Jensen Family: Pond...It's done!

Sooooooo now we need to build up the little hill that the waterfall is going to come over.Kelley had a big truckload of dirt delivered and we started shoveling.

Kelley makes this look so easy. He uses a giant shovel...throws about 6 or seven shovel fulls into the wheel barrow, and it's full. Then he pushes it across the lawn, ( avoiding all dips and holes) and sails right up the ramp and into the pond area, dumps it and is back to fill up in about 30 seconds.

Camille and I...not so much. first we are using small shovels because that is what we can handle...so it takes us about ten times longer to fill the wheel barrow.

Then when it's full ( or as full as I think I can handle it) I head off across the lawn. First thing, I go right into the big dip in the lawn and about launch myself over the front of the wheel barrow.

OK. Pull myself together. I can do this!

I knew I needed to get some momentum at going up the ramp or I wouldn't make it, so I backed up and made a run for it. I made it almost all the way, then started swerving over to the side. Just about went over the edge but somehow got just to the top and it tipped over right there.

"That's where you wanted it...right?"

After that Kelley said "why don't you girls fill up the wheel barrows and I will dump them!"Good plan!

Camille is pretty strong and could do the wheel barrow just fine, but she helped me shovel instead.

We worked pretty hard all afternoon. I haven't sweat that much since , well, ever.

So many wheelbarrows of dirt!

Then we arranged the shape of the waterfall with dirt, block, and other stuff.

Then we started bringing the rocks in and setting up the waterfall. ( And when I say we, I mean Kelley...my mind was willing, but flesh...very weak! We gave him lots of great advice though...just put that gigantic rock right up here on top...no wait...a little to the left)

When Kelley was doing this front part of the waterfall, we were trying to help him find the right rocks for the space, but nothing was fitting. He was trying a big slab of rock when the rock he was standing on moved and he lost his balance and fell back into the pond, with rocks crashing after him. Camille and I were standing right there watching and it was like it was happening in slow motion, but we couldn't do anything to stop it.

When Kelley pulled himself together, he had several more gashes on his legs and his ankles were pretty beat up cause that's where the rocks landed.

He stood up and said he was ok ( I think we were more shaken up by it than he was) Then he looked down, and the big slab he had been holding had split clean in two. Now it was the perfect size to fit right into the space he needed to fill.

Kim came over just in time to help Kelley move the biggest rock.

I really don't know how they did it. It must weigh at least 800 pounds.

Dave came over later that night and helped Kelley figure how to get the water to flow over the top of the rocks instead of under them.
Kellen had seen on DIY a show where they had used this spray foam to fill in the cracks between the rocks so the water wouldn't go through there, so the next day we went out to the pond store to see if they had some. They did and it worked like a charm!

Now we needed rocks for the bottom of the pond. Lisa's brother Doug had told Kelley he was welcome to any rocks he had up on his lot where he stores his landscaping stuff, so we loaded up the kids and headed out for an outing of rock collecting.
We would load them into big buckets, then Kelley would carry the buckets ( two at a time...really? I couldn't even budge one bucket an inch!) and dump them in the back of his truck.

Now the fun begins. Power washing the rocks and hauling them over to the pond.

It was kind of cool to see how pretty the rocks were once we got the dirt off.

Camille was really a champ and worked her butt off carrying those rocks to the pond.

Finally ready to start filling the pond. It took a while...about 3 hours.

One last look before he plugs in the pump...drum rolllllll...... electricity engaged...momentary pause as the water makes its way through pump and hose and fills small pool at top of waterfall.....then VOLIA! the water splashes merrily over the edge of the rock and down onto the rock below, then into the pond! It looks beautiful and the sound of the water is just like we wanted!

Kelley saw a few places where the water was coming under the rock, so he turned the pump off and filled in the cracks with more of that foam.

We thought we had better let the water sit for a day or so before we put the fish in so the chemicals could dissipate. They have fared pretty well in the back of the truck for the past 4 weeks, and Olivia has enjoyed "fishin" back there...she has sat there patiently holding that little pole Kelley gave her with yellow worm ( no hook) on the end...."The fish aren't hungry today grandma!"