Wonderful Weekend

(Our neighbor’s pool.)

Last weekend, our neighbor was away and he asked us to keep an eye on his house.  Actually, he told us to pick his garden so the vegetables didn’t rot in the sun while he was gone, and while we were at it, we could swim in his pool.  When someone tells you to pick their delicious, home-grown vegetables and swim in their private pool, you do it.

(The boys enjoying the water.)

So we did, and we had a blast.  I’m always saying that we aren’t what I’d consider “pool people.”  We don’t have a membership to the city pool or make weekly trips to the local splash pad.  I bought a new bathing suit last summer and wore it exactly never, so I dug it out last weekend for the very first time.  The boys have a small plastic pool that we fill on really hot days, but they mostly take turns soaking each other with the hose.  We’re just not pool people.

(The pretty porch and attached deck.)

But we had a blast borrowing our neighbor’s pool, and it was really fun to have it all to ourselves.  The boys wore water wings and did a great job floating and kicking, and we enjoyed the pleasant weather and our neighbor’s lovely backyard.  He is a talented gardener, and I enjoyed being surrounded by so many beautiful plants.  His porch and deck are also lovely, and they gave us some inspiration for the backyard renovation we are planning to begin very soon.

(His backyard garden. We picked a ton of tomatoes and a bunch of peppers.)

We also had to feed our neighbor’s overly eager and rather large dog, which meant entering and exiting through the house.  It’s the same model as ours, though decorated differently, and it was kind of bizarre to walk through an unfamiliar house with the very same floor plan I know so well.  I often have a dream that I’m in my house, but it looks and feels different, and last weekend made me think of that for some reason.

(Pretty plants.)

Still, we were happy to do the neighborly thing and we had such a wonderful time following his directions.