Keeping character, or restoring a pond

   / Keeping character, or restoring a pond
  • Thread Starter
#451  
Today will be my last day of work on the pond project for almost a month. Hopefully when I get back from my vacation the pond will be full of water and I won't have to be running on imagination to finish out all the details.

The excavator will go back to Nation's Rent this afternoon. All the power tools will be secured. And hopefully we'll have the place to a point where Mother Nature can do her part and contribute almost one and a half million gallons of water so we can have a real deal pond.

This has been as much fun as anything I've done. Probably what's been as good from my perspective as the creative process for me was watching it work in those working with me.

I'm as proud of our relationships as I am of the pond.

Every day has been easy to embrace because I knew there wouldn't be the conflicts one often finds in the workplace. The biggest reason for that I feel is good fortune. We got the right mix of personalities without having to weed out many who didn't fit.

A couple of the guys presented difficulties fitting them into the mix. But I believe most of that was their expectations of conflict based upon their own past experiences. When they realized that wasn't going to happen this time they relaxed and enjoyed themselves too.

There were some moments though. Like when the mixer came over because one of the guys made a mistake. When the barrel hit it locked up just for an instant. The nine horse Honda gear reduction motor didn't lock up. The chain drive didn't break either. So block of the motor separated where it bolted down to the mixer housing. But an hour later we were back up and running with a new motor.

It was an expensive "oops". And the guy who made the mistake knew he'd lost his job by his reactions. But I believe my treating it like it was just a thing made the whole crew relax a bit because they knew they could make a mistake and it wouldn't be the end of the world.

There were some people eliminated of course. And not necessarily because they were bad or not good workers. It was because they didn't fit in this particular mix. Under different circumstances with a different mix of people they'd been the aces maybe. So their elimination was less about them and more about the group.

It's been fun.
 
   / Keeping character, or restoring a pond #452  
<font color="blue"> too much of a macho pool to put pretty-boy koi in a pond like that. </font> /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Sure am glad you did not post that comment in one of the <font color="orange"> tractor </font> forums. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
edit: I better add that I have some pretty <font color="orange"> orange </font> fish in my pond. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
   / Keeping character, or restoring a pond #453  
<font color="blue"> Mother Nature can do her part </font>
I'm not sure it is ever going to rain again. We are only 20 miles apart, I know you have had a couple extra small showers but we have only had one rain to amount to anything since mid June.

What an amazing project. When you first started this thread, I thought you were going to dredge the sediment and spruce it up a little. WOW! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I have looked forward to logging in each morning and seeing the progress. And your experiences with the day laborers has been great reading also. Something like that can change a man's life, yours and theirs. Keep up the great work.
 
   / Keeping character, or restoring a pond #454  
Thanks for sharing all the pictures of your work, Harvey. I have enjoyed them /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

Lawrence
 
   / Keeping character, or restoring a pond #455  
Harv, thanks for sharing this project, it has been great, I look foward to pics when you get back.. You and yours have a wonderful and well deserved vacation... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif JohnJ
 
   / Keeping character, or restoring a pond #456  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Sure am glad you did not post that comment in one of the <font color="orange"> tractor </font> forums. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
edit: I better add that I have some pretty <font color="orange"> orange </font> fish in my pond. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif )</font>

Well, I couldn't let this thread go without stirring it up a little. Besides, boy and koi just rhyme too well to pass up my chance to kid someone about their pretty fish. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I haven't seen any blue koi, so I probably won't be getting any. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
   / Keeping character, or restoring a pond
  • Thread Starter
#457  
Hmmmmm, let's get back on topic. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Blue and orange fish, you'd think this was a cafe stuck between two tractor dealerships.

Here's a shot taken in July this year.
 

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   / Keeping character, or restoring a pond
  • Thread Starter
#458  
That was about day two of week one. This was taken yesterday from the same vantage point, fourteen weeks later.
 

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   / Keeping character, or restoring a pond
  • Thread Starter
#459  
Here we are about week two taken from the old wood deck.
 

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   / Keeping character, or restoring a pond
  • Thread Starter
#460  
Same point approximately but from the new rock deck and taken this week.
 

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