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Just in time for the 100 degree temps the outdoor shower is completed with lots of help from all sorts of people. Chris helped cement posts, my dad showed up to work on the copper plumbing with me, mom, Chris, and Megan stained the slats at various times. My neighbor of course thinks I am crazy but the shower is quite possibly the best thing we have done to the backyard so far... And for those of you who are wondering what in the world I am thinking, well here are the three main reasons we wanted an outdoor shower:
1. Water goes into the ground, and helps to recharge the terribly depleted aquifer. (We only use biodegradable soap outside and hair washing will take place inside.)
2. Water from our outside spigot is often cooler (after the initial blast of superheated water lava) than water that is piped into the house, which when low temps in the summer rarely get below 80 degrees at night, the desire for cold showers nears obsessive.
3. Seriously, there is nothing better than a refreshing shower under the stars or in the morning sun as birds are singing.
Here is some evidence.
Vacancy.
Come on in!
Notice the beautifully stained wood and the wonderfully welded copper piping - thanks to everyone who helped! Also the bench to the right. Don't worry, it's sanded very smooth.
Aerial photography.
Yesterday morning I woke up to the sound of water dribbling down the ABS pipe along the house that leads to the cistern. This was a new sound, and as a homeowner (especially early in the morning) new sounds are by definition suspicious. I sat up very startled, and was quickly calming myself, satisfied that everything was going where it was supposed to and indeed making all the right noises according to their little water paths - I had just never heard these things before.
So today, I googled images for "chicken" and "rain" and this snapshot of Don, Jim, Bob, Alva, and Bud is one of the photos I got. Not exactly what I was looking for - I have never met those five hefty, mountain men, but I am sure they had a good time eating the chicken if the rain didn't keep the fire at bay.
I am really writing because I could barely contain my excitement that it is actually raining and the water catchment tank is filling up (slowly as there is really only a light drizzle here and there). This morning I could even turn on the spigot to find free, untainted agua pouring out. This is all very exciting as the cistern has now lost its catchment virginity of sorts. I also saw a little toad between the aloe patch and the cover crop I have planted in the summer beds. I always take it as a good sign that random little creatures live in the yard - unless they are feral cats going after the chickens (there's at least one that I regularly am forced to throw rocks at) or hundreds of swallows making off with free chicken feed (I'm thinking a scarecrow?).
And with the rain, the gutters have not fallen off (though there are a few places I will have to seal up), the tank hasn't fallen over, and the plants in the basins look very content with their new found locations. According to all the weather websites and forecasters, there is a 100% chance of rain for the rest of the day and night, into tomorrow. For anyone who knows anything about Tucson, saying that it will rain with such certainty is nearly unheard of, and tantamount to saying something like Dick Cheney is going to have another heart attack, take his shiny, black helmet off, and beg forgiveness just like he did in Star Wars - don't get our hopes up if it isn't absolutely true.
Well at least it's raining.
Day 2 was oh-so-satisfying I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day. Even before 5pm the backyard looked totally transformed with the cistern all finished and sealed, and two whole basins lined with rocks, planted, and mulched. Everyone worked fabulously and seemed to enjoy the whole day. Before I knew it, time was up and we had accomplished way more than I had anticipated. Planting native flowers and grasses is so instantly gratifying, especially here in the desert where greenery is sparse and plant life certainly more subtle. (For great help and a wide selection of native plants visit Desert Survivors.)
Because things went so smoothly I have very little in the way of photo documentation during the bulk of the day's work. The work mostly included extending PVC pipe to the spigot, cutting inside ABS pipe to length within the cistern, and ensuring that the basin was deep enough to accommodate overflow from the ABS overflow line. Enough technical details. Here are the photos.
This is Basin 1. It is actually not for the water cistern but will be fed by a gutter system off the shop roof.
Working, digging, planting, supervising on Basin 2 that will receive overflow water from the cistern.
Still working on Basin 2. The river rocks along the edge help to prevent erosion.
There is a lot of standing around happening in this picture, but consider it similar to one of those moments when suddenly there is silence among a large group of people - before, it was really chaotic, but for that moment it seems calm and ordered. Either way, we got heaps done.
Everything is sealed, sawn, and ready to get filled with water - as soon as we take the ladder out.
Today is the first day of two water catchment tank workshops in my backyard. Mostly we will mix cement and set a 7 foot tall, 4 foot diameter metal culvert on its end in the cement. With some pipes mixed in for fun. For a diagram of what we are going to do, look at this older post, and for more information about improving our water resources, local watershed management, all here in Tucson, Watershed Management Group knows a thing or two. Here are the parts, pieces, and place.
Culvert, soon to be cistern.
What 1 ton of cement mix looks like next to 3 inch ABS pipes.
Location, location, location. In this case, right under the newly installed gutters seems to make sense.
In about one week, with the help and guidance of Watershed Management Group, we will be installing a ~540 gallon water cistern at the northeast corner of the house. The purpose is the capture the run-off from the east side of the house during the monsoon seasons (and any other time it might happen to rain, but let's face it, it barely rains ever). Then with the stored water I will be able to water plants, trees, veggies, and keep the chickens thirst satiated. Pseudo-famous water catching local gurus like Brad Lancaster will say that this water is free, but he is wrong. I know. I just spent all day running all over town making numerous purchases for this catchment tank, including the 7 foot long, 4 foot diameter culvert that will be used on its end as a cistern, and it is anything but free. Though that is not to say it is not worth it. I have ogled other peoples' catchment tanks in the neighborhood with salavating lips, and googly-eyes ever since I closed on this house. For some people it is speedy cars, and others fall for sex appeal in passers-by - but for me, it is hot bikes and large catchment tanks that cause me to strain my neck while looking them up and down. I know, but it's hard out there for an urban farmer...
Well to give you all an idea of what we will be installing come next weekend, here is a diagram I shamelessly stole from a local business website that also installs these cisterns. This is pretty much what we will be doing over the course of two Sunday afternoons in November, minus the hard work, sweat equity, and moments of confusion and cursing. Have no fear, I will be sure to post real pictures of the installation process once it takes place. Meanwhile, have sweet sweet dreams of your own water catching fantasies...
The last week or so we have gotten heaps of rain in Tucson - some days with over one inch in a single downpour - and the river one block from my house gets pretty large and in charge when that happens. Here you can see the giant wave that was just at the end of my street in the wash.
The other thing that happens when it rains this much is all the garbage of the last few months that has ended up in the washes from roads, drainage, and other foul unspeakable places, is flushed down the river - or sometimes as we see here accumulated together as a wondeful reminder what a dirty wasteful society we are (brought you to by Burger King and Furr's Family Dining). Mmmm....
And here is a mediocre 22 second video of what it looked like last evening after a pretty intense downpour. Remember, for those of you not from Tucson, there is usually only a trickle to no water at all in this wash. It is probably at least 12 feet deep in this video. The quality is only so-so as it was taken with just a regular camera, but you get the idea. (This is my first Youtube video ever. I know it is not that great, but do you think that my brother will become famous now? Man he owes me big time...)
Vacancy.
Come on in!
Notice the beautifully stained wood and the wonderfully welded copper piping - thanks to everyone who helped! Also the bench to the right. Don't worry, it's sanded very smooth.
Aerial photography.
