splash

Phoenix swimming pool, 70s era

I’ve been reading the archives of Ugly House Photos, a blog of photos from a Phoenix area realtor, featuring “Homes With Clutter, Ugly Décor, and Bad Taste”. I like it because I grew up in Phoenix and it feels like going back in time to my weird 70s childhood. Many, many people in Phoenix moved into their homes decades ago and then did not change a damn thing after. My own beautiful childhood home was bulldozed in 2008 and the horrifying monstrosity that took its place is for sale for 3.5 million dollars.

Back to Ugly House Photos. There’s a section about pool styles of the 1970s era. That triggered a memory.

My brother Paul was (and is) 10 years older than me, so when I was about 6, he was an annoying, exciting, handsome, mildy sadistic, athletic teenager. He and our brother Peter (12 years older) liked to mess with me in a variety of ways. I had no chance. I was tiny and gullible. I freak out to this day when someone makes tickly hands at me.

My chances at revenge were few and far between. One afternoon after school, I was watching TV inside. All our rooms had sliding glass doors that faced the patio. We had a curvy pool, much like the one in the picture above.

Paul was outside. He was very into soccer, and, failing to find a soccer ball, he was kicking around a rubber hamburger squeak toy.

This, as you might imagine, was driving our corgi, Maudie, absolutely bonkers. I looked out towards them, just in time to witness pure magic.

My graceful brother made a horrible misstep. Perhaps Maudie’s insane barking put him off kilter. In one beautiful moment, Paul fell into the pool fully clothed. I still have a mental snapshop of him mid-fall, rubber hamburger in the air, Maudie mid-bark.

I could barely make it out to the patio before I collapsed with laughter while my brother sputtered and muttered “It’s NOT FUNNY.”

Au contraire, mon frere.