Bog Filter - Day 3

At the bottom of the filter goes the pipe distribution network. I opted for 1" PVC and I cut slots every 3/4" or so down the length of the horizontal runs. The vertical runs at the ends are capped and available for cleanouts.

The distribution system goes into the bottom of the pond. Pat had fun experimenting with new photo editing software. Thanks Pat!

The pond gets filled with 3/8" pea gravel. This provides the surface area for a bacterial film to develop, allowing biological growth to reduce the nitrogen. Further nutrient reduction takes place when plants are placed into the gravel. The water level in the bog is just even with the top of the gravel.

This is what a half-ton of pea gravel looks like. It is pretty dusty when delivered so it must be rinsed before placing into the filter, otherwise you just introduce all that rock dust into the pond system.

So I figure that I shoveled a ton of gravel that morning - first into a bucket to swish around with water, then into the filter.

Now the bog filter is full to a 12" depth with gravel. We put a piece of plexiglas onto the low point to create a small sheet-flow waterflow into the pond. Now we'll see if it works...

Bog Filter - Day 2

No wait – here's the biggest heat wave of the season. I had been planning a long bicycle trip (three days) to ride to Williamsport, PA to see Chili. It was going to be great – all the way up the Susquehanna River Valley. I decided that would not be a good idea with heat expected in the upper 90's to low 100's. So what did I do instead? I started digging another big hole.

A bog filter needs to be 10 – 30% of the volume of the pond to be filtered. It also needs to be set at a higher elevation than the pond so that water can flow from the filter to the pond. That's great if your pond is set into a hillside, but since ours is in a very level spot I had to build up the perimeter to get a raised elevation. Hence the cinder blocks. A bog filter needs to be 12” deep, so I set the 8” high cinder blocks at least 2” into the ground, leveled everything up then dug down another 8” through very hard, rocky soil.

You really need to make sure no sharp rocks will cut the liner, so all the soil that I removed from the hole was passed through a 1/4” sieve. That added a lot of work, but the sifted soil was pretty smooth and allowed me to pack it into a curved shape for the basin. I added some old sheetrock under the soil just to keep big rocks from poking through. Then the liner went in. I set it to flow over the edge into the pond, with a ledge 2” lower than the rest of the sides.

Next came water – always a nervous moment to see whether I can actually read a level or not – but it filled just fine and I worked most of the wrinkles out (a flat sheet of plastic can't make a hemisphere shape without folds). After that, it was time for a swim with a cold beer.

The Bog Filter – Day 1

It all started with a bird bath. In an island. Full of mosquitoes.

We inherited a bird bath from the previous owners of our house. It was located in the front yard in a patch of land we call "the island" because it is surrounded by a ring of asphalt driveway. Over the years the bird bath saw lots of use – from crows cleaning their roadkill prizes to winter juncos taking an icy dip. Every winter we kept it clear with a heater and throughout the summer we cleaned it constantly; it was always filling with algae and in just a few short days, mosquito larvae. Hence the progression of events you will read about here.

One summer we had a great idea; if only we could keep the water moving then mosquitoes wouldn't like it and there would be no more larvae (nice in theory anyway). We bought a small fountain pump and sprinkled the feeder with decorative rocks. It looked nice but it usually plugged with algae or gunk in just a few days, and then the larvae would return. Arrrrggh! Still, we pressed onward.

The next great idea, one that we actually stewed on for a few years, was the thought of a big fountain in the island – a la Longwood Gardens! If the little birdbath kept getting mucked up, why not scale up the mess? That would involve digging a big hole and for quite a while I wondered if I could get someone in with a backhoe to do the job. Not wanting to pay anything for the work, or at least very little, that aspect of the job went nowhere fast.Soon another bright idea came along. Since I play the tuba, why not find an old tuba and make that the centerpiece of the fountain, complete with water from the bell? Sure – no problem. I took a few turns at the ebay musical instruments listings, but all the old tubas there, some almost crushed beyond recognition, went for way too much. Once again, this idea seemed DOA. But not to worry! Pat had mentioned my “need” to her colleague Eleanor at work, and one weekend we got a phone call; “I'm at a flea market, and here's a tuba. The guy wants $100 for it. Do you want it?” she asked. We asked Eleanor to bargain the guy down and hung up, not knowing what had happened. That Monday at work, Pat was presented with a Getzen contra-bass bugle, a type of tuba used in early marching bands. Now we HAD to build the fountain.
So a great hole was begun. Initially, it was only going to be as big as an old baby pool, about 5' diameter and 8” deep. Once that goal was reached, well, I just kept digging. Eventually the baby pool went into the bottom of a 7' diameter by 18” deep pit. A plastic liner was added, then water, then the tuba, then lights. Now everything was in place – the water was clear and everything looked great. But soon the mosquitoes found the pool and everything started wriggling with larvae.
So next came 29¢ goldfish – a whole bunch of them. They had a ravenous appetite for mosquito larvae and that problem quickly cleared up. BUT – and here's the catch and the first real reason for the bog filter – the fish food caused an increase in nutrients and we suddenly had an algal bloom. Next step was algicide but all that did was create a sludge of dead algae and the growth quickly returned. Then we saw a water garden cleansed by a bog filter and we were sold. By then it was fall though; it would have to wait.

So now this bog filter story begins...but first, a few “before” pictures. Here's the tuba fountain with our house in the background:

And here's Maya enjoying the yard, and one of the current pond inhabitants.

So here are the parts for the bog: cinder blocks, liner, a pump and tubing for the under-gravel filter. The gravel will come after everything is ready to go.

For a pleasant Sunday we decided to take Maya for a walk on a newly-paved rail to trail just minutes from our house. It is part of the old West Chester - Downingtown trolly line that ran along the eastern side of the East Branch Brandywine Creek. We had walked this route several times before it was developed into a rail-trail; it was part of a loop we often walk in another recently opened park/trail system along Downingtown Pike and Skelp Level Road.

There were few people on the trail but we did run into some folks we know through our friends Gerry & Shelly Geiss. We had a pleasant chat - mostly about the Chester County Camera Club after Pat noticed the big, new Canon camera that they were carrying. Maya was quite well behaved! I snapped this photo of Gibson's Bridge from the trail.

After that we stopped by Jim & Ruth MacFadyen's house to visit Ruth (who is recovering from knee surgery) and Gia, their daughter Kate's dog. We've been helping out a bit on and off with Gia, who doesn't like getting her nails trimmed. Pat is pretty good at it with the sandpaper attachment on our small, battery-operated Dremel tool. I am tasked with the "holding" job. Gia gets a belly rub to take her mind off the trimming. Oh - and Gia is a 60-70 lb. pit bull terrier who is all muscle and tounge. She is a big sweetheart.

Next, we went to pick up a new chair for our bedroom. It sits right in front of our big windows and will be a great place to read - eyes open or closed - it won't matter!

April Fools!

So...March is supposed to go out like a lamb, but what about April? Back to dreary old winter? This is the view that we found when we opened the bedroom curtains this morning. Hopefully, it will soon be sunny and warm!

Home from the Beach

First -

THANK YOU, THANK YOU TD & KATHY!

We had a fantastic trip and a great time.  Your condo was so comfortable and the location was fabulous.  You guys are the best for letting us stay there!

We left Friday morning and headed up that long stretch of I-95.  We passed this "landmark" and Pat snapped an I-Phone picture to send to Chili.  She quickly texted us back "no way Dad actually stopped there - hah!"  Well that was right - we blew by at 70 mph!

South of the Border (NC-SC line)

After more hours, more miles, and more conversation we made it to Annandale to pick up our puppy and to spend the night.  Tom and Jackie hosted us but we were exhausted, having driven over 700 miles. 

The next morning we met over at Joe's house for a great breakfast.  Tom, Jackie, Mike, Gigi (who brought Maya with them), Joe, Maddi (home from Va Tech for spring break) and Riley (home from VCU for spring break) were there, so we were only missing Charlotte who was at her mom's house.  It was great to see everyone.

Breakfast at Joe's

The trip up to WC was easy and it was great to be home.  What a fantastic trip!

Last Day in St. Augustine

Today was our last day in St. Augustine and it started a bit rainy.  We got a late start after lounging around then headed into town for some hand made chocolate and local wine  - great gifts for folks back home.  From there we visited the Castillo de San Marcos, a national historical monument.  It's made from coquina mined locally and they say it's great stuff for this kind of fort; instead of shattering or breaking when hit with a cannonball barrage, it simply "absorbs" the munitions.  Unless they are the exploding kind, of course.  The fort was built in the 1500's and traded hands several times, from Spanish to English and back; it also had a role in the Civil War and was manned until just after WWII.  There were several school groups touring while we were there, but they were well behaved and the tour guides were very considerate of those of us there on our own.

A view along the outer wall.  This was over 10' thick.

Pat atop the wall.

Chuck atop the wall, with the view out the St. Agustine inlet in the background.

We made one last trip to the Matanzas River Inlet for a beach walk - one of our favorite places I think.  It is fun to see the river making its way out to the ocean and you can actually do a nice loop walk down the beach, along the inlet under the highway A1A bridge then up the river which is part of the Intracoastal Waterway.  From there, we went in to see the old town of St. Augustine and out to dinner at Harry's, a New Orleans style restaurant that was great.  A nice cap to our last but most pleasant day in St. Augustine.

One last, important detail is worth mentioning.  We got to share our Florida beach week with bikers from all around.  This was the week for the Daytona Beach "Bike Week" 2011.  That's about 50 miles south of here, but we saw plenty of riders throughout the week, out cruising and enjoying the warm weather.  Many of those bikes shared the interstate with us on the way down - mostly on trailers and in the back of trucks.

Wandering around the Beach - with kites

So I found this kite - a Clark's Crystal - buried in the sand and it only needed a little repair.  It's a pretty nice kite and it's big but it takes a strong wind to fly it.  This was a cooperative day, so we headed south a few miles to the Mantazas River Inlet to fly it.  This is a big, wide beach with not many people and it seemed like a good spot; both the Clarke's Crystal and Pat's new box kite took to the air almost immediately.  That big kite has quite a lot of lift!  I let out about 200' of string (100# strength) and it took two arms to hold it back; drop the string winder and it would be gone in a flash.  That's probably what happened to its previous owner.  We ran a few strands and spinners up the line and they tangled but it was fun.  Pat's new box kite has less lift and it flew with her new tail, but it weighed things down quite a bit.

Clarke's Crystal being reeled in.

 After leaving the beach we made our way to Sonny D's barbeque.  We had been eyeing this little place out along the highway about four miles back from the beach.  It always had people outside sitting on the bed of an old truck enjoying their sandwiches.  We tried a "Wet Wednesday," a combo of all the different meats they smoked and barbequed.  It was in a tangy red sauce - yum!  Outside the joint was "Bacon" their pink mascot.  "Please don't feed Bacon," the sign said.  Hmm...is it ok to eat bacon then?

Bacon

We made our way back to the beach at the condo.  It's not much of a shelling beach, but there are a few things worth collecting.  This one is almost paper thin and different from anything we see at the more northern beaches.  We finished the evening in the condo with a few snacks and some TV.  Boring, yes.  But relaxing - oh yes, way so!

Thin shell - someone probably knows what animal once called this home.

This pelican was taking a break before returning to his southward cruise along the wave tops.

A Day in Anastasia State Park

Bob and Debbie got an early start on their way home and we decided to spend more time on the beautiful north Florida beaches. It was a warm, sunny day and we started with coffee, beach chairs and our books on the beach near the condo. Pat read for a while and I read with my eyes closed. From there, we decided to go check out Anastasia State Park. On our way out of town we passed a kite store and stopped for some kite repair parts, but let me back up first...

The evening before everyone was doing their own thing. Bob was napping to help fight off his cold, Debbie was out sightseeing at the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Pat was reading and I was restless. I decided to take a brisk walk on the beach. It was our coolest day, upper 50's to low 60's with a strong north wind so I decided to walk upwind first. About 15 minutes north of the cottage I saw something in the surf, half-buried in sand. It turned out to be the remains of a really nice kite - a Clark's Crystal box kite. It had only one tear in it and a few missing rods so I thought I could fix it.

So - on our way to Anastasia State Park we passed a kite store. Three repair rods, a few feet of ripstop nylon patching tape, another new kite and kite tail for Pat and we were outta there. We went to the state park to fly our new (and new to us) kites but the wind was not cooperating.  But...a long beautiful beach beckoned, so we went back to the car and got our bikes.  We rode the hard-packed sand all the way to the north end of the park and back, about four miles.  What a fabulous ride!

Afterwards, we climbed the lighthouse at St. Augustine.  This striped tower looks just like Cape Hattaras with its bold black and white spirals, but it's about 20 ft. shorter and the top is painted red rather than black.  At the top, we saw the modern day "lighthouse keeper" cleaning and/or changing the bulbs inside the Fresnel lens.  The restoration work on the whole place was impeccable, including a great museum in the keeper's house.

Pat along the dock in front of the St. Augustine lighthouse.

Sprial staircase inside the tower.

Lighthouse keeper fixing/changing/cleaning the bulbs.

St. Austine Lighthouse

As if the day wasn't great enough, we had the famous fried shrimp dinner at Osteen's.  The big butterflied shrimp were lightly breaded and oh so tasty.  Well worth the wait, which we passed at the nearby British Pub.  Osteen's has a great collaborative deal with this pub.  You put your name on the waiting list then walk down two blocks to get a beer.  When your table is ready they call the pub, the pub transfers your beer to plastic cup and sends you packing, out the back alley over to the restaurant.  Economic symbiosis!

St. Augustine Day 2

We took a drive south to Washington Oaks Gardens State Park to ride our bikes along the trails there. This park (about 10 miles south of where we were staying) was an old estate that was donated to the state by the wealthy couple that developed it. It features a formal garden and land that spans from the ocean to the river. The big live oaks were are real treat.

On the ocean side, this park is famous for its large blocks of coquina, cemented shells that are used in construction. The early Spanish settlers made their forts from this material. It is soft and "absorbs" the cannonballs, rather than allowing them to crack or crumble. This coquina is part of the 1.5 million year old Anastasia formation.

After leaving the state park we stopped at the Flagler Beach boardwalk, site of former hotels along the dunes. Why a boardwalk here? The hotels were demolished and the dune had to be reconstructed with metal sheet piling. The boardwalk now covers that site.

We also stopped a the Mala Compra (bad contract, in Spanish) archeological site. During the Seminole Indian conflicts, plantations such as this one were routinely burned. They're now looking at the site for clues as to early 19th century settler's life in north Florida. While there, we saw this beautiful bird.

Florida Beach Time

The beaches at St. Augustine are wide and flat, with not a whole lot of good seashells. Still, we found that the Matanzas River Inlet about four miles south of TD & Kathy's condo was a great place for a walk and hopefully, at least a few shells. Here's a website that talks about shelling here:http://www.jaxshells.org/matzan.htm.

We found a few small shells, but there were a few starfish lying about that were more interesting.

We've learned that the blue jellyfish are the Portuguese Man of

War (thanks Terri). According to National

Geographic (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/portuguese-man-of-war/) they are not only NOT jellyfish, but they are not a single animal either. They are actually a mutualistic combination of four different species living in close association. Well - so much for that. How about this one (above). Is this a jellyfish?

Now, we haven't mentioned yet that we've been joined by Pat's brother Bob and his wife Debbie for a few days at the beach. It turns out they were just a few miles away for a tennis tournament and decided to spend a few days with us at the condo. Bob and Pat went to tour Fort Matanzas (http://www.nps.gov/foma/index.htm) while Debbie and I rode bikes the four miles down the beach back to the condo. Here's the fort and some of its artillery. It was built to protect the back way in to St. Augustine and it only ever fired a single shot.

Off to St. Augustine

This spring break we left West Chester and the cold end of winter behind. We also left our Maya behind with Mike and Gigi in Annandale. I hope she is a good girl for them! After that we spent Thursday night with Tom & Jackie in Annandale then left the next morning to visit Chuck's parents in South Carolina.

Mom and Dad were in good spirits and were

happy to see us. Chuck's brother Mark and his wife Brandy came over for dinner and we talked around the table for hours. It was great seeing those two - they're a great couple and they're really happy together. We swapped some pet stories, home building and renovating stories and all too soon it was time for them to go.

We spent the night with Mom & Dad then headed south once again this morning.

All along the way we have been watching winter disappear behind us. First we noticed the grass turning greener, then a few trees in bloom. At Mom & Dad's, the Bradford Pear was in

full bloom.

Later, further south at a rest area in Georgia, we found a cherry tree in full bloom. At least I think it was a cherry. Pat wanted to shake the branch so it looked like it was raining petals. I don't think the iPhone could capture that!

After an easy ride down I-95 through Georgia and into Florida we found the St. Augustine beach condo of TD & Kathy Bowen, our most gracious friends and hosts from West Chester. We'll be spending our spring break week here basking in the warmth and relaxing. On our first stroll along the wide, sandy beach, we waded our tender white winter feet in the warmish (not quite swimming warm) waters of the Atlantic and marveled at the strange blue jellyfish (Portugese Man-o-War) that had washed up on the shore. Tomorrow we'll be off for some exploring and more relaxing.

Good night all!