I enjoyed reading this wonderful, well written letter to your husband. It’s neat when you can see the blessings of God through every stage of your life. Thanks for what you shared here.

Blessings,
Carol

I went to the pool mostly during ‘69, ‘70, & 71. The pool opened at 9:00 and I would get there right at the bell to practice diving since I could simply dive in and repeatedly get on the board without a wait.

This pool died without a wimper. There was no uproar when the new plans were announced for Start and it was obvious that it was to be built over the current pool site. Not only wasn’t there an upraor but there were virtually no objections at all. By 2003 the demographics of the area and the world had changed. Kids no longer seek outside activities in the summer as their means to an enjoyable day. Today’s kids get enjoyment from video games surrounded in an air-conditioned environment. Working moms and day care also contributed to an attendance decline since mom’s couldn’t spend as much time with their younger children poolside.

The city of Toledo only maintains five or six outside pools due to tough economic conditions. I believe these are Detwiler, Willeys, Collins, and maybe Highland. The rest are idle and decaying.

I really don’t miss the old Start as much as I do the pool. The old Start will be forgotten so quickly it will make ones head spin. However, the memories of Bowman will live on since it was a unique time in our city and nations history when demographics, money, and interests conincided to make a large outdoor pool a popular and successful venue for families, kids, adults, and teenagers!

Goodbye Bowman!

Sweet Blessings,
Heather

Thank you so much for your post! I truly enjoyed it!

You two are just precious! I can relate to so much of your experience, although we are not retired. Empty nesting is a new mountain to climb, but it feels like a decent too, as you suggested.

This was so well-said: “While I think I started to love you when I first saw you, it wasn’t a falling. It was more of a drawing in, like a plant is grafted to another to make it stronger. It took time.”

Bless you, and thank you for joining us for Marriage Monday today.

e-Mom @ Chrysalis

It’s funny how things can trigger our memories, especially smells. As I was dragging our garbage can back up after it had been emptied, it smelled pretty bad after sitting out on the curb in the sun for a while. The smell brought back memories of visiting the elephant’s quarters at Brookfield Zoo as a kid, because that’s exactly how the garbage can smelled. I know that’s kind of gross,but it illustrates the point. Anyway, I enjoyed reading about the memories you shared too, and yes, I’m old enough to remember those waxed rounds of Colby!