Dirty Socks

On my way to the Sierras for a family vacation in 1984, I stopped for breakfast in Olancha and found an old postcard of a swimming pool on the Owens lakebed, with '50's-era bathing beauties in a desert oasis. I had driven this road for years and I had never heard of it. The card explained that the pool was called "Dirty Socks" because in olden days miners would wash their clothes in the hot-spring that fed it. It said it was 5 miles east of Olancha.

On my way home I made the detour and drove 5 miles toward Death Valley. The pool was indeed there, in a state of disrepair and surrounded by junk. A sulfur smell told me the story about miners doing laundry was a lie. Still, the group that was swimming seemed to be enjoying it, even though they seemed oblivious to the the beauty of the afternoon light on the Sierra backdrop.

I made this painting in San Pedro the following year from slides I took that day. My brother John bought it  before it was finished, though he let me exhibit it for a while. He sent me this photo today, and I'm happy to have it. I wish I still had the postcard too.

Greetings from Dirty Socks, 1995
Oil on canvas, 30" x 60"
Collection: John and Debi Corso