I wanted to post this on Friday before the chag began but ran out of time. This is our sukkah:

I designed this sukkah two years ago after our sukkah that year had some issues and almost fell on us. As you can see, it was not really that stable, and didn't even have walls (therefore, not even really a sukkah...):

I actually made our sukkah last year while we were still living in the apartment:

Unfortunately, we did not have a yard to put it up in and only got to use it over the weekend while we were staying in Houston. After that we had to rely on the rabbi and rebbetzin's hospitality to fulfill the mitzvah.

Well, this year we actually have a back yard (and what a wonderful one it is!), so we are able to have a sukkah of our own for the entire chag.

My main addition to the sukkah this year is a real hardwood floor. I don't like dirt and I am also not fond of grass that much, so having something beneath my feet (and my back when I sleep) is important to me. We went to Home Depot last week, and I thought about what would make the best floor. Plywood might have been a good idea, and definitely cheap, but I wanted something more substantial.

I ended up buying six 2in x 12in x 8ft pine boards to serve as the floor. I also bought some metal connectors. Getting the boards home was an interesting bit of fun (in my little 1990 Honda). Then I had to put them together... I found out that these boards are very heavy when they are all nailed together. With Lindsey's help and the use of Chaya's little push car, I was able to get the floor moved a total of 10 or so feet from the patio to the place where the sukkah was going to be. Now I have to decide what to do with the floor after the chag is over. It is too heavy to move in one peice, and I'm not sure if taking it apart is going to be doable... We'll see...

I'll post more pictures after the chag, and probably add some from the past few years, too.

Chag Sameach everyone!

Labels: Holidays