Backyard Wonders is a pictorial and informational how-to-book that logs the journey involved in converting a backyard area into a tranquil retreat that would bring serenity to its owners for years to come. The converted area lies adjacent to a wooded natural boundary to a nearby reservoir in a city once know as the Paper City of the world. Each image contains objects that were created with the help of nature, a keen eye and some Old Yankee ingenuity. The impetus for developing this backyard wonder was not due to some stroke of genius but a stroke of lighting; literally a lightning strike that took down a mature maple tree on the top terrace. The solution for dealing with the storm’s aftermath was the creation of a pond and waterfall were the tree trunk of the great Maple once stood; now what stands in its place is an aquatic ecosystem that is self-staining. Over the years other areas on the property have been developed to provide various views of nature; backyard wonders and places of retreat. Our family members lovingly refer to these staging or viewing areas as a Table for Two.
