WATER'S LURE EXCITES VISITORS PARADE OF PONDS CONTINUES TODAY.Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer Rick and Janet Shaw have a home theater An audio/video entertainment center that has a large-screen TV and hi-fi system with three speakers in the front (left, right and center) and left and right speakers in the rear. Starting in the early 1990s, video inputs were added to stereo receivers and preamplifiers. in their Woodland Hills home, but the real entertainment is in their back yard. There, a 5-foot series of waterfalls rushes into an 18-foot by 20-foot koi pond. Hummingbirds and dragonflies flit across the water, buzzing dozens of water lilies Water Lilies (or Nympheas) is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926). The paintings depict Monet's flower garden at Giverny and were the main focus of Monet's artistic production during the last thirty years . Four large koi - named after fictional detectives Nick and Nora Charles Nick and Nora Charles, or Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Charles (which is short for his Greek moniker "Charalambides"), are the characters created by Dashiell Hammett in his novel The Thin Man. and Tommy and Tuppence Tommy and Tuppence are two fictional detectives, recurring characters in the work of Agatha Christie. Their full names are Thomas Beresford and Prudence Cowley. Other recurring detectives in Christie novels are Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Beresford - swim lazily just beneath the surface of the pond, with dozens of baby fish right behind. ``We never used the back yard, ever,'' mused Rick Shaw, 58. ``Since March (when the pond was put in), we've been out here more than in the 23 years we've lived here.'' The Shaws' home was just one of more than 20 stops Saturday on the California Waterscapes' annual Parade of Ponds tour. About 1,000 people were expected to take part in the third annual self-guided tour A self-guided tour is where one navigates a route themselves as opposed to an escorted tours where a tour guide person directs the route, times, information, and places toured. Many self-guided tours come with suggestions, maps, instructions, directions, and items to see or do. , which raises funds for charities including the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. Water Garden Society, the Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (srē läng`kə) [Sinhalese,=resplendent land], formerly Ceylon, ancient Taprobane, officially Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, island republic (2005 est. pop. Foundation and the Glendale Humane Society A humane society is a group that aims to stop animal suffering due to cruelty or other reasons. Examples Examples of humane societies include: The Humane Society of the United States, Peninsula Humane Society, American Humane which was founded in 1877 as a network of . Renee, 46, and Ian Currie, 45, of La Crescenta, have been redoing their back yard in stages and took the tour Saturday with their son, Sean, 10, to get some ideas. They, too, want to create a natural refuge that lets them forget they live in the city, with a waterfall they can hear while inside the house. ``We love the sound of running water,'' Renee Currie said. ``The freeways are so crowded and it's so expensive to go anywhere. This would be good for entertaining.'' In Encino, the Curries admired Rick and Carol Flam's 20-foot by 14-foot pond with two 10-foot waterfalls, surrounded by colorful flowering plants plants which have stamens and pistils, and produce true seeds; phenogamous plants; - distinguished from See also: Flowering . Sean, on the other hand, was more impressed with the colorful koi and the Flams' backyard putting green. The soothing sound of trickling water - and the natural ecosystem of fish, plants, birds and insects it supports - is an attractive addition for many homeowners, said Kimberly Lottman, a spokeswoman for California Waterscapes. ``I believe it's the serenity that we don't really get in the working world,'' Lottman said. ``It gets you connected back to nature.'' The cost of putting in a pond varies, depending on location, the size of the pond and waterfalls and the other features a customer wants. The Shaws estimate they spent at least $30,000 on their pond and waterfalls. Combined with the costs of other additions to their backyard paradise, it was more than they originally spent to purchase their house. ``It is dauntingly daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin expensive, but worth every penny,'' Rick Shaw said with satisfaction, noting that he can even adjust the sound of the waterfalls as he wishes. ``It changes the way you live your life.'' Lisa M. Sodders, (818) 713-3663 lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com IF YOU GO The third annual California Waterscapes' Parade of Ponds continues today, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at more than 20 locations. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at California Waterscapes, 2729 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1) Rick and Janet Shaw of Woodland Hills have a large pond with waterfalls and water lilies. It's part of the Parade of Ponds. (2) Rick and Carol Flam of Encino have a pond with 10-foot waterfalls, koi and many plants. California Waterscapes Parade of Pools continues today. Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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