Local Waterfall

We have a friend whose company builds landscape waterfalls around the area. By default, he is a master landscaper, but he is also interested in sustainable gardening, aquaponics, and backyard chickens. Clearly, we needed a field trip to his house.

This is a pretty good summary of the afternoon: lots of clambering with stops for posing when a new spot was reached.

Gussie spent most of hist time walking around in circles behind the dog. When he finally got up the nerve to actually touch the dog on his own, he was simultaneously very pleased, and very concerned about his own sanity (I think).

Meanwhile the girls found a little hiding spot. "Mama! Come outside and see if you can find me!"

The aquaponics setup is very neat, and if we weren't almost inevitably going to be moving out of this house in a couple years, I would start working on it. There is a small pond with a few coy fish in it, and next to it a gravel bed. A simple pump system pulls nutrient-rich water from the pond (yes, by "nutrient-rich" I mean "full of fish poop") and brings it up to the level of the plants in the gravel bed, then lets the water drain back into the pond. You never water the plants (the pond does it), you never feed the plants (although you do have to feed the fish now and then), the plants never wilt at the end of the day because they are getting a constant but intermittent supply of the perfect water, and the gutters drain into the pond so you never fill that with water either unless there is a super drought. And the plants could not be happier, grow faster, or produce more. Genius, I say.

Meet the super fish: growing food, nibbling toes.

The kids had so much fun. Every day I think they get a little closer to convincing Daddy they should live on a farm.