In 2011, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Fred G. Levin for the first time. During our talk, Fred gave me a piece of advice that has stuck with me through the years: “People don’t care about the truth, they care about their perception of the truth.” And Fred, to be sure, was a very perceptive person.
So when he asked me in 2013 to create a custom garden and landscape design to transform Timeless Tanglewood on Pensacola’s Bayou Texar, I jumped at the chance to show Fred what I could do with this fantastic property. I knew the stakes were high, that this was my chance to prove what I and my Gulfside Landscaping team were capable of accomplishing.
One of the most daunting challenges of the project was taming the extreme elevation changes and drainage issues that are so common along this beautiful stretch of Northwest Florida waterfront. I got to work with the goal of designing a show-stopping landscape that was as beautiful as it was functional.
Shortly after my team built the custom drainage system and created the series of stepped terraces that would serve as the foundation for my garden designs, our work was put to the ultimate test. April of 2014 brought historic torrential rains to the Pensacola area that flooded homes, washed away roads and bridges, and left countless properties destroyed.
As soon as the waters receded, I headed over to Timeless Tanglewood to inspect the project. Although I had full confidence in my work, I feared what I would find in the epic storm’s aftermath. To my delight, the drainage system worked perfectly, leaving the majority of the grounds unscathed.
I poured my heart and soul into Timeless Tanglewood. When all was said and done, the grounds surrounding the property were truly breathtaking. To this day, it remains one of my proudest accomplishments, and am ever grateful for the trust Fred placed in me and my team.
