hole because the deck will strike the ground and skin the turf. Raising the deck helps this but I also recommend that one of the simplest things to do to ensure your lawn has a level mower is to check and balance your tire pressure. All too often, an out-of-balance clipping is not a deck or blade issue but rather simply a flat or almost flat tire.

June 19--Deadline to consign calves to the July VQA Sale.

July 15--VQA Sale, Tri State Livestock Market.

July 17--Deadline to Consign Calves to the August VQA Sale.

July 20--VQA Steer Take-Up, Tri State Livestock Market, 6:30 a.m. to noon.

July 22--VQA Heifer Take Up, Tri State Livestock Market, 6:30 a.m. to noon.

July 25-Aug 1--Rich Valley Fair.

*4-H Camp has been cancelled for 2020.

Sept. 28 Oct. 3--State Fair of Virginia.

Sept. 29 Oct. 1--National Ag Agents Meeting, Virginia Beach.

Oct. 14--Smyth County 4th Grade Ag Field Day.

Oct. 16--Deadline to Consign Calves to the Nov. 11 VQA Sale.

Oct. 20-22--Sunbelt Ag Expo.

Oct. 30--Deadline to Consign Calves to the Dec. 2 VQA Sale.

Nov. 11--VQA Calf Sale, Tri State Livestock Market, 7 p.m.

Nov. 16--VQA Steer Take Up.

Nov. 16--Private Pesticide Recertification Course, 6 p.m.

Nov. 18--VQA Heifer Take Up.

Nov. 19--Private Pesticide Recertification Course, 8:30 a.m.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in these activities, call Andy Overbay or Pam Testerman at 276-783-5175/TDD 800-828-1120 from 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations five days prior to the event.

Dr. Andy Overbay is Smyth Countys agriculture and natural resources extension agent.

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Extension Answers: Dealing with weeds from the mower deck - Southwest Virginia Today

Mumbai: For the first time in the Tata Groups history, the chairman of Tata Sons and CEOs of all operating companies will take an estimated 20% cut in compensation as the conglomerate initiates cost-cutting measures. The move is aimed at leading by example, motivating employees and organisations and ensuring business viability, insiders said.

TCS, the groups flagship and its most profitable company, was the first to announce a cut for CEO Rajesh Gopinathan. Indian Hotels has already said its senior leadership will contribute a percentage of their salary this quarter to help with the survival phase of the company.

CEOs and MDs of Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Trent, Tata International, Tata Capital and Voltas, among others, will have their compensation reduced, executives said. Top officials close to the development said the cut would primarily be in current year bonuses.

These are times never before experienced in the history of our group and it calls for some tough measures to protect businesses, said a top group CEO seeking anonymity. We will do all that it takes to ensure right leadership with empathy. As a culture, the group has always ensured employees down the line are protected as much as can be.

Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran had told ET earlier that each company will review its HR policy, revenue planning and cash flow management.

Measures in View of Covid PandemicWe will be compassionate and each company will take a decision individually to ensure a viable business, Chandrasekaran had told ET.

Tata Sons and most group companies did not respond to ETs email on the subject. A Tata Steel spokesperson said, Remuneration is a decision which rests with the remuneration committee of the board of Tata Steel. It therefore may not be appropriate to pre-empt a way forward in the matter.

CEO remuneration at the top 15 Tata Group companies rose about 11% in FY19 from FY18 on average compared with a 14% jump in FY18 over FY17. Barring TCS, no other unit has published the FY20 annual report so far. However, the data is not strictly comparable as some CEOs joined during the financial year.

Chandrasekaran received a total remuneration of Rs 65.52 crore for FY19, which includes a Rs 54 crore commission on the profit of Tata Sons. His package was 19% higher than in FY18.

On the business front, Tata Group sales of 33 listed companies rose 10% to Rs7.52 lakh crore in FY19. Three companies Tata Motors, Tata Steel and TCS contributed nearly 82% of total sales. However, profits of the 33 companies declined 20% in FY19 from FY18. TCS contributed nearly Rs32,340 crore to Tata Group profit, followed by Tata Steel at Rs10,218 crore in FY19.

TCS chief executive Rajesh Gopinathans remuneration dropped 16.5% to Rs13.3 crore in the fiscal year ended March 31from Rs 16.04 crore in the previous financial year.

The executive remuneration for FY20 is lower than FY19 in view of the economic conditions impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, said the TCS annual report. He earned 215 times the median remuneration. Tata Motors CEO Guenter Butschek was paid Rs26.29 crore, the most among group CEOs and 351 times the median remuneration.

The company made a loss of Rs28,828 crore in FY19. Tata Steel, which reported a 16% compounded sales growth over three years and 88% profit growth during the period, raised CEO TV Narendrans salary by 19% to Rs11.23 crore in FY19. Titan and Tata Elxsi, the two best companies as far as growth was concerned, raised CEO remuneration by 15% each in FY19. The CEO pay package at Trent, Tata Chemicals, Rallis India and Tata Coffee rose about 10% in FY19.

Continue reading here:
Covid impact: Tata's top deck to take up to 20% pay cut for the first time in group's history - ETtech.com

Monica Pahkala was still applying her makeup behind the bar of the Poop Deck, her nautical-themed spot on Galveston Island, on Friday morning when the first patrons walked in. The bar was roped off so guests couldnt approach it, and the bartenders told those who showed up to use hand sanitizer as they entered. Patrons couldnt order unless they were seated at a table.

The Poop Deck, which has an unobstructed view of the beach and is adorned by ropes and netting, had been closed for 65 days prior, due to city and state restrictions meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus. When Governor Greg Abbott announced last Monday that Texas bars could reopen at 25 percent capacity on Friday, Pahkala and her husband knew theyd open back up. They were concerned about their health, but had been relying on unemployment benefits while the establishment was shuttered. And Memorial Day weekend has long marked the unofficial start of the summer season in Texas, and is one of the busiest on the island.

The Pahkalas had fewer than four days to replace and replenish their alcohol, clean and sanitize every surface, and figure out the best way to configure the tables and chairs to keep guests at least somewhat separated. Inside, they limited capacity to 75 people. Outdoors, where there is no capacity limit per Abbotts order, they converted the small parking lot in front of the bar into a seating space. On the bars upper deck, which has a bronze-painted replica of the Statue of Liberty standing like Jack on the bow of the Titanic, they spaced chairs out, though not quite six feet apart.

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The phone has been ringing nonstop, Pahkala said Friday morning. Are yall opened? When are yall gonna open?

The interior of the Poop Deck on Friday, May 22, 2020, in Galveston.

Photograph by Brittney Martin

While several Galveston bars reopened before the city and state restrictions were lifted, Pahkala wasnt willing to risk it. She was worried she could receive a fine or the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission could revoke the bars license to sell alcohol if it opened early. I wasnt taking the chance, she said.

But visitors started filtering in immediately upon open Friday. Victor Garcia, 61, whos been coming to the bar for years, drove in from Houston that morning. By 10:30 a.m., he had already downed a bowl of seafood gumbo at the nearby Gumbo Diner and was on his third beer at the Poop Deck. Im not Republican or Democrat, but I believe that [bars] should be open, he told me. And if people want to take a chance on their lives or not take a chance, I think its their prerogative.

Garcia sat down next to Jim Massey, 59, on the bars upper deck, where the two quickly discovered they attended the same high school in Baytown.

This is my place to come and decompress, man, Garcia told Massey. Its so unpretentious. You can let your hair down and feel the breeze.

Garcia, who is bald, was wearing a black bandana around his neck, which he couldve used as a mask but didnt. He said he wants the bar to be his final resting place and that hes given his brother strict instructions for how to carry out his last wishes.

I said take my ashes, go to the Poop Deck, and just throw them off the balcony, Garcia said.

When a couple near Garcia and Massey got up and left, a bartender in a white sailors hat sprayed down the bar and chairs with disinfectant and wiped them with paper towels. Garcia said it was cool that the bar was taking steps to make people feel safer. He mused that it shouldve had these practices in place before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Massey, whos been spending most of his time at home over the past few months to avoid getting the virus, said he didnt mind having to use hand sanitizer upon entering. He also thinks he mightve already gotten COVID-19, after attending the Galveston Mardi Gras celebration in February and coming down with flu-like symptoms.

We recovered in like two weeks so hopefully Ive got the immunity, Massey said, laughing. I got over it, so yall dont have to worry. Im not still contagious.

Twelve hours later, at 10 p.m., more than 100 people had flocked to the bar. A local cover band, Nite Wave, played on the bottom floor, about six feet from the nearest table. The majority of people gathered out front in the parking lot-turned-patio space.

Monica Marshall, 50, who was the first ones in the door when the Poop Deck opened that morning, was still there.

Everybody here is so friendly, Marshall said, a can of Bud Light in her hand. Pre-quarantine, she would come to the bar three or four times a week. She didnt think it was fair that bars were one of the last businesses allowed to reopen.

Its hypocritical. They let everybody go to Bolivar [Peninsula] during Jeep weekend, you can be up each others butts in the grocery store, she said. But then [bars] have to mind their ps and qs, or they get fined.

Marshall, a veteran who served in the Navy and Coast Guard, said she wasnt bothered by the extra steps the Poop Deck had taken to comply with social distancing requirements, but she didnt totally agree with them.

Its Memorial Day weekend, Marshall said. Were supposed to remember the ones who gave their lives for the very freedom that theyre taking away.

Read this article:
If People Want to Take a Chance, Its Their Prerogative: Inside One Bar on the First Day of Reopening - Texas Monthly

When you hear the phrase "transatlantic cruise," does it evoke images of black-tie dining, dancing into the wee hours of the morning while sipping champagne from delicate coupes?If Rose's upper-deck experience in the movie Titanic is anything to go by, then the answer is probably yes. But there's plenty of truth to her adventures with Jack while navigating the glitz and glamour, and lower-deck shenanigans, of life on a steamship. Grand ocean liners allowed the journey to become one of leisureand a status symbolfor a certain class of citizens starting in the 19th century. They clamored aboard, trunks in tow (packed with formal dress and white gloves right besides their swimsuits and sportswear), ready to live up those unfettered sea days at full hilt. While they commonly sailed from Southampton to New York City and back, some routes began in Italy, Germany, and other parts of Europe. Though they never really died outCunard's Queen Mary still sails transatlantic routes todaymaking the journey by plane overtook sailing in the mid 20th century. We gathered some colorful photos from the era that share a taste of what it was like. Grab your badminton gear and cigarette case, we're all aboard this trip of nostalgia.

See the rest here:
15 Retro Photos That Capture the Glamour of the Transatlantic Cruise - Cond Nast Traveler

Password management and online checkout have always been pain points for online shoppers. Fast, a one-click login and checkout startup, is looking to solve that problem. And it just raised a $20 million Series A led by the $36 billion fintech giant Stripe.

"The issue that we're actually solving is that there's basically a missing layer of the internet, which is the identity layer," Domm Holland, co-founder and CEO of Fast, told Business Insider.

Fast integrates with online merchants to offer customers the ability to log in and checkout with one click.

The first time a consumer sees the Fast checkout button, they can sign up for free. After that, they can check out with one click everywhere they see the Fast button. So to grow its user base, Fast will look to integrate with as many online merchants as possible, from e-commerce retailers to online media companies.

While Fast's one-click password product is already live, with this latest fundraise, it will now roll out one-click payments and checkout features.

"Much of our growth over the next 12 months is basically putting the button on as many websites as possible," said Holland.

Part of that growth will come through its partnership with Stripe, as starting next month, all of Stripe's merchants will be able to integrate Fast into their checkouts. Long-term, the startup will look to build more online shopping products for consumers, like order tracking and returns management across different online stores, Holland said.

To be sure, Fast isn't the only one looking to solve this problem. PayPal, for one, offers a one-click checkout product, and credit card issuers like Visa and Mastercard have partnered up on a one-click checkout, too.

But Holland says that a key differentiator for Fast is its platform-agnostic approach. Apple Pay, which also integrates into merchant check-out windows, is Fast's biggest competitor, Holland said. But its checkout product can only be used by iPhone users and when shopping online, only on Apple's Safari browser.

Fast's Series A, which closed at the end of March, comes at a time where venture investors are shying away from early-stage companies, focusing much of their capital on existing investments.

But founders could take this opportunity to meet with as many people as possible, albeit virtually, realizing that relationships may take longer to build, Holland said.

For founders looking to raise, keeping potential investors in the loop is also key.

"You want to be lines, not dots, and you want to show traction," said Holland. "The first thing I always say to anyone who's going to be fundraising is start putting out investor updates and send them to everyone who you would want to have in the round."

And while it's easy to try and answer all possible questions in a pitch deck, Holland instead advises to keep it light on text.

"You should be structuring a pitch deck in a way that you actually know what question they're going to ask you because it's missing a bit of information that you expect that they will want," Holland said.

Not only will this keep investors engaged, it will also demonstrate the founders' ability to articulate the pitch and answer questions live, Holland added.

Stripe's funding comes just months after Fast's November seed round, which was led by Index Ventures with participation from Global Founders Capital and Kleiner Perkins.

Here's the 15-slide pitch deck it used to raise its Series A.

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One-click checkout startup Fast used this pitch deck to nab $20 million from investors like fintech giant Stripe. Here's a look at its vision for...

Adding a deck to your home is a great way to make outdoor dining more feasible and enjoyable. And when it comes to putting in a deck, you have a number of choices. You can opt for a classic wooden deck, or go with a composite material like Trex that looks similar to wood but is virtually maintenance-free.

But not everyone likes the look of composite decking or the price tag involved. While wood generally costs $15 to $25 per square foot, composite material can cost $30 to $45 per square foot. For a larger deck, that's a huge difference.

As such, you may be inclined to choose a wooden deck, even if that means signing up for more maintenance. But don't kid yourself -- you'll really need to perform that maintenance to avoid problems with your deck. That maintenance includes, but may not be limited to:

That may seem like a lot of work, but if you don't perform these maintenance tasks, here's what might happen:

In the grand scheme of things that could go wrong with a wooden deck, this is really the least of your problems. But aesthetically speaking, putting off staining or painting your deck can lead to it turning into a major eyesore.

There's a reason you're supposed to sand and seal your deck regularly. If you don't, it can splinter, causing injury to anyone who tends to walk on it with bare feet (say, your kids). The same holds true for your deck's railings; someone can put a hand on a railing and wind up hurt.

Rotting wood doesn't just look bad; it can make your deck structurally unsound. When wood rots, it weakens, which means it has the potential to break. That's dangerous for any type of deck, but it's particularly hazardous for a deck that's many feet off the ground.

Wooden decks require commitment -- namely, you'll need to perform the above-mentioned tasks, tedious and time-consuming as they may be. If you're really not willing to do that work, you may be better off with composite decking. Though it'll cost more up front, it will cost a lot less to maintain through the years, and then you won't have to put in the time or sweat necessary to keep a wooden deck in top shape.

If you buy a house with a wooden deck attached to it already and you're not keen on maintaining it, you have a few choices:

Wooden decks can be a great home feature, but they need care and attention. Keep that in mind before you install one so you don't wind up regretting your decision.

Read the original here:
3 Things That Might Happen if You Don't Maintain Your Wooden Deck - Motley Fool

Because it was involved in so much of the states early history, San Augustine calls itself the Main Street of the Texas Republic. Platted in 1833 deep in what is now called the Piney Woods, the town was once a busy stop on El Camino Real de los Tejas, an early trail network that linked Mexico with Louisiana. During the nineteenth century, streams of American settlers passed through the area or even put down roots. Although the towns population has dwindled over time from a peak of 2,930 in 1980 to about 1,900 today, tourists still stop by to admire the historic churches and handsome Greek Revival homes. With its brick storefronts and hand-painted signs, San Augustines charming commercial district, centered around the 1927 limestone courthouse, seems to have been frozen in the first half of the twentieth centurywith one glaring exception.

Right across from the courthouse, wrapping around and atop a modest single-story 1935 home on Broadway Street, lies something genuinely perplexing: a three-story assemblage of observation decks, pointed Gothic arches, and, somewhat disconcertingly, sharp wooden spikes. Some of the spikes, which are between one and six feet long, hang down like fangs, while others jut sideways, as if they were spears ready to stab the air. On the second level, a ten-foot-tall white cross, also rather spiky, is situated next to a statue of a black panther. Beneath the decks, mounted to the windows of the home itself, are hand-drawn portraits of people who seem to stare at passersby. A life-size statue of Jesus Christ, nailed to a plain wooden cross, stands permanently on the lawn beside the house. The material used for the Saviors skin makes him appear scalded, his face obscured by a crown of thorns.

Gary Brewer, a 61-year-old artist and carpenter, owns and resides in the house and has been constructing the tower of decks above it for the past fifteen years or so, adding a board here, a few nails there, when he can afford to buy new materials. His work isnt complete yet. Brewer plans to build a fourth and final level, looming about 55 feet high, which will eclipse the height of every other building for many miles, not least the venerable San Augustine County Courthouse.

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Though the project has its admirers, not everyone is a fan. When word got out last fall of Brewers intention to build a fourth floor, city manager John Camp intervened. I just want to be careful about letting it become a more imposing feature of the town than the courthouse, Camp says. If it gets much higher, people are going to be really mad if I dont say anything. And then people will think they can build whatever they want right on the square.

San Augustine has never had any sort of height restriction ordinance; it never occurred to anyone that one was needed. But with Brewers creation threatening to disturb the contours of the towns modest skyline, that changed. Last December Camp placed such an ordinance on the city councils agenda. Brewers plansalready sky-highwere suddenly up in the air.

Brewer in his home studio.

Photograph by Brian Goldman

Betty Oglesbee is sometimes described as San Augustines matriarch. A go-getting fund-raiser, the 85-year-old received a 2017 Governors Award for Historic Preservation from the Texas Historical Commission for her leadership in preserving the towns historical buildings, including the local library, courthouse, and old jail. When Betty wants a project, I tell you, you have a choice, said John Crain, the historical commissions vice chair, during remarks at Oglesbees award luncheon. You either give or you move out of the way.

Oglesbee is not a fan of Brewers decks. Last April, a tornado blew through town, uprooting stately pines, obliterating more than forty homes, and razing the white gazebo on the courthouse lawn. Everybody thought, Lord, maybe it blew away, she says of Brewers construction. But it didnt, she adds with a sigh. Of course, it was just the Rock of Gibraltar.

Oglesbee knows Brewer well and considers him a friend, as does nearly everyone who knows him in this tight-knit town. Her late husband, John, often hired him for carpentry projects, including replacing the doors on their home and repairing the camp house they owned outside of town. Hes a wonderful artist. Hes smart and good, but hes different, Oglesbee says. I dont want to bad-mouth him, because hes not a bad person. Tammy Barbee, who owns the Texas Star Retail Store & Boutique, just around the corner from Brewers home, admires his craftsmanship and keen eye for detail. His photorealistic, seven-foot-tall pictures and paintingsmostly depicting women, and one of Jesuswere recently displayed in a jam-packed side room of her store. He makes the frames for his pictures and everything, she says. Hes very talented in all areas. But shes a bit tired of fielding bewildered questions about the decks. Out-of-town people come in, and they think its weird, she says. Its beautiful work, but I really wish it was out in the country.

Brewer, though, has no interest in doing what he does anywhere but in San Augustine, where hes lived most of his life. He was born in nearby Lufkin and raised in San Augustine, enjoying a typical rural Texas childhood of shooting BB guns, playing baseball, and splashing in creeks. An aunt who painted landscapes praised his sketches when he was a boy, but it was years before he got the artistic bug. He spent much of his twenties traveling throughout Texas, working in construction. Brewers specialty was structural ironworkerecting and connecting steel beams, girders, and columns that form the skeletons of tall buildings. In 1985, when he was 26, he and his wife and their two-year-old son, Vincent, moved to a mobile home on his mothers land ten miles west of San Augustine. I wanted to have a home that I knew was a good place for Vin, he says. Following the move, Brewer abandoned his former profession. Nobody needed tall buildings in San Augustine, so he became the next best thing: a carpenter. These days, he and Vindeemed essential workers during the pandemicare busy building porches and garages.

And in his spare time, he builds the tower (he bought the house on the town square in 2006). He began to draw in earnest in his mid-thirties after teaching himself to do it. I never did do anything until my wife and I divorced, Brewer says. So then, when I wasnt cooking and stuff, I began to sit down and draw and sketch a little bit, most often when Vin was asleep.

Was creating art cathartic, something that helped him through a difficult or lonely period in his life? No, not anything like that, he says.

He doesnt know how he developed an aesthetic so radically different from that of his neighbors either. He cant name any artistic influences and doesnt know how to describe his style, although he isnt crazy about the fact that everyone calls his work Gothic (because, he says, he never wears dark eyeliner or black nail polish). Nor, despite the abundance of Christian imagery in his pieces, does he burn with more religious fervor than many of his neighbors in San Augustine, where theres one church for about every 95 residents.

Brewer built the first deck in 2006 so he could walk straight from his back door to a hot tub hed installed behind the house. When he dreamed up a bigger vision for the tower one nightoriginally topped by a steeple that would stand seventy feet tallhe sketched it out and started building shortly afterward.

The plans changed radically over time, though Brewer cant specify why that is. The addition of the spikes that bother so many? I like spikes, he says, noting that theyre easy to cut with the Porter-Cable and Makita circular saws that he owns. Beyond that, he cant explain his motivations for making them such a prominent part of his home. I just like the way they look.

While Brewers vision for the decks will be complete after he builds the fourth floor, its not hard to picture him tinkering with them indefinitely. He hopes to rent the upper levels for events down the line, and he might also charge people $5 to have a look around.

He knows that some San Augustine locals dont appreciate his attention-grabbing hobby. Hes also aware that his tastes clash with the historical character of the downtown district, which the town has invested a great deal in. The Classical Revival courthouse was extensively restored a decade ago through a combination of $4.3 million in state funds and local fundraising efforts by Oglesbee and others. The newly beautified courthouse, rededicated in November 2010, kicked off a downtown restoration movement.

Locals like Oglesbee are also proud of the historic Mission Dolores, which was named a state historic site four years ago. Established by the Spanish in 1717, the site is undergoing extensive renovations to its museum and visitor center half a mile south of the courthouse square. A museum in the countys old jail, built a century ago, houses Texana collections and artifacts from the regions history of law enforcement. And the Lewis Railroad Hotel, a two-story former boardinghouse that housed African American railroad workers during segregation in the early twentieth century, is in the process of a gorgeous restoration with a sturdier foundation and new paint, in addition to a rebuilt chimney and roof that became urgently necessary after a tree fell on the building during Hurricane Harvey.

One reason locals have worked so hard to preserve the town, perhaps, is that San Augustine has not always been portrayed in a flattering light. Richard Linklaters 2011 film Bernie (based on Skip Hollandsworths 1998 Texas Monthly story about Bernie Tiede, a funeral director turned killer) labeled San Augustine the Squirrel Hunting Capital of the World, populated by cousin-counting rednecks with more tattoos than teeth. In a June 2018 article about the closing of the towns only Dairy Queen, the Houston Chronicle quoted a Nacogdoches resident as saying that San Augustine was the armpit of East Texas. Even further back, a 1978 Texas Monthly article portrayed it as isolated and awash in social and racial inequality.

Brewer believes his structure should be regarded as part of the towns self-improvement, and he wishes his neighbors would see it the way he does. The truth of the matter is, they want everything in the downtown area to be restored to an old-timey look, so my place is a thorn in their side, he says, his mouth widening into an ornery grin. Ive been told there were petitions, and someone went to the fire marshal to get him to declare it a fire hazard. On another occasion, he says, a San Augustine resident offered to give him free retail space for his artwork if he would just cut down the spikes. He refused.

Its clear that Brewer enjoys the attention the decks bring. In January he built an elaborate wooden throne (replete with spikes, naturally) and placed it on the top deck, where he can sit like a king and enjoy his sweeping view of San Augustine below. I am one who for the most part is quiet, in a crowd I am silent, almost unseen, it has been said, one who is hard to figure, but inside is an intensity that I cherish and hold dear, he wrote to me in a text message. I play out triumphant scenarios in my mind depicting a glorious day when after years of ridicule and opposition I am seen on my handmade throne by all who opposed me. While joking about his sense of indulgent grandeur, he also noted that the meek would inherit the earth, according to his savior, the Most High. Soon, if everything went according to plan, there would be nothing in San Augustine higher than his throne.

A panther perched on the deck.

Photograph by Brian Goldman

Brewer long felt that he had one ally in his push against small-town strictures: city manager John Camp. To me, it gives the town something that nobody else has, Camp says. And we should be capitalizing on those things rather than trying to sell only history, which doesnt sell, frankly. Still, the increasing pace and scale of Brewers decks made Camp nervous. I have no doubt Gary is the quintessential deck builder, but the city is going to be held liable if the damn thing falls and kills somebody, he says. (Im a reputable builder, and nothing I do is going to fall, Brewer insists.)

So in December Camp asked the San Augustine City Council to impose a 35-foot height limit on new structures. Anything taller would require an endorsement from a licensed structural engineer, plus a vote of approval from the city council.

On December 17, 2019, members of the San Augustine City Council met to debate and vote on the ordinance. But first, they received updates on a recent playoff run by the high school football teamgo Wolves!and on the towns Christmas parade. Oglesbee and six other members of the Main Street Advisory Board received engraved ink pens for their volunteer service. Brewer, clad in a camo baseball cap, black leather jacket, and paint-stained blue jeans, slid into a chair at the back of the room.

Not to pick on Mr. Brewer, said alderman Mark Liepman, once the height ordinance came up for discussion, but he does seem to have the tallest thing around. We just want to make sure the darn thing will stay up there under normal circumstances.

Brewer chimed in from the back row, a break in decorum the aldermen took in stride. I do intend to get my drawings legally stamped, and anything I do further will be just as sound, Brewer said. I believe my corner brings progressiveness and diversity to this little town. In the past, folks said they want this to be a retirement town. I believe this would be a good

Camp nodded, cutting him off. Im not trying to get into that, he said.

The motion passed unanimously. Afterward, the aldermen and attendees greeted each other warmly. Even Brewer smiled.

Over scrambled eggs and toast the next morning, Brewer told me he was confident that his building would gain the approval of a structural engineer and the city council. Artwork for people around here is landscape paintings or portraits of notable people of town, he said. Anything extreme or different is just viewed as silly and worthless.

Brewer doesnt begrudge those who have opposed his project, though. They are all good people I have known all my life, he says, noting that he does hope they will eventually be more accepting of the progressive change he brings to town.

On April 27 Brewer presented a hand-sketched blueprint of his decks to a state-registered structural engineer in Lufkin, who gave the plan his seal of approval on one condition: that Brewer double the number of studs, beams, and cross-bracing supports holding up the top level, which he agreed to do. That left one hurdle to clear. The San Augustine City Council would still have to grant permission for Brewer to exceed the towns brand-new height ordinance. On May 19, the council did just that, voting unanimously to approve his request for a variance.

Barring any obstacles or delays, he expects to complete his masterpiece in the next year or two. Then members of the public will be welcome to join him in the sky above San Augustine. Its like somebody said one time, Brewer notes. If you build it, they will come.

This article originally appeared in the June 2020 issue of Texas Monthlywith the headline The Gothic Carpenter of San Augustine. Subscribe today.

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For Years, an East Texas Carpenter Has Been Building a Gothic Contraption of Decks and Spikes in a Historic Square - Texas Monthly