haha! You guys sound like me in so many ways. The one thing that is driving me nuts is that she asks the same questions that I am thinking in my head! That I do not have the answer for.
She suggested that I drain the pond 5 feet and do it right. Then Pour a footer and a concrete column on top. pfffff. What does she know!
Ohh well, what do you do?
Back to my project...I have drove the 8" pipes in. I filled one with concrete and rebar. The thing that was concerning me is the racking. Only being in two foot in the ground is concerning me. So, I found a great way to brace it. I took a piece of 10' long galvanized pipe, smashed one end flat and drilled a hole in it. I then drove it into the ground at an angle and slid it over one of my bolts at the top of the pipe. This worked great! It will be like the X bracing that was suggested.
I am thinking if I would of used the 4" pipe idea, this may have worked better. I bet I could have got them in the ground deeper. I may not have needed any bracing.
