2013/1.2, January 23 — Desert Delights, Weathering Winter, Self-Contained Wall Fountains and more

January 23, 2013 www.watershapes.com

ESSENTIAL

Completely Contemporary

Taking great pride in developing watershape and landscape designs that combine an appreciation for the setting with an understanding of the clients’ tastes, Roger and Sheri Soares have prospered for years on the high end of the hotly competitive Phoenix marketplace. In this project, they took advantage of spectacular views, blended their work into a hillside and worked out all the harmonic links between the desert and the home’s modern style.

This article, originally published in June 2005, has been digitized for all readers. Once you click ‘more’ on the next screen, you can zoom in on images to study the craftsmanship in detail. [continue]

PONDCRAFT

Weathering the Winter

Ponds can be at their beautiful best over the winter, notes Brian Helfrich — hence his desire here to offer a few simple steps that will keep them running for the duration. It takes some effort, he concedes, but the spectacle of frozen waterfalls and streams makes it all worthwhile. [more]

VIDEO GALLERY

Sound Stage

When asked to set up an antique wall fountain, Randy Beard did his client the favor of looking at it as a full-scale watershape. As this video demonstrates, a basic bit of plumbing and some attention to detail makes short work of what all-too-often proves to be an ongoing chore. [more]

PLATINUM REFLECTIONS

Up on Rocky Top

Even for a firm that specializes in big natural-stone watershapes, this project was huge. Working for an enthusiastic client, the staff at Glacier, Inc., stepped well beyond the usual in renovating a 78-acre private lake while also creating a stone stream and waterfall. [more]

WATERSHAPES WORLD

What’s Wrong with This Picture?

While surfing the web, Jim McCloskey spotted a story on a pool being built in Texas that triggered a flood of thoughts on the places we swim. Why is it, he asks, that so few public pools are being built these days, even in places experiencing tremendous population growth? [more]

WHAT’S NEW?

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TRAVELOGUE

A Fountain Revised

When the 12 acres of Grand Park were dedicated in downtown Los Angeles last year, observes Jim McCloskey, the key to it all was a renovated fountain now accompanied by a spacious splash deck. It’s definitely worth a visit — especially on a warm, sunny day. [more]

WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

Sustaining Quality

Five years ago, sustainability was a fairly novel subject among watershapers — so Bruce Zaretsky jumped right in to tell it like it was (and is) with respect to local sourcing, recycling and taking responsibility. [more]

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

MTV: Rambunctious ‘Rednecks’ Create

Swimming Pool from Unlikely Vehicle

Many water-related stories have been in the news of late – including reports connected to the three questions below.

1. “Buckwild,” a new MTV reality series, features a group of rambunctious West Virginia “rednecks” in their 20s who – among other things – turn what vehicle into a swimming pool?

a. An old school bus b. An abandoned boat

c. A used dump truck d. A derelict railroad caboose.

2. Which U.S. Olympic swimming champion is about to get his or her own TV reality show, starting in April?

a. Michael Phelps b. Ryan Lochte c. Missy Franklin d. Mark Spitz.

3. A U.K. businessman is planning to covert an empty warehouse in Portishead,a small coastal town in southwest England, into a facility with an indoor swimming pool and cafÃ©. The pool will be aimed at serving which specific group of people?

a. Babies and toddlers b. Senior citizens

c. Moslems d. The physically challenged.

To find out how many you got right, click here.