FOLLOW UP:
Lesson learned: take tuxedo steps out in winter.. and/or occasionaly clean behind and under them.

The day after I took the above pictures of the pretty water.. I decided to take my tuxedo steps loose from the deck and clean behind them. I had neglected this chore last year.. and also left the steps in during the winter (I don't cover the pool in winter). Well.. when I moved the stesp and turned them over.. it was like dumping a large garbage can full of dead leaves and crap into the pool. In a matter of 2 or 3 minutes the crystal clear water was medium green and the bottom covered with leaves, twigs and black crap.

Good ending though: I just took a deep breath.. scooped out leaves and debris for an hour or so.. getting as much as I could. Added a couple gallons of bleach (for good measure).. Put in a new skimmer sock.. let the pump run and run and run. Washing out and changing skimmer socks every couple of hours.

The next day it rained like a son-of-a-gun.. that was good. With the pool very full I was able to "vacuum to waste" the remainder of the floor debris.. without sacrificing my water level. Water remained cloudy and junky.. but after another day or so of running the pump.. and regularly changing the skimmer socks.. I am back to CLEAN!