YOU CAN BUILD A CONCRETE POND IN YOUR BACK YARD (AND HAVE AGREAT TIME DOING IT)!

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As more concrete was poured, we started raking it down with "McClouds", that is, rakes with tape applied over their prongs. And so it went: Cover a small area with two inches of concrete, pull the underlying wire through to the top, layer another two inches of mix over the wire, and smooth the surface out with small hand floats. A steady pattern quickly developed.

Pretty soon, more smiling faces arrived and a second mixer was started up. We continued to pour concrete, concentrating our efforts on the three sides of the pond which were farthest from the road where the transit-mix truck would eventually stop to pour its load. (Again, it was two inches of concrete below the wire, two inches above.) One of our new helpers—bless him—brought along a "bull float" (an extra-large float with a long handle). We were amazed at how quickly the bull float could smooth out those 4"-thick walls compared to the smaller hand floats we had started with.

WAITING FOR THE TRANSIT MIX

As the hot sun climbed high in the sky, shadows began to disappear from the pond. The morning grew old. It was time for the transit-mix truck to arrive . . . but it didn't show up.

Most of the work crew (about 20 of us) took a break for sweet rolls, coffee, and a rest in the shade. A few folks, however, continued to mix and pour and smooth what little concrete was left in a rather forlorn attempt to finish the pond off with our dwindling materials.

Then, just as our sand and gravel supplies gave out, the transit-mix truck arrived! A cheer went up and four or five helpers donned rubber boots (required apparel for this kind of work), grabbed their rakes and shovels, and galloped down to the bottom of the excavation. The rest of us looked on as the truck driver prepared to unload his cargo. (At this point, we really began to appreciate having a road so close to the pond.)

Because we'd been warned in advance that transit-mix people like to make very wet concrete (it's supposed to be easier on their equipment), we were quite adamant in asking for a stiff mix when we placed our order. What we asked for and what we received, however, were two very different things: The stuff that came out of the truck's chute had the consistency of split-pea soup! We watched in horror as the concrete slid down the side of our excavation and formed a mushy pool in the bottom.

Some workers sloshed through the mess, trying to work the muck back up onto the pond's sloping sides ... others lined up at the truck with wheelbarrows to collect a load of concrete to cart to the other side of the pond, where a gently sloping walkway had yet to be poured. As OI' Sol reached—and passed—his peak in the sky, we scurried to move the mush up the sides, leaving a 6"-thick layer in the bottom of the pond. Wheelbarrows whizzed back and forth!

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