Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

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.

Here is the original post:
For Years, an East Texas Carpenter Has Been Building a Gothic Contraption of Decks and Spikes in a Historic Square - Texas Monthly

Although observation decks remain shuttered across New York City (the newest and most dizzying in town was effectively shut down the day after it opened due to the coronavirus outbreak), the thirst for vertiginous ticketed attractions in the Big Apple hasnt subsided. And RFR Realty, new-ish owner of the citys 1,046-foot Art Deco landmark, the Chrysler Building, is happy to oblige.

Earlier this week at a virtual public hearing, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission signed off on plans to build-out a glass panel-enclosed public observation deck on the terraces of the skyscrapers 61st floor near its iconic silver eagles. Gensler was tapped by RFR to design the space.

And to be clear, this wont be the first observation deck at the Chrysler Building, which turns 90 later this month. The 71st floor was once home to an observation deck dubbed the Celestial that was in operation for 15 years until closing in 1945 per the New York Post.

RFR honcho Aby Rosen has also expressed interest in reviving the Cloud Club. This legendary, long-running lunch club famous for its Dover sole, bread-and-butter pudding, and decidedly eclectic decor catered to big spenders on the 66th through 68th floors up until 1979. In addition to throwback sky-high clubs, Rosen wants to bring other retail and dining venues to the building as well.

I see the building as a Sleeping Beauty: It needs to be woken up and revitalized, Rosen told the Post last year after purchasing the for-sale building, once the tallest in the world for a hot minute in 1930/1931, for $150 million.

A timeline for the new observation deck has not been revealed.

More:
Chrysler Building public observation deck gets the go-ahead - The Architect's Newspaper

The Cardinals outfield depth chart illustrates the extremes that exist in any minor-league system, where top prospects range from on deck to on the distant horizon. Three of the Cardinals leading outfielder prospects personify this spectrum.

Fletcher, newly 19, is considered a project and several years away, as is his teammate Jhon Torres, 20. Meanwhile, Uber-prospect Dylan Carlson is, as one executive put it, basically a phone call away from the big leagues.

When Fletcher and Torres come into view, Carlson, 21, will be a prominent fixture in the Cardinals lineup if the current forecast holds.

Thats the future, for now.

In an eight-part series that begins here, with outfielders, the Post-Dispatch will examine and identify the future at every position for the Cardinals, from outfield to infield, starters to closer. In addition to using scouts and scouting reports to illuminate the depth of the organization, the purpose will be to spot the next star ready to arrive or the next hole that must be filled.

I think when you look at it from a high level, not at one specific position and consider the whole system, almost every position has somebody that you could project as a major-league contributor through a lens of two or three years from now, said John Mozeliak, the Cardinals president of baseball operations. It becomes a question of who will make an impact. In the outfield, you have young players, but theyre exciting in different ways with different performances at different places in their development.

Read the original here:
From imminent to impact, Cardinals have Carlson on deck and duo with 'raw' potential for future outfield - STLtoday.com

Live pitch competitions featuring the future of technology are one of the most exciting elements of what happens in Austin each March at SXSW. While we were unfortunately not able to provide an interactive forum to showcase all the great startups this season due to the events cancellation by the City of Austin in March, we are excited to share presentation decks from the 2020 finalists from SXSW Pitch and SXSW Release It as well as the opportunity for companies to request introductions to finalists.

SXSW is a champion of startups, and our goal is always to promote and celebrate amazing entrepreneurs, said Chris Valentine, SXSW Pitch and Release It Event Manager. This year, due to the cancellation of SXSW, we are focusing on digitally showcasing our SXSW Pitch and Release It finalists and alternates. By providing their presentation decks on the SXSW Pitch and SXSW Release It webpages, we are excited to share our incredible finalists for 2020 with the entrepreneurship and investment community.

Over the past 11 years, SXSW Pitch has played a pivotal role in shaping the early-stage venture ecosystem, giving promising companies from Siri to Klout the resources they need to succeed. Of the 503 past participants, 75% have received funding totaling to $6.6 billion and 16% have been acquired.

Explore pitch decks from each of the innovative tech finalists and alternates that have opted-in to share their 2020 presentation from SXSW Pitch across its 10 categories and SXSW Release It.

Our finalists represent some of the most ambitious talents in the world with the creative new ideas to change it. We not only want to showcase the great work they are doing to a larger audience but also connect these startups with any interested companies. If you are a company that would like to be introduced to a finalist, please complete this Introduction Request form.

SXSW Pitch Decks

SXSW Release It Decks

Congrats again on all the amazing work from our 2020 SXSW Pitch and SXSW Release It finalists and alternates. We wish everyone good luck as you move forward with your startup!

Photo by Beverly Schulze

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Presentation Decks from 2020 SXSW Pitch and Release It Finalists - sxsw.com

CBS All Access is making the most out of the final frontier with a handful of original Star Trek shows. Star Trek Discovery kicked off the latest era of the franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek: Picard brought back the beloved captain from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will spin-off characters from Discovery. But theres one other Star Trek project in the works at the CBS streamer that may be the most original: Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is a new animated series from Rick and Morty writer and Solar Opposites co-creator Mike McMahan that focuses on the members of the lower decks of a starship crew instead of the higher ranking officers on the bridge. Many Star Trek fans have worried about a full-fledged animated comedy within the world of Star Trek turning into a parody of the franchise itself. But when we asked McMahan about how he intends to bring humor to the franchise, it sounds like his head is in the right space (no pun intended), and the series wont use Star Trek or its fans as a punching bag.

I had the opportunity to speak with Mike McMahan about his animated series Solar Opposites on Hulu (read our review here), and our conversation turned to Star Trek: Lower Decks. McMahan had previously said that he hoped to create an animated series that had plenty of laughs but still respected Star Trek canon and didnt belittle the franchise. I asked him how he intended to do that, and he had quite the eloquent and thoughtful response. McMahan started:

Im a huge Star Trek fan, and nobody needs a Star Trek comedy that made fun of Star Trek or punched down on Star Trek, nor was I interested in doing that that. I was interested in writing a Star Trek that could be canon, that follows the rules of other Star Trek shows that I loved, and has everything that you love about Star Trek, including the way you tell stories. But Im a comedy writer. Im never gonna write a serious Star Trek, so the way that we handled it is its on a ship that isnt the capital ship. Its not about the bridge crew. Its about the lowest officers on that ship. But when were breaking stories for the lower decks, every episode also has a proper Star Trek episode thats happening to the bridge crew, and our lower deckers arent involved in it. However, you cant have a big sci-fi thing happening on a starship and not have it effect them because thats their whole world. So if youre watching Lower Decks, youre getting a full Star Trek episode from the perspective of people who are having their own social and emotional stories and their own sci-fi stories, but they just arent on the bridge. They dont have the information the bridge is getting, and they dont have the responsibility.

The mere premise of seeing the less exciting stuff the lower decks crew has to deal with while the bridge is having a full-on space adventure is funny in itself. But a lot of comedy will come from the dynamic between the characters at the center of the series. McMahan added:

A big thing that was important to me was figuring out how do we comedically access these characters. How can these characters be funny and not break Star Trek? You cant have a Morty [from Rick and Morty] in Star Trek. You cant just have a stupid person in Starfleet, otherwise it breaks the aspirational paradigm of what humanity is like in Starfleet. So our leads are foils for each other, but theyre very much ingrained in Star Trek.

More specifically, McMahan dived into the two leads of the show and how their clashing will be a source of comedy:

You have Ensign Beckett Mariner, who is sort of like our Tom Cruise/Maverick, where shes amazing at Starfleet stuff, and shes incredibly knowledgeable, but she just hates following the rules and she bristles at the military structure. She wants to do whatever she wants. Shes kind of like Captain Kirk if Kirk wasnt a captain and didnt have the power. Kirk would follow his gut, and she followers her gut.

Then, Ensign Brad Boimler also knows everything about sci-fi stuff, and is also an amazing Starfleet crew member, but hes so by-the-book and so burdened by following the rules that he cant follow his gut. So the comedic friction there is that they both want the same thing, theyre both good at this stuff, but emotionally and from a human level, theyre completely different about how they do it.

Finally, for anyone concerned that a Star Trek comedy series may be a step in the wrong direction, McMahan also said:

Star Trek has always had comedy in it. Every series of Star Trek has funny characters, funny episodes, and those always live in the B-stories for the most part. That, to me, is what I love about Star Trek. So its really taking that aspect of it and letting that shine. I cant wait for you guys to see it, because its one of my favorite things Ive ever made. It feels like it fell out of another dimension in the 90s where they were making a funny Next Generation era show.

Knowing Mike McMahans nerdy comedy sensibilities combined with everything he said here, Id say Star Trek: Lower Decks sounds like its in perfect hands. We wont know for sure until the series arrives on CBS All Access, which is slated to happen sometime later this year. Stay tuned for our full interview with Mike McMahan, coming soon.

Go here to read the rest:
Star Trek: Lower Decks Details: Finding Comedy in the Final Frontier - /FILM

Decks and More (www.decksandmore.biz), a metro Atlanta-based remodeling company, has won two national Contractor of the Year (CotY) Awards from NARI, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. Decks and More received the honors in the Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living Under $100 category for a home in Johns Creek/North Fulton and in the Green Residential Exteriors category for a home in Buckhead.

The National CotY awards are NARI's premier awards for the remodeling industry. The annual accolades recognize excellence in remodeling across 48 categories. NARI members throughout the nation submit their best work for consideration by a panel of expert judges. Over the years, Decks and More has been honored for outstanding work at the local, regional and national level by NARI, the North American Deck and Railing Association and other professional organizations. http://www.nari.org/Recognition-Center/CotY/National-Winners

"It's always rewarding to win a CotY Award, since the entries are judged by a panel of remodeling peers," said Frank Pologruto, president of Decks and More. "As always, the competition was extremely tough, since remodelers from across the country submitted their best work. Decks and More is truly honored and grateful to receive these awards. I'd like to thank our clients, design team, creative carpenters, Southeastern Underdeck team, painters and our amazing electricians. These projects were total team efforts and I am honored and blessed to work with these professionals every day."

National CotY Winner for Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living Under $100,000, Johns Creek, Ga.

"For this busy family who loves to entertain, we replaced an outdated and non-descript deck with a beautiful two-level outdoor entertainment area," said Pologruto. The home features a professionally landscaped backyard with a pool, outdoor kitchen and flagstone patio, but the dated, existing deck hampered the flow from the house to the yard and detracted from the lovely landscape. The homeowners wanted two levels of attractive and functional outdoor living spaces, but they wanted their view preserved. We worked with partner Southeastern Underdeck on the project. It took a strong team effort, creativity and innovation to design and install the components in a way that did not block the view. First, a pressure-treated engineered beam was installed to support the new wooden deck with its Chippendale handrails, custom corbels and diagonal decking. Below, Southeastern Underdeck installed an under-deck system made of custom aluminum panels to protect the homeowners from weather on the ground level. To complete the project, we added stacked stonework at the steps, LED lighting and a two-color paint scheme for the deck and rails. The lower level features a clear span design with only four columns supporting the upper deck. This creative engineering maintained the clear view of the landscape."

National CotY Winner for Green Residential Exteriors, Atlanta, GA (Buckhead neighborhood)

"The couple who lives in this Buckhead home had the house custom-built and the grounds professionally landscaped, but for some reason, the back deck was too small and didn't span the home. It almost looked like it was added as an afterthought," said Pologruto. "The homeowners asked my team and me to design a low-maintenance deck to provide easy access to the backyard with a wide, sweeping view. To avoid installing railings across the entire back of the deck, we designed a grand, 28-foot-wide staircase that gently descends to a landing before reaching the ground. The deck features gray birch composite decking placed at a diagonal with a picture frame border and open, fortress iron handrails. Additional green solutions include LED lighting and PVC white trim at the perimeter of the deck. Where the old deck made you feel cramped and confined, this new outdoor deck and grand staircase are gracious and open. They are a perfect match for the beautiful home and meticulous landscape."

About Decks & More

Decks & More is a metro Atlanta-based remodeling company founded in 2001 by Frank Pologruto. The award-winning business specializes in creating outdoor living spaces, home additions, porches, decks and patios, as well as remodeled bathrooms and basements. Pologruto, who learned the remodeling business first-hand from his father and uncle prior to his formal training during his tenure with the U.S. Army, leads a team of skilled craftsmen and uses only the highest quality materials in each of his firm's remodeling projects.

Decks & More has earned over 100 prestigious awards and accolades and is the most award-winning deck contractor in the metro Atlanta area. Among the honors are National Contractor of the Year Awards from NARI (National Association for the Remodeling Industry), a Best Wood Deck Award from the North American Deck and Railing Association, a Super Service Award from Angie's List, Consumer's Choice Award in the category of Patio and Deck Builders and numerous local remodeling awards. Decks and More is a member of NARI and a charter member of the North American Deck and Railing Association. http://www.decksandmore.biz.

Read more from the original source:
Decks and More Wins Two National Awards-One for Johns Creek Home - Patch.com

Immaculately remodeled 4 bedroom 3 bath

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So you say you want the indoor/outdoor lifestyle? We have just the house for you.

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Prime location on a quiet cul-de-sac and only two blocks from the Eagle Rock attractions - Trader Joes, Cindys, Little Beast, Public House, Cacao and much more.

The home is bathed in natural light and with an open floor plan integrating oversized decks, this is a great house for entertaining or for simply unplugging from the chaos of the city below while you listen to the wind rustle the leaves all around.

Eagle Rock schools are quickly becoming the pride of LAUSD and this home is within walking distance.

Sky Minor 310-709-8283Skyminor@gmail.comCA DRE #1380933

This Sponsored Post is an advertisement on behalf ofSky Minor Real Estate

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Decks, Tubs and Rock 'n' Roll in Eagle Rock - Remodeled 4 bedroom 3 bath - The Eastsider LA

Decks and More (www.decksandmore.biz), a Smyrna-based remodeling company, has won two national Contractor of the Year (CotY) Awards from NARI, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. Decks and More received the honors in the Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living Under $100 category for a home in Johns Creek/North Fulton and in the Green Residential Exteriors category for a home in Buckhead.

The National CotY awards are NARI's premier awards for the remodeling industry. The annual accolades recognize excellence in remodeling across 48 categories. NARI members throughout the nation submit their best work for consideration by a panel of expert judges. Over the years, Decks and More has been honored for outstanding work at the local, regional and national level by NARI, the North American Deck and Railing Association and other professional organizations. http://www.nari.org/Recognition-Center/CotY/National-Winners

"It's always rewarding to win a CotY Award, since the entries are judged by a panel of remodeling peers," said Frank Pologruto, president of Decks and More. "As always, the competition was extremely tough, since remodelers from across the country submitted their best work. Decks and More is truly honored and grateful to receive these awards. I'd like to thank our clients, design team, creative carpenters, Southeastern Underdeck team, painters and our amazing electricians. These projects were total team efforts and I am honored and blessed to work with these professionals every day."

National CotY Winner for Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living Under $100,000, Johns Creek, Ga.

"For this busy family who loves to entertain, we replaced an outdated and non-descript deck with a beautiful two-level outdoor entertainment area," said Pologruto. The home features a professionally landscaped backyard with a pool, outdoor kitchen and flagstone patio, but the dated, existing deck hampered the flow from the house to the yard and detracted from the lovely landscape. The homeowners wanted two levels of attractive and functional outdoor living spaces, but they wanted their view preserved. We worked with partner Southeastern Underdeck on the project. It took a strong team effort, creativity and innovation to design and install the components in a way that did not block the view. First, a pressure-treated engineered beam was installed to support the new wooden deck with its Chippendale handrails, custom corbels and diagonal decking. Below, Southeastern Underdeck installed an under-deck system made of custom aluminum panels to protect the homeowners from weather on the ground level. To complete the project, we added stacked stonework at the steps, LED lighting and a two-color paint scheme for the deck and rails. The lower level features a clear span design with only four columns supporting the upper deck. This creative engineering maintained the clear view of the landscape."

National CotY Winner for Green Residential Exteriors, Atlanta, GA (Buckhead neighborhood)

"The couple who lives in this Buckhead home had the house custom-built and the grounds professionally landscaped, but for some reason, the back deck was too small and didn't span the home. It almost looked like it was added as an afterthought," said Pologruto. "The homeowners asked my team and me to design a low-maintenance deck to provide easy access to the backyard with a wide, sweeping view. To avoid installing railings across the entire back of the deck, we designed a grand, 28-foot-wide staircase that gently descends to a landing before reaching the ground. The deck features gray birch composite decking placed at a diagonal with a picture frame border and open, fortress iron handrails. Additional green solutions include LED lighting and PVC white trim at the perimeter of the deck. Where the old deck made you feel cramped and confined, this new outdoor deck and grand staircase are gracious and open. They are a perfect match for the beautiful home and meticulous landscape."

About Decks & More

Decks & More is a Smyrna-based remodeling company founded in 2001 by Frank Pologruto. The award-winning business specializes in creating outdoor living spaces, home additions, porches, decks and patios, as well as remodeled bathrooms and basements. Pologruto, who learned the remodeling business first-hand from his father and uncle prior to his formal training during his tenure with the U.S. Army, leads a team of skilled craftsmen and uses only the highest quality materials in each of his firm's remodeling projects.

Decks & More has earned over 100 prestigious awards and accolades and is the most award-winning deck contractor in the metro Atlanta area. Among the honors are National Contractor of the Year Awards from NARI (National Association for the Remodeling Industry), a Best Wood Deck Award from the North American Deck and Railing Association, a Super Service Award from Angie's List, Consumer's Choice Award in the category of Patio and Deck Builders and numerous local remodeling awards. Decks and More is a member of NARI and a charter member of the North American Deck and Railing Association. http://www.decksandmore.biz.

See the article here:
Smyrnas Decks and More Wins Two National NARI Awards - Patch.com

Hello! This is Oliver Tiu writing my first article for MTG Arena Zone. Over the past few weeks, I have won a MagicFest Online event and qualified for the Mythic Invitational with the help of what I have been calling the second best standard deck of all time, Jeskai Lukka. I figured it would be helpful to offer my thoughts on the deck to both those who wish to play the deck and those that want to beat the deck. In this article, I will go over specific card choices, a general idea of how to mulligan with the deck, and I will include a detailed sideboard/matchup guide.

This past weekend, I qualified for the Mythic Invitational with the following list:

Some of these card choices are pretty obvious, since theyre omnipresent throughout every Jeskai Lukka list. However, I will explain some of the less orthodox choices and why I believe that they are worthy of a slot in the deck.

4 Agent of Treachery

A vast majority of Jeskai Lukka decklists only include 3 Agents, but I have always chosen to play 4. I believe that having access to 4 is extremely important against Bant and the mirror, which are currently the two best decks in my opinion. Games in these matchups can go very long, since it is fairly trivial for both decks to overcome an agent or two with their own agents, and Teferi bouncing the stolen target. Therefore, you want to have access to four, almost ensuring that your Lukkas will have a target for his -2 ability, even very late in the game. Most lists play three in order to decrease the odds of drawing it but, against Bant and Jeskai, hard casting agent is a legitimate strategy that can swing the late game in your favor. If Bant and Jeskai somehow become less popular, then I can see going down to three agents, but I dont see that happening any time soon.

3 Solar Blaze and 1 Shatter the Sky

In the current metagame, Solar Blaze is almost more reminiscent of a Plague Wind than a Wrath of God. Against the two most popular aggressive decks, Obosh and Cycling, Solar Blaze kills basically all of your opponents creatures while not killing your own The Birth of Meletis tokens, Yorion, or Archon of Suns Grace post sideboard. In addition, it doesnt let your opponent draw a card like Shatter the Sky does. Although it is worse against the mirror and Bant than Shatter the Sky, wrath effects in general are not very effective in these matchups. As a result, I firmly advocate for playing at least three Solar Blaze as a concession to the various aggressive decks in the format.

I actually think that the one Shatter is the least important card in the deck, and I can easily see cutting it for a cheap interaction spell such as Aether Gust or an Omen of the Forge. I included it in case I played against an aggressive deck where Solar Blaze is not that effective, such as Priest of Forgotten Gods sacrifice decks, but those decks have been fairly pushed out of the metagame.

4 Castle Ardenvale

Many lists that I have seen only include three, sometimes even two, Castle Ardenvale. However, I staunchly believe that four is necessary. The card simply has too much synergy with the deck at such a low opportunity cost. Between the Triome and the Shocklands, the Castle will come into play untapped the vast majority of the time, and it provides an endless stream of tokens to fuel Lukka. In addition, the Castle provides a lot of value in drawn out games against the mirror, Bant, and Temur Reclamation, allowing you to put on pressure against these decks while playing a makeshift flash game. The tokens also do a great job of pressuring problematic Planeswalkers.

1 Commence the Endgame

This sideboard card is fairly narrow, not in terms of which matchups it comes in against, but in its specific application in these matchups. It is basically another copy of Shark Typhoon, but is much worse against Teferi and Narset. Now, that does not sound like an appealing card, so why am I playing it? Basically against decks with counterspells such as Bant, the mirror, and Temur Reclamation, Shark Typhoon is your best card thanks to its unique ability to pressure your opponent at instant speed while being immune to counters. Therefore, another copy of this type of effect is very useful in these specific matchups, despite its weakness to Teferi and Narset. It is a very high variance card, so dont get discouraged if you end up getting wrecked by one of these Planeswalkers while Commence the Endgame is in your hand.

3 Archon of Suns Grace

This is probably the biggest innovation in this current iteration of Jeskai Lukka. I previously played Dream Trawler in this slot, which has seemed to rapidly gain popularity recently. I believe that these kinds of Lifelink threats really help in aggressive matchups where a single Agent of Treachery may not be able to save you: from an onslaught of small creatures and burn spells. Additionally, Archon and Dream Trawler are fairly easy to hard cast against these decks, while Agent is quite difficult to pay seven mana for safely. The reason I prefer Archon over Dream Trawler currently is that Archon is far easier to cast, even though it is often slightly worse to Lukka into. Archon allows you to play a turn four Fires of Invention into Archon, which provides a huge tempo swing against aggressive decks where you can quickly obtain a favorable position on board. Most decks do not board in answers to Archon against Jeskai Lukka, so it is very likely to survive. Since Jeskai Lukka is already playing a ton of enchantments, Archon seemed like a natural inclusion. It also has great synergy with Yorion, since blinking all of your enchantments results in a whole horde of lifelink Pegasi ready to overwhelm your aggro opponents. Although using Lukka to find a four drop off of his -2 may seem a bit underwhelming, it is often good enough since Archon is just that effective against the popular aggressive decks.

3 Omen of the Forge

Having access to a two mana interactive spell against aggressive decks is vital in order to survive the early game against these decks. The three options I see for this slot are Glass Casket, Fire Prophecy, and Omen of the Forge. I dont like Glass Casket much despite being able to kill larger creatures, since it is sorcery speed. If youre on the play, you are not able to kill a two drop on curve with a sorcery, which can mess up your whole curve. In addition, some red aggro decks sideboard in artifact destruction in order to kill walls, so Glass Casket provides additional targets for these fairly narrow sideboard cards. Fire Prophecy vs Omen of the Forge is something I thought about for a while prior to the qualifier, but I decided that the upsides of Omen outweigh those of Fire Prophecy. Omen has great synergy with Yorion and Archon, providing a lot of free value. Fire Prophecy deals an additional damage and allows you to loot away excess lands or unnecessary Agents in hand; however, its biggest appeal its ability to kill a 3/3 Flourishing Fox on the draw. So, if Cycling significantly rises in popularity, I can see swapping out the Omens of the Forge for Fire Prophecy.

1 Fry

As you will see later, the deck is designed in such a way where the number of cards that get sideboarded out against the popular decks cleanly get replaced by an equal number of effective sideboard cards. The way the numbers broke down, there needs to be a card that can come in against the slower decks like Bant and the mirror that also can be brought in against Cycling. Fry fills this role perfectly, since it is able to kill Cyclings best threats (Fox, Lurrus, and Valiant Rescuers), while also killing various Planeswalkers and shark tokens against the mirror and Bant. In addition, you can use it to kill a human token in response to a Lukka -2 to deny them an Agent. While Fry is not exceptionally good in any specific matchup, it is a crucial roleplayer against many popular decks. I can see going up to two Fries if you can make space for it, since it is so versatile in the current metagame.

Thanks to the London Mulligan and companions providing a free extra card, I highly recommend mulliganing very aggressively in the current standard format. Cards like Yorion, Narset, and Lukka let you easily recoup the card disadvantage from mulliganing, so it is far more important to have smooth mana and a good curve than having an extra card or two. Many MTG players are naturally adverse to mulliganing to five, but in 2020, mulliganing to five is no big deal at all. I have won countless games on mulligans to five with this deck, and rarely regret my decision to do so. Now, Ill go over some tough opening hands and explain why I would mulligan them or not.

On the draw and your opponent revealed that theyre playing a Yorion deck.

This hand is obviously awkward since it has all tap lands, which has a fairly high chance of messing up your intended curve. However, the hand has a fairly optimal number of lands with all of the necessary colors (double blue, double white, and double red). In addition, Narset is a great card against Yorion decks since she rarely gets pressured and makes cards like Teferi and Uro a lot weaker. Therefore, I would choose to keep this hand on both the play and the draw, hoping to find an untapped land sometime before turn three between draw steps and the scry from the temple. With this hand, I would choose to play a Triome turn one, since the temple will be more effective the following turn when you know for sure whether you still need an untapped land or not.

This was taken during the finals of the Redbull Untapped event. On the draw against UW Yorion deck.

I would choose to mulligan this hand, despite it being a good hand if you draw a blue source in the first three draws. First off, the hand needs double blue to let you have a powerful set of plays on turn four (Teferi and Dispute), which is pretty unlikely. In addition, you ideally would want to have an untapped blue source by turn two, so you could hold up dispute for their three mana Planeswalkers. If you fail to draw one by turn two, you can easily either be out-valued by Narset or risk having Teferi come down and shut down your Disputes. For these reasons, I think this hand is too risky to keep since the deck mulligans very well. Even if your draws work out, the hand isnt that exceptional. I would rather go down to six and hope for a more stable draw.

On the play against an Obosh deck.

Once again, I think this hand is too risky to keep. Fires and Solar Blaze is the best turn four play you can possibly have against an aggressive deck, but the hand is too land light to ensure that. If there was a blue source here, you could spend your second turn cycling Typhoon for zero and have a better shot of finding the necessary number of lands. Hence, I would keep it if the Plains was a blue source instead, but would not keep this particular hand since you cant afford to stumble against aggro. I would rather be down a card but have a smoother draw against the Obosh decks.

Game one is pretty luck based; whoever is able to stick a Lukka into Agent first tends to win since there is not much disruption in the pre-sideboard games. Post-board it gets interesting, since the games often play out in a sort of Flash way, where both players are scared to tap out during their own turn since they can get their play countered and give their opponent an opening to stick their own threat. Therefore, cards that let you deploy a threat at instant speed, like Shark Typhoon and Commence the Endgame, tend to be very important post-board. Fires is a risky card, since your opponent can steal it and take advantage of it, but it can still be very effective on the play since you will get a full turn to take advantage of it before your opponent can steal it on their turn five.

The game plan here is pretty simple: just answer their creatures then use Archon to gain enough life to survive a Zenith Flare. You often want to Narset and not use her ability if shes under any kind of pressure. Keeping her passive ability around is generally far more important than acquiring more value with her -2.

I am honestly pretty confused about why this deck continues to be popular. In my opinion, the Lukka matchup is pretty even, but Temur Rec is quite weak to aggro and Bant Ramp. Therefore, out of the most popular decks, it has one even matchup and two fairly bad ones. In addition, the deck isnt nearly powerful enough to justify playing a deck that lacks a Companion. My biggest tip for this matchup from the Jeskai side is to just play your threats into their counters. You can get punished, but playing a draw go game against them is exactly the kind of game they want to be playing. By jamming your cards, you force them to have enough counters for all your threats, while not giving them the time to develop their sharks or instant speed card draw.

Im actually surprised that this deck has been declining in popularity, since I think PVs latest list that features Nightpack Ambusher in the sideboard is actually quite good against Lukka. They can play a very effective Flash game while also being able to play potent sorcery speed threats like Elspeth Conquers Death and Teferi. My tip for playing this matchup is also just to play your threats into their counters more often than not. Their deck isnt that threat-dense, so it is unlikely that they can punish you too much for tapping out during your own turn. Additionally, they tend to have seemingly infinite counters post-board, so it is very unlikely that you can simply wait and hope for them to put their shields down. Instead, I prefer to trade threats into their counters until they either run out of them or I can set up a turn where I can play a threat and use a Dispute or Veto to counter their counter.

Just survive their early onslaught, then stabilize and close the game out with Archon of Suns Grace. This is a very straightforward matchup.

Dovins Veto is good on the play because you can counter a turn two Lucky Clover. I dont actually think that this matchup is that bad, but the card Brazen Borrower is quite effective against this deck. Its important to actually put pressure on them, since theyre one of the few decks in standard that can actually go over the top of Lukka if the game goes super late, so I would suggest trying to steal their larger creatures with Agent, and then apply pressure with their own creatures.

This matchup is bad on paper, but the fact is that their deck is very clunky and inconsistent, so you can easily take advantage of these weaknesses. Just get rid of their power cards like Risen Reef and Omnath, then steal their sizable threats like Omnath and Cavalier of Thorns. If you can keep them off of their engine cards, its pretty easy to overcome their support cards. Fires of Invention lets you set up huge swing turns, that can easily overcome their extra value, through the mana advantage that Fires provides.

Read more here:
Jeskai Lukka: Learning the Second Best Standard Deck of All Time - MTG Arena Zone

The crack of the bat and the sound of little cleats is the soundtrack of summer, and if everything goes as planned, we could have Little League baseball in the coming weeks and months.

Theres a lot yet to be done, and far more planning before the games begin, but for 3,000 or more young people in Winston-Salem and surrounding communities, there just might be baseball this summer.

There are things we need to work out, District 2 administrator Vince Scanlon said. Were all waiting on what the governor says we can do and what the health department says we can do.

Scanlon has 16 leagues scattered across Forsyth, Guilford, Davie, Rowan, Surry, Stokes and part of Chatham counties. No two leagues are completely alike, and theres no way to set a single set of dates for opening day.

A lot, he said, will be left to the individual leagues.

Some have already made plans. Walnut Cove has canceled its season. Rowan County will start in August. Kernersville is looking at July 1, and Winston-Salem is considering opening practices in mid-June.

The unknown is what a season will look like.

Little League of America, the parent organization located in Williamsport, Pa., announced in April that there would be no Little League World Series or any regional tournaments before that.

It left open the possibility for leagues around the country, indeed the world, to resume playing according to local health guidelines and released its own 2020 Season Resumption Guide for local chapters to follow.

Carter Catlett, the president of New Market Little League in Guilford County, said plans are already under way for taking precautions.

We might start practices with the parents sitting in their cars, but well do what we have to do, Catlett said. We might have to limit the number of teams practicing, or with 12-member teams, we might have six in the outfield and six in the infield or groups of three doing pitching or fielding or whatever.

He said safety and cleaning protocols will be in place, from wiping down equipment and dugouts between games, if not innings, and keeping parents separated behind the fences and in the bleachers and away from the dugouts.

The main thiing is to just get these kids outside, Catlett said. They need to be together among friends again, even if its just to practice for a couple hours twice a week.

Catlett said he understands there are people who think Little League baseball should be the furthest thing from our minds right now, but he also knows how important it can be, especially in a time of social distancing.

I get it, he said. But Ive been in public service my whole life. I know what the priorities need to be.

All across America, youth baseball organizations are busy debating if and when to open our fields to the kids again. No two states are on the same schedule. Here in the Piedmont, no two communities are on the same timeline.

Scanlon said there are still details to be worked out about liability, insurance and potential refunds. He said all families would have to consider signing waivers before allowing their children to play.

And then everyone would be in it together, to open an American pastime.

Its hardly our most important issue facing us, but baseball is part of the fabric of communities here and abroad.

Were going to play Little League baseball this summer. When and where are just some of the unanswered questions right now.

Contact Ed Hardin at 336-373-7069, and follow @Ed_Hardin on Twitter.

Read more here:
Ed Hardin: Little League in the on-deck circle, waiting to go to bat - Winston-Salem Journal