(Entering the Big Pink Pool. Photos by Miłosz Borkowski with the underwater Nikonos.)

I was whistling “LA Woman,” by the Doors this morning, since “This is the End” is too dark for such a bright morning. It seems to fit- we blasted through the summer like a speeding convertible on the I-5. We left August behind last night, and will be leaving more in the wake of time shortly.

As you know, it has been a brutal couple weeks. While many of us vacationed, the plump little dictator in the Hermit Kingdom had his ex-girlfriend- a noted North Korean pop-singer- executed by firing squad along with other members of her band.

They say it was treason- but informed word is that the Outstanding Leader was prompted to order the killings by his new wife, a former band-mate, to take the action. Here, we would just un-Friend them on Facebook, but different strokes, I guess.

(A different stroke, Big Pink style.)

The helicopter seeds of the maples around the pool at Big Pink are starting to come down in bushels, presaging the Fall to come. College football lurched into action, though I paid no attention. I did not even look at the scores until late this morning, having been dragged unwillingly into tangled discussions of threats to our First and Second Amendment rights.

I would urge you to join in the fray between the Daily Kos and the plucky little newspaper on the Front Range in Colorado, the Pueblo Chieftain, but after writing to support them I have lost energy. Check out the conflict on my Facebook page if you have the inclination.

I am not going to get into that with you this morning- nor Marilyn Hagerty’s review of the Olive Garden Restaurant in Grand Forks, North Dakota. That at least represents a controversy that does not pit the forces of Progressivism against the arch-opponents on the Right. The hipsters who made fun of her obviously have never spent much time out on the Great Prairie, and maybe that actually is a part of the conflict that seems to be tearing us apart.

In that light, I have had feedback that my increasing desperation with the politics of this Republic appears externally to have roots with the Koch Brothers and Big Oil. So I am just going to concentrate this morning on something visceral and real: the pool.

Ann, Queen of the Dogs, came up with the idea of throwing a real American Barbeque for the Polish Life Guards who have patrolled the pool over the last ninety days. All the poolside residents thought it was a great idea, Tony, Jane and me, and we all kicked in the ingredients to make it something special.

I am going to miss swimming daily in a big way. It is the only way I have been able to salvage some mobility in the long and incomplete recovery from surgery last year. The last day of the regular season is tomorrow, and I almost cannot bear the thought.

Off to the farm, after a refreshing and therapeutic dip. Almost the last one.

Copyright 2013 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com