Sunshine Umbrella

I have solved my clothes drying dilemma. I did consider a clothesline that Rose commented on in my Laundry Day! post. She suggested a T post set-up that I am familiar with because I had that type of setup at my other house. It is very durable since the metal T posts never degrade (except when our tree fell on them) and the lines can be very long between the posts, thereby holding a lot of laundry.

But in my research I ran across this sweet, USA made umbrella style clothesline.

 

My Granny had one of these in her backyard when I was little and that is what got me looking for this style in the first place.

I didn't know much about them and I had never actually used one, so I made my decision based on these criteria:
My Granny had one.
I liked that it was made in the USA.
The website said it would hold 6 loads of laundry (it sure didn't seem like it would).
It looked like it was well built.
It could be put away in the winter or when it was in the way.
It was orange.
But most importantly - It spins!

This was important to me for two reasons.
1) I wouldn't have to lug my basket of wet clothes down the line. Instead I could spin the empty line to me!
 2) Remember how I had discovered that the field gates worked pretty well as a place hang laundry because you could point them at the sun?

 

My personal opinion of the Sunshine Umbrella Clothesline is... AWWWESOME. No more heavy basket shuffling. No more having to rehang my jeans in the afternoon so the pockets will dry before sunset. I just walk out and spin the clothesline so the jeans are back in the sun. It is very well made and I am very happy with how easy it was to set up and use.

While installing this clothesline I made an accidental discovery that rocks my world. I am a little on the vertically challenged side and the spot I decided to put it in has a slight incline. When I stand with my basket at the up-hill side, I don't have to reach very far to pin the sheets up, but they almost touch the grass. I pin them up, then spin the clothesline away from me and, voila! The sheet is high above the ground, on the downhill side.

 

 The clothesline sits in this PVC pipe which allows it to spin. If a gusty wind kicks up (something that happens often here) the clothesline spins to the point of least resistance, kind of like a weather vane, so that instead of flapping and flying off onto the grass, sheets just point into the wind and stay put on the line.

 

 Buck came by to help after I got that rocky hole dug. Nice timing Buck. He filled in the hole while I stood back and told him which way to push the clothesline pole so it was level.

And it really does hold 6 loads of laundry. This is a picture of my clothesline with 5 large loads of sheets and clothes. There is still plenty of open space on the far side for another load.

Anyone want to guess what my favorite colors are?