"Lily pads, cattails, and pond scum" reprint in "Scenery by the Seasons,"  2010

This article was originally published in the March 2001 issue of Model Railroader magazine -- it was my first "national newsstand" article, and also the first I did after I returned to the hobby in 1999.  In fact, the article was written a year before the Bona Vista Railroad layout was started.  It was based on a diorama I'd built and photographed while living in a rented townhouse as we waited for our house to be built.  The article was also picked up by Kalmbach Books in October 2002 for their "New Scenery Tips and Techniques" book.