What is the level of organic matter in your soil? Spraying compost tea is okay if there is a Soil Food Web to make use of it. Applying any organic fertilizer could be okay if your soil has that SFW to make use of it, and an active SFW needs organic matter in the soil.
Start with soil tests so you know what your soils pH is, what nutrients are and if they are in balance and what the amount of organic matter in the soil is, how well that soil drains as well as how well that soil retains moisture, what kind of life is in that soil, how workable that soil is, and how that soil smells.

Aerating and overseeding sound like good ideas to me. When you aerate, use a core aerator rather than one with solid tines since the repeated use of the solid ones can result in a compaction layer forming a couple of inches below the soil.

I can't help but notice that in the back yard your grass looks a lot better in the low spots. I would guess when you irrigate, a lot of the water is running off of the high spots and down to the low spots. Where the grass gets more water, it looks better. I would aerate to improve water penetration and manually monitor soil moisture in the high spots and low spots by digging down 6 to 8 inches to see if water water is getting down there (Okay, I wouldn't. I hate yard work and my lawn looks like crap. But that's what you should do).

Any watering schedule that you get from any source is just a starting point. You'll need to fine tune your irrigation for optimum moisture because every situation is different. As a general rule, deep infrequent watering is preferred over shallow frequent watering. It forces the grass roots to "dig deeper" for water and results in a more robust root system so the grass will be in a better position to tolerate high summer temperatures and out-compete weeds.

As far as fertility goes, I'm assuming that when you say SBM you mean steamed bone meal with a typical guaranteed analysis of 3-15-0. If you applied that twice at the stated rate, you've put down about 4 1/2 lbs. of phosphorous per 1000 sq. ft. That would be enough phosphorous to last most plants for years and grass doesn't need much phosphorous compared to other plants. Also consider the fact that excess phosphorous can inhibit the ability of grass and other plants to take up micronutrients. Phosphorous does not leach readily so it hangs around forever and you should probably avoid phosphorous fertilizers for the foreseeable future.

kimmsr, I had my soil tested by the local extension last fall. The recommendations were: Nitrogen 1.0 to 1.5 lb/1000 sq. feet, Phosphate None, Potash 1 to 2 lb/1000 sq ft, Lime None. Other info on the report gave the levels for the following nutrients (with level of adequacy): -Phosphorous: 230 (very high), -Potassium: 266 (Medium), -Soil pH: 7.5, -Buffer pH: 7.2, -Calcium: N/A (pH is too high to calculate), -Magnesium: 544 (High), -Zinc: 1.6.

I do not know how much organic matter is in my soil or even how to find that out. I guess I thought adding grains was adding organic matter. Otherwise I'm not really sure how to figure out most of the other things you suggested. When I dig into my soil, it is full of rocks and clay, and it is very difficult to dig up. Thanks for your help.

gargwarb, I am definitely going to use a core aerator as I don't want any more compaction in my cruddy soil! You are right about the low spots being better. This is graded for the water to drain to the back left part of my backyard where there is a drain that leads to a stream & preserve. I think part of what happened initially before I bought the house is that the developer laid sod without watering it at all...thus these lower parts in the grading were able to survive with their better access to what water came in while the higher parts lost any rainwater and vastly died off. I am trying to water deeply, infrequently and hopefully will still be getting water up high. I hope aerating will help the soil take in the water better.

It turns out I am still learning abbreviations on this site--oops!--so I meant Soybean Meal (should that be SM?). I have only put down soybean meal and a bit of used coffee grounds. Thanks a lot for your detailed response!

It turns out I am still learning abbreviations on this site--oops!--so I meant Soybean Meal (should that be SM?)
I honestly have no idea. Abbreviations make me nuts because they lead to misunderstandings and by using them your saving, what, 1.2 seconds? It's more a way to be with the "in" crowd than anything else and I've always had an aversion to being part of the "in" crowd. Anyway, enough of my psychoses.

Probably a good way to go for you would be to top dress with a greenwaste compost after core aerating. A good rate would be about 10 cu. ft. per 1000 sq. ft., raked into the holes and followed by thorough irrigation. That would help to improve the organic content of the soil while also providing a good source of potassium. A little phosphorous would also be supplied, but not too much. Nitrogen would also be at a relative minimum so I would apply a nitrogen only fertilizer this season. A good option would be blood meal at a rate of about 10 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. every 90 days or so.

You're pH isn't too awful high, but your grass does prefer slightly acid soils and a lower pH would improve nutrient availability. Soil sulfur only affects the soil as deeply as it is applied so if you want to put some on, do it after aerating while you've got the open holes. About 5 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. should get at least the top few inches of the active root zone somewhere in neighborhood of neutral to slightly acidic. However, if you've got a lot of lime in your soil, which buffers against downward pH changes (I'm not familiar with soils in your area), you might want to bump that up to somewhere around 7 1/2 pounds. The high calcium could be suggesting a large amount of lime or gypsum.

That is a beautiful picture of a swale! I needed that for another post a few days ago.

What seems to have happened is you lost most of the KBG (Kentucky bluegrass) back at the beginning except for down the middle of the swale. It has managed to come back and is creeping up the sides. Eventually it will completely take over. Here is the deal with KBG, the first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, the third year it leaps. Next year you will have a gorgeous lawn everywhere that the KBG has extended its reach - and that will be pretty far. If you overseed in the fall, you will start the sleep/creep/leap cycle over again for the new seed, but if you don't, then you must rely on the KBG you have creeping to fill the entire yard. That can easily happen if you water deeply/infrequently and mow relatively high, and fertilize as much as you can afford.

SBM (common acronym for soybean meal) is excellent. Use as much as you can afford as often as you can afford it (this IS your only hobby, right??). There are people just a little north of you who use several hundred pounds of SBM per 1,000 square feet per year (this IS their only hobby).

The organic matter that really matters in the soil is the microbes. Your basic soil sounds pretty hostile but by watering deeply and fertilizing routinely, the deep roots will provide homes and food for the microbes. Grass is one of those plants that sheds its roots all the time. As old roots get replaced, they have to decompose. That decomposition is what the microbes do. Thus by growing roots you are increasing the organic matter in the soil.

If you do aerate, watch for those rocks. When you hit one the aerator will buck up in the air. After you aerate, water very deeply. I would go for 3 hours per zone or until you get runoff, which ever comes first.

Have you read the Organic Lawn Care FAQ? It is on the Organic Gardening forum here or elsewhere on lawn forums around the web.

These simple soil tests can help you get where you want to get,
1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2. Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.
Compacted soil is the result of too little organic matter in the soil. Aerating, plug or core, can be a short term solution but if that is something that needs to be done annually there is a soil problem that needs to be corrected.