Monday, November 10, 2008

Can Ya See Us Now?



I posted on Lindi's Ideas, but it also belongs here. We had the sign painted on the side of the building. Guys showed up one day and asked if we wanted to upgrade from the moldy cardboard sign we had nailed to the front of the building. For 300 pesos I figured we couldn't go wrong. The back yard is colorful. We might as well stick with our theme! Ko'ox Báab! Vamos a nadar! Let's go swimming!

The Heated Pool

Follow the pvc pipe down the length of the pool and up the side of the house to the roof. Note it is sunny up there. This photo was taken around 8am. The south facing solar panels are located up there and start receiving good rays around 6:30am. They get sun all day.

Quite a few pvc pipes were added to the filter system, but luckily it was set up with the pukas (places for fittings) all there. This is what the filter looks like. Only Pablo knows which knobs to turn where, but I will figure it out.

Here are the panels on the roof. The water comes up from the pool and heats up when it passes through these pipes and panels and shoots back down into the pool.

Close up of the panels and the pool below.

Cats Sak Boox and Lorenza make final inspection of clean swimming pool before we turn on the water to fill it up. The two females are fascinated by the water and wade up to their thighs, if cats have thighs, that is. Brother Busmo is curious but not enough to get his patotas (giant feet) wet. Mokito wonders how he ever got out of the pool when he took his two unexpected swims early in his kittenhood.
I posted these shots on Lindi's Ideas blog page, but thought they should be posted here also. We had the solar installed over a week ago, and the pool is now at a comfortable 83°F. In the early morning, it is a little cooler due to night time cooling, like 80°F, but the pool exercisers are happy. We get to exercise all winter!
I am getting an hour of exercise with class in the morning and then spending some more time there later, reading a little in the sun, then swimming in the water that feels slightly warmer than the air. It is heaven.
The warmer water makes up for the lack of daylight. Living in the tropics a person gets used to the longest day bringing about 12 hours of light, but the winter schedule where I have to turn on lights outside for students at 4pm....well, the day is just too short!