Summer sunshine, cool blue water, and happy kids: is there a better way to spend a summer day than swimming at the local pool? The long-awaited Eastlake pool opened today. We slathered on the sunscreen, dug out the towels and headed over to check it out.

What a beautiful facility. Ringed by teak armchairs and chaises, the pool itself is trimmed in stained cement (that doesn't get hot to the touch!) and gorgeous glass tiles. A large, foot-deep kiddie area with spraying fountains steps down to the larger pool area which extends from three feet deep to five feet at the deepest end. There's no diving board, or diving allowed, but there are three lap lanes marked on the pool floor and a hot tub for relaxing. The bathrooms are large and clean and there's even a separate family changing room which I thought was a great inclusion. There's not much shade right now, but I understand there will be beach umbrellas set up on the lawn next to the pool.

Sure, the whole pool is pretty small if you consider the potential size of Daybreak. But with a pool in the works for Founder's Village and maybe, possibly (hopefully?) for Northshore, the size of Eastlake's pool may be just right after all. I was told that with a cost of over 2 million to build, it would have gone up by millions with every additional inch around. Today, it got a little crowded sometimes in the deeper areas--especially if there were several flotation devices in the pool at once--but usually it wasn't too bad. And the kiddie area was never crowded--I've been in public pools where you couldn't find an edge to sit on because it was so chock-full of parents.

What's the best part of the new pool in Daybreak? Running into all sorts of friends and neighbors! Plus, it's free entertainment for the whole family and what could be better than that?

Overall, I am thrilled with the new pool. I think it is absolutely beautiful, classy, and fits my family's needs perfectly (I was so worried there wouldn't be anywhere for my two babies to play and we can't always go to the splash pool because my school-age boys are too old.) Honestly, I feel like the money we've sunk into our house and this community has been well-invested and we will be rewarded with not only a fabulous place to live but--if they continue to build such quality amenities--property values that grow exponentially in the long run.