It is the middle of January and I am sitting here looking at the swimming pool outside. It looks cold out there…..it is cold out there. Other than a slight depression in the yard and a flash of blue here and there, one would be hard pressed to know a pool is even out there. More to the point, one doesn’t even really care that there is a swimming pool out there. Too many other things at this chilly time of year take up my valuable and limited brain space: Is my block heater working, are all my shovels sharpened and in their rightful place, do I have enough ice melt and sand on hand for the next mid-winter rain shower (curse you, global warming!!). Yes, this is Winnipeg, and we are Winnipeggers, and this is the stuff that consumes us for (way too) many months of the year. What do we care about swimming pools? Why do we even own swimming pools? What is it about Winnipeg and it’s fascination with swimming pools? Good questions.
The Heat is On
Not sure if you know this but Winnipeg is one hot city. And I’m talking hot, hot, heat, baby. No matter how much cold they throw at us in January, you know that come July all weather woes will be forgiven and forgotten. Hot chocolate morphs into iced tea, sorrels flip into flip flops, long john’s are reduced to short shorts, and those huge mounds of winter wonderland…..why, they have all melted away to reveal our hopes and desires for another summer spectacular. A sparkling blue oasis right in your own back yard! And just like that, all that was dreary becomes cheery. Plus 30 does it again! A minimum of 3 months to swim, to lounge, to barbeque. To sleep, perchance to dream….of more swimming, lounging & barbequing. So there you have, when it comes to reasons why to own a swimming pool, you don’t have to have a PhD, but the more ‘degrees’ the better!
Sunny Side Up
I don’t want to cloud your judgement or rain on your parade, but Winnipeg has more sunny days than most cities (in case you mist it). Sunny skies are an integral part of getting into the swimming pool groove. It just completes the experience somehow; brings sparkle to the water, adds a little colour (and vitamin D) to that pasty white winter skin (yes, I am speaking for myself), gives you a reason to purchase some funky new sunglasses (not to mention a few gallons of high test, unleaded, SPF 90 sunscreen). I don’t mean to throw shade at the shade, but swimming pools are all about fun in the sun. Reason number two; whether you are a tan man or an umbrella fella, those glorious rays make for beautiful days!
Bring on the Night
You may not give a hoot, but I am a night owl. Nothing completes the swimming pool experience like lazing around the back yard during those long warm summer nights; and Winnipeg has more than its share of those. Friends and family are here, daylight has given way to shimmering pool light, tasteful landscape light, and maybe even a refreshing Labatt’s Lite. The day’s excitement wane, and those gentle rippling’s of water mingle with the sounds of laughter (I call this particular noise ‘splashter’), and we are reminded once again, that life is good, pools are great, and some blogs go on too long…..
Hot heat, bright skies, & long nights…..’nuff said.
Author: Alan Cox
Alan Cox is a pool rejuvenation specialist at Aqua-Tech in Winnipeg
He specializes in vinyl lined pools and hardscapes
Alan can be reached at alan@aqua-tech.ca or 204-233-8822
