I had enjoyed
my fishpond, but I was desperate for a place to cool off and a
little tired of mucking out the fishpond and filter.
So I threw the minnows back in the river
and started building a garden tub for my own use.
I used the original fishpond bottom structure, added
cinder blocks, coquina and anything else I could find to build up the
sides, and used ceramic tiles to make flower patterns on the tub.
This was a pretty low-budget project, with money
being spent only on cement and a pump. I got the tile by going around
to tile shops asking for their throw-aways - broken pieces, discontinued
stock, old samples...Judy laughed at me again, but within a week I
had a couple of trunkloads of free tile.
See my Step-by-Step progress here.
The completed tub is as large as a spa,
and has two broad, shallow steps leading down.
Water is recirculated through a pump
that feeds back into the pond by way of a small Boy-on-Dolphin statue.
I used more tiles to put mosaics on
some small tables. And the firepit. And a little stool.
Before too long, I decided that I really
needed a waterfall feature, and redirected the water through the bottom
of a large clay pot. Now the water falls
over several little ledges and into the tub, making a lovely sound
and cooling the air.
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