Hey there! I’m Kyle Baue. These days you might catch me turning the pages of a good book or enjoying the dulcet tones of an opera singer. But not so long ago, I was behind the stick of a high-speed military aircraft.
Growing up, I was the kid with his head always tilted back, squinting at the contrails streaking across the sky. Not surprisingly, I ended up as a pilot. I signed up for the military when I was just 20, and before I knew it, I was cutting through clouds in a fighter jet. The cockpit became my second home, and the hum of the jet engine was my constant companion. Trust me, it’s as cool as it sounds, but it taught me discipline and responsibility in ways that are hard to describe.
Parallel to my military career, this other side of me loved words. Books, to be precise. There’s just something magical about them. They were my escape from the structured military life, whisking me off to different worlds. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Toni Morrison, you name it, their words shaped my world.
Then there’s my love for opera. Yes, opera. Sounds unusual for a military guy, right? But there’s something about the intensity of the performance, the raw emotion in the music, that gets me. I found it in college, and the passion grew stronger with time. A well-executed opera is like a finely tuned engine, with every piece contributing to the masterpiece.
That’s me – a former military pilot with a soft spot for literature and opera. It’s been an odd mix, but it works for me. My life’s been wild, filled with high-octane thrills and quiet moments lost in a book or mesmerized by the opera, like America itself – diverse, full of contrasts, and always interesting.
So, you might wonder why a former military pilot with a passion for literature and opera suddenly developed an interest in pergolas. Well, it’s a good question, and it all started with my backyard.
Having spent most of my life in the air or books, I longed for a connection with the outdoors, a space where I could unwind and enjoy the natural surroundings. That’s when I decided to give my backyard a makeover, and the concept of pergolas came into the picture.
With their unique blend of open-air design and structure, Pergolas fascinated me. They balance nature’s wild, untamed freedom and human invention’s neat, orderly lines. I loved the idea of a space connecting indoors and outdoors seamlessly.
The selection process was surprisingly fun. I was like a kid in a candy store, browsing through different designs and materials. There were wooden ones that offered a rustic charm, metal ones that promised durability, and even vinyl options that required almost no maintenance. And don’t get me started on the various styles and shapes. It was a world I never knew existed.
The one I finally chose was a simple wooden design. It was love at first sight. It had a certain charisma, blending perfectly with my backyard and adding a new dimension to the outdoor space.
Installing the pergola became a personal project. I poured over the instructions, measured twice, and drilled once, and the structure came to life before I knew it. It was like building a model airplane but on a grander scale. Every beam I secured, every screw I tightened, felt immensely satisfying.
Now, I see more than just a pergola whenever I look at my backyard. I see a symbol of my connection to nature and the outdoors. It’s my little retreat, my sanctuary amidst the hustle and bustle of life. It is quite poetic that a structure as simple as a pergola could bring such a sense of joy and tranquillity. That could be the charm of it.
My journey into the world of pergolas might seem unconventional, but it’s been a journey of discovery, just like my love for flying, books, and opera. It’s another unexpected chapter in my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.