My goldfish pond

[ShawnInfirmity]

Looks very nice @CometKeith I'm excited to see your waterfall come to life as well!

 

[Tula]

I love it!!!!! You make it sound simple, but I would think it was a pretty big undertaking...and you made quick work of it

 

[CometKeith]

My only comment is WOW! It looks great! And I love the creative work process!

Thanks Lisak. I agree it looks better already with more space behind the pond. I think overall it became a win win because even though the surface area is smaller the pond hold more volume. I can't believe how active the fish are now. I think there is way better water circulation with one of the big shelves jutting into the middle removed. I worked past 11:00 last night leveling and fixing the back area. My wife wants me to put the same energy into other stuff around the house!

Forgot to say very nice pond

Thank you. I have a first grandchild too. He is 8 weeks right now. Actually both my wife and I envisioned a little boy walking around the pond on the stepping stones someday!

Looks very nice @CometKeith I'm excited to see your waterfall come to life as well!

Thank you. I don't think I want it too high. I went and looked at some rocks the other day I might add to it. See pics. I put my reading glasses on them to show the size of the rocks.

Also I have a lot of various rocks and limestone chucks I can use. I am thinking of buying a waterfall box, but usually I make something myself. So many options!!

I love it!!!!! You make it sound simple, but I would think it was a pretty big undertaking...and you made quick work of it

Thanks Tula. Well I had been thinking about it for a while but sometimes you don't really know how the project is going to unfold until you start. I had two guys working with me Friday and just one on Saturday. It was in the 80's and humid both days so we wanted to get it over with! I think it helps that I am in construction because of the resources we have. The one guy who worked both days does demo for us so I know what he can do in a day. It would take me a week to do the same amount of work! Oh and guess what.... I'm going to see the Cubs play Friday night in Cincinnati! My wife and I will be visiting one of our daughters over the weekend. We had this planned for a while, but probably won't be visiting Cincinnati much after this. She just got a new job in Cupertino,California and is moving there less than a month from now.

 

[Lisak1]

I see those rocks on pallets and start to salivate... I LOVE ROCK SHOPPING!

 

[CometKeith]

Great job!

Thanks Addy. We are planning on doing some plantings behind the pond. Maybe some grasses and some climbing vines on the big areas of brick between the windows. What would you suggest I could put in the water between the small rocks? I always wanted to try doing a small shelf for rocks to hide the liner but never tried it before. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I think we dug the small shelves and placed the rocks all in about an hour. Over time I may change a few. I saw some pictures I took of ponds in the past and noticed that sometimes people mix in an occasional larger rock and it comes out looking good. I did it a little with some long pieces of slate rock I had but would like to do more of it.

 

[CometKeith]

I see those rocks on pallets and start to salivate... I LOVE ROCK SHOPPING!

Haha. Well if you want rocks around Chicago I would recommend Crawford Supply. I bought 820 lbs of limestone pavers and 384 lbs of rocks for $270 including tax. I don't think that's bad compared to how some places charge. I bought the rocks the same day we started work. I needed to guess how many to buy and came pretty close.

 

[addy1]

Great looking new rocks! That is going to look fantastic.

 

[Tula]

So your daughter is CA bound ?! Another fun destination for you and your wife to visit....just a wee bit further away

 

[CometKeith]

Thanks Tula. Yes a little farther for sure. It's nice that Ohio is very drivable from Chicago. It looks like everyone will be flying up and back in the future. hmmm. I went to the last two Cubs games here in Cincinnati and saw them lose both times!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Your pond looks so very big now! And with those rocks it will look even more awesome!!

 

[CometKeith]

Thanks for the kind comments everyone. Well it looks like the waterfall idea got nixed by the wife. We have a grandchild now and my wife feels we need a grass area for him to play next year when he is a little older. I took this picture today of the pond. The grass is going where the dirt is and we are going to move the boxwood shrub. I did some planting today behind the pond. I put a grass in front of the pump and did some other planting. It was a little hot but not too bad!

 

[Lisak1]

Grandkids change everything, don't they? Looks great @CometKeith !

 

[CometKeith]

Grandkids change everything, don't they? Looks great @CometKeith !

Thanks Lisak. It's looking that way so far. Let's see... gave up a waterfall for a child play area, skipped the craft beer festival at the zoo for an evening of babysitting, put a giant baby sleep/changing thing in our modern living room... I think the list is going to go on and on!
Oh on another note I'm taking the Zephyr train with my youngest daughter to San Francisco next week. She is moving there for a new job and wanted to take a little vacation first. We are flying to Denver and taking the train from there. Here is a little blurb about the first part of the trip;

After departing Denver’s Union Station westbound, the train begins the section of railway that made the Zephyr famous—a 300-mile journey over the Colorado Rocky Mountains, along the Colorado River and through Glenwood Canyon. Because roadways take a different route, much of the landscape through which the train travels is viewable only to rail passengers.

As the train leaves the Eastern Slope behind, it travels through 31 tunnels before entering the 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel and crosses the Continental Divide. Passengers are plunged into darkness for nearly 10 minutes before emerging back into daylight at the west portal, near Winter Park Ski Area.

The route continues on the Western Slope of Colorado through remote Fraser Canyon, Granby—the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and rugged Gore Canyon. The final 12.5 miles through Glenwood Canyon are among the most spectacular, with unimpeded views of the headwaters of the mighty Colorado River, the historic Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant, the Glenwood Canyon Recreation Path, and of course, the soaring 1,300-foot cliffs.

When the Vista Dome railcar went into service in 1949, it was the “most talked about train in America.” Today, Amtrak uses the modern Superliner double-decker, giving nearly everyone aboard a bird’s-eye view. To make the ride even more enjoyable, there’s also onboard dining and free Wi-Fi where available.

 

[Lisak1]

Oh my gosh! That sounds fantastic! I ride the Metro from the burbs to Union Station and then take Amtrak to my daughter's house in central Illinois - and that's a fun trip. I can only imagine how exciting this would be!

 

[Gemma]

Love the new rocks!