Namaste!

Since the Tara stone statue was very heavy we needed to make a concrete platform to hold it. We also decided to have the statue a bit above the ground. This is a disappearing water feature, meaning the water will fall from the vase that Tara (the stone statue) is holding, disappearing in the ground covered by rock stones. The trick is that the pump should be down in the ground topped with a grate to protect the pump from the crushing forces of the rocks.

We needed to make a shelf around the concrete platform to secure one side of the grate on it. Therefore, we made the step in two phases. As a result we used rebars to reinforce the bondage of concrete.

We made a smaller wooden frame for the top, same as we did for the bottom one. This is the concrete step after it is done. Looks like an Olympic step!

Then it was time to frame around the platform. We used two half concrete block on each side. The good thing about them was the openings inside them so that the grate could easily sit on it. we sloped the inside of the hole so that the water would flow smoothly to the front, where the pump sits. For the grates we looked into everything from drainage grates to grill grates. But the most practical and economical we found were the closet shelves from home depot!

The next step was to place the underlayment followed by the liner. We used 35 mil liner which was thick enough for this size water feature. We covered the edges with some paddings underneath the underlayment to protect the liner.

We had a bit of a struggle with installation of the statue. The hole in the back of the statue was lower than the one in the vase (sloped backward), so when the water would flow back in the hole around the pipe and leaked from the back of the statue. To solve this problem we sealed around the hole with concrete and transparent silicone. Seems it is now working. We also took a trip to Lyngso to purchase some rocks. Mammad was in favor of the bigger ones and I was leaning toward the smaller ones. So, we ended up with a very nice selection of rocks. The ones with moss on them are so cool. With a sprinkle of water on them the moss came back to life. The other thing we did was installing a timer for the pump and also for the lighting.
Now that the patio is fully functional, all you need to do is to sit under the Gazebo in front of the water feature and enjoy the sound and beauty that resembles Bali. Salamat Pagi!

A little bit about Tara

Tara, a female Buddha and meditational deity, is arguably the most popular goddess in the Buddhist pantheon. She is considered to be the goddess of universal compassion who represents virtuous and enlightened activity.Tara was once just an ordinary person, but after many lifetimes of practicing the Bodhisattva Path, Tara attained perfect enlightenment and vowed to stay and help all other creatures on their paths to enlightenment. The interesting thing about Tara is that she vowed not only to be a bodhisattva, but to do this in the form of a woman. Typically, in Buddhist thought, a Bodhisattva takes the male form. Tara’s vow is striking because it went against traditional teaching. Her inspiring independence, along with many other qualities, has lead her to be perhaps the most popular Bodhisattva in the Buddhist tradition besides Avalokitesvara.

After days and days of rinsing, staining, varnishing, …. The time came. A week ago concrete footings were poured and we let the concrete dry and set for 10 days. The post base we used was Simpson Strong-Ties ABU66. The thickness of the posts weren’t standard (about 4.5″ and each was slightly different in size), so John (our carpenter) had to go with 6×6 post bases and fill in the gaps with plywood.

The posts had to be installed one at a time with lots of measurement involved to assure that the horizontal supports would fit directly in the holes at the top of the posts. Then the fist panel of carvings went up.

The next step was to put the roof on, one piece at a time!

This is the inside view of the roof.

And some pictures of the installed Gazebo. We decided to have the front carving of the Gazebo facing towards the house so that we can enjoy their beauty from inside the house!

The next step was Travis having his guys cut the pavers so that they fit nicely around the posts. They did a fantastic job. (Travis Hugins, Old World Cobble, same contractor who did our driveway).

Well, it is not done yet! John has to come back again and make some wooden covers around the post bases to cover the brackets and the holes and nails. Then we will get ready for putting our first water feature in!

We saw Poncho at Yoshi’s on Sunday. The last time I saw him was in Vancouver. The performance was ok. He was very fun and witty but may be he was tired (this was his last show in the bay area) or the crowd wasn’t as responsive as he expected. Anyhow we had a great time. Sushi at Yoshi’s was fantastic and I loved our quick walk in Jack London Square.