The Leather Oaks Garden -- 2003 Schematic Stream

A Construction Project in Seven Simple Segments

This Page Created on January 26th, 2008

Second & third pond sections installed on Trivets made from PVC pipes.

That Neptune, he's something else!
I was out of time after placating him, so it's a week later, and I've finallly gotten the first "cascade" and the first "connecting pond" installed. The next cascade is temporarily placed with those ever handy concrete blocks. The PVC trivets are set in sleeves of the next pipe size up, so I can remove the whole set in the winter. You'll get to see more details in the coming photos.

Those PVC pipe sections are about the right length. You may be wondering how I got the collars in the ground at the right locations. As I remember, I dug out more dirt than was needed, put tape over the bottoms of the collars, and then set the whole assembly in place. After lots of trials and almost as many errors, once the heights were right, I filled earth in around the sleeves.

Test fitting of next Cascade's Trivets

The second cascade (that's streamlet section number four) is now installed. The tops of the PVC sleeves or collars are visible just above ground level.

Wow! You turn your back for a minute, and lots of stuff gets done! It appears that cascade three and connecting pondlet two were both installed, and don't those trivets look neat? Maybe a few trifling adjustments are still called for, though. Note the section of grey PVC under one of the cascade sections, and a couple of bricks helping out the second connecting pondlet. But, we're getting there!

Pondlets one through six installed!

Almost there! You could say all of the hard part is done, but a strange thing soon developed. It seems that the barrel pondlet wasn't prepared to hold its shape with such minimal support. Sagging began rather soon after if was first filled.

Some weeks pass. The schematic stream is in operation, and though leaning a bit, the barrel is hanging in there!

What possessed me to take this photo in the rain? There is water everyplace there should be.

Another sunny view of the schematic stream. It appears that all of the trivets got adjusted correctly. I can't remember when the outriggers were added to the barrel, but maybe some photos will turn up.

With all of the adjustments made, let's take one last look at our handiwork. Judging by the smooth flow across several of the pondlet lips, we seem to have gotten everything level that needed to be!