job$ somebody’s gotta do…

job$ somebody's gotta do...

                                                               

    A swimming pool is not something that has ever appeared on any wish list penned by me or Regina.  During our house hunting years, we toured an Open House or two with a pool in the backyard, but, they weren't our lifestyle.  

   However, that is not to say we don't appreciate the value or beauty of a swimming pool in some settings.  

  When I was much younger, I always associated a home with a swimming pool as an upper end home or a luxury item for the stars in Hollywood.  

  Of course, if we had owned a pool, it would have required maintenance a minimum of twice a year and that is an issue by itself.  When it comes to general repairs around the ranch, we call the people who are well paid to do those tasks. 

   In the swimming pool world here in Louisville, Kentucky, that call is made by a lot of pool owners to David Schworm. 

  I do swimming pool maintenance, openings, closings, weekly service, you name it and if it has to do with a swimming pool, I can do it, David said.

  Have you ever done anything else besides work with people who own in ground pools?

  Not really, he answered.  It's all I have ever done and I've been doing this for over 40 years.  Pool work is what I love to do.

  Do you have a significant other? 

  I do and we've been together for just about as long, he smiled.  We have a son who is 32 and a daughter who just turned 38.  

  Where do you work, David?

  I work for Leslie Swimming Pool Supplies, plus, I have my own business too, he said. 

  What a great connection.  People come in to buy pool supplies and they wind up talking to the man who will maintain their pool.

  That's it and it has worked well for a lot of years, David said.  You could say my customers come to me.  As a rule, no one enjoys opening or closing a pool for the season, so, it's a natural fit.

   Tell me the steps to closing a pool.

  I drain the water down, blow out the lines, add anti freeze, replace or clean the filter, add the chemicals and put on the cover, he counted off.  

  I assume the lines have to be dry for winter?

  Yes, the last thing a pool owner wants is for those lines to freeze, he explained.  That can be expensive.     

  I am a novice here, so I have zero experience with a pool, but, I am guessing the opposite is done to open a pool?

  Exactly, he confirmed. Basically, I fill the water, open the lines and de-winterize. 

  How many gallons of water does the average pool hold?

  It depends on a lot of factors, he related.  How deep is the deepest part, how wide is the pool and how long is the pool.  A pool that is say 20 by 25 or 30 probably has about 30,000 gallons of water. 

  What is the largest pool you have opened or closed? 

  I have a customer that has a 25 foot wide by 45 foot long pool and that is huge, he said.  The average back yard pool is 18 by 36 or so.  

  What about hobbies?  Do you have any?

  No, I don't, he laughed.  I work and in the summer months, I'm working until dark five or six days a week.  I keep pretty busy.  

  How about traveling?  Do you and your wife want to see the sights and discover new things? 

  We discovered Cancun a while back and now we go there every two years, he offered.  That's what we want to do, so, that's how we spend our vacation time. 

  How about a bucket list?  Do you have one?

  That's it.

  Would you explain, that's it?

  Cancun.  We're moving there in two years, he smiled.  That's our bucket list.  I'm retiring then and we're moving to Cancun.

  Oh, I see.  Sweet.  Thanks for your time, David. 

  Sure. Call me if you put in a pool, he replied as we shook hands.

  Coming up: a look into expiration dates; more POS;  another oddities, observations, & ?'s, and; a dinner with the George Brothers.

  And, finally.  A cold, hard, always true fact:  There is no graceful way to get on a pool float.  

  HUH?  What's up with that?