Home Front: Ponder ponds for the soul
By ELIZABETH BETTENDORF
Published July 29, 2005
Friends Joey Rawdan and Kevin Simmler share a love of water.
They run a small pool-care business together.
They both love to surf, having traveled as far as Costa Rica in search of a blissful wave.
And they built such a beautiful 120-gallon saltwater aquarium that they actually gave up cable TV in favor of watching fish swim.
But their real passion is creating ponds, gorgeous, serene, natural ponds like the 50-foot beauty they built alongside of their small, surfer-style house in Terrace Park.
Flanked by "river slicks" round, smooth, monochromatic rocks, as well as lemon grass, hibiscus, ferns and plumeria, their stream-shaped pond features a three-tiered waterfall, a wooden footbridge and the watchful Buddha seated on its banks.
On Saturday, the two men will host their first pond tour, A Day of Waterlife, with all proceeds going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The tour, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., begins at their own pond at 4616 E Seneca Ave., near Busch Gardens. The north Tampa event highlights six ponds the two built, including two in Carrollwood, three in Temple Terrace and one in Thonotosassa.
Visitors will get down-home treats including bratwurst, doughnuts, even fish-shaped cookies baked by Joey's mom.
"Ponds are big stress relievers," says Simmler, 30. "They're always evolving into something bigger, better and more wonderful. They're really living works of art."
Rawdan and Simmler met as toddlers when their families moved next door to each other in Temple Terrace. The two became friends instantly and remained so for life, sharing friendships and interests that include a mutual enthusiasm for nature, Buddhism and jazz.
"As kids we played Lincoln Logs and Legos together, so it makes sense we would build ponds someday," Simmler recalled one night last week as the music of Charles Mingus played in the background.
Rawdan bought the house a few years ago from his uncle. It features a swimming pool, hot tub, glider, and meticulous landscaping, including a serene corner of the yard dedicated to his late grandfather. They painted the interior ocean blue and hung bright decorative fish from the ceiling. Colorful surfboards liven the rafters of the small-screened porch.
"We're soul surfers, we surf for the soul of it not the competition," explains Rawdan, 30, who has a degree in bio-geography from the University of South Florida. (Simmler earned a degree in humanities from Florida Central College.)
They share the house with several pets, including a newly rescued black-and-white cat, Omen; and Daisy, a sweet-tempered English bulldog, who at 12, still romps like a puppy, playfully pulling out all her toys for a visitor.
The pair remains selective about customers, taking on only about three jobs a year partly because of the demands of the pool business, partly because they like to feel a connection to their clients.
They've made over their own pond several times, and typically spend the evening after a long day at work pulling weeds over a drink and conversation.
The idea of the pond tour came from friends who had fallen in love with ponds the pair built for them. They agreed to organize the tour but wanted proceeds to go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society because both Rawdan and his girlfriend have lost family members to blood cancers.
The society will set up a booth on the property the day of the tour, offering brochures and information. Tour participants will receive a booklet that includes a map and detailed descriptions of each pond.
"Everyone on this tour is truly a person of character," Rawdan explains. He says the tour will even include an 85-year-old hobby botanist who built a finch aviary in his yard.
If anything, the pair says, come on the tour to celebrate their love of water. After all, the back of their business card offers this philosophical nugget from Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh:
"Water flows from high in the mountains. Water runs deep in the earth. Miraculously, water comes to us, and sustains all life."
IF YOU GOA Day of Waterlife: A Unique Pond and Water Garden Tour runs from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets available the day of the tour at 4616 E Seneca Ave. A suggested donation of $20 is requested. All proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
For more information go to www.waterliferocks.com or call 813 785-7665.