I read about draining water, plugging returns etc..and I was concerned I would not do it correctly.

We called the local pool store to get an estimate on a prof pool closing, so we could learn. I was surprised to hear they said we didn't have to do 'all that' because it doesn't get that cold. We live in WA. I can get down to mid 20's on a bad winter day. Typical is mid-low 30's at night and higher 30's for the day.

I'm worried about draining too much water and huring my precious pool. I thought about getting it below the skimmer and then putting on a cover. I have no idea what to plug the return with!

Would I ruin the sand filter if I did a complete drain? Can you tell I'm a bit paranoid about taking all the hoses off, etc..and not hooking it back up correctly. (yeah, I'm taking pictures!)

Cover: We have a mesh cover. Is that ok?