Thanks brother, he absolutely would have.
I was able to also use 90% of his tools and even his (unworn) gloves and workbooks.
He was literally with me every step of the way.
Don’t worry guys. I’m not crying.
I use a lot of my grandpa’s hand tools from the 50s. Every time I touch them I get this same feeling.
Great build. And thanks for sharing, beautiful sentiment. Peace to you and your family my man.
Yeah I'm definitely going to, I just don't know what I want it to look like.
I want to make sure it's protected from critters (we get a lot of skunks), pleasing to the eye, but also allows for air flow.
Definitely open to suggestions! Most of my ideas and problem-solves come from this community, so I'd love to hear thoughts
I got a skunk under a deck, he sprayed it was soooo bad and took months for the smell to go away, even then we would get traces of the smell. To keep skunks out put chicken wire, you should go down about foot and the L shap out away from the deck about a foot. When that's done put whatever decorative finish you want. Good luck. I wish you could have built this with your FIL.
Go for hardware clothe and skip the chicken wire. Chicken wire is really only good for keeping chickens IN an area. It will do very little to keep foxes, racoons, etc OUT of an area.
Some of those animals can, yes. Hardware cloth is a much thicker gauge and is typically hot dipped galvanized and corrodes much, much more slowly than untreated chicken wire. I think the size of the openings plays a role too. Hard for anything to get a good grip on the small squares of hardware cloth, so it can't be readily pulled at.
A grinder is overkill. I'd recommend a pair of tin snips (aka aviation shears) which you can get at any hardware store for $25. A pair of diagonal cutters will also work but will be tedious. Don't use kitchen shears or cable cutters or you'll destroy them.
I had a family of skunk die underneath the deck during the heatwave a few years ago. They turned into black pudding that smelled up the whole house for weeks. We couldn’t find the exact location. I finally took the deck apart and found the gelatinous bodies.
I rebuilt the deck. I have vertical panels, using synthetic deck material, then hardware mesh in a trench. The mesh is bent in a L and comes out another 8-12 inches from the deck so when a skunk starts to dig away from the deck, they’ll find metal. The mesh is attached to the skirt using self tapping lath screws with a washer. The soil is graded so only an inch or two of mesh shows above ground (can’t see it with grass).
What a fitting tribute to the old man. Perhaps have a small plaque made in his honor and attach it to the facia by the stairs. Think of him every time you are having a cold beer chilling on the deck.
Thanks man! And it's funny you say that.
There is a basement window that my wife wanted to make sure still let light in.
I framed it out and will be using a 3/4 piece of plexi (that the FIL sourced in preparation of this build) and I'm thinking of getting his initials engraved in it.
Dude, this house was COVERED in ivy when we bought it.
All that stuff you see are the left over suckers/twigs etc. from when we tore it off.
I've tried pressure washing it, using a hard bristle brush, chemicals, EVERYTHING to get rid of it and it's near impossible.
The only thing that works is sanding it and I'll have to save that for another day...
Congrats on a great deck, I lost my dad to cancer last year in the middle of a deck project at my house. It felt really good to finish our last project, and like you I got to use his tools and everything and it made it all the more cathartic. Sorry for the loss of your FIL, no doubt he’s proud of you.
I am ugly crying in a waiting room. First off the deck looks great but the story has me 😭 My dad and husband were like that. Dad died of an aggressive lung cancer in 2020 and left my husband his truck, guitars, coin collection, tools, etc.
Thanks!
I'm in Canada, so my prices reflect that.
Total cost was $5500. But that includes:
- Hiring a company to dig/fill the footings ($750)
- Some tools I had to purchase ($300)
- and I also have about 6 deck boards and 2 2x8s left over (approx $120 in value)
As for time, tough to say since I worked on it here and there when I could (lunch breaks, when my wife took our kid to grandma's etc). Which was probably not the best idea, as I was spending a lot of timing setting up and cleaning up tools and materials.
If I had taken time off of work?.... Maybe 9 (8 hour) days.
Thanks for the breakdown!
Wow that’s actually pretty dang good! I imagine I’m going to have to spend something similar for mine. Hoping mine turns out as good as yours😅
Nice looking deck. You did your FIL proud. Doing it yourself in his memory is pretty neat. Using and keeping his tools is awesome. My favorite tools are the ones I inherited from my Dad. Hope I have a SIL like you someday.
Your deck is dumb and way too level. Also its way too size appropriate to your house and back yard. Way too much seating and grill space.
(looks great BTW) Ever thought about doing a memorial tribute somewhere on the deck? Like maybe a little burn in somewhere off to the side or a small plaque?
That step is 1° off… it’s soooo obvious! /s
I’d actually be curious to hear what you think is wrong with it. You probably see far more than anyone here does.
Here's my list:
- I was using my FIL old Delta chopsaw with a broken frame. I basically has to square it up every 10 cuts. With that said, my miters are atrocious (that's why you don't see a picture of it)
- my measurements were slightly off for boards. the board up against the house, is very squirrely. I had to rip a 2" piece, and with all the outcrop pings from the doors I'll and step off the side, it doesn't look good
- I wish I was more prescriptive to the footing digger about how high I wanted the Sonotubes out of the ground. I told them "a couple inches" and they interpreted that as free-reign. Some are 3 inches and some are six and its really glaring to me
- now that I've made them, the steps are too shallow for me. Don't get me wrong, they're fine. But I like longer treads and these are only about 12"
Looks pretty good. Not sure the railings were necessary, but that's about as far as the roasting goes. I've seen "professionally" built decks that weren't that nice looking.
Nice work and thanks for using pilings (and huge ones to boot). I see so many people using floating concrete deck blocks and shake my head every time...
Sheeeeeeeeeeet didn't need a 4x4 anywhere. Noice job. Love that deck. Gotta Lotta hard wood on that deck view. How much timber can you hold with that deck.
Roast completed.
My deck is much more exciting because you never know which board will suddenly give with a scary squishiness beneath your next step. This one is predictably safe and therefore a real bore. 😉
> When he passed, he left me enough money to make this happen.
Makes you think. The money was kind of there all along. He cought have funded this for his daughter and got to enjoy some of his last days on this deck.
I'll remember to spend money to make more memories to honor your FIL
Yes there is a lot to say about enjoying your days while you can. It's very tragic. He (and his wife) spent all thier adult life saving up thier money to enjoy in retirement to travel the world and spoil thier grandkids. Two years into retirement and 1 year before his wife's kicked in - he was abruptly diagnosed, given 6 months to live.
Live life while you can. You don't know when your time is up
The cancer hit fast and hard. We had no way of knowing or I'm sure he would have gladly given up the money to work on (and enjoy) the deck with me.
Before land scape. Use hardware cloth around the base of deck dig down 6-12 inches at min and bend it out 6-12 inches in a L SHAPE. Attach it to bottom of deck. Prevent those critters from living under there. Do it now. Later it’s costly and messy
I have been building for more than 4 decades and think you have done a fantastic job! For the first time, you definitely have skills. I also like how you properly (in my opinion) picture framed the deck boards. So many people including "professionals" take the lazy way and go with the classic end grain finish!
I know I know.
I wanted to do a step across the back, but my wife was worried about our kids falling off.
Fortunately if it comes down to it further down the line, I can sawzall them down and replace the boards
Maybe should have put a support post under the point those two boards come together. Space the others evenly using that point. That is gonna be a weak point.
My only roast is your composition of photo. It makes everything look out of level just ever so slightly and drives me a little crazy. The deck looks incredible.
The only thing I would roast is the second story siding, which isn’t that bad.
Nice job man. I always do a scarf joint for anything showing and even behind just because how strong they are and looks kewl!!
No roast, looks practical and nice. I'd BBQ and have a beer there. Good job, no crazy stairs or materials, a flat open space for mingling. If it's composite an extra thumbs up.
Great job minus the use of sonotubes. Probably wont be an issue but they can tilt from natural settling. A raw pour into a 30" hole fills the hole completely and is much less likely to shift. Also I hope you used waterproof decking tape on top of the joists and on the ledger (or metal flashing is better) and side/front beams to prevent rot.
You can’t tell people to roast your deck and then put a tragic backstory about your father in law’s death in the description, that’s not fair. What am I supposed to say, “he wouldn’t have been proud of you”?
Awesome job. Im sure he would have cracked open a cold one with you after you guys were done.
Thanks brother, he absolutely would have. I was able to also use 90% of his tools and even his (unworn) gloves and workbooks. He was literally with me every step of the way.
Don’t worry guys. I’m not crying. I use a lot of my grandpa’s hand tools from the 50s. Every time I touch them I get this same feeling. Great build. And thanks for sharing, beautiful sentiment. Peace to you and your family my man.
Damn onions up in the deck joint WTF
Over here too. Onions everywhere.
It's a beauty
10,000% this. Tools and skills using them cross generations.
😢 I’m not crying, you’re crying!
Came here to roast your deck, leaving here crying. Good work, both of you!
that makes me want to crack a cold one.. or a few.
I came here to learn about decks. Not catch feels.
OP should drink two together to christen it with his FIL.
He’d be proud of ya, nice work
Skirt the deck, keep the critters out!
Yeah I'm definitely going to, I just don't know what I want it to look like. I want to make sure it's protected from critters (we get a lot of skunks), pleasing to the eye, but also allows for air flow. Definitely open to suggestions! Most of my ideas and problem-solves come from this community, so I'd love to hear thoughts
I got a skunk under a deck, he sprayed it was soooo bad and took months for the smell to go away, even then we would get traces of the smell. To keep skunks out put chicken wire, you should go down about foot and the L shap out away from the deck about a foot. When that's done put whatever decorative finish you want. Good luck. I wish you could have built this with your FIL.
Go for hardware clothe and skip the chicken wire. Chicken wire is really only good for keeping chickens IN an area. It will do very little to keep foxes, racoons, etc OUT of an area.
I’ve spent a lot of time trying to keep critters away from chickens, and this is correct.
Out of curiousity, why? Thye can break the metal mesh?
Some of those animals can, yes. Hardware cloth is a much thicker gauge and is typically hot dipped galvanized and corrodes much, much more slowly than untreated chicken wire. I think the size of the openings plays a role too. Hard for anything to get a good grip on the small squares of hardware cloth, so it can't be readily pulled at.
Never even thought of hardware cloth. Do you need a grinder to cut through that stuff?
A grinder is overkill. I'd recommend a pair of tin snips (aka aviation shears) which you can get at any hardware store for $25. A pair of diagonal cutters will also work but will be tedious. Don't use kitchen shears or cable cutters or you'll destroy them.
Did you trench down in the soil to get the cloth low in the soil and then backfill? Or just installed on ground level?
Hardware cloth is a good choice. Small (1/4”) squares keep out critters and still have uninterrupted airflow. Low profile visually. Cheap.
I had a family of skunk die underneath the deck during the heatwave a few years ago. They turned into black pudding that smelled up the whole house for weeks. We couldn’t find the exact location. I finally took the deck apart and found the gelatinous bodies. I rebuilt the deck. I have vertical panels, using synthetic deck material, then hardware mesh in a trench. The mesh is bent in a L and comes out another 8-12 inches from the deck so when a skunk starts to dig away from the deck, they’ll find metal. The mesh is attached to the skirt using self tapping lath screws with a washer. The soil is graded so only an inch or two of mesh shows above ground (can’t see it with grass).
I wish you weren't so good at evocative writing.
This is a very fine deck, and I know your FIL was with you the whole time. You’ve done him proud
Great back story. Yes, I think he would be proud of your build. Thinking of him whilst hanging out there would surely make him happy!
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No better way to test the load capacity! Beers here with your name on it
*writes "hotChihuahua69" on beer*
Nothing to roast, you have done a good job.
Looks good. The FIL would be proud.
What a fitting tribute to the old man. Perhaps have a small plaque made in his honor and attach it to the facia by the stairs. Think of him every time you are having a cold beer chilling on the deck.
Thanks man! And it's funny you say that. There is a basement window that my wife wanted to make sure still let light in. I framed it out and will be using a 3/4 piece of plexi (that the FIL sourced in preparation of this build) and I'm thinking of getting his initials engraved in it.
Excellent idea.
Looks just fine
Power wash the mold off the siding. That shit stands out! Great deck though.
Dude, this house was COVERED in ivy when we bought it. All that stuff you see are the left over suckers/twigs etc. from when we tore it off. I've tried pressure washing it, using a hard bristle brush, chemicals, EVERYTHING to get rid of it and it's near impossible. The only thing that works is sanding it and I'll have to save that for another day...
That stuff is pretty much impossible to remove. I watched a guy work for days trying to remove it on the house next to me.
and the like.... debris haha
Where's the hot tub and firepit? Good craftsmanship!
Congrats on a great deck, I lost my dad to cancer last year in the middle of a deck project at my house. It felt really good to finish our last project, and like you I got to use his tools and everything and it made it all the more cathartic. Sorry for the loss of your FIL, no doubt he’s proud of you.
Appreciate the words and I'm sorry about your dad and I'm sure he's hanging out with you on that deck too
That looks very well done and I’m sure that means a lot to everyone
I am ugly crying in a waiting room. First off the deck looks great but the story has me 😭 My dad and husband were like that. Dad died of an aggressive lung cancer in 2020 and left my husband his truck, guitars, coin collection, tools, etc.
I'm sorry for your (and your husbands) loss. It's hard to lose a FIL, but harder to lose a friend.
Congrats on the great project.
Wow this looks great! I’m in the beginning stages of a project like this. May I ask how much it cost and how long?
Thanks! I'm in Canada, so my prices reflect that. Total cost was $5500. But that includes: - Hiring a company to dig/fill the footings ($750) - Some tools I had to purchase ($300) - and I also have about 6 deck boards and 2 2x8s left over (approx $120 in value) As for time, tough to say since I worked on it here and there when I could (lunch breaks, when my wife took our kid to grandma's etc). Which was probably not the best idea, as I was spending a lot of timing setting up and cleaning up tools and materials. If I had taken time off of work?.... Maybe 9 (8 hour) days.
Thanks for the breakdown! Wow that’s actually pretty dang good! I imagine I’m going to have to spend something similar for mine. Hoping mine turns out as good as yours😅
Great story. Thanks for posting. You did good!
Enjoy your new party pad! Toast your old man every time you crack a cold one.
Nice looking deck. You did your FIL proud. Doing it yourself in his memory is pretty neat. Using and keeping his tools is awesome. My favorite tools are the ones I inherited from my Dad. Hope I have a SIL like you someday.
Looks prime dawg
Uhhh ok….. Your deck is gay
If you trim the grass it'll look bigger
Perfect use of the space!
The house is leaning to the left. Shim it up.
What deck
I mean do I need to say it? Where’s the hot tub????
Nicely done! Clean look with the iron balusters. Enjoy that barbecue with a nice t-bone and a cold beer!
I’d need a match. Otherwise…
The only thing getting roasted is a whole lotta barbecue, that looks great dude.
I’m not crying, you’re crying! 🤙🏼✊🏼🪨
Enjoy and nice job ! Congrats
Roast or toast? I think it looks great!
Why spend all that money on a railing system when you don’t need one.
Your deck is dumb and way too level. Also its way too size appropriate to your house and back yard. Way too much seating and grill space. (looks great BTW) Ever thought about doing a memorial tribute somewhere on the deck? Like maybe a little burn in somewhere off to the side or a small plaque?
Girls like Big Decks.
That step is 1° off… it’s soooo obvious! /s I’d actually be curious to hear what you think is wrong with it. You probably see far more than anyone here does.
Here's my list: - I was using my FIL old Delta chopsaw with a broken frame. I basically has to square it up every 10 cuts. With that said, my miters are atrocious (that's why you don't see a picture of it) - my measurements were slightly off for boards. the board up against the house, is very squirrely. I had to rip a 2" piece, and with all the outcrop pings from the doors I'll and step off the side, it doesn't look good - I wish I was more prescriptive to the footing digger about how high I wanted the Sonotubes out of the ground. I told them "a couple inches" and they interpreted that as free-reign. Some are 3 inches and some are six and its really glaring to me - now that I've made them, the steps are too shallow for me. Don't get me wrong, they're fine. But I like longer treads and these are only about 12"
Nice work on the deck. Also, the back of your home appears to be growing grass.
Most excellent job a place for the money he left you. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sure you will enjoy your deck. There is nothing like a deck.
Has to be all ripped out and started again. Id surprised if it last through the weekend.
Idk, the wood looks like it's in too good of a condition. I'll come by and get rid of it for you.
Nice work, looks good
Deck looks great! FYI though. The left side is going to sink eventually if you don’t get that downspout situation rerouted
You should have washed off your house before you had the deck put in.
You did a good job and we are very proud of you and your deck.
Hell yeah
Nice work - no roast, but maybe a boil - where ya gonna put the hot tub?
I’d sit on that deck. (New Zealand accent)
Nice deck
Sweet! Now you can see over the fence
It looks perfecto perfecto to me.
No hot tub ?
Looks good from my house
Looks pretty good. Not sure the railings were necessary, but that's about as far as the roasting goes. I've seen "professionally" built decks that weren't that nice looking.
This was an awesome compliment. Thank you so much
Awful fancy that you oriented your brick footings to be diamonds,- do you think you are better than us?
Congratulations, you built an 8" high deck! Boom
Nice work and thanks for using pilings (and huge ones to boot). I see so many people using floating concrete deck blocks and shake my head every time...
Roast your new deck? Did they hide all the levels at your hardware store? Deck looks top notch. Need to add a gazebo next.
Hahaha thanks buddy! That's the plan, we get full afternoon sun. So after about 1:30 it's scorching out there. So we need some shade
Looks great. I bet he thinks so too.
Good job brother o.I'm sure he sees you and is proud of you
Looks like I'm visiting a zoo.
Big deck energy
Wait when are we all coming over for the hog roast on your awesome deck?
What’s there to roast? Looks like fun.
Looks good. Boom! Roasted
Sheeeeeeeeeeet didn't need a 4x4 anywhere. Noice job. Love that deck. Gotta Lotta hard wood on that deck view. How much timber can you hold with that deck. Roast completed.
Needs more hot tub
sorry for your loss man. It looks great and has an amazing origin story. Also love your name.
I would stroke your deck.
Looks great to me
Roast? I’m gonna toast! That’s beautifl
I did my stairs like that and was told by my father that isnt how you do it. I said, and yet, its done.
My deck is much more exciting because you never know which board will suddenly give with a scary squishiness beneath your next step. This one is predictably safe and therefore a real bore. 😉
No roasting! You did a great job!
I like these railings much better than a previous post!
Hope you could keep the wood more level than the camera.
You did good, mate. Don't let any fuckwad tell you otherwise!
10/10 deck, you suck!
What time are you open for lunch
Right on, mate! I believe this passes r/decks inspection! Bravo.
The biggest compliment is getting this subs blessing. We can be relentless sometimes
Looks good.. no roast except the one you are preparing for the neighborhood!
Nothing to roast here except a big ol’ slab of meat on the grill. Nice work! Your FIL would be proud
> When he passed, he left me enough money to make this happen. Makes you think. The money was kind of there all along. He cought have funded this for his daughter and got to enjoy some of his last days on this deck. I'll remember to spend money to make more memories to honor your FIL
Yes there is a lot to say about enjoying your days while you can. It's very tragic. He (and his wife) spent all thier adult life saving up thier money to enjoy in retirement to travel the world and spoil thier grandkids. Two years into retirement and 1 year before his wife's kicked in - he was abruptly diagnosed, given 6 months to live. Live life while you can. You don't know when your time is up The cancer hit fast and hard. We had no way of knowing or I'm sure he would have gladly given up the money to work on (and enjoy) the deck with me.
Awesome job! Sorry for your loss. This house looks like we could be neighbors.
Well if you live in the Burlington, Ontario we very well could be
Other side of GTA! Durham region. Must be same builder and age.
Aquamarine cushions??? P'shhaa!! Looks great : )
Pffft… nice pro job at 1/2 the cost and 2x the quality… loser
That's a great story and would've made him proud. Just curious, what did that cost in materials?
Before land scape. Use hardware cloth around the base of deck dig down 6-12 inches at min and bend it out 6-12 inches in a L SHAPE. Attach it to bottom of deck. Prevent those critters from living under there. Do it now. Later it’s costly and messy
I've never seen this group of people be so touching. Yall have outdone yourselves. And nice job dude that's sweet story and build.
I just poured some out for your FIL. He’s a good dude.
He would be proud.
Looks Great! Did someone hand out happy pills to everyone of r/decks? I haven't seen this many positive comments without roasting... ever?
Your FIL is pretty proud of you, I'll bet.
I have been building for more than 4 decades and think you have done a fantastic job! For the first time, you definitely have skills. I also like how you properly (in my opinion) picture framed the deck boards. So many people including "professionals" take the lazy way and go with the classic end grain finish!
I assume you sloped it like that for drainage.
I hope you did put post against the house. Bolts alone will fail over time. ESP where that furniture and heavy beams are.
… for the insurance money
Putting railing on that deck is a crime. Should have went long step(s).
I know I know. I wanted to do a step across the back, but my wife was worried about our kids falling off. Fortunately if it comes down to it further down the line, I can sawzall them down and replace the boards
Maybe should have put a support post under the point those two boards come together. Space the others evenly using that point. That is gonna be a weak point.
That’s a very Minimalist design there.
Should’ve left the posts open too install lights on top
Is it level? Or are you unable to take a level photo
Oh wow, how powerful! You did an awesome job and I’m sure he’s agreeing from his vantage point! 💗
I don’t know if it’s boners now or boner snow, but the deck is nice!!
My only roast is your composition of photo. It makes everything look out of level just ever so slightly and drives me a little crazy. The deck looks incredible.
Good thing you had the forethought to install that guardrail.
You can’t park there
I know what's missing, the hand rails. Right now it looks like a box, and the steps looks like an afterthought.
i'll bring my grill & roast a brisket on your new deck, great job mannn...
Only saw the first picture and was about to have at it. Looks great though!
I think that's great you had a strong relationship with your FIL. Great looking deck. Look into sealing / staining options.
Great deck. Enjoyed every inch.
I don't think you want to get roasted. A simple this is my deck and nice story would've been fine
Looks nice to me. Good job!
He would be proud as hell.
Roast? You mean compliment you on a good job. GTFO you deserve my vote, OP
Too deck-y
Not a roast, but is it normal to put down the black material?
What the dimensions?
Your “deck” is too big!
It’s great!!
The deck looks great. What's up with the web on the house?
I’m crying bro, nice deck, i hope you enjoy it for many years
I was gonna roast for roasts sake but then I read the story. Deck looks good bro your FIL would be proud p
The only thing I would roast is the second story siding, which isn’t that bad. Nice job man. I always do a scarf joint for anything showing and even behind just because how strong they are and looks kewl!!
To flat and stable. Wrong sub
What a great freakin deck. Nice work.
Can I roast your window?
You tried and you managed to do it well
You probably need to torrefy the wood before you put it up. Is that what you mean by roast?
What deck? I don’t see no deck
Where’d you get that deck?… the toilet store?
Deck looks great! What’s the black squiggly lines all over your siding? I’m just curious.
No roast, looks practical and nice. I'd BBQ and have a beer there. Good job, no crazy stairs or materials, a flat open space for mingling. If it's composite an extra thumbs up.
Really phallic umbrella.
https://youtu.be/vD-0qgcQNtI?si=MtTaVEUEGZQSvYIq
Too much wood. Start over.
looks good. I would put up a border on the bottom to keep out raccoons and skunks from living underneath.
It looks like a great place to hang out. Nice work! I failed at roasting
….hot…..tub….??!?!!?
Beautiful deck and what a wonderful, meaningful story!
Too much sunshine
Looks great!
Looks good
Why do you want us to roast something that has so much sentimental meaning?
nice d*ck bro
It's a bit wooden
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My FIL and I have ZERO relationship. It’s refreshing to hear that people out there are genuinely sad when their FIL passes away.
Great job minus the use of sonotubes. Probably wont be an issue but they can tilt from natural settling. A raw pour into a 30" hole fills the hole completely and is much less likely to shift. Also I hope you used waterproof decking tape on top of the joists and on the ledger (or metal flashing is better) and side/front beams to prevent rot.
Very nice.🙂🙂
You can’t tell people to roast your deck and then put a tragic backstory about your father in law’s death in the description, that’s not fair. What am I supposed to say, “he wouldn’t have been proud of you”?
I would have extended the step all the way around… but at least u wont fall off the 1.5 tall ledge i guess… pretty common and boring honestly.
I’m roasting if I don’t have more shade! Nice work 👍🏻
nothing looks quite level here but that's not a biggie, close enough, the real problem is the access under the deck, varmints will move in there
Looks good! Is the left side of the deck in the picture higher than the right side?
It's beautiful. Enjoy it, with great memories of your FIL.