Backyards Building Childhood: How a Pool Becomes the Heart of Your Home
Though I’ve lived and worked in Nashville since 2007, I’m originally from Oklahoma. I had the privilege of growing up with a tight-knit family who truly made our house into a home. When I was about five years old, I remember my dad proudly inviting me to look out into the backyard. A machine was digging into the ground, the first step in the construction of a pool that I didn’t know we were getting.
When I think about growing up at home, the first images that scan across my mind are the long summer days where the pool was our backdrop and people magnet from breakfast well beyond dinner. My sisters and I would put on our swimsuits and race outside first thing in the morning. My dad would sweep out the overnight debris while my mom filled a plastic bin with sodas and treats for the day. We would prep dozens of water balloons for another epic battle that would commence as soon as we could hear our neighbors’ flip flops coming through the gate and rounding the corner.
The hours pressed on, only disrupted by sunscreen applications and quick meals sprinkled with pool water. As soon as we finished our last bites, our feet were already running (oops, “walking feet only!”) back to the pool (oops, “no swimming after right after you eat!”). We would swim late into the night - which realistically was probably 8:00pm, but it could have been midnight in our minds. We were stranded on rogue ships in shark infested water as our rafts drifted into the deep end. We were escaping the volcanic lava as the rotating light colors turned to the dreaded orange and red tones. We were unstoppable, joyful, alive, together.
When we build pools for homeowners, we aren’t just picturing shapes on a page that turn into a hole in the group. We’re crafting the backdrop of each family’s favorite moments and adventures together. I hope that the kids growing up with a “Palmingo Pool” hold those memories close like I do.
Last week, we taught my two older girls how to dive. Within an hour, they were (more or less) diving and flipping. Their joy and confidence in themselves was palpable and contagious. They asked us to rate their handstands, water dance routines, and dives for hours, which brought me back to my childhood pool in Oklahoma where my dad patiently offered scores and feedback from a nearby swing and my mom cheered us on endlessly.
Still today, when I’m in a pool, that little kid within me comes closer to the surface. It feels a bit like a capsule, where time passes more slowly and the world around me is a little closer. I’m more connected with myself as well as the family, friends, nature and sunshine around me.
I’m fortunate to have grown up with a pool in my own backyard and if that’s a dream of yours, our team would be honored to bring it to life for you.
Amanda Stone, Owner of Palmingo Pools