I was sitting on the beach this weekend, watching my niece and nephew splashing in the water, and it got me thinking. Did you ever notice how some people will only swim in a swimming pool, while others swear by the rejuvenating power of a saltwater sea? Personally, I like swimming in a swimming pool but I hate what the chlorine does to my hair and my swimsuit. And apparently I’m not the only one. More and more people are converting their swimming pools from chlorine to saltwater. With a saltwater swimming pool you don’t have to add chlorine to the water because it converts salt into chlorine using a chlorine generator. A saltwater pool also requires lower levels of chlorine so there’s less exposure to the chemical, which is good for you hair and skin, as well as for the environment.

My husband was lamenting the fact that there aren’t any drive-in movie theaters where we live. There used to be a few but over the years they’ve all closed down. According to him there’s nothing like watching a good movie under the stars. Well, here’s pretty cool alternative. Rent a movie projector and watch your favorite summer flick in your own backyard. Invite your friends over and make a movie night out of it. Or use it to keep the kids happy while the adults enjoy the summer evening. Just secure a white sheet to a clothesline, arrange some comfortable chairs, make some popcorn and press “play.” Projectors from Projector123.com plug easily into your computer or DVD player and come with simple directions to help you with the set up.

If you're opening your pool for the summer season, here's a handy tool that you might want to check out. The Verro from iRobot will vacuum and filter your pool while you're not using it. All you need to do is drop it in the water and wait 90 minutes for a sparkling clean pool.