Not quite right...

So, we recently got a 16' x 42" pool for our summer enjoyment. I've been whining about getting one since April and we've been saving up for it. (On sale last week at Home Depot! Woo Hoo!)

We head out to (the) Home Depot after work and pick up our pool. We squeeze it into the back seat of our car (Saturn Ion) and head for home. Excitement rising in anticipation, we get home around 7 pm and start right in on the "easy" assembly.

Thursday, Step 1: Open the box (don't use a knife!) and pull out all the parts. Spread the ground cover out and heave the pool over. Open up the pool and find the tiny valve to blow up the top ring.

Step 2: Blow up the top ring. We find the electric air pump in the garage - well, parts of it. Missing the attachment to blow up the air ring at the top of the pool. We attempt to use a hand volleyball pump, yeah right. Then we attempt to "MacGyver" the hand pump to the electric pump, still no noticeable inflation. Sigh. I call my friend down the street to see if we can borrow theirs. Not home. At 8:30, we head back to Home Depot to get a slightly more powerful air pump (that has all the needed attachments). Back home at 9:00. Technically, we should charge the new pump (it is a rechargeable battery backup/air compressor - also handy during power outages), but I decide to sit outside until 9:30 until the factory charge runs out.

Friday, Step 2 continued: I get up and start inflating the pool ring again around 8:30 am. In the mean time, the pool area isn't fenced off yet and the puppy runs to the middle of the vinyl pool, grabs a mouth-full and begins to worry the pool. I scream in horror and rush to get him off the pool. After quite a chase, I corral the dogs and put them inside. I look for damage and don’t notice any.

Friday, Step 3, 9:30 am: After the ring is inflated, set up the filter. I get out the instructions. Blah, blah, blah, o-ring, petroleum jelly. WHAT! Nowhere on the box did it say you needed Vaseline! I look in vain for some, knowing that we don’t have any. I email Craig and request that he pick some up on his way home for lunch. I go inside and wait.
Friday, Step 3, 11:45 am: Armed with petroleum jelly, I head back out to set up the pump. Reasonably easy task.

Friday, Step 4, 1:00 pm: Begin to fill the pool. Hmm, all the water seems to be heading to one end of the pool. I rush into the garage to drag out our shop-vac and our wagon, which are filled with sand – another story. I push back part of the pool and dump the sand and try – in vain – to level the ground. Sigh. I turn off the water and look around the yard. The spot chosen was decided upon because it could be easily fenced to keep the dogs out and was also surrounded by some trees and the house (yet still sunny) to give some semblance of privacy. Anywhere else in the yard would be exposed to the street and neighbors – in which case I would not be caught dead in a bathing suit… I look around again… where can we put it? My gaze stops on the driveway. That is flat; it’s even paved and smooth. Is it wide enough? I go look for the measuring tape. The pool would fit.

Friday, Step 4 continued, 2:00: I go back to the pool and see if I can move it to the driveway. I cannot even make it budge. I go back inside and wait for 5:30 to roll around so Craig can help me lift it.

Friday, Step 4 continued, 6:00 pm: After much discussion of pro’s and con’s of location, we drain the little bit of water I had put into the pool and heave-ho it over to the driveway. We lay it all out again and !SHOCK! I notice tears in the bottom of the pool. Out comes the patch kit while I grumble my fury at the puppy and vow never to let him near my pool again.

Friday, Step 4 continued, 7:30 pm: Holes (many, many tiny tooth holes) patched, I begin filling the pool again. At 9:30 we have about 1/5 full. I retire for the night.

Saturday, Step 4 continued, 8:30 am: Turn on the hose and continue filling. 11:00, turn off hose, go see Superman. 4:30, return home and turn on the hose. 8:30 pm, pool is filled! In the mean time, Craig has put the ladder together. We bring the ladder over to the pool, change into our suits and take a VERY CHILLY pseudo dip – neither of us can go fully in.

Sunday: Raining all day. Applied pH down (our water is off the chart).

Monday 1:00 pm: Applied “Shock treatment” as directed.

Monday 2:30 pm: I glance out of the window in anticipation of seeing a clear pool, ready for swimming. What I see is pictured. It appears that the shock treatment caused the iron in our water to come out of solution. Supposedly, all we have to do is wait for a while with the filter off and all the suspended brown will drop to the bottom to be vacuumed up. I guess that is ok, since rain and cooler weather is predicted for the next 5 days.

Such drama just for a little summer fun in the sun. I grew up swiming in my granparents pool (they put it in the year I was born) so I know it will be worth it.