They Just Found Your Father...In the Swimming Pool

 Ah -- great line from Billy Joel's "Captain Jack." Funny how the memory works -- my friend Mark  found that lyric hilarious. But I digress, as usual.

So Villa Wifey grows a bit long in the tooth -- now turning 24. We moved in when the house was a youthful 3 -- it was essentially new, and 2 decades have passed. That means, of course, repairing and replacing stuff. We're on our second set of AC units, 2nd set of hot water heaters, and third washer/dryers. They don't make stuff like they used to.

Three years ago, Hurricane Irma dumped a LOT of tree leaves and branches into the pool. Our normal company had to drain it, and deep clean it, and at the time the owner pointed out some dips and missing patches of concrete coating -- he said I was lucky that the pool hadn't really needed resurfacing in all that time -- typically they do after 10-15 years. Well, I put it off, but then realized the surface had become so rough, it was actually uncomfortable, and so decided to resurface this Winter.

I got a quote from my usual company -- about $6800 to do the job and replace the long broken underwater light. It seemed a bit high, and so got a quote from a company Jeff and Lili had just used with good results. Sure enough -- $4200. I guess my usual company was just subbing out the job, and figured $2600 was a nice profit to make for doing that. Yeah -- past my tipping point. So I hired Wilson in November, and he told me he'd get to the job early February. Sure enough, he called and came by yesterday.

In the afternoon, his man Humberto popped in a pump, and started draining the pool. It took a good 9 hours, but sure enough, this am it's quite empty. The crew will be back to pressure clean the coping, so old the style, of large concrete pillows, has come back to use. The tile is good, and so just new composite surface coming in. Hopefully the water will be flowing again by the weekend.

I'll just be happy to have the pool back by May or so -- when the walks I take get me hot enough to need a cooling off dip. Plus, I'm trying to get Wifey to exercise more -- and reminded her how my beloved Mom did "water aerobics" with little pain to her joints. Hopefully that happens.

The neighbors to the South have moved. The Dad, about my age, is married to a woman nearly 30 years his junior -- he adopted her son, now 14, and they have 4 little ones together. The Dad, who I'll call Alfred, since that's his name, also has grown kids -- a doctor and a lawyer. Although the house is over 6000 square feet, his wife says she needs larger, and so they're building a French chateau style huge place on Old Cutler -- and moving to a rental down South for the next few years. Alfred said no way they could sell the current place with all the kids running around.

So hopefully we'll get nice new neighbors, but luckily, on acre lots, you really don't have to see each other that much. We became close with the last folks living there, Diane and Charlie, and after a divorce kept Diane as a friend. So you never know.

All I know is, I love this 'hood more and more each day -- much to Wifey's chagrin. Like many women of a certain age, she "just needs a change." Sorry -- ain't happening. I watched my Dad move to a place in West Delray he NEVER liked -- to please my Mom - and ended up living the final 3 years of his life in a place he never liked just to please her. I don't plan to repeat his mistake -- I take AWESOME care of Wifey, but staying put is major to me. 

So hopefully there'll be a resurfaced pool. Wifey wants to finish her redecorating job -- but that'll wait until her second jab -- due February 22. In March, she can invite her whole party of young, maskless people inside if that's what she prefers.

I'll be outside -- by the pool.