July seems to be an emotional month for many. The temperatures are high, humidity soars and luxury outdoor living becomes a little uncomfortable as a result. Even with soaring pergolas with outdoor ceiling fans and cantilever umbrellas, escaping the heat can be challenging. Many of us delay grilling, dining and elegant entertaining until after 8 p.m. when it cools and the breeze picks up.

FREEDOM

My grateful perspective is that we deliberately enjoy the freedom to grill, hang out on our patios and attend freedom festivals and parades celebrating the Fourth of July. We pause a moment to reflect and to thank those in the military service past, present and future for what they have sacrificed that allows us to live in the greatest nation in the world.

OUTDOOR SPACE

Let this tasteful patio and surrounding landscape be a small testament to our freedoms. Open markets and a respectable national transportation system allowed these materials to be delivered to us in a timely and somewhat affordable manner. Business owners of all sizes produced the clay pavers featured and their R&D teams researched preferences, colors and quality. Entrepreneurs grew the plant materials and took risk to bring these goods to market.

As a result, this thrilled Carmel homeowner is able to enjoy the outdoors like never before. Clay pavers are a preferred material because of their rich texture and color and it marries well with the natural boulder clusters that define the beds and helps to transition the grade. I especially enjoy the river gravel touch that brightens up the area and helps minimize the annual mulch addiction.

My hope is for continued freedoms and the opportunity to spend time feeling grateful for what the Fourth of July means.

May God Bless America.