2012/7.2, July 25 — Whimsical Design, Vanishing Edges, Inspiring Waterfalls and more

July 25, 2012

WATERSHAPES.COM

ESSENTIAL

Serious Whimsy

Developing watershapes and landscapes for residential clients can become an incredibly personal undertaking. The project featured here, for example, revolved around a client whose love of color and whimsy opened the door to landscape designer Colleen Holmes’ involvement in a lengthy, joint quest for vivid materials and playful detailing. The result: a setting that defies adequate description unless you look at it through the client’s own eyes.

This article, originally published in March 2006, 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]

FEATURE ARTICLE

Designs with Infinity in Mind

With all water-in-transit systems — vanishing edges, perimeter overflows or whatever other monikers are used to describe these great watershapes — it’s been Paolo Benedetti‘s experience that all participants need to know what’s involved, right from the start. [more]

VIDEO GALLERY

Finishing Touches

In the second of two videos on converting a swimming pool into a pond, Mike Gannon takes us on a guided tour of the completed facility, explaining the commercial nature of the space and highlighting a special educational function defined by the management. [more]

WATERSHAPES WORLD

Spirit of the Season

Since writing about the recent donation of a park’s worth of good cheer in Rochester, N.Y., Jim McCloskey has noted other incidences of aquatic generosity across the nation — and this time calls out a group effort in Houston that’s making summer spirits truly bright. [more]

TOPLESS IN SEATTLE:
FEMALE CANCER SURVIVOR FIGHTS CITY POOL’S SWIMSUIT DRESS CODE [more]

TRAVELOGUE

Inspiring – and That’s No Joke

The next time you visit the Central Coast of California, writes Jim McCloskey, stop for a while in the narrow canyon in the mountains above Santa Barbara where you’ll find Nojoqui Falls — a real treat for anyone interested in the structure and drama of waterfalls. [more]

WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

Controlling Elements

In July 2002, David Tisherman wrote energetically about the need for designers and builders to pay scrupulous attention to an oft-overlooked issue. Do you think he was on the mark? [more]

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Swimming Australia Cancels Pre-Olympics
Swim Meet Due to Outbreak of Illness

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

1. Swimming Australia canceled a pre-Olympics swim meet in the nation’s capital, Canberra, after two Olympic female water polo players were diagnosed with what illness?

a. Measles b. Mumps c. Whooping cough d. Shingles

2. A man in this Midwestern city allegedly entered the pool area of an apartment complex and shot two men with shotgun pellets. The suspect and the victims all left the scene — although one of the victims later showed up at a local hospital. Where did this incident take place?

a. Chicago b. Bloomington, Ind. c. Wichita, Kan. d. Dayton, Ohio

3. According to ottawacitizen.com, a late-model Dodge Calibre in Windsor, Ont., “hopped a curb, zipped across a narrow strip of lawn, crashed through a wooden fence and plunged into the deep end” of a nearby pool. Inside were a man and a woman; neither was injured in the crash. What were the two involved with at the time of the mishap?

a. Text messaging c. A driving lesson
b. Smoking dope d. You don’t want to know.

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

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2012/7.1, July 11 — Hilltop Beauty, French Lessons, Pool-to-Pond Conversion and more

July 11, 2012

WATERSHAPES.COM

ESSENTIAL

Woven Beauty

The customer wanted it all: a large pool and spa made with natural materials; a fully equipped outdoor entertainment area; and a place to keep cool while lounging in the sunshine – all woven seamlessly into a work of watershaping art that took full advantage of a marvelously scenic location.Here’s a look at how designer/builder David Tisherman pulled together all the details and put them into a dramatic final form.

This article, originally published in October 2001, 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]

FEATURE ARTICLE

Learning from the French

In developing any design, says Kate Wiseman, it always helps to be up to speed on great precedents and to draw on what they have to teach about the task at hand. Case in point: The Gardens of Versailles, which she describes as a ‘design clinic’ for all watershapers. [more]

VIDEO GALLERY

From Derelict to Showpiece

Pond expert Mike Gannon loves big projects like this one, in which he transformed an old pool into a pond that will become prime retail space in a garden center. Here, he starts with demolition and moves along to a point where the pond really starts taking shape. [more]

WATERSHAPES WORLD

A Break in the Clouds

For years, observes Jim McCloskey, the watershaping industry has been dogged by a repeated claim of real-estate gurus that swimming pools hurt home values. That’s out the window, he says, if a new report from a real estate agent in Talahassee, Fla., packs any punch. [more]

Sad End to a Life Not Well Lived
L.A.’S RODNEY KING DEAD AT 47 – BODY FOUND IN BACKYARD POOL [more]

TRAVELOGUE

Getting to the Point

Is there any city as much identified by a single majestic fountain as is Pittsburgh? The Point State Park fountain is now under renovation, but when it comes back on line in 2013, says Jim McCloskey, it will be well worth a trip to partake of its graceful urbanity. [more]

WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

Free Your Mind

Back in 2007, columnist Brian Van Bower offered his observations on overcoming budget-related preconceptions about clients. Some points he made still ring true, but has the recession changed things forever? [more]

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

‘World’s Largest Swimming Lesson’
Included How Many U.S. States?

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

1. A massive event billed as “The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson” took place on June 14 at 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time in ____ U.S. states, plus a number of foreign countries. Fill in the blank.

a. 47 b. 48 c. 49 d. 50

2. “For the first time ever,” reports NPR.org, “the U.S. Synchronized Swimming team won’t be at this summer’s Olympics in London. It didn’t qualify to compete.” But two of the team’s members will be competing in the synchronized-swimming duets event. Last August, the two successfully competed in that event at the Pan American Games. What medal did they bring home?

a. Platinum b. Gold c. Silver d. Bronze

3. What washed ashore at a popular New Jersey beach, prompting authorities to close it to swimmers?

a. Severed human limbs c. Medical waste
b. Dead birds and fish d. Hand grenades

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

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2012/6.2, June 20 — Surface Reflections, Houston’s Water Wall, Worthy Causes and more

June 20, 2012

WATERSHAPES.COM

ESSENTIAL

Graceful Reflections

The potency of water’s reflective nature is a component of watershaping that all too often is ignored or left to chance, says renowned environmental artist Anthony Archer Wills. By considering reflectivity from the outset of a project, he is able to use its brilliance and subtlety to make the experience of viewing water a never-ending source of fascination for his clients.

This article, originally published in February 2007, 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]

VIDEO GALLERY

Digging and More Digging

Some jobs seem so easy: broad access, lots of elbow room, easygoing clients. But experience has taught Randy Beard to expect the unexpected – and to have a good sense of humor about the odd things that sometimes are uncovered in the course of a project. [more]

TRAVELOGUE

Texas-Scale Energy

The Williams Waterwall in Houston is another must-see for watershapers, say Jim McCloskey. The architecture is monumental, but even more impressive is the illusion of volume the architects managed to conjure with what is essentially a water-wise design. [more]

WATERSHAPES WORLD

Rallying to a Worthy Cause

News has reached Jim McCloskey about two Rochester, N.Y., landscape firms that have adopted a local vacant lot to create a new public park. It’s a worthy concept, he says, and one whose success he hopes will be the springboard for similar programs nationwide. [more]

IN SEARCH OF SUPPORT…
U.S. WOMEN’S WATER POLO TEAM POSES NAKED TO GAIN EXPOSURE [more]

WATERSHAPES CLASSIC

Visual Acceptance

In his June 2002 column, David Tisherman wrote eloquently about the way watershape-related products should look – and we’ve been evaluating them with much more critical eyes ever since. [more]

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

How Much Do Americans Spend
on Swimsuits Each Year?

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

1. According to fortune.cnn.com, how much money do Americans spend on swimsuits annually?

a. $575 million b. $850 million c. $1 billion d. $1.4 billion

2. The latest book by broadcast journalist and author Lynn Sherr — Swim: Why We Love the Water — was published this past April. The book, observes amazon.com, is “a celebration of swimming and the effect it has on our lives.” Sherr has been best known as a correspondent on what national television program?

a. 20/20 b. 60 Minutes c. Frontline d. Nova

3. Blogging on TheHuffingtonPost.com, Marc Yaggi, executive director of the Waterkeeper Alliance, writes, “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently estimated that up to _____ people [in America] will become sick after swimming at their favorite beach or swimming hole this year. Despite nearly 40 years of Clean Water Act successes, polluted runoff, sewer overflows, and other human activities are threatening one of our favorite summer pastimes…” Fill in the blank.

a. 925,000 b. 1.75 million c. 3.5 million d. 5.5 million.

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

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2012/6.1, June 6 — Hiding Headwaters, Step Lighting, Purposeful Travel and more



SEPTEMBER 19, 2012		www.watershapes.com
	ESSENTIAL A Classic Crescendo For the best part of four years, landscape architect/contractor/ watershaper Mark Holden devoted much of his professional energy to the creation of magnificent settings for Cima del Mundo, a grand estate high in the hills of Montecito, Calif. In two previous articles, he wrote about the nuts and bolts of the multi-phase project. Here, he steps back and offers a pictorial celebration to mark its completion. This article, originally published in July/August 2002, 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]
	WATERSHAPES.COM Pardon Our Dust! In relaunching watershapes.com last month, we ran into a strange twist with email addresses and have learned that many of you did not receive our last two newsletters. Please accept our apologies if you were among those we left out: Just click here to gain access to the missing editions! [more]
	PONDCRAFT Rethinking a Pond? Winter is a great time, says Ed Beaulieu, to start thinking about ways to upgrade and improve a backyard pond. Here’s a little guidance in deciding what can be done, starting with the pond’s physical dimensions and moving on to consider a list of other possibilities. [more]
	VIDEO GALLERY Making Water Dance Lots of his clients have seen elaborate water walls during their travels, notes Randy Beard, and want him to re-create scaled-down versions of them for their own backyards. That’s a tall order, he says — but one that’s doable with a bit of ingenuity. [more]
	WATERSHAPES WORLD Thinking Video If the last ten years of project documentation was all about the acceptance and ascendency of digital photoghraphy, asks Jim McCloskey, is it likely that the next ten years will be all about the emergence of easy digital video recording? [more]
	RIPPLES Could it Happen in the U.S.? Lady Gaga Closes Stockholm Hotel Pool for Romantic Tryst [more]
	TRAVELOGUE Encircled Perfection Philadelphia’s Logan Circle boasts a spectacular fountain with a storied pedigree. But there’s a simple elegance to it, writes Jim McCloskey, that befits its position at the core of a long, distinguished boulevard of museums and other cultural attractions. [more]
	WATERSHAPES CLASSICS Witnessing Transitions Watershapers who proclaim a quality approach must back it up with quality performance, wrote Brian Van Bower in September 2007. Is there any leeway today? [more]
	TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE Blind U.S. Navy Swimmer Wins Paralympics Gold Many water-related stories have been in the news of late — including reports connected to the three questions below. 1. At the 2012 Paralympics in London, blind U.S. swimmer Navy Lt. Brad Snyder won a gold medal in which of the following events? a. 400-meter freestyle b. 50-meter backstroke c. 100-meter butterfly d. 200-meter breaststroke 2. A community swimming pool in Chikkaballapur district (state of Karnataka), India, which opened only a year and a half ago to great praise, has already been closed. Why? a. Inadequate water supply for filling the pool b. Substandard work when the pool was built c. Lack of maintenance and poor accompanying facilities d. All of the above 3. After one Texas city discovered a $330,000 surplus in its municipal budget, it dedicated most of the money — $211,000 — to keeping five community pools open five days a week instead of two. Which city was it? a. Houston b. Dallas c. San Antonio d. El Paso To find out how many you got right, click here.



SEPTEMBER 5, 2012		www.watershapes.com
	ESSENTIAL Integrated Views A spectacular site is often the foundation for extraordinary watershapes and landscapes, observes Melanie Mackenzie – and that certainly proved to be the case with this project. As seen here, she built upon elements suggested by the site and its surroundings to develop a fully integrated approach that ties the front and rear yards together in ways that delight the eye, cheer the spirit and encourage the contemplation of distant horizons. This article, originally published in August 2007, has been digitized for all readers. To access the full text and images, click here.
	PONDCRAFT When Ponds Leak It’s a simple fact: Even the best-laid pond will sometimes spring a leak. When that happens, writes Dave Kelly, it’s time to proceed through the entire system from end to end to ensure that whatever repairs you make will really do the job. [more]
	WATERSHAPES.COM Navigating Our New Web Site Here’s a quick tour to the features of the brand-new WaterShapes.com web site, including the pull-down toolbar as well as other new features found on the home page. It’s a new beginning – and the springboard to a great future! [more]
	VIDEO GALLERY Blast from the Past For generations, pool-industry marketers have looked for ways to reach out to consumers, says Vance Gillette. That’s why this old video caught his eye: It may be grainy and faded, he writes, but its message is as current as today’s news. [more]
	WATERSHAPES WORLD A Full Plate The early part of the year was filled with action on the education front, notes Jim McCloskey – and it seems that the seeds planted then will be bearing wonderful fruit in the form of three big events taking place this September and October. [more]
	RIPPLES Congressman in Unholy Hot Water! BELATED APOLOGY FOR BOOZE-FUELED SKINNY-DIPPING IN THE SEA OF GALILEE [more]
	TRAVELOGUE A Walk in the Park San Diego’s Balboa Park is a treasure – one made all the more special for watershapers, reports Jim McCloskey, through the presence of a great fountian and, even more so, a huge lily pond teeming with plants, fish and amazing stories. [more]
	WATERSHAPES CLASSICS Chromatic Virtues In September 2002, David Tisherman began his ‘Details’ columns with a simple declaration: Color is amazing. Was this news to you ten years ago? [more]
	TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE Swimmer Ruled Eligible to Compete in Paralympics Many water-related stories have been in the news of late — including reports connected to the three questions below. 1. At the 2012 Paralympics in London, swimmer Victoria Arlen initially was ruled ineligible to participate by the International Paralympic Committee because, according to a report on USAToday.com, “Arlen’s impairment no longer fit a classification for competition.” That IPC decision was reversed on appeal, and the swimmer was deemed eligible. What country is Arlen representing? a. Canada b. United Kingdom c. United States d. Australia 2. U.S. Paralympic swimmer Navy Lt. Brad Snyder is the world’s top blind swimmer in three freestyle distances (50-, 100- and 400-meters). How did he lose his eyesight? a. An explosion in Afghanistan b. An explosion in Iraq c. An accident on an aircraft carrier d. A training mishap in the U.S. 3. According to Wikipedia, swimmers at the Paralympics “are classified according to the type and extent of their disability.” Which condition is not included in the list of physical disabilities for Paralympic swimmers? a. Single or multiple limb loss b. Cerebral palsy c. Dwarfism d. Blindness To find out how many you got right, click here.



AUGUST 22 2012		www.watershapes.com
	ESSENTIAL Suburban Spaces You really can find opportunities in unexpected places, insists Mehrnoosh, a Los Angeles architect and designer who enjoys making refined aesthetic statements in previously plain suburban environments. To illustrate her point, she takes us to a project in a modest neighborhood to define how simple architectural and landscape elements – and water – can bring elegance and tranquility to otherwise overlooked and under-appreciated spaces. This article, originally published in March 2006, has been digitized for all readers. To access the full text and images, click here.

	PONDCRAFT Getting into Aquatic Plants The impulse to install a pond often starts with a desire to raise fish, notes Brian Helfrich. But once work starts with the greenery required to keep the ecosystem in balance, he says, it’s clear the owner has found upon two great hobbies instead of one. [more]

	VIDEO GALLERY A Distinctive Hybrid Getting things done with a watershape-construction project sometimes involves taking risks. But as Randy Beard demonstrates in this video, creative solutions to a problem are one thing, while having the nerve to implement them can be quite another. [more]

	WATERSHAPES WORLD Drum Roll, Please! After many months of intense effort, the new WaterShapes.com has taken flight. Here, Jim McCloskey offers a brief introduction to the relaunched site and its broader audience and casts forward to a bold, digital future. [more]

	RIPPLES Apples, Oranges and Cumquats: IS MICHAEL PHELPS THE GREATEST OLYMPIC ATHLETE OF ALL TIME? [more]

	TRAVELOGUE Rough-Hewn Elegance If your travels ever take you to the Pacific Northwest, says Jim McCloskey, no visit to Portland, Ore., is complete without a pilgrimage to see the roiling glory of one of Lawrence Halprin’s greatest urban achievements: the Ira Keller Fountain. [more]

	WATERSHAPES CLASSICS Straight Talk Back in 2007, Bruce Zaretsky made a case for balancing the drive to financial success with a focus on quality and creativity. Is this still a reasonable discussion in times of lingering economic uncertainty? [more]

	TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE Swimming Lake Michigan To Raise Public Awareness Many water-related stories have been in the news of late — including reports connected to the three questions below. 1. A married couple recently attempted — unsuccessfully — to swim across Lake Michigan to raise public awareness about what condition? a. Autism b. Schizophrenia c. Postpartum depression d. Bipolar disorder. 2. A 25-year-old British man was arrested for peering over the toilet cubicles of a Leeds sports center to watch an Olympic women’s swimming team change clothing for a training session. (As of this writing, the convicted Peeping Tom is awaiting sentencing.) What country was the team from? a. India b. China c. The Netherlands d. Peru. 3. Tragically, two more children have died from Naegleria fowleri after they went swimming in Lily Lake in Stillwater, Minnesota. What is the common name for Naegleria fowleri? a. Parasitic reed worms b. Invasive water flies c. Lung-eating bacteria d. Brain-eating amoeba. To find out how many you got right, click here.

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