The Bob - B.O.Y. Waterway

Click on any pic to enlarge it.










How it looks now (May 2011)











With a third arbor and a connecting covered walkway.


This was taken in early spring before we got started. Notice the contour of the yard made this a natural location for a water feature.




The grass has been removed and a trench dug that will hold the foundation for the stacked stone wall





The stacked stone wall has been built and I used a can of red spray paint to outline the shape of the lower pond and the waterway.




The lower pond is built up to the desired level. These cinder blocks have got to be substantially level. The upper blocks are laid loosely to define the waterway.




This is the structures for the lower and middle ponds and the lower waterfall. The lower pond has been dug out (THANKS for your help, Tom Cain!) and the removed dirt is used as fill dirt around it. The blocks inside the lower pond will support big rocks later. The blocks that bear the weight of the pond water are staked with steel rods and filled with concrete. They are going nowhere! The pump will operate from the niche at the top of the pic.

The waterway is formed from concrete blocks on the lower side and bags of dirt on the upper. See the white PVC pipe that will get water from the pump to the upper waterfall.



This will be the upper pond and waterfall. Water pumped from the lower pond will enter at the bottom of the large black container, pass thru several filters and then into the pond over the notch cut out on the front of the black box.


The "underlayment" is laid down to provide a cushion between the rocks, cinder blocks, roots, etc. and the vinyl that will be laid down next. With this protection the vinyl has a life expectancy of 40 years! We do NOT want leaks in the vinyl!


The vinyl is down and we have water!
The vinyl is extra heavy duty (0.040 mil). It is in two partially overlapping sections. The lower waterfall and pond was laid first followed by the second section that went from the upper pond and waterfall down to the lower waterfall. So the lower waterfall actually has two layers of vinyl. Ashley, Javi and Tom Cain helped me get all the vinyl in place. Thanks for your help!!!





This is the FIRST delivery of rock and topsoil.

Six tons of rock will eventually be used!




The lower waterfall begins to take shape.






The upper pond and waterfall










Looking up along the stream bed to the upper pond and waterfall.









Mechanically complete!!!

Now Mary Alice can perform her magic!




Begun in late May 2009 and completed in mid-August 2009!

Link to River Shoals Discussion Group...

So many folks have been looking for the discussion group that I set up for River Shoals residents and ending up here at my BLOG (erstwhile BLOG).

So, here is the link...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RiverShoalsGroup/

Anybody may VIEW the postings. But, to contribute (and I wish you would contribute), you must click on the link to Join this Group. Tell me a little about yourself and your interest in River Shoals. I will approve your request the next time I check e-mail.

Bob

Sunday, May 4th - An Update

It has been about four months since I last posted on the BLOG. I will bring you up-to-date because a lot has happened since January.

You might remember that we signed a contract with Poinsett Homes to build a nice, small home in River Shoals sub-division in Simpsonville, South Carolina. We were in love with the floor plan, the development and the location...6 miles to Ashley and her family...11 miles to my new work place. Construction was to have begun the first week of January.

Well, the weeks drug on and on and there was no movement toward breaking ground. By mid-February, VERY strong rumors were circulating on the local area Internet forums that Poinsett Homes was in financial trouble. When the sales person kept asking us to be patient, that new rounds of financing were coming, etc., we started looking at other options. We had zeroed in on another home and were seriously negotiating on it when we got a call from the Poinsett sales agent asking us to consider a virtually identical floor plan on an inventory home in an upgraded section of River Shoals. Long story made short... we negotiated a highly appointed home with a much larger lot, in a more desireable section of River Shoals for just slightly more that the original to-be-built home. Once the negotiating was done, we closed the deal on February 29th. Because I was so concerned that there could be last second liens filed against the home due to Poinsett's financial issues, I asked that the closing attorney send his para-legal to the courthouse to assure absolutely clean title and to file the deed WHILE we were at the table! Everything went well and be became owners of a new "stick" home.

In mid-March, MA and I drove over to Monroe, Louisiana. On Thursday morning, with the help of James and Jackie, we unloaded our 10' x 20' storage unit into a 26' U-Haul truck. We then drove back to Simpsonville, SC on Friday (narrowly missing the tornado that hit downtown Atlanta, Georgia). With help from Two Men & a Truck, we unloaded the U-Haul and began moving into our first brick & mortar home in two years.

Since the time of closing, Poinsett has filed for bankruptcy protection and has shut their doors. Our only issue with this is the lack of a "goto" for warranty issues. However, we have had no issues surface and we do have a structural warranty for 10 years. MA & I feel very fortunate to have been directed to this home. It is sized just right for us. The large yard (0.40 acre of all grass) is an issue but we have a lawn service come for only $25 per cutting.

We are seeing Ashley, Javi, Cammie & Ceci often and have done some babysitting. It is great when our 4 year-old and our 2 year-old come running up to greet Gemma & Grandpa!

My work at Infor Global Solutions is going very well. The technology brainwaves have returned...a little rusty and dated.

We are now "settled" and the fun projects can begin. I will be building a two-level arbor adjacent to our screened-in porch. We really love our screened-in porch. We watch the setting sun (some evenings it is spectacular), eat meals and frequently spend evenings out there. The springtime has been glorious here in SC!

In order, the pix are:

1. The Sunroom (built to be a breakfast area but Gypsy, MA & I use it as a reading area when the weather is too cool for the porch.


2. The Family Room


3. The Dining Room


4. Front of the house (please note the personalized license plate on MA's new Jeep...when pressed, MA will tell you what "Gemma" stands for)

Index to BLOG Entries

Here is the BLOG Summary...

Click on the above link to get an alphabetic list of topics.

Click on the stories you want to view. You will be taken to the month in which the topic appears. Look down the stories for that month to find the specific story you want to view.

*********************************************************************************

The Hole in the Wallet Gang blog is being put on the shelf for a while. When we get back to blogging, we will send out a general e-mail.

Thanks to all of you for tuning in and following our adventures! It has been great fun sharing these past two years with you and your comments have been very much appreciated!


Bob & Mary Alice

Tuesday, January 22nd - "Jessie" Finds a Home

Now that we are settling down, going to work and building a home, etc.,we have need for a second car. Jasper Jeep, notwithstanding all his problems of this past October, has been a true and loyal friend and traveling companion.

This morning, we brought home a companion for Jasper...Jessie Jeep! Jessie is a FEMALE (don't get the wrong idea about Jasper now!) 4 door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara with 4 wheel drive. Jessie is silver with a black hardtop that can be partially or totally removed in nice weather. Someday, once she proves her grit, Jessie will join the Hole in the Wallet Gang and, like Jasper has for seven years, be our traveling companion, being "toad" behind the coach. Jasper is not retiring, rather will be our main off-roading companion. Sorry, no pix because the digital camera is being repaired somewhere in New Jersey.

Gonna Wrap It Up

Look for a big INDEX of the major stories of the past two years here in the next several days. I am working on it now so that you can find any story of interest and click to the month that story appears. I will be ending the BLOGing and going back to work.

WATCH FOR IT!

Change of Lifestyle...

While I have some free time here in the hotel room, I wanted to bring you up-to-date on a major new development in our lives.

As you know, we have begun the process of building a new home. The foundation will be poured any day now, if it hasn't been already. We will live in our coach during the construction, approx. five months. We have moved from Scuffletown USA because of its location. It is about 10 miles to Ashley's but over 17 miles to my new workplace! That's right...BOB got a JOB! Who'd a thunk it? I am going back to work fulltime as a Business Systems Analyst at Infor Global Solutions, a software development company in Greenville. I start on January 28th. The new campground is Springwood RV Park and is about 12 miles to Ashley's home and only 3.5 miles to the Infor office.

When we "came off the road" in December MA and I decided that we both wanted to do some work. I was thinking that I would work approx. 4-6 months each year at the furniture selling that I have done occasionally. But, this opportunity to utilize some of the technical brainpower that I have (or at least USED to have) presented itself...completely out of the blue sky. I HAD to follow the lead and interviewed on two separate occasions. I came away with a VERY favorable impression of the company, its direction, my potential contribution and my fellow workers. Yesterday, they made a formal offer and today, I accepted! Please keep me in your prayers as I adapt to the personal discipline of having a SCHEDULE to keep.

Back to Newmar Factory

During the week of August 6th, 2007, I was in Nappanee, Indiana at the Newmar factory getting several dozen last minute warranty items taken care of. One of the items was that the front living room carpet would "bulge up" a bit when bringing in the passenger-side front slideout. This was a minor deal but I thought it needed to be addressed. The technicians stretched the front carpet and, in the process, created a 4-6 inch tear in front of the sofa which they patched. The tech told me about it and said that he would make a note in the computer and that if I had later issues with the patch, to bring it back in the winter time when the work volume was lower and that Newmar would replace the carpet.

Since then, the patch has gotten frayed and is clearly showing despite the low amount of foot traffic there. Last week, I contacted the service manager at Newmar who said yes, bring the coach to the factory and, in fact, they would replace the front carpet. This would normally be a $2,100 job that I would get for free!

Now, our coach, as it came from the factory, has ceramic tile in the entry area, kitchen area, hallway and bath. Ever since the 2006 - 2007 coaches came out with the "full tile in the living area" option, MA & I have thought that we wished we had full tile, rather than carpet in the living room area. The cost to retrofit the carpet to full tile was over $4,000.

I asked Newmar about offsetting the cost of the retrofit to tile with the cost of replacing the front carpet. Bottom line, we are getting full tile in the living area for under $2,000. That is why I am writing this blog entry from the hotel room at Amish Acres in Nappanee, Indiana. I left Greenville, SC Saturday morning and drove the 700 miles to Nappanee (near Elkhart in northern Indiana), stopping for the night in Lexington, Kentucky. The coach floor is all torn up and there are four technicians working feverishly to rip up the old carpet and entry tile (required because the seams from the existing kitchen tile would not align with the seams of the existing entry tile) and laying the new flooring required for tile. During this time, of course, I cannot stay overnight in the coach. Therefore, I am quartered at the Amish Acres Inn and Newmar is picking up the tab! They HOPE to be finished Thursday (they don't work Fridays in the winter). Otherwise, I will be spending the week-end here. I REALLY want to get back to Greenville for granddaughter, Camryn's 4th birthday party midday Saturday. There is also a weather complication - snow. And single digit temps coming.

Happy New Year !!!

We spend the late afternoon and evening with Ashley, Javi, Camryn & Cecilia, returning home during the halftime of the Clemson - Auburn bowl game. Sadly, Clemson lost in overtime.

There were fireworks exploding all around the area, echoing off the surrounding hills. Gypsy was not happy.

I have prepared a spreadsheet summarizing the diesel fuel and camping costs of past two years of full-timing. This may interest only me but you are free to have a look. Click on the link at the right.

Approved for the Home Loan

Who-da-thunk-it?

A semi-retired couple, with no visible means of support, get qualified for a mortgage loan!

Is this a great country or what?!?