Summer Vacation - Mike and Myrna's Pool Party

Back in June, we were invited to our good friends Myrna and Mike's house for a pool party and barbeque. Here they are taking shelter in what little shade there was on this sunny day:

Laura and I didn't go swimming, but Brady and Nina did. It's usually a struggle to get the kids to cooperate when I'm trying to take a picture of them. This is evident in two other pictures not posted here that I took on the same day before they jumped in the pool. As a result, I didn't get a decent picture of them smiling at the same time. So, here is one of Brady smiling wedged between Nina and one of Mike's neighbor's kids:

And here's one of Nina (by herself) simling:

In the two pictures above you can see Mike and Myrna's new swimming pool. Its not your typical pool; this one is partially below ground level, and obviously partially above. It has a liner similar to an above ground (or as I call them, a Doughboy) pool. This type of pool is much less expensive compared to a conventional built-in pool. My wife now wants one of these pools, citing the lower cost as the main reason, but with the considerable larger size (compared to our Doughboy) as a second reason. This latest item on her never-ending wish / shopping list resulted in a "heated discussion" the day after the party.

When Myrna invited us to this BBQ & Pool party, she didn't say anything about celebrating Mike's birthday. A few days before the party Mike called me and asked if I had heard anything about celebrating his birthday. I told him no. Mike seemed to be concerned that Myrna was planning something. Mike was right although I wish Myrna would have told me. I think we were the only ones there that didn't bring a birthday present or card. My present will be to post this picture of Mike getting ready to blow out his candles. Unfortunately I can't operate a camera properly. I should have waited another second or two to press the shutter.

So I leave you with this family picture of the four of us. We were happier here than the next day when I told Laura and the kids we would not be getting a pool like Mike and Myrna's.