Many steps from house to pool.
Thirty years ago, when we built our little house in the country, we had an in-ground pool installed at the same time.
I insisted we live by water and Bill insisted on a woodstove instead of a fireplace. It was a compromise.
The end result was a heavy-duty woodstove in the middle of the living room and a swimming pool!
As it turned out, that woodstove grew on me, maybe because it saved our lives through many a frigid winter.
And the pool meant happy memories with our son and the grandgirls, friends who visited, and our two golden retrievers who loved anything water. Swimming in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia has always seemed to me to be the ultimate luxury.
Oh, and I forgot – there was once a horse in our pool, but that is another story.
But now (due to sheltering in place from Covid-19) we are pretty much the only swimmers. We invite Elsa-the-dog to join in but she is suspicious of so much water.
On July 3rd I was determined to get into the old pool and paddle around as a prelude to celebrating Independence Day 2020. A swim would also be good for Old BigFoot.
But as enticing as it is, getting to the pool is now an enormous challenge. Navigating all those steps is out of the question since there are many steps down, and the only other way (I thought) was walking down over uneven terrain.
Then there were the endless preparations… What to take…
- A water dish for Elsa. Treats for Elsa. A leash for Elsa.
- Towells, walking stick (cane), suntan oil, bug repellent, sunglasses, first aid supplies.
- How to get down there. The pool is not far if you can walk. May as well be to the moon for BigFoot.
- Bill to the rescue! “We will take the car!” said he. And Elsa jumped into the backseat thinking it was another ride.
- And off we went for a one minute drive around the house to wind up at the pool.
It was an unceremonious but successful arrival.
Elsa would not even consider getting near the water.
Instead she began tentative explorations and found shady spots (to shelter in place). In fact she found a cave under one of the big evergreen bushes where she was cool, hidden from danger, and could watch for bears in case the peeps needed protection.
BigFoot loved the swim and was already plotting how to get down there again without the mortification of being driven!
The only concern is that Bruno-the-Bear or his sister would decide to join in, but there is always Elsa for protection.
Do you think she would emerge from her new private dog-cave-digs to scare off another bear?
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