Thanks.
I did take the top off my filter yesterday and hose off the DE. MAN! It was insane how much gunk there was in there! Clearly, the backwashing was not getting rid of all the DE. My filter was weird though -- it's almost like a spiral of sorts. I don't think it comes apart. So I hosed it off best I could. the manual (that my german shorthair grabbed and ripped to shreds shortly thereafter) stated that after hosing off I should soak in degreaser. I didn't take that step, but probably will at the start of next season. It looked pretty good to me.
Thanks for info.
Jennie