I volunteer in an elementary school garden project in Texas. We had a large plastic viewing ball in our new pond that was very popular until vandals threw rocks through it over Thanksgiving weekend. In three years this is only the second significant negative incident in our inner-city paradise.
The only place I've found gazing balls on the internet, they run about $200! So if you hear of one, let me know.
I am so sorry!!! The pond is beautiful!! The best of luck in finding a replacement.
Judy
I haven't seen any that color or that size. Would something smaller do? Around here they are readily available for around $30-40. Maybe I am speaking too soon as the garden centers may have put all of their inventory away for the year already.
Inner city elementary school project??? Get me your address. If I find one of the type sold around here, I will send it to you. It may not be exactly what you had in mind but it might tide you over until you can locate one the size of what you had. My treat shipping and all and that was real who ever trashed the kids' lousy gazing ball. Oh, you might even find the ones that were sold around here more attractive. They looked as if they were a splatter glass. They did have some really ugly disco ball looking ones but I doubt that would be classy enough for that pond.
I'm really sorry about your gazing ball.
Equlib, Your generosity is overwhelming! Let's see what transpires on this end before you go the trouble though. Also, I want to make sure we're talking about the same item.
What I refer to as viewing or gazing ball is a clear plexiglas sphere about 16-18 inches in diameter. It's filled with water and placed on a stand in the pond so that it sticks up out of the water as far as possible. Fish swim into it thru a large hole in the bottom. When they do, they are clearly visible thru the plexiglas. It's like a glass bottom boat or goggles. And it magnifies them! So, you see, it's a fun toy.
Also, I want to clarify the "inner-city" term - I really try to avoid stereotypical terminology. We are in a metropolitan area of almost 1/4 million (20 miles form George Bush's vacation home, by the way!). Our neighborhood is perhaps better called "at risk" than "inner city". I've lived here for 20 years. We have areas of extreme poverty owned by uncaring landlords, but we also have areas of wealth. And we have everything in between. Our school is about 70% "Hispanic", 20% African-American. All of the teachers live somewhere else.
That's probably more than you wanted to know! But please tell me about your viewing ball so we know if were on the same page. Here is a poor photo of ours before it was broken. In the picture it is in need of cleaning and repositioning.
Again, thanks for your concern.
John Herbert
Waco, Texas
Equilibrium,
Well, Duh! I just looked back at the first photo I put on the forum and discovered that ball is in it! Okay....
Although it looks, green in the picture, it is actually clear so you can see the fish.
Time for me to go out for some fresh air!
Hi John, I picked up my gazing ball at Franks Nursery and Crafts which is now going out of business. It was clear glass that reminded me of someone having taken a paint brush and splattered assorted colors on it. It is predominantly clear glass.
I volunteer working with kids too. Incredibly, some of the children I work with have never stepped on anything other than grass and asphalt in their lives. I have to admit I have a weakness for these types of kids. I really feel for them when this happens. I have to admit I have been home sick for a while and never made it out to even go and look for a gazing ball BUT... mine is only a few months old and in perfect condition and I would be more than happy to ship it out. Who's going to enjoy it around here in the dead of winter anyway and they really were cheap enough around here last summer so picking up a replacement wouldn't be a problem at all. They are very popular.
Don't fret about the term "inner city" as my experience has been that several of the most socio economically depraved communities around me are virtually 100% Caucasian but we too have pockets of extreme wealth and those children are frequently "going without" too. I knew what you meant. Kids who have never been to a forest preserve or camped by a lake come from all walks of life. Your pond on the school property is absolutely wonderful and I wish more schools offered that type of an opportunity. I can just imagine samples of that pond water placed under a microscope and all the life forms that those kids could take a peek at. A great experience that few children will be able to experience.
Please contact me in the PMs if you want a gazing ball for your kids from me.
Hello Mr. John, I have a very dark gazing ball for your kids. Not as dark as what they used to have but pretty darn dark! I am actually quite pleased with it! I will need an address.
Equilibrium,
Did you receive the information I sent to your email address?
Yes I did! It will go out on Friday! I am sending it to your home address as I have concerns about sending a box containing something like that to a school in Waco TX. They'd probably xray it or who knows what. I was having difficulty getting a larger box to double box it in to ship so that it wouldn't end up in a thousand pieces on your end but my girlfriend is bringing over several from her husband's work on Friday morning and one will most assuredly work so out it will go. I looked at the new gazing ball for the kids in the daylight and it is actually quite attractive although it appears to be smaller than the one the kids had. Enjoy when you receive it. Best wishes to you as you work with the children.
Equilibrium,
It arrived today, brightly wrapped, safe and sound! I'm debating whether to open - because I'm excited to see it, or to wait till school is back in session and let the students open it. I'll see what the teacher says.
So, on behalf of the school and the students, Thank You Very Much. You are a good person.
jah
Hmmm, decisions decisions decisions!
What would I do??? What would I do??? What would I do???
Why I'd open it and waste no time doing so! Rip the outer paper to shreds! Leave shreds all over the floor!
Life affords many simple pleasures so there's no time like the present to tear the paper and then plop it in the pond. It will be there for the kids to see when school re-opens after winter break.
Merry Christmas to another person who has a soft spot for kids!
Lauren
Great minds think alike! That's what I did tonight just before reading your post. A great late night Christmas Eve treat for myself. It is terrific. As soon as we get it in the garden, I will post a picture for you.
In the meantime, I have a question: The instructions say not to leave it out in the winter because it is glass. What's your experience with cold weather and gazing balls. I don't think it will actually be IN the water, but rather near the water.
jah
Hi John, I'm in zone 5. Any glass such as that left in water would end up in a million pieces from ice closing in around it. I don't know if I'd stick yours out "in" your pond for anything other than a photo session until spring as even zone 8 can freeze.
Now the gazing balls I have are not in water and they are out year round. Snow and ice cover them and they seem to make it year after year. We did lose one but that was to a kid's stray basketball. The basketball hit a tree and then hit the gazing ball and it sounded like a light bulb popping. We figured we were lucky because that was our first accident. With all the sidewalk hockey pucks, baseballs, soccer balls, and the basketballs around here it is a wonder anything survives.
If you don't mind my asking, what did you think of that dark metallic color? Sort of interesting wasn't it? I had never seen that color before yet I was looking for it and there it was. I am off to haul presents down from the attic with my husband to place under the tree. All of the boys are sleeping although they tried real hard to stay up to catch him. Remember those days?
Bye for now, Lauren
Well, you are up late on Christmas Eve. I remember those days, most vividly from my own children who are now grown. They still love to come home for Christmas. Both are here today and tomorrow (actually one lives here in Waco).
The color is great. I like the "depth" of it. It wasn't until this morning in the sunlight that I realized I could see through it as well as see a clear reflection of myself.
My plan is to place it OVER the water if I can rig a steady support for it. I think its reflective qualities will really be special along with the water's reflections and movement. The pond of course is predominantly green too. We plan to replace the original clear ball that the fish can swim up into. I think the two spheres will be interesting as well.
Hope your Christmas was nice. I will let you know after Jan. 5 about some of the students' reactions to the new ball.
John
Mr. John,
I'm so glad to read you recieved one from a generous donor. I just happened across this website that sells those like the one you lost so I was thinking of you. When I first read your post & saw a picture of the one you lost, I thought, "WOW! that is cool, I hope to find one like it someday for our pond." Well, I did but its pretty costly so I may wait a while, LOL! http://www.lilyblooms.com/product.php?bigcat=2&cat=27
Oh my gosh... that's what you had??? I am so brain dead. I didn't even know such a sphere as that existed. This is the first I have ever run across an image of a product like that and I certainly have never seen a sphere such as that in any ponds around me. The folk around here float gazing balls which is what I sent. What an awesome concept those spheres are. Thank you Gemila for posting that as I would have never made the connection.
Gemila and Equlibrium,
Yes, that's what we had. Very cool. Two of us actually have to get in the pond and submerge it to get the water in to it. Then we put a strong net (an old nylon laundry bag) under it to hoist it above the water line and set it on it's stand without letting the water escape. It's quite fun to flail around in the pond and get wet if your with the right person!
Equlibrium, don't feel badly. I was confused too. I finally decided the key is in the terminology. A "gazing" ball (like you gave us) is for gazing - meditating, etc. Attractive, colorful, reflective. And a great addition. The one the fish swim into, is a "viewing" ball - for viewing the fish of course.
Since we recieved the gazing ball, we have been told by the school office that we have enough donated funds to replace the viewing ball. Now we will have to keep reminding them to order it for us. With luck we will have it before school is out in May! Gemila, I'm going to give them the website you listed too. It sounds like it has some useful accessories that make filling it easier. The ball has to be cleaned every few weeks.
In the meantime, we will meditate and gaze upon E's green sphere, as soon as it warms up a little.
I found one for you to look at with a smaller price tag. This sure would be great fun for kids in any setting. Now you have this big kid wanting one but I am afraid my koi would get stuck in it. lol
Check out this source. http://rocksnroots.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=rocksnroots&Product_Code=AA51x
This ebay seller is selling these 12" ones http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20507&item=4332152043&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V but they also sell the 18". I'm still working on saving up the money for one, maybe someday. I didn't get the job I interviewed for so wil see what happens.
Another, very cheap alternative: Get one of these inflatable "underwater viewers" - http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=13154908 - or make a sturdier one with a foam ring and a piece of transparent plastic.
This isn't a a fancy solution, but it's simple, and since it can be taken indoors it's nearly vandalproof.
This message was edited Mar 27, 2005 5:43 PM
