Pool Opening: The Dude Abides

Tammy and the team from Uncle D's came out yesterday to open the pool.  Before I write up the report she gave, I'll post a bit on the prep I did for this.

First things first, I brought the Dude out of hibernation in the shed.  Some readers may recall that our beloved pool robot was named "the Dude" in a reader poll back in 2008.  He is a real work horse and source of entertainment.  Some weekends, I don't even go in the pool, settling instead for putting the Dude to work and watching from the brick terrace.  With pool opening imminent, I got him ready to stand by.

And that is just what he did yesterday.  After taking the cover off and starting the process, Tammy decided it would be best not to put the Dude in the pool...She wrote, "Well your pool is NOT pretty and blue right now!! It is open but really green. We did not put the pool rover in there because you could not even see in the water."

Some of the other stuff I did this weekend to get ready for the opening was to clear all of the litter from the pine tree away.  It settles and steeps on the pool cover during the winter, so it was a priority to clean that periodically.  Still, there was a lot of decaying plant matter there - I am sure that it contributed to the condition of the water.

Also, there was a lot of accumulated stuff around the deck and on the patio down there.  After about two hours I had everything gathered in the corner, as shown here.  Just looking at these results - although I hated losing that big pine, it will probably be a good thing for the pool filter and pump not to have to deal with all this.

Tammy said she'd be back on Wednesday to check in to see how things are cleaning up.  I will also head out for a day trip this weekend to check in - trying to get everything ready for the Fourth!