Here it is ... I forgot to take before pictures ....
I did make thumbnail versions so if you would like to see
a bigger view just click on the pic!

We used broken concrete from the old front sidewalk that
was torn out. It was like putting together a mosaic. We
filled the bog area with native Michigan plants local to the
area. Many of the plants were giving to us as well. This was
an enjoyable venture for both of us.

    I would like to add here ... if you are considering doing something like this look into it and learn all you can ahead of time. One example: Jeff and I didn't want a large pond when we began. Well here we are only a year into this great hobby and we found ourselves running out of room for fish and plants. So this year we are doubling the size so are Koi, Comets, Fantails, Goldfish and plants have more room.
    Not to mention we have graduated to our 3rd water pump this year. The pond is approx. 750 gallons we began with a 500gph (gallons per hour) pump (that was a joke) we moved up to the 1000gph pump which worked nifty all of last year and was about the right size.
    When we started the pump up in the spring what a headache, I mean you can only clean out so much stuff from the pond when it's below 70 degrees. The pump was constantly getting so full of stuff that I had to keep taking it out and hosing it down (not fun in the rain).
    Since we are expanding this year we got a 3000gph pump. Most ponders say with a bio-filter your pump should circulate at least half your ponds capacity every hour.
    We also learned very quickly that a good bio-filter is important, Jeff and I built an external bio-filter last year and it returns the water via the waterfall we built. I'll get pics of the renovations soon so you can see (before we expand).
    We were lucky in the fact that Aunt Cathy and Uncle Ben shared their experiences with us and,shortly after we began this project we found an excellent watergarden resource not far from us. Between learning from my aunt & uncle  and the wonderful folks at Grassroots Nursery, we have had very few problems with filtration, water quality, plant and fish health.
    Actually the folks at Grassroots impressed us so much that I revamped their website as a surprise. Now, I'm their webmaster and work on their website. You can visit them by going to the link section. These folks would actually help me by bringing things to the van if I called ahead, helping me with my wheelchair and even giving me a push every now and then.
    We've talked with alot of supposed "pond experts" and these folks are the most experienced, helpful and honest folks we've dealt with. So make sure you find someone who is into it for love of the hobby and not just the money because believe me, it can be real easy to turn you pond into a hole in the yard you toss your money into.
    A pond should be a place of peace and beauty...a place to relax, reflect and just enjoy!

My Aunt and Uncles Pond

Yes here it is .... this is what got us hooked! This is also where alot of our plants came from.