A while back, I wrote about a family of hawks who have lived in my neighborhood the past two years (or maybe longer) and what a thrill it has been to watch them raise a family both years. Their nature show continues. The past 2 Saturday mornings as I get my day started with a relaxing soak in the spa, I have been able …

Back in 2004 when I began my career here at Eastgate Pools we carried a brand of spas that focused on performance and durability, not showroom pizazz. For cost reasons that manufacturer is no longer part of our product offering, but one of their fundamental features remains a constant in the products we’ve chosen to of…

Think your pool water is clear? It might be possible to make it even clearer, and I speak from experience. A couple of years ago I had the chance to try a 30 Day Clear Blue Cube on my own pool, and I became a huge fan, literally overnight. It was early season and my pool was just getting to the point of being pretty mu…

I’m in the middle of my 16th year here at Eastgate Pools and I’ve seen every kind of season you can imagine. When the housing market crashed, there was a significant reduction of pool sales in the industry. Lending institutions tightened their requirements and that nest egg of equity in houses effectively disappeared. …

In most cases, installing a swimming pool is making a family’s dreams come true. And that is a fun part of being in this business. What isn’t so fun is going out to install the pool only to find out that the yard cannot accommodate the pool for one reason or another. Sometimes we find that there just isn’t space or tha…

Pool water. Spa water. Pretty much the same thing, right? Wrong! Spa water is a lot different than pool water and there are several reasons why. Number one is the water temperature. A pool generally will be kept somewhere from the mid-70’s to mid-80’s (Fahrenheit) versus the spa typically being kept somewhere from 100 …

Eastgate Pools has built its reputation on building beautiful back yard pools at an affordable price. There is a show on HGTV called Pool Kings and they specialize in extremely high end projects. While Eastgate Pools does not specialize in building custom waterfalls, rock water slides and other custom amenities, we can…

Recently my wife and I were lazily floating in the pool on our water noodles when we were treated to a nature show in the treetops of our backyard. For the past two years, there has been a pair of hawks nesting in a large tree at a home that sits on a street behind us. Their name by the way is the Hectors. Mr. and Mrs.…

On these hot summer days it makes me think back to my childhood when summer days were so simple. We didn’t worry about air-conditioning, or the price of gas. We cranked up homemade ice cream by hand on the back porch, and spent days as children riding bikes from sun up to sundown. Now that I’m an adult I am constantly …

As many know from some of my previous blogs and those that I work with, I am a huge Cincinnati Bengals fan and a season ticket holder. I have taken my soon to be two year old son to more than a dozen bengals home games already. We have had season tickets for many years and this was the first year we decided to do the s…

This past year I had the pleasure of coaching an AAU league basketball team with my best friend Sam, and his dad Rick. We had an 8th grade team that finished with 12 wins out of 40 total games, and if you ask me that’s not too bad for our first year coaching. One highlight was getting close with all the kids, all of th…

Intelligent, strong willed, stubborn Who love dogs? My Husky is my best friend, the best companion a girl could ask for, and her name is Khaleesi. (Where are my Game of Thrones fans at?!) She’s definitely a queen, always getting what she wants. She’s currently 4, but the first time I saw her she was only 8 weeks old, a…

When you see the included photo, do you see three, that’s three rocks? Neither do I which is good. Means my yearly eye appointments are keeping my vision acceptable or it means I learned to count at some point. Or both! The reality is that a customer recently posted a 1-star review saying that the installer hit three r…

But you never really realize how fast until there are milestones that are surpassed, or you have a moment of quiet reflection. It seems that we are so busy in the track meet that is our daily lives that we do not have the time to stop and quietly reflect on what is going on around us. One day we are putting our kids on…

On July 22nd of 2012 one of the best Cincinnati Reds players was inducted to Major League Baseball’s Hall of fame. During his entire 19 year career he only played for the Reds. He was a 12 time All Star, 9 time Silver slugger award winner also won a few gold gloves, one MVP award and also has a World Series ring. He pl…

So, your pool water is perfectly clear. Is it really necessary to check the water balance and adjust it as needed? After all, the water looks great, how can there be anything wrong with it? YES, it is necessary!!!! And clear isn’t the end all. I have seen many a pool that has perfectly clear water that when the water i…

It happens. No one means for it to happen, but it does. You go on vacation and the pool sitter doesn’t “sit” the pool. Life just happens and you have a million other things vying for your attention. The weather became cool and wet, and well, you just kind of forgot that the pool needed a little bit of attention. Stuff …

Asher Ryley Owen Stith. We’ve added our newest blessing to our family April 9, 2019! The little guy was too impatient, just like his mommy, and decided to arrive three weeks early! Weighing a whopping 7 pounds 8 ounces and 21 inches long! So much bigger than his big sister, Cambria. Whom is super excited to have taken …

The end is near. It is almost time to forget about those nearly tasteless imposters that I am forced to put up with during way too many months of the year. Yes folks, it is almost time for homegrown tomatoes. And I am pumped. Yes, some of you are probably already feasting on your own crop, but mine won’t be long. (I ho…

I am not one of those people that has my nose in my phone or computer screen all day, though I certainly know the type well, and I admit to still getting most of my news the old fashioned way, so maybe I will be off somewhat factually when I say that the wettest spring in 100-years has certainly been a challenge for ma…