When we first moved to Washington State in March of 1999, we arrived on the heels of the rainiest winter in recent memory. “It rained for 90 days in a row,†people would exclaim, shaking their heads mournfully. The rains continued as we settled into our rental home in Kirkland, and we worried about what it would be like to live here year-round.
David, Daniel and Emma hang out by the pool.
Kathy used to ‘chase the sun’ by driving around town with our three oldest children, looking for blue sky and trying to get near it. East of Seattle, the sun can often be found near the lakes; she bought a detailed map and learned where all the parks were, in her search for sunshine.
Usually the month of June can be relied upon for some serious rain; summer may reign in other parts of the country, but June in Western Washington is often cold and wet. So I was skeptical when Kathy talked about joining the local pool association this summer.
We buy goggles in bulk at Costco.
“It’s not like we have a lot of extra money kicking around,†I reminded her. Between Kathy’s recent crown replacement and my allergy shot bill, we’re hard-pressed to meet our bills these days. “Besides, you’ll go to the pool, what, maybe four times? How often is it going to be sunny and warm between now and August?â€
One of Kathy’s great strengths is that when she thinks something is important, she pursues it tenaciously. She began assembling her money and marshalling her reasons:
“Let’s see, if I join before the 31st, the price will come down from $425 to $395. If six of us go to the pool at least 20 times, that brings the price down to less than $3 per person, per visit.â€
Rachel spent quite a bit of time this afternoon, teaching Sarah diving tips.
Kathy and I are fundamentally different in this respect: the idea of being somewhere away from home to relax appeals greatly to her, and not to me. My home is where I want to be, most of the time – but ‘home’ for Kathy comes with an associated burden of laundry and dishes and a need to ‘tidy up’. The image of reclining at the pool with her friends proved a strong lure to my beloved:
“OK, so I’ve got $120 from our exercise challenge, and $150 from setting up that checking account (some of the banks in our area have begun incentivizing new customers). If I refer Michelle and we split the referral bonus, that’s another $25.
Two of Kathy’s friends gave her the $45 ‘Diet Fund’ to which the three of them had contributed as an incentive in their weight-loss program, which brought her to $340. Add a bit from the anniversary check that Kathy’s folks gave us, and the pool membership was paid for, all with guilt-free money!
David is surely ready to join the swim team!
In spite of my gloomy weather predictions and Eeyore-like shaking of the head, now Kathy and the kids spend the afternoons at the pool, soaking up this unprecedented June sunshine, as our hot, sunny weather persists into a third week of record-breaking temperatures. The pool deck area has tables and two propane grills so that you can eat a picnic dinner right there at the pool with minimal cleanup and fuss.
“I better break out my Grilling cookbooks,†Kathy remarked smugly.
Tim
What a wonderful way to spend some lazy, summer days. You will totally gets your money worth, not to mention some great exercise! Are you swimming too Kathy, or lounging by the pool having in-depth conversations with friends and soaking up the sun?
Looks like too much fun, wish we could join you for a day or two.
Tim is so sweet to recognize the things that energize and are important to you.
Have a great day at the pool!
Have I got a great burger recipe for you! E-mail me if you’d like it… and if you kids aren’t afraid of a little heat.
They would make the perfect pool-side picnic dinner!
That sounds like SO MUCH FUN! Unfortunately, I think we’ve swamped weather this June. We’ve barely had a few days of sunshine since April (LOL)…… We’re still wearing our sweaters and long pants! None of the pools have opened. The heater still comes on at night! But, I’m not jealous (LOL)!
I echo Tina’s comment totally! Is it really warm enough to swim??
YEAH!!!! You’ve finally joined those at the pool !!! Tim have you thought that maybe Kathy is finally happy with what she looks like in a bathing suit. You better get yourself out there some to appreciate it (pool and Kath) too. Alan loves to show up when I’m coaching and just observe.
Plus you are raising fish. Fish need water to be healthy.
We have found a wonderful group of people at our pool. Our summer swim team (which I coach..along with the year round team I coach) has grown from 60 to 75 kids in the last few years. We have such a wonderful safe group of people for my kids to hang with. My kids love going to practice. I have lots of teens that help out with the kids. It’s like a big family with the little ones loving the big ones and the older ones looking out for the guppies. We live only 3 blocks down which is why when someone gets to the pool and we’re not there we get a call and usually go over. My older 2 girls actually work there this summer. Jordan is a lifeguard, and Leigh-Ann is working the snack bar.
Sunshine??? well VA has plenty of that along with our evening thunderstorms. Temp. here today is 87–feels like 90. We’re headed to the pool right now for afternoon swim practice. I may need to get in and to some demonstrations or help some younger swimmers with butterfly or breaststroke. It will be nice to cool off. Enjoy your pool as much as you can.