Hey, folks,
My first water garden was in San Diego: a footed bathtub with a few water hyacinths. Since then, I've had ponds in France, in Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and here in DC. But I've never had a sacred lotus blossom before.
Standing in a mud filled hole, shovel in hand, in full sun when it's 95 degrees outside, it's difficult to imagine a moment like this. And yet we hold on to such future images, don't we? All the design ideas and failed attempts and "that's good enough, maybe it'll work" innovations. We do it because we think there's at least a chance we'll get to this kind of beauty. Maybe that's what vision is: to keep digging through the roots and rocks and mud and clay, because we have to if we want to cultivate beauty around us, all the while thinking of how the lotus blossom's petals will catch the morning sunlight.
I know the folks here know this feeling. And I need to thank many of the folks here, too many to name, for their help along the way. I think every pond is a group project, since so many people are willing to offer hints and suggestions. Thank you!
Best,
Bill