It doesn't seem to matter where you are or what decade you are talking about - July is hot! I went looking through old photos, as promised, and here is one taken in July 1969. All siblings, Martha has her mouth open as she hangs in the one of the inner tubes we always played with in our above-ground pool. Dad got those inner tubes from the garage he worked at and they were the best! Patty is in the foreground, always with that perfect smile for the camera - one of the reasons we called her "Patty Perfect" :) My head is floating in the middle (and I wasn't kidding about always having crooked bangs), and David is behind Patty.
I remember how excited we were when our parents bought the above-ground pool. I also remember all of the work it took for my father to get it set up. Our yard was comprised of weeds that we mowed and gravel. In order to make sure that no stone came up to puncture the lining of the pool, my father dug a circle (I think it was 25' across) about 10" deep and sieved it all into sand, put the sand back in the hole, packed and leveled it. He also built a ladder and platform to get into the pool. Of course we were expected to help and/or give Dad the room to work without kids "breathing down his neck".
We had that pool many, many years and spent most afternoons there. The afternoons were the hottest part of the day, especially with the humidity, and so getting to play in water was a welcome relief! We played shark, dived from the edges (although that was forbidden), made whirlpools, did tricks off the tubes and just plain swam back and forth under water. Oh yes, and we played Sea Hunt, for those of you who remember the show!
Adults complain about the heat. Kids go find the fun. With grandkids in my life, I have started to watch them closely. See how they adapt and what they pay attention to. Now I play with them in the pool and guess what -- I forget to complain about how hot it is in July!!!
1 comment:
I remember that pool too. I think I swam in it a couple of times. And then one day it was gone, hauled off to the dump. In place of it we tilled the ground, added compost, and made a garden. I wonder what's there now.
When I look at that picture, I can remember dreaming that one day we would have a pool like yours. We all loved swimming. But that pool never came. Instead, we were frequently brought to lakes for swimming and we had many happy moments too.
I'm glad that you found that picture and put it in your blog - another treasure from the past.
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