Here Lisa is putting the finishing touches on the south steps. She had a heck of a time getting rid of the the little bits of leaves that have been blowing onto the porch before she could start painting. The stick at the top is our push broom, set the way you see it to keep us from walking into the wet paint. I put the chair visible in the distance there as well, and another one at the base of the stairs, after Lisa finished.
In contrast, the north steps show just how much the porch needs repainting. All surfaces that got regular direct sunlight have lost most of the paint that Lisa applied in the year after we bought the house in November 2011.
The repainted sections look really good. Lisa has learned lessons in house painting that we hope will make this paint job last a little longer than the previous one; however, paint doesn't last long in this environment, as we see from our neighbors.