Since we've been burning up in Southern California in recent years, I've been going a little crazy buying 9-foot market umbrellas for my big back yard. Shade can be such a wonderful thing. And each purchase requires I also buy a heavy stand to secure them in. I chose this stand made of resin because I thought it would survive the summer sun's intense blasting. So far, so good.  I was also drawn to the Roman-numeral clock face. Mine is all black, to make the design look subtle and (forgive me for this) timeless.