Kip's Creek

So this year when we got ducks for what we swore would be the last time (like the five times before that), Kip was determined to create a pen that would hold and protect the ducks. Unfortunately, such a pen could not exist at the water's edge because that's what was always ruining our pens and making it possible for predators to eat the ducks. The water would rise and recede. And the pen would corrode. Also, it didn't look great. Anyway, so this year Kip decided to build the fortress de Duck, complete with built in tiny pond and stream that would pump water from the real pond to the duck pond and then run back down to the big pond. This would look awesome. And keep the duck pen clean. And it did. Unfortunately, it took a small amount of crazy to create, but Kip's kind of crazy and amazing in that way so it worked out. Also, all that digging and building got his six pack ready for summer.

I don't have pics of the entire process. At first he dug a big hole. Then lined it with liner. Then put gravel, sand, and hand-selected rocks in it. I can't tell you how lovingly Kip did this, but he did. He would find just the right rocks and then put them in in just the right way. Again, he's a bit of a genius with this stuff, but genius takes love.

This is what the old pen looked like--just a cage by the pond.

Big hole with rain in it. 

 Big hole with lining and probably more rain in it.

 Big hole with rocks.

 Oooh look. Big hole with many rocks.

 Then some walls came up. I held things. It was, like, my sole contribution.

After this, Kip built a fountain thing. I'm not sure we've got a good picture of it, but we'll have to get one because it's beautiful.This is the best I can do. It's that pile of rocks, which does NOT do it justice. It's a full on flowing fountain of water--amazing.

 In order to make it all work, Kip had to dig a ditch down to the pond, lay piping and then set up a pump, so that the water would pump up from the pond then flow back down through the creek he would make. Yeah, it blows my mind too.

Duck with children.

Random frog. And turtle. Who could resist. 

So once the cage was done-ish, Kip started building this creek back down to the pond. The ducks liked it; the neighborhood geese did too.

 Kip made it wider and winding once he had an idea of the path it should take.

Then at the top of it, he laid some lining and made it go from the pond in the pen, through the wall, and down down down.

 Kip added in these waterfalls. They're pretty and make lovely sounds when the water runs. Oh--also, he made it so we could turn the water on and off and so it comes on automatically a few times each day so as to clean out the duck pond.

Here's the creek beginning to be formed with dirt dug up beside it. The children are literally un-able to keep out of this creek when the weather is nice. It calls to their bare little feet in some primal way. And yes, Emma is wearing a princess dress and flower crown.

This is the creek as it begins to snake down our property to the big pond. Those rocks--all lovingly selected and placed.

 And because a new menagerie and creek wasn't enough Kip made these little mini gardens on either side of the creek.

The creek with a duck in it.

Creek with tiny lovingly formed waterfall.

The pen with ducks and child inside. We'll have to get a better picture of it. This was the best I could find.

 Okay, here's a faraway shot of pen and close up shot of creek.

So it's completely awesome and the truth is we've wanted a creek with flowing water since we moved to the house. The was the summer for it. It's so much more gorgeous than any of these pictures too.

I want to put up a picture of Kip's abs after this project, but I'm pretty sure he'd kill me if I did. They look awesome though.