Say Goodbye to the...

End of June.

We actually had an evening where we all sat down to eat a meal together!

That was an aside.  On to the real goodbye...

One last time, I climbed the stairs to the deck of our now completely destroyed pool, and looked down on what once was a sparkling blue sphere.  This was right before they guys took down the stairs to the deck, and it would be the last time I could stand at that vantage point.

If you've seen any "overview" garden photos of mine, you know that they're always taken from up there on that pool deck.  So, these last two photos are the last two I'll ever take like this.

I'm sure the neighbors will shake their heads when they see me lugging a ladder out to the back yard every few weeks so I can get a great shot of my raised beds.  *sigh*

Then, one last photo of our demolished pool, here below.  The memories of summer fun, cooling off, floating around with Fernando, having friends and family over for a dip, hosting big parties with the laughter of swimming dads holding on to their little ones--and having to take turns because there were so many wanting to swim--all the wonderful memories I have!

And this--this below--would be the last time I hang my cold-water washing out to dry on the pool railing.  Is that kind of like when you hang your clothes on your treadmill?  Maybe, sort of.

Maybe one day in the future we'll have a smaller one, but for now, it's goodbye pool; you served us well these past 13 or so years!


Back to life,
Christine

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Effects of Winter

April 12.

This was the most brutal winter I've lived through in Chicagoland.  Or anywhere, for that matter.  And it took its toll, on me as well as our surroundings.  Here's the first image of our pool I could stand to take:

Yeah, it was bad.  The antifreeze in the winterized water didn't stand a chance against sustained -20 temperatures.

Not pretty.  We're praying for funds to repair it.  Otherwise, it may just come down, and that'll be the last of our personal swimming space.  Spiritual lesson:  I'm learning to be content in our circumstances, in plenty and in want.  :)


Back to life,
Christine

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The Ducks Came Back

May 9.

Without fail, Mama and Papa Duck came back to their "pond" this year.  We never did find their nest, and apparently, there is another man involved.  Either Mama is cavorting with two men, or one is their teenage son from last year.  ;)

Either way, they were back for the spring.

Back to life,
Christine

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For the Guys: Ready, Jump, Splash

A pool is one of summer's greatest highlights.  I treasure the memories of swimming with my girlfriends when I was young, having special nighttime swims with my brothers, even splashing around with my brothers' baseball teams after their Little League games.

Recently, as I look back over the past ten years, I am thankful Fernando decided that our family needed a pool.  Our boys had so much fun throughout their summers, learning to swim, splashing with Dad and Mom, and having their grandparents and friends over to swim.

Now that they're older, we considered getting rid of the pool.  But, we've discovered that over the past few years that there are a number of buddies that like to swim, and the pool has experienced a surge in use.

I casually walked outside with my camera a few different times, and the guys were all open--even excited--about the possibility of getting captured in various jump poses and stages of splash.  Of course, these guys took it upon themselves to figure out the best, highest, most unique jumps, with the best splashes.

On one afternoon, I took pictures until my lens got splashed, then figured it was time to end that camera session. :)

And on another afternoon, the guys didn't mind (again) me being out there with Ellie.  :)

After a hard afternoon of swimming, the guys were excited to learn that the girls wanted to simply order pizza.  Below, Danny described how deep he wanted his deep-dish pizza.

Silly guys.  :)


Back to life,
Christine

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