SPLASH!!!

Nope. That wasn't the sound of the first body landing in the pool. Unfortunately it isn't quite ready yet, but maybe tomorrow!





After work today there were still a few sunny patches in the back yard so Heather and I decided to don our bathing suits and lay outside for a while.





When Marty arrived home he went right to work hooking up gadgets and filters. Now it SOUNDS like we have a swimming pool as there is a foreign "hum" in our yard. As he worked Heather asked, "Can we get in yet???"






"No. Not yet. Maybe tomorrow."





Uh oh. I know that look. What's she up to?





I should have known!







This means WAR!!!

Later this evening Marty set out to build our fire ring. He showed me a long sheet of metal that he planned to shape into a ring. I didn't grab the camera from the house soon enough to get any photos of him using the trees to shape it but did get a few of Heather trying to help him finish off the circle shape.

What Day Is It???

This week has just been a blur of late nights and early mornings. Marty's still working on the pool, making final adjustments, filling it with water, hooking up filters, etc.

Look E, it's almost full!!!!

I'm still plodding right along on the painting project:

Today was Heather's last day of school. She is now a junior! (??? when did this happen???) She will have a slightly heavier load next year as she will be taking a dual credit social studies/history class (dual credit means she will receive high school credit as well as college credit for the same class). She will once again be a member of the Wind Symphony Band at the high school, as well as a member of the Starsteppers Dance Team. In addition, she has applied for and she just learned yesterday she was appointed as Photo Editor for the school newspaper for next year. She is so excited about it and she will be attending a journalism conference next month where she's hoping she'll be able to sit in on some photography classes. She also recieved word this week that she scored very well on the history portion of her TAKS test and was commended for her score on that test. Way to go Heather!!!

Memorial Day....Work Day???

You'd think after all the posts last summer of the progress of taking down a friend's old pool and readying our yard to install it here we'd finally have an installed pool to enjoy this summer. You'd be wrong. We finally had another work day today to work on it some more. It finally LOOKS like a pool and is starting to get water in it!!!! Yay!!!

It was a long hot day, especially for Marty and Jason who worked on putting it up all day long. Erica and I helped too, but we didn't start till later when they needed our help holding the walls in place and installing the liner. And of course we got another long break when it was time to pick up Heather from school!

I've noticed with this group, we even make hard work fun. And who knew a pool with only an inch of water in it could be so entertaining?!?

Erica. (We worked hard holding up those walls, didn't we???

Until the ladder was in place we had to have help getting over the walls getting in and out of the pool. Marty gives Erica a leg up:

I was just standing, watching and waiting for my next task and apparently someone had my camera for this is what I found when I downloaded photos:

Erica and I were each given power tools! We each had drills and were given the task of unscrewing the bolts, then after Marty and Jason got the liner in place, we rescrewed the bolts in place.

In the foreground I'm helping Jason with a section as Marty and Erica work on the next section. Riley or Cameron were usually nearby and were great "gofers!"





Jason and Marty working on the liner.

When we first got in the pool to begin working out the wrinkles and bubbles in the liner as the pool filled with water, we were continuously getting soaked with the hose, getting splashed, etc!

When Jason helped Erica back in the pool he spun her round and round. I was just waiting for him to get dizzy and fall in the water with her, but of course since I had my camera ready that didn't happen!

I got my revenge for all the spraying and splashing!

Thankfully Marty did not spin me round and round....although with my graceful landing on the other side you'd have thought he did!!!

Erica and me just chillin' and relaxing over dinner.

The kids had a ball playing in the pool with only a tiny bit of water in it! Cameron was really loving his boogie board and it did look fun!!!

Heather taught the kids to play "Ships and Sailors" and they had a blast. Here Heather and Riley landed together!

More Ships and Sailors. From the front: Heather, Riley, Mathew and Cameron.

Doesn't Marty look worn out? Thanks, Babe for all your hard work! Thanks to you too, Jason and Erica!!!!

Are We EVER Gonna Get This Pool Up????

Tonight was another night devoted to the task of getting the yard ready for the pool. I know, you're thinking, "You're not done yet???" Believe me, I'm right there with you! We spent the evening leveling the yard....BY HAND, people. No bobcat, no dozer, no loader. Just us and some shovels and rakes and one hoe....and friends willing to lend a hand.

But, there's something missing with these pictures....

Erica's hard at it with her shovel. But where are our men?

I finish the section of yard I'm trying to get mowed while we have a day with no rain. Erica continues shoveling sand.

Still....where are the guys???

This is better. A couple of teenage boys pitch in. It looks like we may get a lot done tonight if they keep this up! They are having a contest to see who can shovel the most, the fastest. Only trouble is.....a lot of it seems to be going straight up and coming right back down where they dug it from. Still....no sign of the guys???

Oh here they are! Silly me, it's time for their tea break...

And what's this? We're working this hard, and Heather is off monkeying around in a tree??? Who wants this pool put up anyway???

I think they thought they were going to have to work all night before I'd give them their supper!!! Seriously, thanks guys for all your hard work!!!!

A Work in Progress

We have been given a swimming pool. We just have to take it down, transport it to our house, ready our yard for it, reinstall it, add a new liner, and voila...we'll have all kinds of summer fun!

Dragging friends along to help with chores such as this adds a dimension of fun to an otherwise daunting task!

Remember the mud war?

This time it was a sand war. (The fire ants won)

Jason, David, Marty and Erica shovel sand to loosen the side walls for removal:

(Well...all but Erica, she just shovels sand to toss on the work crew)

Here is most of the pool in Jason's truck. (The rest is in my suburban with more to follow in David's truck later) Who knew a pool without water would take up so much space???