DrDave - yeah I agree, it wasn't intended to be that steep. I started out knowing I needed to span 5', and wanted to come up about a foot to clear the rocks. As long as its not wet, there's no problem walking across it, and it sure saves a lot of walking back and forth around the tree! We will see how the wood holds up, but it's pretty old scrap-wood, so it was suitable for a first attempt. I think the next one will span across an 8' stretch, which should really help the angle.
Even though the bridge is a little tall, I do like being able to see underneath it. I'm waiting for the frog to find that area, I think he might like it... exposed mud, in the shade, protection from meddling humans...
Sissy - the strawberries and moneywort make a great combination. All those strawberries were started from a bag of 15 roots, and were packed into a 3' square patch. Now that they have lots of room to spread out, I can't wait to see what they do.
ponderpaul - Yeah it's been a *huge* amount of work, but the only thing left new is finishing up the waterfall, then letting everything grow in. I love moneywort because it spreads so fast. By the end of this Summer, it will just about cover up all of the exposed dirt. Probably the closest thing to instant-gratification you can get in this hobby.
So I released the three dojos into the pond this morning. Of course they were gone within a few minutes, however in the aquarium they spent a fair amount of time in the plants at the surface, so I hope to see the same behavior in the pond. Of course it will take them a few days to get settled in.