Sink or Swim

Well, I did it.  Years ago, we had an in-ground pool in Locke.  The kids were young, we were young, there were no trees around our site and we had a passel of friends who pitched in to help with the deck and the pool house.  We managed two graduation parties, numerous birthday celebrations, a fun, mini Hatfield reunion, a 20-year class reunion, and many fun days of diving, swimming and jumping contests.  We even survived concrete day when someone yelled "something" and the driver thought we were ready to open the chute.....WE WERE NOT!  That moment, thankfully, had all hands on deck (and in the water) to scoop cement as fast as we could...  We had 17 years of fun in that pool.  

Fast forward to May 2010! I thought we needed another pool AND a hot tub.  I regained consciousness and nixed the pool but got the hot tub.  Bailee and I enjoy it and occasionally a few others.

Fast forward yet again to February 2018.  It continues to snow and blow and be colder than a witch's you know what but those crazy pool ideas were resurfacing.  Bailee really needs to hone her swimming skills and all the pictures and videos from the Hatfield/Walter Mexican adventure told me that Jett was going to be a water enthusiast as well.  And you know the saying, "If you build it, they will come!"  My rationale also included the fact that I am NOT a fan of any temperatures over 80 and not one drop of humidity.  Did that justify spending the big bucks??? YEP..  I'm not a traveler! Many folks our age trek off to Florida or Arizona or one of those warm places to spend their winters. Those places have lots of bugs....I don't do bugs!  They have rainy, cool days too that spent inside defeat the purpose.  I don't mind the cold, I have heat! I don't mind the snow, I have a Pearl (my vehicle) and she has winter boots. My kids are here, my grandkids are here, my favorite place on earth is here and here is where I stay!!!! I'm old and I can do whatever the hell I please..(actually I did that when I was young too but nobody is here to throw it in my face!)     So..............I bought a pool!

Fast forward one more time to May 2018.  May 2nd at 7:18 a.m., my phone rings!  "How about a pool today?"  7:48 a.m., "We're loaded and on our way!"  9:10 a.m.three extremely competent men drive in with an excavator, a bobcat, pool paraphernalia and skills....mad, wicked skills!  4:10 p.m. the pool arrives! 5:15 p.m. the water arrives! 7:58 p.m. the Hatfields have a brand new, in-ground, fiberglass pool!!!

Since then, the electric has been installed, the heater will be heating soon, the new decorative fence is in the works, concrete will be finished before Memorial Day and black chain-link fence will be the last bit of installation to complete Project sink or swim! 

Every single supplier and installer, with the exception of Royal Pools (Tully, NY,) has been local.  I'm very proud of that and happy that we have such great businesses & contractors to draw from right here in our area:

• Stone - O'Toole's Gravel Bed
• Water - Water Boy (Doug and Rich Winters)
• Decorative Fencing - Josh Weeks ( possibly the best all-round carpenter, etc ANYWHERE)
• Chain Link Fencing - Kirksway (Bill Kirk)
• Electrical  - Al Kemp and Josh Weeks
• Propane - Phelps Propane
• Concrete - Kehoe's Concrete Concepts
• Swimmers - Jeff and Lacie Hatfield and Jess Brown (grandkids)

       
                                                        ♥Comic from Grandpa Wendell♥