PoolTalk

Wild wetsuits and minihoods

A swimmer wrote us that she really enjoys her scuba beanie with dragon horns, made by a company that makes them in tons of configurations.  You can find them in many of the scuba stores in California, or they sell them online. The owner of this company is a great woman who makes really cool custom wetsuits. If you don't get a custom wetsuit, everything out there is boring black.  It is so much more fun for the pictures if you are wearing wild colors, and it helps your buddies to identify you underwater.  Anyway, check the website in the section about mini hoods.  She also custom makes them if you want your own wild design. 

Pickup truck in backyard pool

This New Jersey family has had enough. After three different vehicles crashed into their yard, they have started an effort to call attention to the need for a guardrail. Some of the best evidence is this photo showing what a pickup truck did to their pool five years ago. NBC10 has more. And our list of cars in pools just keeps growing.

The shocking truth about chemicals

A chemist and a new pool owner learns -- and relearns -- some chemistry lessons:

When it comes to buying pool chemicals, the real shock comes at the pool store. Let's face it, many are basic commodity chemicals, but they aren't necessarily sold that way. Cheaper bulk quantities are available, but there are also pricey single-use packages. And something as simple as sodium bicarbonate can be called anything from the incomprehensible "Balance Pak 100," to a more understandable "Alkalinity Up," or simply "Total Alkalinity Increaser." One company manager notes, "Not everybody is a chemist, so we try to put everything in an easy-to-use, foolproof format."

A cow in the pool

There are family members in the pool, neighbors in the pool, cars in the pool, ducks in the pool, and now: a cow in the pool. From CBS (with video):

(CBS) PITTSFIELD, Mass. A family in western Massachusetts saw a strange sight in their swimming pool Tuesday night: a 1,000-pound cow.

Several cows had wandered off from a Pittsfield farm the day before, and one of them ended up taking a dip in the pool.

The homeowners called Pittsfield police. One of the officers said it was the first time he had ever heard of a cow ending up in a swimming pool.

The officer called a nearby farmer to see if he was missing a cow. It turned out it was one of George Noble's cows.

Noble along with several farmhands brought over a large ramp and were able to remove the cow from the pool and bring him home.

Swimming reflections

Some reflections on swimming and summer, from Carla Rolfe, who started a trip down memory lane as she did pool maintenance: "Last Friday being the day the RolfeWorld backyard pool officially opened, I was doing what I do every day after pool opening season: cleaning it. It’s a highly glamorous job to be sure, but someone’s got to do it." Click for her memories of summer. Many pool owners are able to make time for basic maintenance chores. Others hire a local student. Any teenager eager for work will be better prepared after reading the blog from myfirstpaycheck's ceo. There's advice about finding work, pleasing the boss and even starting your own lawn care or pool maintenance business.

Cool pool paintings

BeatCanvas has some very cool paintings of poolside scenes. Check it out. The artist is Brett Rogers.       

By any means necessary

Some folks will do almost anything to be able to take a cool, refreshing dip in their own backyard pool. According to The Winona Daily News, there's at least one person in Minnesota who was able to steal an entire pool. The police caught up with the thief just as the water reached the fill level.
Read the report on the pool theft. Here's an excerpt:

On June 2, Menards reported a swimming pool had been stolen from the lumberyard. Employees had an idea of who the suspect was and passed the information on to police.

When investigators arrived at the suspect’s house in Arcadia, Wis., they noticed the $470 soft-sided pool being filled in the backyard with the packaging nearby.

As they knocked on the door, the water forced the edge of the pool to cave in and gallons of water spilled into the yard. “We’re here to talk about that,” said Deputy Chief Paul Bostrack, gesturing to the pool.