A pool is a tricky thing. It can be loads of fun and it can also be a very dangerous place. From sunburns to dunkings to almost drownings, we’ve seen it all at the Pig Roast.
These incidents are in no specific order because they are jumbled in my memory. First, Lydia. A friend and I were in the deep end of the pool playing. We were trying to talk underwater and understand what each other was saying. We were going across the pool width wise under water and doing whatever teenage girls do in the pool. Janice (Lydia’s mom) was resting in the sun. Bill was reading. My mom may have been there too. Then there was Lydia. Lydia was a toddler. With zero noise, Lydia stepped onto a raft that had floated to the corner of the pool. No sound. She stepped onto the raft, and it went out from under her. She went into the water and began to drown. No flailing arms, no kicking legs, just a quiet lungs filling with water. Thankfully, her mother looked up saw just her mouth and nose exposed and screamed. Bill jumped into the pool and grabbed her. He laid her on her side and the water was expelled from her. Charlie, her tender footed dad, ran down the hill. Later he said he didn’t think his feet hit the ground once. Lydia was awake and breathing fine. She was wrapped in a towel and taken to the porch where she sat snuggled in her dad’s arms. Lydia was fine and the weekend continued.
Be careful if you choose to ride your bike on the edge of the pool. You should assume you are going to go into the water. One morning, Jon was doing just this, riding a bike around the edge of the pool. At some point, he went into the deep end. He was taken by surprise and panicked. Jon and the bike were retrieved and both were fine.
Being thrown into the pool is sometimes a rite of passage. I wish I had the picture of John after being thrown into the pool. He was standing there soaking wet, with a drip hanging on the end of his nose. John, being a responsible adult, intentionally handed someone his wallet, his glasses and his beer before being thrown into the pool.
Carol was thrown into the pool and nobody seems to know, or remember, how it came about. Carol isn’t one you would choose to anger. When word got around that Carol had gone into the pool we all kind of waited for the explosion but none came. Carol just toweled off and changed clothes. (Either that or she went home and never came back)
The pool was the scene of many fun times. The little utility shed, where the pump and water filter were, was eventually transformed into a shower house. With only one shower up at the main house, this became a well used spot. Occasionally, the wind would blow just right and anybody in the area might get a peek but otherwise it was a great addition.
My parents weighed the cost of upkeep and repairs and decided that the pool had lived out its usefulness. They had it filled in and built a shelter over all but one section of one end. There out from cover, we put a fire pit. Under the shelter there was a picnic table that Tommy built and brought out. Boy, were there some good times had around that table. Maybe those stories will appear later. For now, enjoy your pool and pay attention to the kids.
My Patio 