Category Archives: General

Fly, my pretties, fly…

The pull of the pool, in the midst of a spell of hot July days, is a siren that must always be heeded. Slipping into the water, whether morning, noon, or night, is a summer tradition that instantly quells a worried mind. Signifier of healing, of elusive passage, of comfort and succor, the pool is what quenches a variety of thirsts.

When you want calm and tranquility, you can simply float right beneath its surface.

When you want strenuous activity, you can kick and paddle your way across its distance.

When you want to lazily lounge, you can glide along on a flotation device, languidly reading a book.

When you want to have fun, you can jump or tumble in dizzying underwater somersaults.

In other words, the pool is capable of soothing any desire.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.

The iced tea is lemon verbena.

The sunglasses are Tom Ford.

Taken together, they are the stuff of magical moments.

We need a pause like that in the day.

Today feels more like a Monday to those of us who haven’t worked in four days, so let’s do that sad Monday ritual of the recap now, before another week gets away from us. I don’t mind so much in the winter, but in the summer, I won’t throw away a weekend for anything. On with the recap that represents all things patriotic, as based on the featured photo’s onesie.

The Olympians occupied most of the slots for Hunk of the Day, thanks to Steele Johnson, John Orozco, Jake Dalton, Sam Mikulak & Chris Brooks.

A summer porny read.

A naked popcorn challenge.

Speaking of nudity, this pool tease.

A pot salad.

This male model has his sight set on a Hunk of the Day post.

Who is ready for their close-up?

The beginning of brazen July.

The innocents, poolside.

Bank this.

A day’s eye.

Sniff this.

True Blue, baby, I love you.

Samsara…

Healing…

Water.

And America.

A pair of patriotic hunks: John Cena and Conor Dwyer.

A simple salad of mixed greens (and a couple of reds), fresh pears, toasted walnuts (yes, the toasting is important) and goat cheese. One cannot go wrong with fresh, seasonal items, especially when combined in such easy fashion. A light topping of raspberry vinaigrette finishes things off nicely. A very happy summer lunch treat, ideally enjoyed in a shaded nook by the pool.

It breaks my heart that this beautiful symbol is being hijacked by racists, bigots, homophobes, and not-so-veiled white supremacists.

There, I said it.

This country was founded on the notion of freedom for EVERYONE.

If you can’t understand that, or if you don’t want it to be so, GET OUT.

As for the rest of you fellow Americans, Happy Independence Day.

July is bold.

July is blazing.

July is bodacious.

Like the hot hues of its flowers or the unsubtle soaring of its temps, July makes no apologies for its brazen attitude. I like that kind of bearing.

For this site, July means a gentler zone, for the most part. There’s enough heat outside to accompany the hunky parade of guy candy we offer here. This is a time to get out of the kitchen and into the yard. A time for grilling and basking in the sun. Swimming and waving a watering wand. Being the kid that summer brings out in everyone.

To that end, let’s fire up this July like the best barbecue you’ve ever tasted.

Behold, the elegance and simplicity of the Chinese dogwood. More disease-resistant than their American cousins, these beauties offer their own enchantment in the garden, particularly thanks to their later blooming season (which is just finishing up now). They make the perfect accent tree for those of us with smaller suburban homes, where they can mimic their natural understory tendencies beside a taller house.

…And then, just like that, summer was here, as if someone flipped a happy switch and everything went bright and gay. If only every week could be such a thrill. This marks the time of the year when things go a little quiet. People are starting their vacations, school is out, and the heavy posts feel out of place and lugubrious when there is so much outdoors fun to be had. To that end, you may notice these posts  getting a little lighter too. I’m still intending to give you three-a-day, but they may be a little less dense than usual. On with the recap, because I need to get back in the pool…

After a few dismal weeks of sadness and grief, the summer sun returned, the flowers were in bloom, and the perfume of the season carried on warm breezes.

The latest in the long line of Taylor Swift toys is Tom Hiddleston, in his bulging underwear.

A happy pair: Madonna & Sex.

Another happy pair, with happy tears.

Happy dahlia, stained with rain.

At long last, a couple of Broadway reviews from this year’s trip to NYC: ‘Fun Home‘ and ‘The Humans.‘

Is there a point to prettiness?

Summer monsters at the movies.

This is the week that many of the US Olympic trials made their decisions on who was going to represent our fair country in the Summer olympics in Rio. The featured pic, in fact, is of several of our gymnasts who flipped, dove, jumped, swung, and pommeled their way to places on the team. As for those who appeared here, we begin with Paul Ruggeri III, Alex Naddour, and David Boudia. (More are on the way…)

Speaking of the Olympics, Greg Louganis got naked and nude for the ESPN Body Issue. There is a God.

Summer hunks doffed shirts and trousers, including Max Ehrich, Marc Buckner, Nolan Ritter, and Alex Crockford.

“My life is a game of strip poker. Want to play?” ~ James Whale, ‘Gods and Monsters’

I’m not sure why I always consider ‘Gods and Monsters’ such a summer movie, but I do.

Maybe it’s the pool, which plays such an integral role to the story.

Maybe it’s the rainstorm, that has such a summer feel to it.

Maybe it’s Ian McKellen’s summery suits that reek of Gatsby and light and all things ephemeral.

Maybe it’s just Brendan Fraser, shorn of shirt, when he was hot and at his most potently vulnerable.

Whatever the case, this is one movie that has come to personify summer in my warped mind, so I’m recommending it when you need a way to pass the hot nights. It has a cooling, calming effect on me, despite its occasionally dark subject matter and more than a few disturbing moments. Summer can be like that. It’s not all sun and fun and splashing in the pool. But you’ll find that out in your own time.

“I’ve spent much of my life outrunning the past, and now it floods all over me.” ~ James Whale, ‘Gods and Monsters’

In the middle of the day, a flower says more than I could ever say.

The first day of summer has at long last arrived, and though that means the days are only going to get shorter from here on out, we’ve got a full-run of the blissful season ahead of us. I’m going to do my best to enjoy the moment and live each day like I envisioned during the long cold stretch of winter. The Delusional Grandeur Tour has several upcoming stops to see us through the hopefully-sunny days, including my very first trip to Rehoboth Beach. Until then, a look back at the summer days that have come and gone.

Last summer… and again…

A semi-secret summer escape.

Nearer the end…

Even if I prefer the height of the highs…

Summer sunflowers.

Summer drama.

Summer hotness.

Summer sun.

Summer scent.

Summer booty.

Summer past… and further past.

It was a week of sadness and sorrow, hatred and anger, and I’m not sure why this recent tragedy is hitting and me in a different, more profound way than others of its kind. As is my wont to do in such situations, when I don’t know how to deal with the funk that has settled over me and the world, I turn to the simple things that ease the burdens. Family, friends, beauty and calm – and this week was the result of that.

Luckily, I had Ogunquit to look back on, its whimsies and enchantments intact.

There was also the weekend of Pride before it went dark, and this fun outfit. (With matching shoes.)

Suzie always cheers me up, and this post was proof of that.

The sweet perfume of the mockorange lent its own balm to the week.

My husband and the mustang.

My Dad on his day.

My friend Skip is another cheering influence, as was the recap of this year’s Boston Red Sox game. (Be sure to read Part 2 too.)

As always, there were Hunks: Dalton Jackson, Seth Sikes, Josh Sabarra, Colin Cunliffe, & Josh Zegarra.