attitudes

The Swimming’s Fine
Ever since March 20, I've been intending to complete the commentary I started on a book about the history of swimming, but other, more time-sensitive topics have gotten in the way. Now, at last, I'm back on track. As you may recall, Strokes of Genius was written by
Hearing Voices
'In all of the discussions in print and in seminar rooms about advancing the watershaping trades,' declared Brian Van Bower in opening his Aqua Culture column in WaterShapes' July 2006 issue, 'it seems to me there's been a missing voice - that of the client.   'We spend lots of time dissecting, praising, disputing, criticizing and encouraging one another, but somehow we seem to have bypassed the thought that
Turning Green
Whether you call yourself an environmentalist or not, the current information about climate change and a range of related issues is something you need to consider. Before you react to that statement, be advised that you don't have to accept global warming as fact or anything else experts and scientists might say at face value.  What you do have to accept, however, is that there's enough going on in those arenas that your clients are picking up on it - and personally, that's more than enough motivation for me to start paying attention sooner rather than later. In other words, as both enlightened citizens and forward-thinking watershapers, I think things are at a point where it's probably wise to
Turning Green
Whether you call yourself an environmentalist or not, the current information about climate change and a range of related issues is something you need to consider. Before you react to that statement, be advised that you don't have to accept global warming as fact or anything else experts and scientists might say at face value.  What you do have to accept, however, is that there's enough going on in those arenas that your clients are picking up on it - and personally, that's more than enough motivation for me to start paying attention sooner rather than later. In other words, as both enlightened citizens and forward-thinking watershapers, I think things are at a point where it's probably wise to
Growing Awareness
Sometimes, just when you think you have things all figured out, something comes along to transform your point of view.   For as long as I've been a part of the watershaping trades in general and the pool/spa industry in particular, there have been those special occasions when I've had just the kind of experience that has caused me to see things with fresh eyes.  Case in point is the trip I mentioned in my last column - the one in which I was heading to
Growing Awareness
Sometimes, just when you think you have things all figured out, something comes along to transform your point of view.   For as long as I've been a part of the watershaping trades in general and the pool/spa industry in particular, there have been those special occasions when I've had just the kind of experience that has caused me to see things with fresh eyes.  Case in point is the trip I mentioned in my last column - the one in which I was heading to
Designing a New Paradigm
There was a time not long ago when the mere thought of pool builders and landscape designers getting together on equal footing and having meaningful conversations about backyard design would have met with skepticism:  There is not, it seems, much love lost between the trades.  But times are changing, and if the dialogue begun around a table last August is any indication, there's a tremendous amount to be gained by keeping the communications channels wide open.