Telltale Bubbles

Some days I can get away with everything, other days I can get away with some things, but most days I can't get away with anything. 

Last weekend I was swimming in the middle of Seneca Lake, surrounded by family and friends when all of a sudden the only thing surrounding me were thousands of bubbles. Everyone pointed my way, laughed, and left the premises, which is not an easy task when you're in the middle of a long, deep lake. In fact, Seneca Lake is the longest, deepest Finger Lake in upstate NY. It is 38 miles long, and 838 feet deep with a mean depth of 291 feet.

There you have it. Nothing is sacred, even in 300 feet of water. Those telltale bubbles have made me the laughing stock of the family for years to come. I'll never hear the end of it. My new nickname is...BUBBLES.

Who Woulda' Thought?!



Lake Ontario, hurricane Irene, and two wacko surfers.

Jon and I decided to take a car ride to the lake on Sunday and view the reported 10 foot waves created by hurricane Irene. Lake Ontario is only five minutes from my townhouse, so I figured if the weather got too bad, we could make a quick getaway, get to my place quick, and hang out in the basement.

Turns out the waves were at least ten feet high with wacko surfers out there in the water doing their thing. In fact one of the sufers had words printed on the back of his jacket that read, "Rochester Surfing Club". Who woulda' thought there was a surfing club in Rochester, NY? We don't have any surf, anywhere, except for this last Sunday, and that was due to hurricane Irene. They must practice in their jacuzzis or go out to Big Sur when they get a chance.

All I can say is those guys are crazier than I am, being out there in 10 foot plus waves. The wind was brutal. I was on the beach with my feet in the water taking pictures. There's no way I'd go any deeper than my ankles; not on a million dollar bet. No siree, Bob.  

My biggest thrill was waving to "lightly", a regular Horse Pucky reader and commentator, who lives across the lake, in Canada. Hey, lightly, I put a message in a bottle for you. Hope you got the note. If not, let me know. 

Hurricane Irene was kind to us in Rochester, NY. There was little rain, only 50 mph winds, and no damage. Viewing Mother Nature, at her most powerful, was awesome, breathtaking, and beautiful. It was a really cool experience.  

Men and Spandex

I was inspired by a gentleman, who thinks men look great in any kind of bathing suit. Of course I disagree. Read on if you dare.

Men's bathing suits are fairly simple and usually conservative in color. They wear trunks, jams, or Speedos.

In my opinion, swim trunks are most flattering on men, with jams being my second choice. No man, no matter how fit they are, should ever wear a Speedo in public.

I like something left to my imagination...spandex on men doesn't do it...either for them or for me.

My Winter Expansion Program

Take a look at the word spandex. If you change the letters around a little you have the word expands.

There are two reasons bathing suit manufacturers chose the word spandex and continue to use it in their swimsuits.

The first reason takes into consideration the thoughtfulness of the manufacturer…it's to oblige weight fluctuation. As I put on weight over the winter, the spandex accommodates my changing shape. I call it my winter expansion program. Bathing suit manufacturers are well aware of the program and market accordingly, which brings us to reason number two.

Manufacturers are well aware that after prolonged use, especially in a chlorine pool, spandex loses its elasticity. It's not pretty after that. Gravity takes over and everything migrates toward the equator. At that point, it's time for a new bathing suit, which is exactly what the swimsuit manufacturer's plan was all along.

As I continue to age, my winter expansion program and the laws of gravity make spandex a necessary requirement in my swimsuits. The fact is my bikini days are over, folks. I gracefully accept that fact as I look forward to thoroughly enjoying the summer either in or out of a bathing suit. And you can take that any way you want.