The Pool

The last thing we expected when we moved to Texas a few years ago was to end up with a pool, but there it was, beside the perfect house. Andy was a little reluctant about taking on maintenance, but with the help of "pool school" conducted by a local company, he soon learned the ins and outs of chemicals, taking a water sample to them each week to see what was needed to keep the water clean and sparkling.

Early each morning, the pump comes on, activating the "bubblers" in the shallow end and the spa that keeps the water circulating, creating a waterfall over the edge. A small "robot" efficiently cleans the bottom of the pool of debris, even picking up toys and goggles. I've come to enjoy the sound of the water burbling peacefully throughout the day and the waterfall it creates over the edge of the spa.

Our pool has become a huge magnet for our daughters and their families. Now that warm weather is here, they are in the water nearly every day. Lena and Booker are like fish, easily diving under to retrieve toys. They float around on the rafts and other inflatables we've accumulated and have water fights with foam shooters. When our granddaughter and her BFF Olivia were here for an overnight, I let them skinny dip after the sun went down and loved hearing them make up games about a unicorn that lived in an underwater cave. Noah is still learning to swim, but just this week he got brave and dunked his head underwater. His favorite activity is leaping off the side into the arms of a waiting adult.

As for me, I tend to burn to a crisp in the hot Texas sun, so I usually don't swim until sundown when the temperature has dropped to a more tolerable level. Being in the water is a good remedy for aches and pains and very relaxing. I have yet to convince Toby that being in the pool is fun, but I'm working on it. We'll probably swim well into the fall, when we'll deflate the toys, put away the chair cushions, get ready for colder weather and look forward to spring.

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