These are the newest photos and now that they are posted, they aren't very good. The fringes of the pond are incredibly green, especially considering how brown everything else is turning as Summer heat pulls every bit of moisture out of the area. I spent several hours trying to photograph the black birds because they are beautiful birds, and because their social behavior is so interesting. Yesterday each of the males had from two to four chicks following them around. The chicks have so few feathers it is amazing they can fly (but they do), and they still depend on their parents for food, but they are obviously in some kind of training program.
This is my first attempt at gardening in several years. The last time I harvested two tomatoes from about $50 worth of plants and a lot of water. This time I have chosen a spot out of the relentless wind, that is shaded from the afternoon sun. The tomatoes and jalapenos already look promising. I used pieces of slate, sandstone, and shale to build a small ditch from the waterfall, around to the garden area, and that is working well also.
Early morning (just after sunrise) and late evening (just before sunset) are the nicest and most active times for the pond. I usually just stop work and watch whatever happens, and it changes daily.