Do-it-Yourselfer Tip: Don't Lay Tile in the Rain

Update: When I told my wife we should take down our pop-up awning before going to HEB Plus, she said not to bother - the rain is over. Minutes ago, we pulled into Silver Creek to near flooded streets and a steady downpour.

I knew the re-grouting we did before we left was toast, but I didn't expect the demise of my trusty pop-up picnic shelter. I guess the deluge of water coming off the roof of the house was simply too much weight.

Please bear with me for one moment as I pay tribute to a true workhorse, my big pop-up shelter. You provided a needed respite from the sun during many an outing, including trips to Garner Stater Park, garage sales, and occasionally to shade me from the sun while working on a car. You folded up into a compact size and fit nicely into your canvas container, suitable for easy storage or conveniently placed in the back of my van for travel. You did your part to make tiling our patio more comfortable an experience, and you paid the ultimate price: collapsed structure, the result of an unrelenting and unexpected rainstorm - quite possibly of Biblical proportions.

Here is to sunnier days. Goodbye old $89.00 freind. You were a bargain when we bought you at Academy about seven years ago, and you will surely be missed.