Ode to the Swimming Pool

As all of the kids know in Shelbina, the pool did not open this season due to its bad condition. The town did pass a recreation tax this spring to build a new pool so the private group voted to turn the pool grounds over to the city and they have taken it over. Some of the pool board members who were on the board have started tearing down the facility. I was curious last night and walked down by there to see, and they have taken down the pump house facility and started taking the tin off the bath house and some of the interior fencing inside the pool facility. The paper did say that the contract had been awarded so they should start construction this fall and we will have a pool next near. (even us adults miss it !!!)

Here is what the pool looks like now.

I have so many memories of the pool. From my very first one...going in for swimming lessons at about age 5 and the "adults" telling me if you go down the slide we "promise" we will catch you. Yeah right, 5 gallons of water in my lungs later I came up for air and I wasn't going back!! Well, it's just like riding a horse, you get bucked off, you get right back on. My mom went out and bought a membership later that day and back at the pool she had me.

Can't say that it was a bad idea because I love the water and went on to spend many a hours growing up at the pool including lifeguarding and teaching swimming lessons myself. One difference as a swim teacher...I never promised kids I would catch them and then let them go under like I did. I made them gain their own confidence. I think I was pretty good at it. Both of my kids are pretty good swimmers and have been before they could ever touch the bottom.

Back when I was a kid the pool was a social hub as it was the only pool in the county. It was sort of funny, because the north shelby kids would congregate one side of the deck and the south shelby people on the other. I honestly dont' remember many kids from clarence having a membership but surely there were some. Then in the mid 80's both clarence and shelbyville builts their own pools and slowy that is when our pool started going down. It takes alot of money for upkeep.

It won't be the same pool and it won't have the same rules, but the new pool will be just that, new... and it will be wet and I can't wait for it to get built. (I sound like a little kid, lol.)

Extra Random Pix of Johnson Shut Ins

I'm not sure you can imagine how incredible this place was unless you were there. Of course I thought it was really cool climbing around all the rocks until the next 2 days hit and I woke up and couldn't move my arms because of the soreness. ( oh, am I getting old???? )

Sunday at Johnson Shut-Ins @ Lesterville, MO

My two lovely, adoring children, who actually cooperated fairly well for this photo op.

Ok, I am really not that short, short, but not as short as this picture makes me look. The height difference with Chase is real, but Chelsey was standing on a rock.

My little sweetheart.

Chase, Preston and David in one of the pools of water at the shut-in.

Saturday Float...pictures to be posted later, not digital

Here are some random pictures at the cabin until I get the float ones developed.

Caroline getting Chase wet.

Caroline finding out what paybacks are all about.

The boys playing cards.

Looking for craw daddys.Chelsey and Randi hanging out in the hammock.

Friday nite at the cabin

Me, putting together the poles for the tent. Interestingly, the tent did not have instructions when I opened up the bag, not that I needed them to put the poles together, I think a 4 year old could have figured that out. Hey, but have no fear, we got it figured out, relatively calmly and without too much profanity!! But definitely a beer LATER.I think at this point Caroline and I had put our heads together on figuring the tents out, but got it done. You can see behind the hammock in the pictue below one of the tents. And by the way, they stayed up too.

The hammock was a joint effort by about everybody.

And the fire, what dare you ask is my son spraying on the fire???? His new bottle of AXE deordant I just bought. Did it actually work??? I really don't know, the boys were in charge of the fire and they had it going whenever it was needed (even when it woke me up in the morning, thanks Noah!!)

So Where Do I Begin???

I think as far back as I can remember over the last couple of weeks was to Old Settlers, which was held a lot earlier this year. It was really hard to think of it happening in July, but oh well, it has come and gone now.

On Thursday nite, July 23 ( I think, because I am too lazy to get up and look at the calendar ) we went over and watched the Queen Contest.

On Friday nite, we went over and watched the Family Fued game, of which I didn't hear alot of as I was too busy talking. ( imagine that !!)

On Saturday morning Chelsey went to her friends Myah's house for a birthday sleep over. They also went to Columbia and took in the Boone Co Fair and did a little shopping at the mall. Chase and I headed over to Shelbyville and watched the parade. He left with his friends to go ride 4 wheelers and I stayed and watched the games that afternoon.

Later that night we headed back over to watch Karmen and Kellie perform, who were very talented and quite entertaining. We then took in the festivities and live band at Willey's getting home at an early 2 a.m. By the way, I started vacation on Friday night.....

All I wanted to do on my vacation was spend some time with my kids and catch some rays.... well, I stole as much time with my kids as I could but mother nature didn't cooperate very well in the sun department.

On Monday, Chelsey and I went to the beach in Macon at Long Branch and enjoyed the afternooon with Cami Decker and Amanda Friesz and kids. On the way home, not so much fun as my car overheated in Macon and I had to be hauled home. Chase spent the night at his grandparents on Monday so he could go 4 wheel riding with his friends.

Tuesday, the weather pretty much stunk so I resorted to cleaning out closests and drawers of the kids. What a vacation wish!

On Wed, we headed to Worlds of Fun and by 4:30 pm the kids were done so we went to Cabela's and to see Kansas Motor Speedway. After supper at Longhorn we headed home listening to what turned out to be the 15 inning game St Louis had vs LA Dodgers arriving home at 11:30 pm.
On Thursday, Chelsey and I made a quick trip to Hannibal to get stuff for the weekend float trip and gave her a chance to look at new phones. I was still in great hopes of sun when we got home early afternoon but the clouds came out and ruined that from happening.

Vacation 2009 to come

Pictures to be posted soon.