COMMUNITY : FORUMS : GAMES

Scrabble is an obsession and I can completely understand why a couple would show so much love for the game that they would make an absolutely huge waterproof version for their backyard. Yup, it's lawn Scrabble and there's nothing wrong with that.

He fashioned the board from pavers laid in a bed of sand — 225 of them, to be exact. He installed them all in one day and had the back pain to prove it.

Jane Crane painted the bonus square in the proper colors and made letter tiles from craft-store wood plaques. She took apart shelves and reconfigured the pieces to make tile racks, and pavers and tiles were sealed to prevent water damage.

Now Scrabble games at the Crane house are a physical as well as mental pursuit. The players have to get out of their seats to place their tiles on the board and pick new ones from the selection spread out face down in the grass.

They haven't faced many challenges, other than having to light patio torches when darkness falls or dealing with the few times their dog, Maggie, has run across the game board. If it rains, they just take the game inside — on a regulation Scrabble board, that is.

But you know, Jane Crane said, it's not as much fun.

Link via Neatorama