Friday, July 31, 2009

going down -- third time


I announced romance over two months ago in midday at the oasis (my subtle homage to Maria Muldar).


Now, how did I word it?

I may have found a new romance. We are just getting to know one another, so, I do not want to jinx the relationship. But I may have a substitute love.

Some of you thought I was sending out a wedding invitation. I was merely writing about the above-ground pool at the Melaque house -- a substitute for my lost hot tub in Salem.


I have been expecting someone to ask me: If the weather is so hot down your way, why aren't you enjoying your swimming pool -- the new love of you life?


Well, there is a good reason, and you will find it at Matthew 7:26-27.


When the home owner set up the pool, she found a perfect place: on the sand in her back yard. It was easy to level the ground, and it was well-positioned for use.


That, of course, was during the dry season. Once the rainy season started, the pool started to list a bit. I attempted to shore it up. But I felt far more like Captain Smith trying to lock out the sea from the Titanic's last few dry compartments.


For those of you who have not experienced tropical rains, let me see if I can draw an adequate word picture.


The rain does not simply fall. It comes down as if Iguassu Falls had repositioned itself over wherever you are. And it comes. And comes. And comes.


It collects in the streets. It pools up on the ground. In the sand, it creates its own version of performance art. What was once flat now looks like a diorama of the Grand Canyon.


And that is what happened by the time of the second major rain. The photograph at the top of the post shows the problem. What was once a round pool has decided to do its own Dali impression -- just one step away from reenacting Noah and the Ark.


The writing was in the sand. Keeping the pool in operation would mean tearing it down each time it rained merely to keep the sand base level.


If I were running a stimulus program funded by a federal grant, I might consider undertaking the task. But Uncle Sam is not paying the bill, and I have better things to do with my time than playing Mr. Sandman. The Chordettes may have been seeking a dream. I would simply be brushing the sand out of my eyes.


For now, the pool is folded up and put away for a dryer time. If this weather keeps up, I may decide to pull her out and blow her up again.


But some relationships were simply not meant to last.

9 comments:

Chrissy y Keith said...

an above groud pool has a limited life span anyway. You are far more tolerant than I would have been.

Julian in SC said...

You got me, Steve. I had to Google Iguassu Falls as I wasn't sure where it was. Wow, what a place. I don't think I would like fighting that kind of water either.

Julian

1st Mate said...

Pretty fancy pool, even has its own ladder. So, looking on the bright side, you can have showers during the rainy season, and then long soaks when the rain's over.

Jonna said...

Well, now you can add something else to your future house list, a 'real' pool. Good to learn this stuff on someone else's dime.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps you should learn to just step outside when the rain drops, allowing yourself to drench naturally.

Then the only thing you would have to re-align would be your totally unbalanced philosophical beliefs, which would be only slightly less difficult than trying to keep the water-soaked sand from sinking.

A Friend (jrh)

Ruth said...

I was going to ask why you needed a pool with the ocean just across the street. I found an explanation in your previous entry about the pool. When does the rainy season end?

Steve Cotton said...

Chrissy -- When I was young, we had an above ground pool. I was the pool boy. But we did not have these issues in Oregon. Of course, the summer was not the rainy season, either.

Julian -- Iguassu Falls is one of my favorite places on earth. It is immense.

1st Mate -- If I can find a place to put it where the rain will not undermine it.

Jonna -- I just found an advertisement for a blow up hot tub. Just thinking.

JRH -- As if you think that hides your anonimity. I do stand out in the rain -- except when the lightning shows up. Then, even I know enough to come in out of it.

Ruth -- October, I think. Then, no more rain until late June.

Unknown said...

I love a good tropical storm. No hurricanes, please. But tropical downpours are something I enjoy, unless I am trying to drive in Tegu during a monsoon.

Steve Cotton said...

Laurie -- The nice thing about tropical rains is how they cool everything down -- at least, temporarily.