In Ground Swimming Pool Dug by Hand/shovel

Growing up, my father one day sprayed a really big orange egg shape on the ground. We all looked at him like what is he doing? My mother told us he “is” going to build an in ground pool. And she said it while shaking her head YES! She was all smiles. I was an Army brat. There were 9 of us children. Living on the east coast our whole life. New Hampshire, Hampton Beach-Florida, Fort Devens, Massachusettes-Fort Bragg, North Carolina-New Jeresy. We grew up with beaches just around the corner. If one wasn’t right down the road, we’d drove to it, every weekend. After my Dad retired we moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment when I was just 10 years old. It was very, very hot and very, very dry. This is why my father built us the in ground pool. After he had spray painted the orange egg shape, he began to dig. All of us children started to dig. We literally dug it by “hand”. We ALL helped. God it was amazing. The deeper we got the more excited we got the faster we shoveled. Can you imagine an in ground pool dug by hand? And it wasn’t this 7 ft. deep pool, it was 12 ft. deep. It was an egg shape. It had a wall just 3 inches under the water for our younger brothers and sisters, it was 3 ½ or 4 ft. deep on the other side of the wall. We didn’t need a heater, not in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The wall divider in the pool, we used it to dive off of, jump off of and leap frog over it. I wish I had a photo of it. So Thank You Momma and Daddy for bestowing your wonderful talent upon me! I love you and miss, miss, you both!!!!!!!!!!! Everything I create, in my heart, your creating it with me!

This is my father, the man who made our dream come true. He's sitting on the slide. His first dip in the pool. An amazing man!

Here it is! My sister sent me photos. I cried for a half an hour. So many memories. Can you see the "WALL"? My sister is standing on the edge of the WALL on the deep side below. The shallow end is either 2 1/2 ft. deep or 3 ft. deep and the deep end is 12 ft. deep. So much room. We played mermaids for hours and hours and had relay races diving off the WALL.

I'm swimmin, I'm swimmin!!!!!!!!!!! Loling!

There's me 42 years ago @ age 13 in the pink bathing suit putting my mask on. My husband and I want to replicate my father's pool. I hope the standards allow us. I'll keep you posted.