Completing Phase 2

I felt crappy on Sunday but it was the mother's birthday, it was nice outside and the job really wouldn't take that long ... so I persevered.

I've already noted that there were TWO projects involved in upgrading the front of the house. By now, you've likely seen Phase One, or the new mailbox. Remember? It looks like this.
OK. There's some things I want you to notice. See the old mailbox, next to the front door? Train your eyes around that section in particular. Focus in right there. Got it? OK. Now that you have that picture in your mind, take a look at this.
Yes, it's a new custom address plaque! The mother and I have been talking about one of these for YEARS. She decided to make the leap a few weeks ago. I went on a scouting mission and this was one of two styles that I liked. (It was the only style the mother liked that was available in anything other than GINORMOUS size.)

The mother threw me with the color choice (black and gold). See, I thought she had intended to paint the mailbox white. When I questioned this, she looked at me as if I had horns growing out of my head.

"White?! NO! I'm leaving it black. So, the plaque should be black and gold, to pick up the brass."

OK. Fine. Whatever. When I ordered it at Home Depot (using a gift certificate I'd received as a prize for the brick porch and walkway last year), I chose the black and gold option. I was dubious, but I did it. The plaque wasn't supposed to arrive until this week -- but it came in just 10 days!

When it arrived, I thought it was very pretty. But I was going to have to see it ON THE HOUSE before I made a final judgment. So, here's the new mailbox ... and the new address sign, together. Ah, very nice. They complement each other quite well. (Please ignore the paint touch-ups around the plaque. They were still wet when I took this picture!)

Then, the other day, the mother did this. Wait. Before you look, look again at the new mailbox. Got it? OK. Now look ...

The mother is FOREVER touching something up. Now you can see the gold and does it ever make it POP! OK. I'm with you, sort of. Accent colors really DO make a lot of difference.

Here's a view of the detail on the side. Believe me, it was a WHOLE lot of detail as she did this all the way around. It took hours. And way more patience than I could ever muster.

I think it looks pretty cool. And, now that the plaque is up, I'm starting to get the idea ...

Maybe I can finally see where she was going with all this. After weeks of wondering and hours of just "doing,"to get the job completed, I can officially render a verdict: I LIKE it!

What do you think?