Aqua Lupus Superbia
As the New Year dawns, WaterShape University is preparing to take the industry by storm with a roster of dynamic educational events, in person and online. WUs manifesto and overall approach to educating the industry is steeped in the tradition of the wolfpack and a commitment to elevating the watershaping industry’s rank and file. ...
The Gumbo of Happiness
Great food served with love is one of the most enduring and universal cornerstones of the holiday experience. For Eric Herman, culinary traditions are both literal and symbolic of the qualities that define a life well lived, and sometimes all it takes are some finely chopped onions, celery and green peppers.   ...
Remembering Bob Lowry
For more than 50 years, pioneering industry chemist, Robert W. Lowry, worked to raise the pool-service industry’s knowledge of water chemistry maintenance, becoming of the best-known educators in the history of the industry. A long-time friend and colleague, Eric Herman, pays tribute to Lowry and remembers the first time they met.   ...
WU Steps Forward in Dallas
Watershape University rolled into Dallas, Tex., for the 2021 International Pool|Spa|Patio and Deck Expo in Dallas, Tex., Nov. 13-18 at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center with high expectations for a strong showing for the industry’s first return to major trade shows since the beginning of the pandemic. The event would prove an almost unqualified success. ...
The Beauty of Paseo Santa Lucia
Mexico’s equivalent of the San Antonio Riverwalk is known as Paseo Santa Lucia in the city of Monterrey, a place replete with fountains, public art, businesses, apartments and beautiful spaces that attract thousands. Watershaper JC Escudero reports it’s a place well worth visiting, and appreciating from both an aesthetic and technical perspective. ...
Remembering Grant Smith
Watershaper Grant Smith passed away in his sleep on November 15th, leaving behind a legacy of honor, artistry, and leadership. Through his company, Aqua Link Pools & Spas, Grant was a frequent collaborator among the WU community and the watershaping industry at large. ...
Appearing in Dallas
Watershape University is set to present a dynamic slate of educational opportunities at the 2021 International Pool|Spa|Patio and Deck Expo in Dallas, Tex., Nov. 13-18 at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. ...
Above the Mendoza Line
What does it mean to be successful, to move in a positive direction or at least feel good about a day’s work, and time spent? These questions have been on Eric Herman’s mind lately, and he’s turned to a baseball term to try to figure out the answers. ...
Custom Hybrids
Do custom pools always have to be built out of concrete? According to Oregon watershaper, Phoenix B. Owens, the evolution in package pools and stainless-steel wall systems, as well as vinyl liners, enables his company to match the creativity of shotcrete installations using alternative construction methods with more than a small dose of imagination. ...
Finding Flaw & Future Favor
What does it mean to create something that qualifies as “great”? Is it originality and inventiveness, reliability and function, or the ability to withstand the test of time, or all of those? Here Jeff Freeman & Mark Holden dissect that question with a look at the rehabilitation of a truly iconic and complex fountain system at the Los Angeles Music Center. ...