Summertime, and the pool was in the backyard

One year, dad put an above ground pool in our backyard. We kids enjoyed swimming in it in the summertime, and I remember taking the garden hose in with me so I could use the sprayer like a rocket nozzle and propel myself around the pool. Fun times.

Dad really did a lot to see that our lives as kids were as enjoyable and fulfilling as possible. He even worked three jobs to try and make ends meet to take care of us, and I don’t think any of us ever appreciated that at the time (especially my mom, but that’s another story). In addition to being in the Marines and commuting each day to work on Camp Pendleton, he also was a part-time bus driver for Oceanside City Transit District (OCTD – which later merged into North County Transit District). When he wasn’t working nights for them, he was working as a night custodian at Maie Ellis Primary and Elementary schools.

- another excerpt.