Swimming Pool in Service
The swimming pool although not completely renovated, it is in operation. There is some cement work that needs to be finished and it needs to be painted. When time and money permits it will be done. In the meantime it is being enjoyed by the local kids who started lining up once they found out that by talking nicely to the management they were welcome. It quickly got out of control, and in their exuberance they went over or under fences to get to the pool at any time of the day. To keep some degree of control, we posted a few rules and started charging an entrance fee of $0.15 for kids and $0.25 for adults. If they do not have the cash, a payment of one of the many fruits that are plentiful in the area is acceptable.
The Physical Education teacher from the local grammar school in San Francisco stopped by with 20 of his students who were on the way to the river for a swim. They had been making their weekly outing to a small pond we had created on the Margajita River. They had always ignored the “Private Property” sign and entered the property any way they could, except through the main entrance. On this particular morning he brought with him one of the administrators who stopped by to talk. Since many of the kids were familiar with the new rules, they wanted to know what we would charge for the class to use the pool. I was tempted to charge the regular rate but quickly decided to make my contribution to the local school and let them use the pool for free.
The pool is fed by the Margajita River and since the water is constantly flowing in it has an automatic skimmer which keeps the surface always looking clean. We empty it every night and fill it each morning. Yesterday when we had cleaned the pool and were starting to refill, we noticed several small fish sliding down to the deep end. In a few minutes here came some more. It appears that a small school of what looked like sardines got a little too close to the intake on the river. Lourdes, who is our one employee, told me that when we drained it she was going to put a net over the drain and net them for lunch. She tried but somehow they got away..
Although the water is a little cool for my comfort level the local children and a few mothers and fathers from San Francisco are finding it a great spot to hang out. My one concern is the safety of the children. Few of the young kids really know how to swim I worry sometimes when there are only young playing around in a pool that is more than two meters deep at one end. Because of this, I feel compelled to be close by, if I see there are no real swimmers in the group. I would love to be able to offer swimming lessons. Anyone care to volunteer?
The Physical Education teacher from the local grammar school in San Francisco stopped by with 20 of his students who were on the way to the river for a swim. They had been making their weekly outing to a small pond we had created on the Margajita River. They had always ignored the “Private Property” sign and entered the property any way they could, except through the main entrance. On this particular morning he brought with him one of the administrators who stopped by to talk. Since many of the kids were familiar with the new rules, they wanted to know what we would charge for the class to use the pool. I was tempted to charge the regular rate but quickly decided to make my contribution to the local school and let them use the pool for free.
The pool is fed by the Margajita River and since the water is constantly flowing in it has an automatic skimmer which keeps the surface always looking clean. We empty it every night and fill it each morning. Yesterday when we had cleaned the pool and were starting to refill, we noticed several small fish sliding down to the deep end. In a few minutes here came some more. It appears that a small school of what looked like sardines got a little too close to the intake on the river. Lourdes, who is our one employee, told me that when we drained it she was going to put a net over the drain and net them for lunch. She tried but somehow they got away..
Although the water is a little cool for my comfort level the local children and a few mothers and fathers from San Francisco are finding it a great spot to hang out. My one concern is the safety of the children. Few of the young kids really know how to swim I worry sometimes when there are only young playing around in a pool that is more than two meters deep at one end. Because of this, I feel compelled to be close by, if I see there are no real swimmers in the group. I would love to be able to offer swimming lessons. Anyone care to volunteer?
posted by Roberto at 9:19 AM
1 Comments:
Ecuador eh? Well is was minus 15c here last night after dumping a half foot of snow all darn day, our above ground pool looks like a giant snow cone... and that's just the fist taste of the next four months, so I'm ready for outdoor swimming lessons in Ecuador.
Seriously, wish I could though.
:)
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