Surfing

No, that is not me in the photo. It is my friend Skip who has been one of my most consistent and supportive straight friends since I came out. In fact he was one of the first friends I told and he took it in stride and teased me that he had had his suspicions. He has a wicked sense of humor. He calls me his "gay girlfriend" with whom he can share things he'd tell no one else.

It is very rare for Virginia Beach to get waves like the one in the photo - which was taken at Oceanfront around 57th Street - due to the wide continental shelf off of Virginia Beach. In contrast, the Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras regularly get larger waves (often MUCH larger) because the continental shelf is much narrower and causes less drag to diminish wave size. I have been in larger waves than the one in the photo a few times (see the top photo from Hatteras Island where the waves were 12 feet or more and it is a wonder none of us drowned). It is exhilarating, but it scares the Hell out of you at the same time - falling and having a wave that size hit you is like getting hit by a truck. In winter - when the waves are generally the largest - there is the added fun of being dragged deep under in the cold water. Definitely brain freeze time when that occurs.

One of my New Years' resolutions is to get back into surfing regularly. I had a 70 consecutive month period where I never missed going out each month, even in January and February when the water temperatures can get down to about 38-40 degrees Fahrenheit. Surfing in such temperatures requires full body armor consisting of a winter weight wetsuit, gloves, booties and a hood on really cold days. You basically look like Batman or Robin in some of the newer wetsuits. It is great exercise and also a great stress reliever since one must focus solely on the waves - OK, and perhaps discretely on the eye candy out in the line up too - and your worries fade away. I need the exercise so I can get back my toned six pack - I haven't surfed since September and sadly it shows.