Cool in the Pool

So far I've managed to walk early enough in the day to beat the heat 3 times while on vacation. I also went one evening. But for the last three days Pip the Dog has been laying around bleary eyed in the A/C while I take off to the pool. I've been to the city pools twice now. They aren't bad, although every time I went someone felt compelled to tell me at least once about the "Adult Swim" in the evenings. Why would I try to beat the heat in the evening when it's the afternoon that's killing me? So I calmly jumped in and then sat around after reading in the shade. Very relaxing. Have decided to sell house and buy one with outdoor pool closer. Ha ha. Today I checked out the Pocahontas State Park Pool and Aquatic Recreation Center (you can tell it's a government facility can't you). Very nice, but there's no shade. It's hard to believe that this park is barely a year old and already the bathrooms look like crap and the locks don't work. It's definitely worth the $3 entry fee and $6 swim fee if you have kids. However, it's a lot more satisfying to have a short drive to a pool and pay nothing.

So far ...

This vacation has been really different from any vacation I have ever had. I am not going anywhere. I am just here at home.

Good: Saving a lot of money, no packing, no driving, no traveling, I know where all the services are.
Bad: No way to get away from the stuff that needs to be done around here.

The optimistic view: I can now get to those things that nag me to death when I'm working. I can be a tourist in my home town (I might even see the Edgar Allen Poe Museum).

I've removed 99% of the dog hair from all the floors. I've had two nice, long walks with Pip in the cool of the morning. I've visited two free city swimming pools. Big surprise: they are clean and full of nice people. Another surprise: the indoor pool was more crowded than the outdoor pool.

So, lovely, lovely discovery: free pools in town worth using.

Not considering the pessimistic view at this time. :-)