(blinks) I...tanned?

(stares in some surprise at the faintly-bronzed color of forearms)

Well. Whaddya know. Looks like there *is* a stage between day-glo white and sun-burnt strawberry after all.

(shakes head wonderingly)

I'll be damned.

What the hell kinda math is *that*?

Okay. So. It turns out a 2x6x12 is actually a 2x5-and-a-half-x12.

Which means that my calculations for finishing our deck (based on 6 inches per board) have left us 15 inches short.

I'm a mite put out, that I am.

'Course, I *do* suppose it's really my own fault since we didn't actually *measure* the boards but simply took for granted that something called a 2x6 would be six inches long...(grumble)

But hey--looking on the bright side: If the same logic holds true, then the 2x8s will be 2x7.5 and two of those will finish us off nicely.

Stupid bloody lumber measurements...I'm an accounting geek, not a damned carpenter...