We Have a Pool, Soon to Include Water

I feel a bit weird writing a cheerful post today, but maybe it’s a good example to f the ability to hold two emotions at once. Right now, talking about the swimming pool is a good distraction.

As I type, the hot tub is filling up. I can even see water reflecting on the tiles. It will take a long time to fill the pool, and then we will get instructions!

It was another interesting day for the Pool of Dreams, and I hope one of the last pre-swimming fun days. Two really nice guys came to do the acid washing, a nephew-uncle duo (who truly loved Goldie and now want a Great Dane). I decided it was a lot more fun to watch them than to try to re-learn the piece of software I was messing with, so I spent a lot of time observing the process. First, there was sanding. The nephew sanded all the potential rough spots quite carefully.

While that was going on, the uncle took apart “Mandi’s swimming pool,” slowly and methodically. I was surprised to see he just let all the water out, until I realized all the excess concrete particles had settled to the bottom. I sort of wanted to keep it and make it into a little patio or something.

After the sanding came lots and lots of rinsing with a hose. That got rid of any grit that was hanging around.

Then came the smelly part, which involved a lot of muriatic acid. He had a circulating pump that re-used the water/HCL mix. It was stinky, but sure left the pool surface shiny and clean. Of course they did it to the hot tub, too.

It was impressive to watch, but probably my favorite part was when he pumped the diluted acid mixture out and it made smoke when it hit the dirt. We figured nothing would harm that Bermuda grass, so it was fine to send it that way.

I did stay upwind of the acid. Once that was all done and everything cleaned up, they installed all the covers, light bulbs and such, which made the entire hole in the ground suddenly look like an actual swimming pool. To say I was pleased would be an understatement! My pool of dreams is becoming real.

The nephew was very impressed with the glow-in-the-dark tiles on the steps and seats and took pictures of those. I guess they are a new feature for the pool company. When everything was done, they were kind enough to power wash the patio, which had some staining from the plastering process. Now my whole setup is fantastic.

What’s left is to get the chemicals in the pool (it’s a salt-water system), get the cleaning system set up, and learn how to use the pool. That will happen on Thursday, we are told. I can’t wait to see it all full and with the lights going. I guess that’s my Christmas present.

This made my solstice good. Like with everything in life, there are sad things to balance out the happy, but at least most of the time, I’m fine with that. Sigh. Okay, for whoever among you it is who goes through every picture in the galleries, here are a few more photos from today.