Something remarkable has been unfolding in my townhome association in Centennial, Colorado—so remarkable, in fact, that I feel compelled to share it. My friend Bonnie, who lives just a few streets away, has been retired for 13 years and, together with six other retired women in the neighborhood and one particularly enthusiastic single mom, has recently gotten into a bit of mischief—the kind that changes lives.
To tell this story properly—and in the right order—I reached out to Darla Rae, their notorious ringleader, and asked if I could interview her about the shenanigans she, Bonnie, and the others have been stirring up. What you’re about to read is true. Every bit of it. Enjoy!
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No one ever expects to find their tribe in a bathing cap.
Yet somehow, that’s exactly what happened to seven retired women and one working single mom who live side by side in the same townhome community—close in proximity, but some of them miles apart in familiarity.
They are neighbors in the technical sense. Some of them were already friends, while others were only acquaintances. The kind who offered polite nods, waved from across the pool deck, or commented on the weather with restraint. They had lived full lives—careers, marriages, children, triumphs, and grief—but now, most live alone. And like many people in their later years, they carried a quiet, unspoken loneliness.
Then came the ants.
It was the first Friday after Memorial Day, May 2025—the grand reopening of the association pool. The sun was out, the water shimmered invitingly, and Darla and Bonnie arrived early, eager to get the pool season started.
They stepped into the pool.
And immediately got bitten.
At first, they thought it was just a few overly ambitious mosquitoes looking for some flesh to enjoy. But the bites kept coming until they realized the pool had been invaded by tiny black ants.
Bonnie did what any sensible woman in her 70s does under attack: she marched out, went straight to the store, and came back armed—with pool nets.
By the time the others arrived—Kerry, Pat, Darcy, Chris, Andrea, and eventually Cass, who rolled in like the regal queen she is—the scene looked less like a peaceful morning swim and more like a wildlife rescue gone spectacularly wrong.
The women stood in the pool… wielding nets.
Scooping. Swatting. Shriek-laughing.
Darla, ever the storyteller, as well as a film producer and screenwriter, surveyed the commotion and declared, with dramatic flair,
“We are under attack… by the Asian Ants.”
The women burst into laughter, the kind that startles you with its volume and then refuses to stop. Nets swooshing through water. Ants floating. It was ridiculous. It was unnecessary. But oh, how perfect it was.
And somewhere between the scooping and the giggling, someone said what would change everything:
“You should make a movie about this.”
Darla didn’t laugh that off. Because Darla doesn’t just see moments—she sees stories waiting to be told.
The Birth of a Tribe (and Several Aliases)
The following days transformed casual acquaintances into co-conspirators.
They gave themselves aliases—not because they needed them, but because the moment called for it:
- Darla became Big D
- Bonnie: Six $$
- Kerry: Klf (pronounced “Cliff,” just to keep everyone on their toes)
- Pat: The Pool Lady (a title, really)
- Darcy: Triple D
- Chris: BABS
- Cass: Bits, the elegant former ballerina, now observing and participating with a sparkle in her eye from her wheelchair
- Andrea: Flip, because entering a pool any other way is simply a missed opportunity
Their new names gave them the boldness to step into the characters they would become in their soon-to-be action movie.
Darla pitched the concept: synchronized swimmers turned ant-fighting warriors.
They brainstormed costumes—unicorn floaties, flamingo rings, and swim caps purchased in bulk out of pure commitment to the bit. The result? A synchronized swimming team that would glide through ant-investigated water with flair and unison.
Darla would narrate, channeling Cyndi Lauper’s voice, because why not?
They secured HOA approval (arguably the most suspenseful part of the entire production), scheduled the shoot, and prepared for battle.
Lights, Camera… Ants
Filming began early one July morning—two months after the actual ant fiasco.
Scene one: the women arrive, innocent and unsuspecting.
Scene two: discovery of the ants (dramatic gasps encouraged).
Scene three: retreat and transformation.
Scene four: return in full synchronized-swimmer glory, nets raised like swords.
What followed was less “fight choreography” and more “accidental interpretive dance with nets,” occasionally interrupted by enthusiastic attempts to actually catch ants.
There was splashing.
There was sword fighting.
There was at least one moment when Kerry (Klf) needed rescue as she drifted alone toward the end of the pool.
And there was laughter—the deep, belly kind that stitches people together.
The Garage That Changed Everything
After their victorious “battle,” they gathered in Bonnie’s garage.
No costumes. No cameras.
Just six women, slightly damp, a little tired, and unexpectedly full of something they hadn’t realized they were missing.
Connection.
They toasted. They talked. They stayed longer than planned.
That garage became the real beginning of the story—not the film, but the friendships.
Because this time, when the pool closed, they didn’t drift back into polite distance. They kept showing up. For each other.
Morning swims turned into coffee plans. Coffee turned into concerts. Meals were shared. Rides were given. Care was offered. When one was sick, others showed up—with soup, humor, and just enough unsolicited advice to keep things balanced.
They became a tribe.
A loud one. A loyal one. The kind where you can “talk smack,” as Darla puts it, and still feel deeply loved.
From Pool Nets to Red Carpets
The little film—Pool Ladies with Nets—took on a life of its own. Darla decided to submit her short film to the Golden State International Film Festival. They accepted her submission and invited the pool ladies to attend.
March 5, 2026, six of them flew to Los Angeles for the Golden State International Film Festival, held at the iconic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. On March 6, 2026, they were sitting in the theater watching winner after winner approach the stage. None of them truly expected anything beyond a good story to tell afterward.
Instead, they heard their names called.
Best Ensemble Cast.
Darla wheeled Cass through the aisle as if they were parting the Red Sea. The rest of the women followed them to the stage, the group beaming, slightly stunned, and entirely themselves. They stood there—women in their 60s, 70s, and 80s—proof that creativity, friendship, and joy have no expiration date.
Darla told the audience what these women had already discovered:
It is never too late to start something new.
Especially friendships.
The Real Story
Yes, there were ants.
Yes, there were nets.
And yes, there were flamingo floaties involved in what might generously be described as “combat.”
But the real story is this:
A group of women who once hovered at the edges of each other’s lives found a shared purpose in something utterly ridiculous (or was it spectacularly beautiful?).
And through that shared purpose, they found each other.
In a world where many older adults quietly feel forgotten or disconnected, these women remind us that sometimes all it takes is one strange, funny, slightly inconvenient moment to spark something lasting.
Friendship doesn’t always begin with grand intention.
Sometimes… it starts with ants in a pool.
And a net.
And someone brave enough to say,
“Hey… we should make this into something.”
To see the trailer of Pool Ladies with Nets go to: https://vimeo.com/1155559381/93291c51ea
The full-length short movie will be available on Darla Rae’s Instagram profile on Friday, May 22, 2026: https://www.instagram.com/docdarlarae?igsh=ZjAydzB0MTR0a3Ew
To view Darla Rae’s film work go to: https://filmitproductions.com
Thank you for writing about our childhood friend Darla Rae. She is very talented and we are very proud of her. I really enjoyed your story and I think you did a really good job writing about the pool ladies. I think you’re a really good and interesting writer.
Thank you Kathy. Darla and the rest of the group have been a bright light in a world that sometimes can be dark and troublesome. Their boldness to live life to its fullest alongside each other is incredibly inspiring to me. And for Darla to use her talent in producing films to show love to her neighbors is heartwarming.