Getting set up for backyard dining

(Martha Stewart 'Amelia Island' 6-piece dining set. Powder coated steel with e-coat primer.) Thought about a wooden picnic table but this is easier to move around, I like the glass, and the cushions, and the set up for the umbrella.

Here's the product photo...

The kids love it, the table has a turntable/lazy susan. You know, it's funny, you start thinking you need a cabinet out there to stash glasses, plates and stuff. Should probably resist that temptation.



One new challenge - how to get lighting out there. Candles aren't practical.

Another challenge, how to further screen out the neighbors. Potted bamboo? Some banners? When the jasmine fills in across the fence, it could solve the problem, but that's also a great place for the wisteria.

Trouble is, my neighbor likes tropical colors, and her paint job REALLY clashes with mine.

Switched to a black umbrella - from Ace Hardware, $30. I like the natural canvas, and the black, but not that taupe. Maybe I'll experiment with paint and stenciling on that one. Got some umbrella lights, they look like Christmas lights but are set up to run down the umbrella spines, $20. Prices on umbrellas vary widely, $1,300 to $30. Here, where it rains alot, you'll get a coupla seasons out of them, you can put them up "for the winter" but we have bursts of nice weather all year long - ahh the dilemmas! For $30 who cares?

UPDATE: Martha's stuff is usually pretty good, but that set did not hold up. It rusted, like everywhere. We can blame it on living near the coast, I guess, and the climate here, things rust. But from now on, no metal.