Where my Chids live!
 

I thought that I'd share with everyone a short photo tour of where my chids live.

1. When you step outside, this is the view you get of my phal area on the patio...which faces west. It's a great place to sit and read in the afternoon when all my chid chores are done...and the sunsets aren't too bad either. :)
2. Take a few more steps out towards the pool, and you're greeted by the poolside vanda racks hanging on the south side of the pool cage.
3. When you turn around from the pool racks, you'll get a chance to see a few display racks that border the patio area. Right now there are a few dendrobs, paphs, oncidiums and catts. :biggrin:
4. Look towards the left, and you'll see the south wall of the shade house. Note the brown rolls at the top of the walls. These are my cold protection roll-downs that snap into place. They can cover all three exposed walls when needed on the few chilly nights we get here each winter.
5. The first thing you'll see when you enter the shade house is my potting bench and my encyclia collection (mostly encyclias anyway). :D
6. Here is a shot of the encyclia bench looking at it from the end where I have a few deciduous dendrobs hanging.
7. Looking out from the potting bench is a panoramic view of the main part of my collection. I have most of my vanda collection along the south and north facing outer walls, and three benches of catts and other odds and ends along the middle and back wall.
8. And one last shot of the poolside vandas as you leave the shade house.

The shade house is an aluminum structure with screen walls, and a polycarbonate roof. There is a 40% alluminet shade cloth under the polycarbonate, giving me 50% shade. The roll-downs are made of a soft awning material called sunbrella. The benches in the shade house are custom, all aluminum. They were expensive, but I'll never have to buy benches again.

The whole structure is 24 X 12 feet, and is rated for a category 3 hurricane. The benches are just wide enough to fit through the door, so when a storm is forecast, we just carry them into the patio area and close our accordion hurricane shutters, keeping all the chids safe. :)

Oh, my, David! Such a neat and organized growing area. I also looked at all the vandas in flower in your other posts. I don't grow vandas well here but now won't have to . I'll be able to get to see all the beautiful vandas in your posts!!! Very, very nice David.

Outrageous! You're living my dream. I wish I had the space and natural light and poolside :biggrin: setting, shown here. Your plants are spectacular. I'd be out of control if I had this room.

I really enjoyed seeing these pics. All more I can say is, WOW! Thanks for sharing.

Beautiful pad! Im totally jealous of your poolhouse/orchidhouse! Do you only grow around the pool or do you scatter stuff outside as well? Either way, good work!

Quit impressive! I love the large Vanda's near the pool! Thanks for sharing this with us!

Wow David! Very nice set up. Count me in with the green with envy people! What is the blooming red Catt in pic #6?

That looks like a dream come true. What a beautiful place to lay back, watch the clouds drift by, and dream.
Marilyn

Count me in on the group - BLOWN AWAY! I can't even imagine such a feast for the senses - except online. WONDERFUL - a treasure - I'm out of words.........:D

OMG David!!! Your crib is sooooooooo D' Cool!!!!! I am sooooo Jealous!!!!
When I spoke to you and you were telling me how you had this built, It but WOW'sie NOW!!!

In my dreams would that be mine...

:faint: You are so incredibly lucky to have a setup like that!:cloud9: And you have a huge collection. That is the type of setup I can only dream about. Our cold dreary winters don't allow things like that. Maybe I should move to the south of France!