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Tucked away in the Holiday Park section of Plum is a tropical paradise packed with various plants, fish and crafted creatures.
It has been said that deer jump fences for a chance to nibble on the flowers and vegetables that grow inside the wildlife habitat along dead end Kinzua Road.
Hand-crafted creatures such as chimps, gorillas, snakes and more call it home. So do longtime residents Ron and Jean Golock. They have been married for 53 years and Ron has spent most of them tinkering in their home escape.
“I couldn’t afford to go to Jamaica, so I made a Jamaica,” he said. “I used every square inch of my yard. This is 50 years of progress. Why do it? You get some material, pieces of wood and you put it together and you make something out of it. That’s my enjoyment.”
The backyard was recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a certified wildlife habitat.
Qualifications to earn such a distinction include sustainable practices, cover, food, water and places to raise young, according to nfw.org.
Golock constructed rain barrels and catches water via downspouts. He then uses their yield to water the plants, which include yucca, pampas grass, a weeping willow tree, rhododendrons and “dinner plate” hibiscus.
Several of the animals are made from layers of liquid nail, mesh tape and chicken wire. “Gloria the Gorilla” was the first. She hangs out in the shade of one of the trees. Different bird feeders are also scattered throughout the yard.
A small garden, including tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and squash, grows on one side of the yard not far from an entry arch meticulously cut out of vegetation.
There are concrete steps in the middle of the yard in need of some repair. They lead up to a Tiki bar, an above-ground pool outlined with bamboo and a dollhouse made for their first grandchild, Emma Yuska. The house is occupied by a small boy made from arborvitae.
The couple has 11 grandchildren. Some contributed to the effort by painting some of the objects.
Approximately 70 goldfish swim in a 7-foot by 11-foot pond that is crossed by a small wooden bridge. There is a nautical-themed storage shed near it with stained glass windows.
The various projects to create the habitat might have been a nightmare for some people, but Golock had the skills necessary to bring the projects to life.
Golock worked as a landscape and maintenance staffer at Community College of Allegheny County Boyce campus for 26 years after nearly 19 years as a drill man for Westinghouse Air Brake Co. He also earned an associates degree in art while working for the college.
Jean Golock, a retired merchandiser with Procter & Gamble, said she did not give any artistic input to her husband’s work but fully supports what he does to not only the yard but the numerous housing upgrades over the years.
“He would say to me, ‘Well?,’ Jean Golock said. “I’d go, ‘Nice.’ He’d put so many things up I’d just kind of (say), ‘That’s real good honey, looks nice.’ Every time I go out I never know what I’m coming home to.”
The family also puts up a large manger scene in December.
Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-871-2367, mdivittorio@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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