Sunday, May 2, 2010




I'm finding a huge lack of pics of ponds in the construction stages on the net. I'm not saying there aren't any, but..........I have spent an hour plus attempting to find an article on how to build a waterfall - I have to SEE how it's done, not attempt to decipher a person's writings and how it applies in reality.

Look, installing a pre-formed pond is the "easy" part. Easy, that is, unless you are digging in the rock-filled ground that I do. Just about every time you stick the shovel in the ground, you hit a rock that has to be dug around and moved out of the ground. I have an entire front yard FILLED with those rocks that were unearthed while digging out holes for my plants.

Anyway, I used spray paint with the bottom-most part of the pre-formed pond on the ground and sprayed that outline. I dug that out and when the shelves of the pond hit ground, I painted around that and dug that out until - walaah - the pond holes are dug. Yes, I used sand on the bottom, the rocks here are sharp and pointed, no sense in taking a risk in getting a punctured liner.



This is the "lower" pond. Whatever the pic looks like, both of these ponds are small. Maybe 4X5 feet at widest points.





This is the upper pond. The bio-filter is, obviously, very tacky looking. I have only begun this project, I have a long way to go. That "filter" will be very nicely hidden once I am done with this project. Again, I basically just started this project, I wanted to get the water in and the filtration system going so it can start building up the bacteria needed to equalize the eco-system.




This will be the location of the waterfall, and for me, the most challenging part of this setup. I have looked at pic after pic after pic of waterfalls and still have no idea how I am going to go about this. Okay, I'm getting an idea, but I will only publish those thoughts after I actually try it and see if it works.



View from the lower pond looking back.
Property on the east side of my house is under-construction, hence the messes. It's slowly getting more and more to what I envisioned it to be long ago as time passes and I continue to work on it. Mother Nature will have a great effect on the property as well as the plants mature, trees grow into - trees - and the "look" is established.

Doing projects on the cheap as I have to do them forces me to stretch them out much longer than, perhaps, a person that could simply pay a contractor to come in and do it all for him/her. But, I enjoy the process and I definitely enjoy seeing something coming to life that I have created with my own hands. I also enjoy brain-storming ways to do things with materials I can acquire very inexpensively (cheap, lol) or even free, such as the rock I acquired from up North and you can see I have around the edges of the pond. I need MUCH more of that rock, frankly - I hope sometime soon to be dispatched back to that area and acquire more of it. If not, I may just have to take a trip up there and fill up the rather large expanse of trunk that my car has with it.

Regardless, it's 6:00 pm Sunday evening, the day is winding down and so is the weekend. There was nothing in the truck routing system as of the point I left on Friday - hoping someone might have thrown something in there by the time I get to work in the morning.

I have nothing more to say, except: Praise the Lord!!

Ahhh, yes, I am one of those weird Christian freaks that openly loves the Lord Jesus Christ and have been for some 20 plus years now. Not that that means anything, but there seems to be an utter lack of open Christianity these days - it's not very popular, you know.

G'day.

ben

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Join the club. Rocks here too and although they are small in my back yard, I hit one every single time I put anything in the ground. Drives me crazy.

And more club membership: Another Jesus freak here. God is love.

BenB said...

It would be nothing to dig out the ground here if it weren't for the rocks - the soil is sandy otherwise and easily removed.
2 makes a crowd! lol

Anonymous said...

Hi Ben:
I LOVE the ponds! I can tell once you are finished, it's going to look really good. WAY COOL! You are a brilliant man!
Take care - Terri

BenB said...

Thanks Terri!
Where is your blog located? ...if you don't mind my asking.
I love to tinker with projects. I like getting dirty outside, hands covered in dirt and immersing myself into whatever it is that I am currently working. Which is why it is an eventuality that I will be installing a MUCH larger pond - but well down the road. These 2 little ponds will take up enough free time in the next coming months : )

Anonymous said...

Hi Ben:
I don't have a blog yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I start one. Thank you for letting me read yours!
Terri

Anonymous said...

Oh, well cool then. Have blogged before? It's fun if you like to write. Most people don't necessarily get into the depth of their personal life on their blogs as I do - I like to treat mine as something of a daily diary - just that the whole world can read it.
As far as reading, I can remember asking 2 people to leave my blogs and never come back, they had come starting trouble. I don't mind if a person has a problem with my opinion, but when it digresses to f bombs and personal insult, then I put a stop to it. Other than that, anyone and everyone is welcomed to read it!
And thanks!
ben

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