Our Weekend Holiday

We went to our family friend in Hillsborough for the weekend holidays. It was less crowd but more personal and have the same amount of fun.

My family has always a good time when we meet our family friend s on any occasion. It is just the way it is.

That was yesterday.

Today, we have our time on our own. I got the pool going, chemicals and heat in order. It was ready by 10 AM.

My family dipped in after that.

I dipped in later in the day after tending to my trees and backyard getting rid off the invasive vines and bushes.

My great discover for the day was to identify a tree that has been growing in my property for eight summers now. The clue was this specific tree bear a fruit or flower called samara. The leaves, twigs and flowers were classic description.

Seedlings were all over my property.

The tree is called Boxelder maple (Acer negundo). A tree truly indigenous to New Jersey.

I grilled sirloin steak with cucumber and onions, a great dinner.

Tomorrow, a few friends will stop by for a swim, drinks and appetizers.

Memorial Day Weekend

I am not a deep thinker.

I think of Memorial Day weekend as a celebration of the beginning of summer with family and friends, a new cycle of the season.

But I do recognized this weekend event to pay due respect for the men and women who sacrificed their lives for a higher cause, our freedom.

Preparing the Swimming Pool for the Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend is around the corner. It is about friends, bbq's, outdoors, and swimming pool if a family has one.

Fortunately, I have one. It is a great family entertainment.

Unfortunately, it is a chore. It is a labor intensive job that without the physical manpower of my son, it would take me at least a week to prepare my 25,000 gallon in ground pool.

In our first two years, we hired people to open our pool. But, it became too expensive. I open the pool by myself since then. All is well so far.

Opening a swimming involves chemistry like free chlorine, pH, H2O hardness, etc.

I enjoy all of these.

I am the (swimming) pool guy in my family,