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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

THE OLD SWIMMING HOLE

Okay family, time to reminisce about 
the old swimming hole....
Weren't we so lucky to have this pool in our backyard?
So there is me in my pj's probably still 
recovering from chemo. or radiation.
Then there is mom holding Tiffy and
Aunt Lee-Lee in the black suit.
I think I don't know the two boys
One looks like it may be Reggie
or maybe Aunt Ella's kids.
Who is the man sitting in the back shielding his eyes
and the little boy sitting on
the box?
NOW, LET YOUR IMAGINATION GO BACK....
Back to your favorite memories of the pool.
I have so many...
Remember Dad would never swim but every
year on July 3rd, he and Uncle Luke would
come back from the Tarpon Rodeo 
and he would entertain us by jumping in usually 
with all his clothes on.
Every year he'd tell us he wouldn't do it then
he'd just dive in!
Oh how I loved that!
I remember eating watermelon so many times on the patio.
I remember the psychodelic patterned paint 
we had on that patio.
I remember staying in that thing from morning until night.
I remember Todd hanging out by the fence just
waiting for Dad to invite him in and I loved it 
when Daddy would make him suffer sometimes 
because he had everything and bragged about everything
but he didn't have a pool.
I remember Uncle Luke not knowing Tie didn't know how to swim
and he threw her in.... I think she is still afraid of water because of that.
I remember how messy our yard was but every year the pool
was cleaned, painted and ready for us kids.
I remember playing the flip game, who could make the most
flips without coming up for air.
I remember playing Marco Polo for hours.
I remember singing songs underwater so others could guess what
the song was.
I remember VOLLEYBALL, OH how much fun was that when
we would all play.
I remember Dad putting fish in there during the winter
and C.J. fishing in there until Dad swore
he had pulled their mouths out from catching them so often.
I remember C putting her alligator in there, what was his name, Pish?
We didn't have a lot of money but
we had a lot of fun in that pool.
Waiting to hear ya'll memories.
This should fill up with comments!!!
We were so lucky!

11 comments:

  1. oh if you click on the picture, it'll get bigger for a better look!

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  2. OH! I HAVE ALOT OF MEMORIES, ESPECIALLY MY FAVORIATE CORNER THAT I WOULD NEVER GET OUT FROM. I REMEMBER POPPIE FEEDING ME A WHOLE BAG OF LAYS POTATO CHIPS WHILE WATCHING THE OTHER KIDS SWIM. I REMEMBER HIM TELLING ME IT WAS OK IF I DIDN'T LIKE TO SWIM, BECAUSE HE DIDN'T EITHER. AS AN OLDER CHILD, WHEN I WASN'T SO SCARED OF THE WATER ANYMORE, GETTING UP AT THE CRACK OF DAWN TO PUT YOUR BATHING SUIT ON AND AS SOON AS HE SAID IT WAS OK WE WERE IN THE POOL. DO YOU GUYS REMEMBER HAVING TO WAIT 1 HOUR AFTER EATING BEFORE SWIMMING. I DO, BECAUSE I WAS ALWAYS EATING!! I GUESS THAT IS HOW I GOT TO BE SO BIG!! I REMEMBER MOMMIE COMMING HOME FROM RANDOLPH'S WITH HAMBERGERS AND FRIES FOR ALL OF US TO EAT. IT WAS GREAT. SORRY MOM AND DAD, BUT WHEN YOU SENT US AWAY TO MOMMIE AND POPPIE'S FOR THE SUMMER I DON'T THINK WE EVER THOUGH ABOUT GOING HOME UNTIL IT WAS TIME TO GO. I REMEMBER MOVING BACK WHEN POPPIE WAS SICK AND HAVING TO LIVE WITH THEM. EVEN THOUGH HE WAS SICK, HE STILL FOUND A WAY TO MAKE US ALL SMILE. HE WOULD SIT IN HIS CHAIR AND GAZE OUT AT THE WINDOW WATCHING EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON. HE NEVER NEEDED A REMOTE CONTROL BECAUSE HE ALWAYS HAD ONE OF US TO CHANGE THE CHANNEL. I HAVE TO SAY THOUGH BESIDES THE POOL AND THE BURNT BBQ, THE THING I MISS THE MOST IS HIM TELLING US HE WOULD DANCE WITH US AT OUR WEDDING IF WE DID SOMETHING FOR HIM. AT THAT TIME I NEVER THOUGHT ANYTHING WOULD HAPPEN TO HIM THAT HE WOULD NOT BE THERE FOR MY WEDDING. ONE DAY THOUGH, I WILL GET THAT DANCE, BUT I GUESS I WILL HAVE TO WAIT IN LIKE WITH LIL, TIFFANY, AND REBECCA!!
    THANKS LIL FOR DOING THIS SITE FOR OUR HEALING!
    TIE

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  3. I remember the ground breaking for “The Old Swimming Hole.”
    Early that morning it was Daddy and Larry who started. Not long after they began Darwin showed up and picked up a shovel and began helping. Later Uncle Luke I think came and also Joe, not Simones Joe, Joe Griffin. That was the crew I think for the first day and it went on all day. I don’t remember exactly how long it took to finish the digging but it wasn’t finished in one day and I know there were several people who had a hand in it.

    The pool began at 12 feet deep. The bottom sank from it and had to be redone. The second time Daddy made it 9 feet and the same thing happened again. It than became 6 feet and once again it sank. Because the water table kept busting it up is when Dad made the patio to give it a total of about 6 feet with about 2 feet of it being above ground. So that is why we also ended up with a patio.

    We had a lot of fun times until it was just banded. For some reason we just quite using it. I think it was because the pump and filter gave out and was never repaired.

    In the summer between my junior and senior year of High School I asked Dad if I paid for the parts if I could repair it. I was working so I could afford the new pump and filter it needed. So he gave me the ok and I bought the parts and he and I fixed it up again. The fun began again. I remember taking a dive in it that summer and busting my face on the bottom.

    I’m also the one who was responsible for the paint job you talked about on the patio. But that was done I think when I returned from Vietnam. But I’m really not sure, it may have been the same summer of the repair.

    I also remember when going to USL me and my friends from Lafayette would come in for the week end and never get out the pool. We had beer and a bottle of booze that we floated to each other across the pool. And mom would keep us fed with boiled shrimp and other sea food all week end. Those guys talked about that for years.

    I also remember when Ted and Celena decided to fill it in. Ted paid me $50.00 to do the work. It really wasn’t for the money, I wanted to be the one to do it. I didn’t complete it but I managed to do most of it. My back was killing me and had to quite. I was there for the very beginning and I was there for the very end. I was sad afterwards but it was going to be done regardless if it was me to do it or some one else.

    Sorry but I don’t know who the rest of the people are in the picture.

    Well that’s my “Old Swimming Hole” memories. We all enjoyed that pool and all had a good time in it, Just at different times. It was a big part of all of our lives in one form or another. And of course it was another we had it first in Golden Meadow for “THE COLLINS FAMILY.”

    LUV-ALL
    Peter

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  4. I AGREE WITH YOU PETER, WE WERE THERE WHEN THE WHOLE PROJECT BEGAN. BOY, DAD HAD SOME SPUNK IN HIM THAT YEAR. HE WAS DETERMINED TO GET A POOL IN THE BACKYARD. I REMEMBER THE MANY TIMES IT SANK OR CAME UP BUT THAT DIDN'T STOP DAD. HE KEPT GOING. ONE OF THE FEW TIMES I SAW DAD PANIC ABOUT THE POOL ONE MORNING VERY EARLY HIM AND I AND MOM MUST HAVE BEEN GETTING READY TO GO TO WORK. EITHER LIL OR C HAD THIS BIG DOLL THAT LOOKED REAL BY GLANCE. WE WENT OUTSIDE AND THE DOLL WAS FACE DOWN IN THE POOL AND ALL I SAW WAS DAD JUMPING INTO THE POOL. MOM AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER LIKE WHAT IS HE DOING? HE THOUGHT THAT DOLL WAS ONE OF THE KIDS AND HE JUMPED IN TO SAVE IT. DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DOLL BUT I DON'T EVER REMEMBERING SEEING IT AGAIN ESPECAILLY AFTER ALL IS GODD DAMNS AND ****************! THAT DOLL WAS HISTORY.

    RONNIE

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  5. OH, BY THE WAY, PETE, THE PATIO WAS PAINTED AFTER YOU RETURNED FROM VIETNAM. IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN WE HAD A GET TO GETHER AND BEFORE WE KNOW IT THE PATIO WAS PAINTED AND DAD LOVED IT
    RONNIE

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  6. Ronnie, you are good with people, who are the people in this picture

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  7. I may not have been around long enough to know the patio or the pool but I've been around long enough to recognize CJ's sandals on that "cat" in the background...... mikie

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  8. BOY, I KNEW WE BROUGHT MIKIE INTO THIS FAMILY FOR A REASON! HE'S RIGHT THAT'S CJ ON THE LAWN CHAIR. THE WOMAN SITTING ON THE OTHER CHAIR WITH THE POST IN FRONT OF HER I THINK IS MAEMAE AND THE LITTLE BOY IS JOEY. JOEY AND TIFFANY ARE NOT THAT FAR IN AGE, JOEY BEING THE OLDEST, BUT I REMEMBER HIM BEING 3 TIMES TIFFANY'S SIZE.

    YEA, MIKIE, THE SANDALS GAVE IT AWAY!

    RONNIE

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  9. WELL, SOME OF MY FONDEST MEMORIES......ONE OF MY FAVORITES....AT THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER, JUST FILLING UP THE POOL, WITH THE HOSE ON THE SHALLOW END SLIDING DOWN TO THE DEEPER END BEFORE IT WAS FILLED!! FUN, FUN, FUN!!! AND, OF COURSE, THE BBQ AND HOMEMADE ICE CREAM!!

    SPEAKING OF THAT DARN DOLL....REMEMBER LIL, WHEN YOU PUT IT IN THE ARMIOR AND SCARED THE DEATH OUT OF ME???

    I ALSO, REMEMBER THAT POOL IS WHERE MY FEAR OF SPIDERS CAME FROM!! SWIMMING IN THE SHALLOW END AND IN THE CORNER, COMMING UP TO SEE THOSE LARGE LEGGED SPIDERS ON TOP OF THE WATER!! NOW THAT I HAVE A CHILD, I'M NO LONGER AFRAID OF SPIDERS BECAUSE I'VE HAD TO KILLL THEM FOR HER!! LOL

    THAT'S ALL UNTIL I THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE!!

    LOVE YOU ALL,
    TIFF

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  10. No, Tiff, i remember the doll but don't remember putting it in an armoir and scaring you
    But do you remember those big stuffed rabbits you and Tie had when ya'll lived with us when we were young and we always played,
    "MOMMA AND DADDY" you and I were the momma's and the rabbits were the daddy's and your name always had to be Ms. Ann, I never got to be Ms. ann but you always did!!!! Glad they weren't real rabbits hubby's you know how those daddy rabbits like to mass produce, hahahahaha

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  11. Hahaha....No I do not remember that!! Ms. Ann??? If you say so!!! lol

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