Sometimes you’ve got to break some eggs
Every year I have customers call in regarding their pool installations, and stating that their yard is not in the same condition that it was when we arrived. This statement I agree with wholeheartedly, the yard is different when we leave than it was when we arrive, you now have a pool. Yes there is dirt piled in the yard, and yes there are tracks from where the equipment has accessed, and moved around the pool during the excavation/installation process. We absolutely do our best to minimize any additional damage to yards, but let’s be honest this is a major construction project that is happening in your yard, and you will see evidence of our being there.
Grand Prize Winner!
Congratulations to Ed Flannery of the Ripley area! Ed was our Anniversary Sale grand prize winner. Here we are presenting him with his $500 Eastgate Pools Gift card. Ripley is about an hour away but in his case, the drive was well worth it!
And they’re off
That’s right it’s that time of year again. Not talking about the ponies that make their run the first Saturday of May, I’m specifically referencing pool covers. To some people it seems too early to open the pool, and that the proper time to take the cover off is for the Memorial Day holiday. Admittedly there may not be much, if any swimming done between the first and last week of May but it is a safer bet to do it now. If there are any unforeseen water quality, or mechanical issues it is better to find it now rather than trying to scramble at the last minute.
Peyton Manning
One of the greatest players of all time, retired a few days ago, Peyton Manning. After 18 years in the NFL Peyton is walking away from the sport he gave so much to. I’m glad I got to watch Manning’s career as I grew up playing pee wee football, this future NFL Hall of inductee has just about every record in the book. Some records most likely will never be broken. His retirement speech was well prepared and thoughtful and you could tell who means the world to Peyton. And he could have not ended the speech any better. His last word before walking off stage was “Omaha”.
70 Degrees Has March’ed Into 2016!
Happy 1st day of spring! With the warmer weather, but rain in the upcoming forecast, could we get an early jump to the swim season this year? I hope so! The quicker we get the warm weather and not the so rainy weather, the quicker we can start to install our backlog of new pools. But it also allows customers to get their current pool open so they can enjoy another fun and safe swimming season. I have my fingers crossed for a nice spring and summer, not a rain filled year like it has been in the past.
Warmer Days
Well, it is only a couple of days until the first day of spring and quite frankly, I’m ready for it. I like being warm but I like being outdoors. Wearing a down parka and shoveling snow is not my idea of fun. I look forward to nice evenings on my back deck, with something tasty cooking on the grill. Spring—bring it on. Please.
Brewed By Aliens?
OK maybe not, but with St. Patrick’s day being right around the corner I had to pause and wonder where green beer tradition came from? As it turns out the origins are not from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, but from up the east coast. The first recorded reference to be found leads the origin to a St. Patrick’s Day party at a New York City social club in 1914. It was found that 1 drop of wash blue dye into a certain amount of beer would change the color into the desired green hue. It is however safe to say that this was not done with Guinness, as you know the only color you can dye Guinness is into a darker shade of black. This did however lead to the creation that is loved by college kids just up the road at Miami University and the founding of their Green Beer Day in 1952.
A Widely Celebrated Death
I remember being much younger, and thinking that I was never going to grow up and sound like my parents. As get older though I find that there are certain things that were said to me that I am now saying to my children such as ” how can you listen to that garbage music?” I understand types of music and the artists (if you can call some of them that) go in cycles. What is the hot thing today may be looked at 5 years from now with disdain and utter disgust of one’s self for not only listening but singing along with that drivel. Then you look in the bottom of that one seldom accessed dresser drawer to find that you not only reveled in the music, but have the t-shirt to prove it. I think without question the death of the musical genre that was met with the most fanfare and revelry was the day that disco died. Don McLean recorded his most famous hit about that tragic February in 1959, where 3 young and talented musicians left us far too early. Is it odd though that no one has bothered to write a song about the death of disco? Is it because disco isn’t really dead and it is working at a burger joint in Kalamazoo Michigan, or is it the fact that the death is less mourned and more celebrated?
That “Special” Deal
When you buy a car there is an expectation that the car is complete and there is nothing additional required. If the salesman told you that the tires were additional you would walk out of the dealership no matter how “special” the deal was, because once you added the price of the tires the deal was no longer special. You have an expectation of completeness when you make a purchase, except for batteries, because as always batteries are not included. Unfortunately, this is not always the case when talking about spas at some retailers. As a consumer make sure that the “special” deal is actually special, not a hidden add on shell game. Make sure that the price you’re given on a spa includes the delivery, AND SET UP not just a driveway delivery. Also make sure that there are no hidden upcharges for covers, or chemicals.
Swimming Pool by Emily The Great
I was in my car this morning and heard a really neat song on NPR’s, Songs We Love. The song was by Emily the Great and it was titled, Swimming Pool. Like most employees, my work becomes a lot of work and this song reminded me that swimming pools are fun and clean and nice. When I was a kid, one my greatest joys was having a swimming pool and having my friends and family over and everyone enjoying each other’s company in a clean clear swimming pool. It made everyone very happy to come over and it made any event at our house a special event, because we had that large pool that gave everyone something to do. It felt like it transported us to somewhere else, another place where there were no worries, just fun and laughter. So, I thought it would be fun if I shared the song in the hope that you will listen and enjoy it.
http://www.npr.org/2016/02/01/464854402/songs-we-love-emmy-the-great-swimming-pool
They Like Their Pools Bigger in Chile…
I was just wondering the other day about the largest pool ever built. Turns out this mammoth man made lagoon at San Alfonso del Mar is the world’s largest pool and nothing else even comes close. The pool takes up 20 acres and contains 66 million gallons of water. That would only need 6600 gallons of liquid shock a week. Take a look at this video for some additional facts and some amazing views of this spectacular body of water.
When winter comes, can spring training be far behind…
Like many, I look forward to spring training and the baseball season to follow. I’m am also a Reds fan and like others, I am critical of their trades last year and also their off-season ‘deals’. I don’t think we got nearly enough and I blame that on the fact that they made it obvious that they were going to move in a rebuilding mode with their “we’ll listen to offers for anyone.” When other clubs know you are desperate you just won’t get as much in return.
My first (and continuing thoughts) are basically that we have a gloomy prospect for the year. 100+ losses are likely. But maybe it is because hope does indeed spring eternally, I’ve decided that just maybe there is that ray of sunshine. Let’s look at the projected lineup:
1st base–Votto. One of the games best players.
2nd base–Phillips. 1 solid .280 hitter and defensively, I’ll take him over anyone in baseball.
Shortstop–Cozart. Solid defensively and before he was hurt last year, he was having an all-star quality season.
3rd base–Suarez. Looked good last year with some power numbers. Can he replace Frazier?
Catcher–(1a) Mesoraco is a big question mark. In a position that takes a pounding on the legs, knees, and ankles, can he stay healthy.
Catcher–(2a) Barhart. Solid defensively. Can he hit a little bit?
Outfield–Bruce–If he is still here, can he gain some consistency at the plate. 30+ homers and an average over .260 would be sweet. Hamilton–run Billy run! But you can’t steal first so he’s got to improve a lot at the plate. And in left field? Hope. Hope they can find someone and please…no platoon systems. Platoons means you have two guys not good enough to play every day.
Pitching—Ah…who has a clue. If Homer can come back and be good, that would help. IF a diaper dandy (or 2 or 3) develops, that would be even better. And the bullpen? JJ Hover or Aroldis. I’m not feeling to good there but if the names above don’t perform, it won’t matter because there won’t be any saves to blow.
Have faith and maybe it will be another wire-to-wire year. Unfortunately, the wire-to-wire more likely will be for last place.
Happy Leap Year!
This year we get to add an extra day in February because every four years, we go ahead and add a day to keep the calendar in line with the heavens. These additional 24 hours are added to ensure that Earth’s movement around the Sun stays in synch. While the modern calendar contains 365 days, the actual time it takes for Earth to orbit the sun is slightly longer—roughly 365.2421 days. It turns out we have to add this day or eventually, we would be celebrating the Fourth of July by shoveling snow off the driveway.
One of the odd occurrences of a Leap Year is a Leap Year Baby…a child born on February 29th. How exactly do you celebrate a leap birthday? It officially happens just once every four years. So do you celebrate on February 28th or March 1st? Or do you just get stuck with a bum date? Lastly, if you don’t have an official birthday, do you really age? It’s kind of like ‘If a tree falls in a forest and nobody hears it, does it make any noise?’ Imagine being 80 years old but still not officially old enough to get into a bar and barely old enough to vote.
Okay—the last stuff was just silliness but I would be curious if there are any Leap Babies out there that could tell us about birthday celebrations.
How does he know?
"The young lion will overcome the older one on the field of combat in a single battle". Michele de Nostradamus Most historians will say that this quatrain is referring to the death in a jousting tournament of Henry II of France in 1559. Is that the case, or could it be a reference and prediction of the outcome of the football game on the 7th of February 2016? On the field of battle in California, the young lion (who happens to have the logo of a large predatory cat on his helmet) will lead his team on the field of battle against the old lion. What will tip the balance, will it be the experience of the seasoned veteran, or the youthful exuberance of the player 13 years younger. This, as all battles can only be decided on the field of battle, but will Nostradamus be correct?
The next time you visit…
You will notice a difference when you enter the store. Admittedly, our front patio was looking a little warn. Okay…a lot worn. No more.
We recently upgraded our entranceway with all new concrete. The decision to do it was easy. It needed done. BUT…we decided to use colored concrete and after multiple consultations with store associates, we finally decided on ‘clay’. That took quite some time to make the decision on the color. But that was only part of the decision as we then had to decide on the percentage of color, or the vibrancy, that was needed for the mixture. I think it looks good but I’m not sure how interior designers do it. This is just a colored concrete job and we agonized on the color and tint for days. Then again, we do colored concrete on quite a few in-ground pools and customers often go through the same dilemma so we feel your pain.
Let us know what you think the next time you visit.
