Thanks for your compliments. I did a favor for a local (Long Island, NY) mason contractor and he returned it by doing a nice job on this project for me. Inside has two granite countertops and a good sized slab of white Carrera marble as workspace for the dough. The oven itself was made following plans for a Pompei oven on Forno Bravo site. A local shop custom made some steel doors. As far as the amortized costs; I look at it like this, I have spend millions on wine, women and food, the rest I just wasted! The water in the background is a salt water bay that opens to the L.I. Sound. Another hobby of mine is growing oysters. The bay also has great clams. Nothing like walking down to the water getting some fresh shellfish, stopping in my garden (sort of visible on the left where the small plastic greenhouses are) grabbing some fresh tomatoes & basil, pop a bottle of vino, fire up the oven... My needs are simple. I am sure the folks on this site know what I mean. I am mostly a lurker and have learned a tremendous amount on the site. BTW it is sort of a mental health support group as well. It is reassuring to know that others obsess about flour, starters, tomatoes, ovens, and of course the end product.
