Stream of Consciousness Saturday –

I am not fair-skinned. I have a Mediterranean complexion, and in the summer I tan dark. Back in the days when I sailed every day, you could have described me as “bronzed.” It was good to be out on the water in a small sloop, or on a Laser (a class of small high-performance sailboats).

I’ve thought about those days a lot recently as the heat beats down. On the laser ( basically a large surfboard with a fin below and a sail above), if I got too hot, I’d ditch into the water and cool off. After cooling off, I’d climb back on and start sailing again. I’ve thought a lot about those days recently. They are definitely in the past. I was amazingly fit then, and the climb back on would kill me now.

The club I belonged to had many parties, trips, and opportunities to socialize. It was a ribald environment. I was known as someone who partied heartily and was hard to embarrass. As the stories, jokes, and bits of sexual innuendo flowed at parties, I was the one who never blushed.

The truth was I developed a poker face, and with the tan, you really couldn’t see a blush. Good times.

It was wicked, but I loved it!