TURTLES !!!!

Like other homes, a LEED residence is better for something in it that delights a child.  Such a bit of foolishness at Folly comes in the form of turtles - yes, turtles!  This is not just whimsy.  The beaches of the Treasure Coast of Florida are a  nesting area for  loggerhead, green and leatherback turtles.  Between March 1st and October 31st buildings and roads along the beach use low light so as not to interfere with the nesting activity.  Volunteers patrol each morning (very early!) to monitor the number and condition of nests.  

So Folly has turtles, too!  There is a family of turtles in the pool and more "swimming" in the sink of the pool bath. Fortunately, there are talented ceramicists working here to help with this project.

 Sharon Sexton set out to craft two adults and four babies for the pool.  The process requires thought in the design and knowledge and care in the execution.    Like most local residents, Sharon had been  studying turtle coloring and anatomy for some time, so she tried some drawings.   Then, standing on the empty pool floor, she worked out the appropriate sizes so that she could  draw life size templates.  Once satisfied that sizes would work,  she hand molded each section and set the pieces in the kiln for a first firing.

this kiln has shelves so that many pieces can be fired at one time

 Painting and glazing each shell requires both an artists eye for color and a firm grasp of the technique.  Firing ceramics is as much art as science as the materials give different effects depending on temperature and other conditions.    

You can see the distinct pattern of the shell

Each turtle has a signature pattern

Worker sets each piece in place

For fun, Sharon added some baby turtles

Sharon's work is at  www.tigerlilyvero.com/Sharon-Sexton
 
Inside the house, Glenda Taylor designed a pedestal sink. The challenge of this project was to make an original work of art that functioned as a plumbing fixture.  (She actually appeared calm when she heard my request!)  The aesthetic elements of design, color, etc., were constrained by the function and placement of the piece.  The finished sink is truly a work of art.

Seaweed winds around the pedestal

Glenda can be found at www.tigerlilyvero.com/glenda-taylor

Turtles swim up and around the bowl

A folly for Folly and fun for all visitors!

Water Capture ...

The Treasure Coast of Florida, where Folly finds her home,  has been suffering seriously low rainfall over several years.  This past dry season (October to May) has seen very little rain. http://www.evergladesfoundation.org

    Our “snowbirds”, i.e. our affectionate name for tourists, have enjoyed our sunny, dry days tremendously, but our plants have not.  We are now under water restrictions for irrigation. 

 

positioning the tank

Our effort at Folly to mitigate depletion of our wells while keep the landscape looking good, has included using very little grass, mostly drought tolerant plants, and the installation of two 4,000 gallon cisterns to provide a total of 8,000 gallons of water for irrigation.  The water comes from the gutter system on the house which feeds the cisterns by means of  underground  hoses.  Of course, during times of extended periods of no rainfall, the two wells will take over.
The installation of the cisterns was challenging.

removing them from the truck

arriving by truck

The large tanks, made of fiberglass, arrived by flatbed truck, removed by crane to set side by side while a large hole was dug to receive them.  Of course, since we are in Florida, water seeped into the bottom of the hole at eight feet.

digging

water!

sipping water

A pump system was set up to drain the water to create a solid base.    

adding gravel

weights

tanks with anchors on each side

 After some gravel was added, the tanks were put into place.

A possible scenario might be that the water table rises during a hurricane causing the tanks to pop out of the ground. In order to  insure that this does not happen, large concrete columns placed on either side anchored the tanks. A metal chain fixed the tank to the anchor.  Also, 18 inches of water will remain in the tanks at all times.

in place and strapped down

The hole was filled in with dirt so that only the caps show above grade.  The area will be sodded.

only the caps will show above ground

Once the area is covered with sod, only an experienced eye will be able to find the caps. 
This is one of the experiments at Folly.  Hopefully, it will teach us all about how to use water more wisely.