My New Swimming Pool - Part One: Assembly

It doesn't look like a swimming pool yet, does it?

 

 We always seem to need new straw bale steps. 

They rot and sprout mushrooms.

There's also some chicken food and grass seed in there.

 Here I am helping Becky prepare the site.

 I'm very excited. Here I am doing my Doofus Dance.

 Becky needs my constant supervision. 

This is an important job!

 This is how you mark the shovels.

 It has to be really, really, really flat.

 Excuse me just a minute, Dick is asking me a question.

 

 My mistake. He is saying bad words. 

I guess the instructions say he needs to go to Home Depot.

 If the ground is soft we need some pavers to set the posts on.

 And we need a yard of topsoil for the bottom edge of the pool.

 The pavers are set out and the bottom rail is in place.

Two days of work already. 

The old pool would have been filling by now.

We already hate the new pool.

 

"Simply unroll the metal sidewall and place it into the metal channel." 

And pray the neighbors don't call the cops when they hear the cussing. 

The metal sidewall seems to be spring loaded and 

requires a minimum of 3 people to beat it into submission. 

At intervals one person has to run around and 

find a ladder or something to prop up the wall that you've already unrolled.

 "It must be 70 degrees f (21 c) when you install the liner."

It wasn't and we couldn't stretch the liner enough to get all the way around. 

You can see in this photo the close section is not pulled over the top edge, 

it is hanging down inside the pool.

You can also observe our clever temporary side supports: ladders and duct tape. 

Day 3 and the sides are still floppy and threatening to fall over. 

Which would in turn pull the sidewall out of the bottom channel.

 Unbelievably, we had a Seattle Heat Wave and it hit 71 the next day. 

 71 degrees and the liner just eased into place. 

We realized it would be quite impossible to replace the liner- 

if necessary- during the winter.

 

Day 4 and I'm so excited to check out the new swimming pool 

I barely finished my milk! 

Miraculously, another sunny day!

 

 

The posts and top rail went up like magic. 

Because Dick installed them.

 

 I hear something...YES! Water is going into the pool!

Five days of assembly.

I think I'll just admire it for a couple days. 

(Because I'm scared to swim in it!)