Upon entering the courtyard, past the gently rolling low fence and gate echoing the views of the hills beyond, a pond, the width of the window of the adjoining 3rd bedroom on the left, extends from one side of the courtyard to the other, cutting across the entry path of the house.
One has to cross a bridge to get to the front door, a bridge whose railing has been capped with the same wood as the front door.  The pond ends at the garage wall on the right with a fountain wall rising straight from the bottom of the pond covered with aqua blue tile.  The fountain itself along with the trim of the pond is in terra cotta.  The bridge seems to float at night as the lights on its underside illuminate the slow moving coy fish; the sound of water dripping.
The plans call for French doors to replace the existing window, inviting the courtyard indoors, making the entire space, private and public, one.