LET’S GET a swimming pool. my wife suggested. Or was it me who suggested it? Could be. T have a. selective

memory about disasters.

If you dig a hole tn our vard, of course, the taxman parachutes in, Go for the above-ground models, we reasoned calmly.

There were models at the right price, but it was funny-peculiar when we phoned up the depart- ment stores that flog such stuff.

By the time you bought all the necessary pumps and chemicals and fadders and skimmers and tons of peat moss to put under the thing, and then added the labor,the price amazingly doubl- ed. Oh well. It was only Cana- dian pesos.

New church to rise in NV

A PLANNED church development in North Van- couver will be ‘‘a great im- provement’’ having ‘‘incred- ible stabilizing effects’? on the area, North Vancouver

City Council was told Mon- day.

By STEPHEN BARRINGTON Contributing Writer

And following a brief public hearing, counci! gave second and third readings to two bylaw amendments that will allow a church to be built at the southeast corner of 23rd and St. Georges in North Vancouver.

North Shore Alliance Church pastor Arnie Toews told the hear- ing he had talked to the area’s res- idents and found them to be sup- portive of the plan.

IMPROVES AREA

“P’ve only got to look at the dandelions and the blackberry bushes there now to say I believe it will be a great improvement,” Toews added.

Said Ald. Ralph Hall: ‘I think this project is an outstanding one for the community.”

Ald. John Braithwaite agreed the project had merit, but asked that council wait for a forthcoming staff report on area planning be- fore voting on the proposal.

“Our job is to look at the entire community,’’ Braithwaite said. “We are elected to look at the best use of the land and we haven’t had the report to do that.”’

PASSAGE URGED

But Hall said he was not ‘a slave to staff reports’? and urged council to pass the amendments. “To delay this is not wise,’’ Hall said.

“I think this is good community planning.”’

Toews said later he has been confident the development would be approved. ‘‘We’re delighted they've seen fit to proceed,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m elated.‘

Toews estimated that construc- tion on the $500,000 structure will begin in September.

The key factor in the installa. tion of the pool was the hiring of samebody to set ib up for us,

He was a young man when he started, Cool, competent, not knowing the meaning of fear. | left him behind the carport: on the lawn, happily digging away to remove the sod and lay the peat moss.

I glimpsed him once a couple of hours later, the digging done. He had just opened the box in which the pool had arrived. He still looked okay.

I went off for a beer — pardon

me, to do some research -- and came back in mid-afternoon,

It wasn't a pretty sight. The young man had grown old. He had a kind of crucified expres- sion on his face,

Although nobody ato the department store had admitted it, the fact was that the assembling of the pool was a job for a min- imum of four bilingual engineer: ing vraduutes.

The product had been manufactured in) Quebeo. No problem. One of iny grandfathers was manutactured there too. ft was just thatthe English transla. tion of the instructions was so bad that entire steps were left out.

Then there was this thin sheet of corrugated metal, a sort. of giint Mobius Strip that had to be fitted into a delicate interlocking ring. The metal sheet wiggled in the wind. Old sections popped out of place as soon ay new sec- tions clicked in,

The young man’s hands were bloodied and sweat poured down his face. He had already, in des- peration, enlisted two neighbors. And now, of course, I was drag-

ged into the fray.

It took the rest of the after- noon, all of us sweating and cur- sing under the naked sun, but by suppertime the beast was assembled and water was flowing in.

Vhat evening [ tried to fizure out the right chemical combina- tion to keep the pool fram becoming a bacterial stew-pot Not onfy were the instruction. salt in) French with a faulty knglish translation, but to com. plicate matters ever so. slightly, the measurements were all given — you guessed if — in metric.

It was along night.

The neat day, we flopped into the pool to try her out. Cold? Well, our seven-year-okl kid thought it was just fantastic until about 6:30 pom. when the sun went down behind the trees along the west side of the yard. He then proceeded to nearly die of hypothermia, Old Dad by this time fad already turned blue.

The kid complained bitterly, through chattering tecth, about the fact that the east side of the yard was still bathed in sunlight and only here, where the pool

stood, was there shadow,

We contemplated drowning him, but settled fur going and sulking on the porch, darkly try- ing to remember whose idea it had been to put the pool on the west side of the yard. Probably hers. Must have been.

The hgaventy light that Calvinists Joelieve shines on the virtuous Ht us a kind of ekancing blow the fest morning.

Tt turnfd out the weight of the water prfssing down on the peat moss bgnked of the slope of lawn haf left the water level close to the ffp on one side of the pool while rfing no higher chan a foot from “he top on the opposite side.

We brought: back the young man and naik- him up on the hydraulic cross again. His horoscope that day said: ‘You have a chance to correct past nustakes; built on a firm founda- lion.”

While we were at it, we got him to set the pool up on the east side of the yard, where the sunlight lasts so much longer.

Why is it that fun is so much work?

Fun starts when you sfop in Nanaimo.

We've scheduled a summer full of fun in Nanaimo.

Ifyou like shopping, were a shoppers’ paradise, Fishing? Our salmon are the best. So are our golf courses: And wien the wind is up. soul love our sitiling: and wintburfing.

Jog, sirall, or cvele around the cits Discover our busy waterfront. We've got nore than two dozen beautiful parks tor walking, prenicing, and relaxing Unspoiled Takes and nature trails nearby offer reat canoe and Inking

Be sure to visit Newcastle Ishand, the jewel of Nanaimo farbour, Dont miss the Morrell Sanctuan, where wildlite roctins free

Our zany Bathtub Race every July ty world famous. In July and August our Shakespeare Plus festival brings vou Shakespeare and professionally staged and acted contemporary phys

Get ourself te one of our renowned restaurant Where the chefs v1! pamper sour palate. Step out ad enjoy our nightlife with pubs, danemy. and fue tor evervbodk, And whert sour ever ts over, fest comfort in decammoda tions to pertecth suit vou and veur budget

June 20-21 Heritage Festival

July Canada Day Festivities duly 12-13 Second Annual Parachute Jump

July - 20 Bathtub Race and Festivities

July 2h-Aug 2 Island Wide Multicultural Festival

July 3- Aug 23 Shakespeare Plus Festival 1. Side by Side: a musical 2, fitters: a comedy 3.4 Midsummer's Night Drean: Shakespeare 1. Thomasina: Children’s Comedy

Branch out. Explore Gabriola Island, go trout fishing at French Creek, see the wall murals of Chemainus, take a day trip to the Big Qualicum Fish Hatchery. Wherever vou go on the Island, Nanaimo is at the heart of it all.

When vou stop in Nauaimo this summer, the fun starts.

ISLAND

NANAIMO9

Contact Nanainie Tourisn for further information:

260 Brvden St. Nanaimo, BC. VOS TAS CO0E) 73 #8474