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THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS
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| June 24, 2015 www.watershapes.com |
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LESSONS LEARNED
Subtracting a Deck
If a client asks you to get rid of an old deck all the way up to the coping without adding a new deck, you should think things through before taking the job. If you don’t, advises Scott Cohen, things can go very wrong — and you might be on the hook for a substantial shell-repair bill. [more] |
 WHAT IS IT?
Some ideas that look great on paper can become problematic in an actual pool or spa. One such item is an in-pool table of the sort Mike Farley discusses in this video: It’s a case in which everyone needs to sit back and consider all of the factors involved. [more]
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TRAVELOGUE
Unadulterated Fun
It’s a watershape that Jim McCloskey has long considered as the very first on his list of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. That’s why he was so surprised to discover he’d never urged watershapers to hit the road to visit it before now. [more]
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ESSENTIAL
An Elegant Slice
Vera Katz Park was once just an empty sidewalk in Portland’s Pearl District — but that was before landscape designer and sculptor Scott Murase transformed it into a vibrant urban ‘sliver park’ complete with a long watershape and other attractive amenities. The results of his endeavors are chronicled here, with an emphasis on a unique design process and his use of a creative editing approach that perfectly served the needs of this distinctly urban space.
This article, originally published in WaterShapes in September 2008, has been digitized for all readers. Click here to see the full text and enlarge the images to study the craftsmanship in detail.
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TECHNICAL BRIEFING
Wiring Simplified
Although a well-organized equipment pad is seldom the object of much appreciation, says Paolo Benedetti, it is no less important to a project’s success. That’s why he offers this advice on a key part of pad organization — that is, the management of its wiring connections. [more]
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WATERSHAPES WORLD
Idea Factories
One of WaterShapes’ most persistent themes has had to do with the value of travel, even if it involves no more than a walk in a local rustic canyon. Fresh off a trip to a pair of amazing national parks, Jim McCloskey‘s own travel advocacy is hitting new heights, as you’ll read here.
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WE BROWSE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO . . .
Goes Without Saying Dept.: Universal swim education proposed for Minnesota’s public schools. [more]
Safety benefits alone should lead to a positive vote.
Another Good Idea Dept.: Bio-filtered swimming pool planned for the middle of London’s filthy Thames. [more]
Other riverfront cities worldwide should follow this lead.
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WATERSHAPES CLASSIC
Water Woes
Five years ago, Bruce Zaretsky wrote about water from an unusual perspective, sounding a cautionary note on its capacity to play havoc with watershapers’ and landscape professionals’ best intentions. [more]
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ClearWater Tech Offers Compact Ozone Systems
MistAmerica’s MA Mist Cooling Systems
MistAmerica (Scottsdale, AZ) manufactures MA Mist, an outdoor, high-pressure cooling system featuring the company’s Ruby nozzle orifices for reliable, long-term performance. Each unit includes a built-in filter to limit clogging and has a check valve to stop drips and whistling. They’re also available with four orifice sizes to customize mist flow. For details, click here.
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THE AQUATIC QUIZ
CDC Reveals What Really Causes
Cases of ‘Red Eyes’ in Swimmers
Many water-related stories have been in the news of late — including reports connected to the three questions below.
1. The Centers for Disease Control recently identified what actually causes eye irritations from swimming (“red eyes”). What, says a report on the study at clickondetroit.com, is the culprit?
| a. Chlorine |
b. Urine and sweat |
| c. Chlorine binding to urine and sweat |
d. None of the above |
2. A family in Coppell, Tex., was dismayed when their backyard swimming pool was completely swallowed. What, according to dfw.cbslocal.com, gobbled up the pool?
| a. The creek behind their home overflowed its banks. |
| b. A huge sinkhole opened up beneath the pool. |
| c. A tidal wave suddenly came off the Gulf of Mexico. |
| d. Godzilla swam over from Japan, went on a rampage and ate the pool. |
3. When a large python snake slithered into a backyard swimming pool in Australia, how did the three boys in the pool react? [Source: cbsnews.com]
| a. They fled the pool, screaming in panic. |
| b. They tried to feed the snake a frog they’d hung on the end of a stick. |
| c. They killed the snake and grilled it on the “barbie.” |
d. They killed the snake and baked it in the home’s oven (using a new Kraft product called Shake
‘n Bake for Snake). |
To find out how many you got right, click here.“
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