Kirk...I've always liked this one..my barrell pond is still going, too! But I wanted to comment on your glass balls in the ground...I think before you said those were the pot "waterers" that are sold...well, this year by our pond, I marked where I planted a big elephant ear with one of those "waterers!" (just pushed the long part in the ground) Now I know where the E.Ear is located until it finally pops out of the ground! TFS your pics again! Jeanne S.

Wanda, are you ok? Would you like someone else to pick a subject>

So sorry about missing last week. Thanks for your patience with me. Now, on with the next week.

hi, one side of our property abuts highway 1 in mill valley, california. i put in a 9-foot-tall acoustifence all along that property line. here's what i've learned: 1. sound is like water in that it will find its way through/around a sound fence. since we only used acoustiblock for the fence on one side of the property, the sound simply comes in where the acoustiblock ends on either side. the sound also comes OVER the acoustiblock fence. fyi we have 8' high redwood fencing on the other three sides of the property. (wood is not recommended for noise control fyi.) 2. a sound fence is most effective if you put it around the item that is making the noise. sound fences are very effective, for example, when completely boxing in a freestanding air conditioner or pool pump. 3. the farther away you stand from our fence, the less effective the fence is. when i stand two feet from the fence i can tell that the traffic sounds are somewhat muffled -- less tinny sounding, maybe. but the difference is very subtle. when i stand any farther away i can't tell the difference at all. 4. effectiveness is not determined by the quality of noise-reducing material, it is determined by the situation -- all of the above things i've listed. i can't stress this enough. if i had it to do over again i would invest in some kind of water feature and put it close to our bedroom window. our whole house has double-paned windows but the noise still finds its way into the house -- especially when we have a window open at night, for example. i do hope this helps you. the man who i worked with at Acoustiblock was a very nice person, but i believe he should have told me to save my $$ and look for a different solution for our noise problem.