As Summer 2010 winds to a close, I have decided to pay tribute to one of my most favorite things in the world: swimming pools. There is no greater joy for me than paddling around on a hot sunny day in a crystal-blue-water oasis.You don't need a big backyard to enjoy a refreshing dip. Here is a makeshift pool some enterprising New Yorkers put together using a Dumpster and some plastic wrap.

Skip the trash, just bring a towel. Photo by Yana Paskova for the New York Times.

On the larger side is...