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Early in 2001, we at WaterShapes were looking for a way to break out of the pack and make a distinctive name for our then-new publication. And of course, we wanted to do it in a way that would attract maximum attention for boldness, brashness and sheer chutzpah. It didn’t take long for us to settle on
Maria de Medici moved from Florence to Paris in 1600 as the wife of Henri IV, King of France. Homesick for her native city and caught in an unsuccessful marriage, she pestered her husband to build her a mansion and grounds that would remind her of the
Among all of the creatures who haunt the dreams of watershapers, I can’t think of any worse than gophers — especially when those gophers collude with clients who also happen to be attorneys. Not long ago, I had the lovely experience of being abused by both — first on the job site by the small, fur-bearing rodents, then in court by
How many pools will you find on Allure of the Seas?
In September 2001, the late Mark Urban wrote passionately about the value of making watershapes as energy efficient and resource conscious as they could possibly be. Ten years later, his words are as insightful as they ever were: Everyone is concerned these days about electricity, gasoline and natural gas and all other forms of energy. What is amazing is that, despite this surge in interest, very few people have considered
Compiled and Written by Lenny Giteck Dear reader, you’re in for a real treat! Ripples dedicates this entire edition to…Humans Behaving Badly Around Swimming Pools. Please hum the theme song from “The Pink Panther” while you swim
In the weeks since we announced the suspension of WaterShapes as a printed magazine, I’ve gotten a fair amount of friendly advice about how I should do things differently in moving forward. With all-new apologies to the reader who complained about our use of
Through the years, I've spent lots of time in Philadelphia, both on business and visiting with family and friends scattered throughout the area. I've been there so many times, in fact, that I started hunting a bit farther afield for
Last time, Bruce Zaretsky discussed the importance of making a good first impression with a home’s landscape, starting with defining a pathway to the main entry. Here, he picks up that discussion while setting a broader front-yard stage. Today’s homes have many entries: front doors, service entries, back doors, garage doors and more. As a landscape designer, it is always my goal to
It shouldn’t be too surprising that, as a designer and builder who cares about quality and craftsmanship, I’ve spent some time thinking about bidding and ethics. As I see it, bidding against other contractors to win the opportunity to install a project is a fair and worthy exercise if the project’s specifications are
