Meet the Water Expert

Here is the Water Expert in his home away from home - the pump station behind the lake. He understands what all these brightly colored fixtures do, and manages the flow of the lake, the irrigation system, and the fountain, from here.

The Water Expert was born in Scottsdale, and ended up going to High School in Gilbert. After graduating, he worked construction for a while, got his carpentry apprenticeship, and operated heavy equipment. Then he joined the Navy and became an air traffic controller. The Water Expert was stationed in San Diego for a while, then in Japan on the aircraft carrier the USS Independence, and finally in Fallon NV, a small town near Reno, and the home of Top Gun. He and the First Cousin fell in love during his stint in Japan; they will have been married 9 years this July. During those years he has taken up hunting, both rifle and archery, and fishing, and he got his pilot's license. (Along with the Mister, you'll recall. Have you ever been around pilots? When you get two of them in the same room, well, it goes like this: we'll be having a very nice lunch discussing the Highland Groves project or something, and out of the blue, one of them will say, "Speaking of flying..." - which, of course, we weren't - and then go off into some long story about airplanes. We roll our eyes and let them finish, because there is just no changing the subject once it gets started) He runs marathons, too (and he runs circles around us old fogeys in the office).

The Water Expert separated from the Navy, and he and the First Cousin returned to Gilbert to help out with Morrison Ranch. He eased into the role of Water Expert by training in the Rainbird Maxicom Central Control Irrigation System, so that he can oversee the irrigation systems of Morrison Ranch. From there he was handed the lake project behind Farm Bureau, and he jumped into that with both feet (literally). When that was so successful, he was crowned Water Expert, and all future water projects will go through him. He has also appointed himself as our trespassing watchdog, putting up the signs and keeping an eye on the properties that really ought not have folks fooling around, and chatting with the hobbyists that end up in the alfalfa fields. This is a good fit, since he is almost as personable as his wife. He spends a lot of time outside with the various subcontractors and landscape workers, and he knows them all by name, and they respect him, which makes the working relationships so much smoother. Plus, he gets the stories behind the scenes (remember the boa in the car?)

So if you're ever walking around the lake, and you run into the Water Expert, tell him how beautiful you think his lake and fountain are. I guarantee you'll make his day.