Several years ago I decided to build a koi pond in the backyard. I come from the Northern area of Minnesota and I wanted to have something to remind me of home. 10,000 lakes in Minnesota and one in my backyard in Texas.

I built my koi pond expecting to watch the fish, But I was not prepared for what happened next. I started to notice all kinds of creatures showing up in my backyard, butterflies, dragonflies, bees, turtles, and of course birds. All kinds of birds showed up, cardinals, blue jays, chickadees and robins.

I spent so many hours in the backyard just watching the birds. They came to the pond; but, I felt they needed something else. So, I built a river they could walk in and bathe in the water. It worked perfectly. The little birds would slowly walk into the shallow river, look around, then dip and flap, look around again, and dip and flap.

I wanted to make sure they stayed longer in my backyard, so I build a bird feeder. We have the same group of birds show up every morning to eat then bathe. They take turns at the feeder. It's almost like a line at the cafeteria. My birds are a like synchronized eating conga line.

After building a few feeders my friends stated asking if I would build one for them. Then I started building bird houses for my little birds. Long story long, this is how I started building bird houses and bird feeders and this is how "The Rustic Birdhouse" began.

I am a Graphic Designer by trade. I would always look at things and try to find ways to make them look better. I also have always loved figuring out how things worked. Building birdhouses and bird feeders for me is a combination of all the things I love to do - designing, building and making them work right.