Sights and Sounds of Summer

Photo Story Friday

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

My friend Lisa has been participating in "Photo Story Friday," and has urged me to do so as well. So, here goes my first Photo Story Friday Post. Click the image above to see what it's all about or to get the how-to for posting your own PSF.

The rules of PSF state I need to state why I took the photo(s) I'm posting. Very simply, and honestly, I took these photos so I'd have a PSF post! Why else? Just keeping it real folks!

The neighbors might be wondering what all the racket is at our place lately. My sweet, hard-working husband is building a deck for our pool so I have a place up out of the fire ants to laze around on when the water in the pool becomes too chilly to stay in!

My husband's a builder, so this kind of project is right up his alley! (Can't you tell from his worn work-boots and scraped hands?!)




Here's the hard-working man himself. Love ya Babe!





Oooohhhh gotta love those muscles!!! ('course he LOVES to flex those muscles to show me Kenny Chesney's got nuttin' on him!)

Just some of the tools of the trade.

Fun in the Pool...But Not Ours....

Heather and I had planned a day of lazing about in the pool today. Marty worked at his mom's, building a shed. Erica and her family had plans to spend the day with friends who will be moving away this week. Unfortunately their friends became ill and they've had to postpone their plans. Erica called us to see what we were up to today. Marty had just called me to tell me our pool was still not ready for swimming because the chemicals are still not right and that his mom said we could come swimming in her pool. When I told him Erica and Jason wanted to do something with us he said bring them to his mom's too. Jason and the kiddos went to town to pick up dinner to grill later and Erica joined Heather and me in the pool while they shopped. Marty worked all day on the shed and never did get to join us all in the pool!

Erica catching rays.

Cameron and Riley sure enjoyed their day in the pool!

This is how Erica and I spent our whole day!!!

As soon as I abandoned my air mattress the race was on to see whether Riley or Cameron would claim it!

Jason and Mathew wrestling in the pool. Thanks Jason for doing our shopping and our cooking today!!!

Doesn't Riley have a sweet expression on her face in this one??

Mathew and Cameron chased each other round and round the pool.

Silly Cameron! :0)

When Billie and Freddie arrived home Mathew and Heather ditched us to play pool in the game room.

Heather

Mathew.




I am sure I should have gotten out of the pool much sooner than I did! (Either that or I should have applied sunblock! Ouch!!!) Guess I will be peeling in a few days.....sigh....

Which lobster is redder????

Marty on top of the shed he spent the day building. Next time, take a break and join us in the pool!!!!

We sure enjoyed our day playing in the pool. Thanks for joining us Erica and Jason! Thanks for the use of your pool Billie!

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!!!!

Pool Party (Nope Not Ours, Our Pool Still Isn't Up)

My mother in law (Billie) and my father in law (Freddie) play league pool and had a party today with all of their pool team members. Due to the rainy weather we've had this summer the party has been postponed a number of times, but the weather finally cooperated today. Billie recently bought a new digital camera but today when she was ready to begin using it, it would not work. So she called me and asked if I'd come down and take pictures of their team and to bring Marty and Heather and they'd feed us too. Free grub? We're in! This was our first time to meet most of the team members.

What was once a wood shop is now a game room complete with a new pool table at Freddie and Billie's house. Here Billie takes a shot:

Meet Kari

This is my father in law Freddie. He's very camera shy!

And, just because he was so ornery about getting his picture taken, I'll post another one of him!

Meet Rene. Another member of their pool team:

This is Mike. He seems to be quite a character and I'm thinking there's never a dull moment when he's around. Am I right, guys?

This is Carlos.

And this is Estella. She and Carlos are engaged to be married. Congratulations, guys!

Carlos and Estella enjoying Billie and Freddie's other pool:

Kari was determined she was not getting in the pool! The guys teased her and threatened to toss her in, but never really did.

It was nice meeting all of them and they seem like a nice bunch!