Pools and blood

One of the great things of traveling is that each day there are new experiences.
That are educational, fascinating and sometimes shocking.

Like yesterday, having brunch with dear friends in a golf club, they explained that there are swimming pools, eternal pools and endless pools.
A swimming pool is just a basin to swim in.
Usually a rectangular stonewalled hole in the ground.

Eternal pools are made in a hillside.
The pool is level with the ground surface and the water can go out of the pool to be pumped back into it.
Swimming in this pool is being on one side at eye level with the world around it.
One doesn’t look at the wall of the pool but while swimming sees the surrounding landscape.

And then we have the endless pool.
This is also a rectangular pool but not much bigger than the body of a human being.
The water in this pool is pumped at very high pressure once a swimmer has pushed a button in the pool.
It means the person in the pool must start swimming not to be crashed against the wall.
Because of the circulating water the swimmer remains in one place.

Very educational information!

Anther fascinating fact was explained by another friend last night.
At a high school there was a homecoming ball.
What that exactly is was not very much understood but in any case, the students dress up and come to the school to have a dance.
These days, in this particular Californian town, the students must sign a contract when they enter the hall for the dance.
In this contract they promise not to perform any “dirty dancing” on the dance floor.
Among other promises.
Makes one think.

And lastly, a shocking experience.
Very focused loyal and fervent blog readers will remember a story published right here some time ago about a couple in California, USA, that had an imitation castle where they lived and had paying guests.
The story was how dinner and hospitality was enjoyed in that castle one day.

The persons owning this castle are friends of friends.
Therefore last night the friends were asked how the castle owners were doing.
A long silence resulted.
Obviously the story was hard to tell.
But eventually the truth was told.
The castle owners were financially not successful.
They developed a huge debt with the bank.
In order to turn things around they moved out of the imitation castle and leased it to another couple.
Hoping they would manage to make a profit.
But also those people couldn’t turn the imitation castle into a money making machine.
They missed more and more the monthly payments to the owners who got therefore even deeper into trouble.
Then one day something snapped in the head of the male imitation castle owner.
He went to his property where he found the leasing woman alone at home.
She was tied to a chair and beaten up and then they waited for her husband to come home.
When he came, he was shot to death by the imitation castle owner.
Who is now in jail waiting for his sentence.
Which will be life and maybe the death penalty.

It is very strange to have known and have dined several times with a man that turns out to be a killer.
To have been in an imitation castle that turns out to have been the scene of a dramatic murdering scene.

Today the border will be crossed.
Mexico is waiting.





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