Journeys›Photograph

A Sunny Afternoon Afloat in San Marcos

·San Marcos, California·#spring#at-home#pets#swimming-pool
A dog sits in a yellow inflatable float in a tiled pool, with houses and greenery visible beyond a fence.

Booked a stranger's backyard pool in San Marcos — the listing kept the exact address hidden until we paid, which felt like renting a speakeasy. What we got: saltwater, fifteen by thirty, three feet at one end and seven at the other, a hot tub with six jets, even a putting green tucked in there somewhere. Resort setup, just somebody's house.

The dog decided the afternoon was hers. She claimed the yellow float early and sat on it like a raft captain, drifting the shallow end, refusing to swim or to get off. Every so often the float bumped the tiled edge by the spa and she'd ride the rebound back out.

The yard sits above a whole hillside of red-roofed houses, visible through the iron fence, so you float at eye level with other people's rooftops. She was still on the float when it was time to pack up, wet down one side and unbothered.

A black and white dog sits on a yellow inflatable raft in a swimming pool with a hot tub and distant houses.A dog sits on a yellow and black inflatable raft in a dark-tiled pool, with hillside houses and trees in the background.

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