Bears In Pools

If you are considering whether to put a swimming pool in your backyard, as part of the process you undoubtedly receive a lot of legal disclosures about the risks involved in installing any kind of pool. I find myself wondering, however, whether you receive warnings about . . . bears.

I thought of this important question after seeing a news story about how a home security camera caught a bear going for a dip in a backyard pool in Monrovia, California. You can see the article and the video here. In the video, the bear climbs over a rear wall, tumbles to the ground, sniffs around the pool, then decides to take a lap and cool off before exiting the premises the way he came in.

I thought the video was unusual until I did a search for bears in pools, and found that there are a lot of YouTube videos and stories about incidents in which bears decided to take a swim in a pool. The videos show bear swims across the country, in California, Tennessee, Florida, and even New Jersey (where the bears probably have a Jersey accent). The bears aren’t picky about their swimming venues, either: they’ll gladly splash around in In-ground or above-ground pools. They don’t even mind a belly-flop, as shown in the picture above.

The homeowner who posted the video of the bear climbing his back wall for a swim took it in good humor, saying there was “never a dull moment” in his household. I wonder, however, how enjoyable it will be lounging in that pretty little pool in the future, knowing all the while that at any moment a bear could climb the wall and dive in. It’s hard to really relax when you are on bear alert and have to keep one eye open for a visit from a furry friend.

Share And Share Alike

Are there limits to the “sharing economy”?

This week the Washington Post ran an article on people renting out their backyard swimming pools by listing them on Swimply, which the article described as the “Airbnb of aquatic recreation.” The article talked about how much families enjoyed frolicking for a few hours in a nearby, rented pool on a hot day, without having to worry about the cost and upkeep and maintenance and hassle of owning their own pool. And, of course, pool owners can make a nice amount of money on the side by renting out their backyard oases.

With swimming pool rentals, we seem to be exploring new frontiers in the “sharing economy.” There have always been rentals of vacation houses; apps like Airbnb just moved the process on-line and made finding and booking the rentals a lot easier. Similarly, Uber and other ride-sharing apps built on the existing taxicab concept. But renting out your backyard swimming pool while you are there seems like a distinctly novel step. Some might say it seems to cross a clear personal privacy line; others presumably just accept it as the logical next step in our increasingly gigged-up economy.

People can do what they will with their houses–within the framework set by zoning codes, homeowners association rules, and the need to keep neighbors from getting out the torches and pitchforks, of course–and if they want to rent out their pool, why should we care? Speaking for myself, I wouldn’t want to rent out my pool for a few hours; I wouldn’t feel comfortable with it, and wouldn’t want to bear the liability risks or the clean-up duties. Nor would I want to rent some stranger’s pool on a hot summer’s day. It seems different from swimming in a hotel or country club pool; those pools are designed to accommodate visitors and are professionally maintained for that purpose, whereas renting somebody’s personal pool means you are going to a residential neighborhood, crossing a stranger’s lawn, and invading their space. The fact that you are doing so with their permission for a fee makes it legal, but it doesn’t make the concept any less weird in my view.

I wonder if there are any limits to the sharing economy. Do people whose homes have high-end kitchens stocked with the best appliances and cookware rent them out to aspiring chefs? Do people with fancy gardens offer their fragrant and flowery comforts for a fee to people looking for a new place to hold a bridal shower or a genteel tea party? Are yard tools, bicycles, lawn tractors, and family pets available for a fee?

Homes used to be viewed as the inviolable sanctum sanctorum. Now they increasingly are seen as a revenue-generating device.

What Kids Want To Know

What do kids really want to know?  Sometimes parents wonder.

Fortunately, there’s the “What If” website and book to help answer that eternal question.  It promises to provide serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions.

And guess what?  It turns out that kids want to know answers to questions that I’d also like to have answered, like:  “How long would it take for a single person to fill up an entire swimming pool with their own saliva?”

This is a question that is of intense and particular interest to me, ever since a kind of disgusted dentist who was constantly having to use the spit-sucking device and multiple cotton swabs told me, when I was but a callow youth, that I had “exceptional saliva flow.”  Now I’m proud of my drool-producing capacity.

It turns out that it would take a normal person a very long time to fill that pool.  Humans produce an average of half a liter of saliva a day, which would mean it would take a year to fill a bathtub.  And, at that rate, it would take 8,345 years to fill an Olympic-sized pool to a depth of four feet.  Even at my alarming spit-producing rate — I’m guessing I’m at least double the average in the drool category — I wouldn’t be able to accomplish even a reasonably sized in-ground backyard pool in my lifetime.

Too bad!  It would be a laudable life goal.

A Noble Place To Stay

During our visit to San Antonio we are staying on the second floor of the Aaron Pancoast Carriage House, in a bed and breakfast arrangement.  On trips like this we look for an alternative to hotels if possible, and Kish did a great job in finding this place.

I’m a fan of old hotels, but when you’re staying somewhere for more than two days they can begin to feel cramped and sterile.  Under those circumstances, the bed and breakfast can offer some real advantages.  You’re in a real neighborhood, rather than a downtown hotel district, and often that allows you to get a more rounded perspective on the town you’re visiting.  It’s also nice to camp out in a place that has a refrigerator, a large common area where we can spread out and read, and other agreeable amenities.

Our lodging here is one of three locations owned by Noble Inns.  All of them are located in the beautiful King William Historic District area of San Antonio (more about that later).  The district is on the RiverWalk, which means we’re just a short stroll away from downtown.  It’s nice to be able to walk rather than driving, and we’ve taken advantage of that convenience.

We eat our breakfast in the lushly decorated Oge House.  It’s got a historic landmark sign outside, and inside it has all of the fantastic carvings and moldings and nooks and crannies that make me marvel at how unique these old homes were, and how soulless and cookie-cutter our modern homes have become.  It’s a pleasure walking in the front door and eating a home-cooked meal in the dining room.

We stay in the carriage house found right across the street.  It’s a pleasant place with one huge advantage:  a fantastic pool complete with statuary that makes you feel like you’re hanging out at a Roman villa.  I am not much of a pool person, but when you’ve been walking along in 90-plus degree heat and bright sunshine it’s nice to take a dip in cool water and then find a shady spot for some reading and conversation.  The Romans knew what they were doing.