The Joys of Summer

Cascadia is settling in for the "90 Day Gray".  We had a nice December, but Mother Nature is making up for it now... cold... wet... windy.  So naturally, our thoughts turn to sunnier days.

Shark Reef Park - Lopez Island

It was early September - the best time to sail in The San Juan Islands. Mrs. Cascadian Prep and I were anchored in a little cove off of Lopez.  Just a warm and cloudless summer day spent on the foredeck reading and rocking gently with the waves. She - a bikini top and shorts from that lemon (lululemon?) place. He - Orvis quick dry shorts, sans shirt, and Top-siders. The other "she" - at Grandma's place. Could life get any better?

Suddenly, I felt the need to change the tunes and freshen my Dark 'N' Stormy, so down the companionway to the chart table I sprang. Upon my return, I noticed something else had changed.  Her Top was beSide her.

Life did get better.

Jay Ferguson's Thunder Island (I was a wee lad when it came out. Loved it then, love it now.)

Red Clay Sole

Not shot in Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver

Roland Garros is in full swing. At the time of my writing this, there are still a few North Americans left in the tournament. My fearless prediction - not to be confused with a lack of patriotism - is that no American will advance to the finals this year - men's or women's. I have history on my side. No American, in Men's Singles, has won since Agassi in 1999; and no American, in Women's Singles, has won since Serena Williams in 2002. You can't really blame us.  How many clay courts do you see in your typical North American city or suburb? Here in Cascadia, I can't think of many - besides the three at the Seattle Tennis Club - and they are not accessible to the average Joe or Josephina.

Seattle Tennis Club

You either have red clay in your soul or you don't.  We don't and here's why.  Clay courts are slower than hard courts, making it harder to hit "winners."  Americans like instant gratification; we like things fast. Clay courts require more maintenance than hard courts.  Americans are a "fix it and forget it" lot; maintenance is a fixed expense few cities or schools want. And most importantly, clay courts are "dirty" and will render our new white canvas Tretorns a rust-colored mess. And we just can't have that!

Distant Sun

Today, under a building overhang, a stranger said to me that it could be a long time before we get reliably sunny weather. Just at that moment, we each were sprayed with dirty street water from a passing bus.  We weren't strangers anymore.

(Good thing I was wearing rainy-weather shoes, or as we like to say here in Cascadia - "shoes.") 

a desert island song & band - Crowded House's "Distant Sun"

If you ever have a chance to see Crowded House or Neil Finn's solo act, do it. You don't have to be a Gen X'er, but being born in the 1970s, or earlier decades, might help. These Kiwis don't come to North America very often, and heaven forbid they go on the casino or free concert-in-the-park circuit, but even if they have a less desirable venue, it would be worth your while. It was mine.

Nubuck Chuck and friends

Just as I sometimes enjoy indulging in the cheap value-based brand of Charles Shaw, a.k.a, "Two Buck Chuck," I also sometimes enjoy cladding myself in cheap value-based shoes and socks. (The only way I admit this is that I also must admit I overspend on shoes and socks regularly.)



the author in full office repose

The shoes, "Bass Brocktons" in taupe suede. $64.95 from an online seller. The socks, Macy's "Club Room" brand. About $15.00 for three pair. Oh and the pants, Brooks Brothers "Eight Wale Corduroys." I forget how much - $100 maybe? (Don't harsh the cords - it's 57°F/14°C right now in Pugetropolis for Pete's sake.)



a mere 30 miles from Portland, OR, USA

My toes chew through socks like Star Jones through a chicken wing, so I just can't justify having a drawer full of Thomas Pink's at $30.00 a pop. And slogging through the soggy streets of Cascadia is not kind to shoes of any make, let alone a nice pair of $225.00 walk-over bucks.  So yeah, I'm given to go cheap on some items and treat them like consumables, but this unprep philosophy allows me to fork over more greenbacks for the Barbour rain jacket or the 2007 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurene. Trade-offs.

(Prep vs. Pragmatism.  Prep 0  Prag 2) 

Tretorn ankle ligament

Preps wear and wore Tretorns now and back then.  Cascadian preps wear them now, as well, during the three weeks of Cascadian Summer. Yet, its canvas construction offers little in the way of protection from rain, mud, and Trust Fund Hippies.

The author's Nylite Canvas Tretorns

I'm not sure why Tretorn is preppy, other than its association with tennis and Sweden - perhaps that is enough. My dear mom wore them in the 80s and a prep she is not. I wear them now after an article in Tennis Magazine last year referenced them. The Nylite Canvas is the style to wear and was the style most commonly seen on the prepster from days gone by.

As far a functional "tennis shoe" goes, just try them during your next doubles match and you will retire faster than a bitter office clerk who just won the lottery. They stink as a tennis shoe. One reach for that passing shot down the alley and you are on your back, looking up at the court lights. 

I wear them sockless as a knock-around shoe and as a boat shoe. When I do, they rarely get a look of recognition - not even from the 40s set who are downtown for the weekend getting their urbane urban  groove on at the new exhibit opening. You would think my Tretorns belong in the exhibit, too. WTF?!



pinched from Tretorn.com



Skiing the Cascades - a Slippery Slope

Skiing (and snowboarding) in the Cascades is a risky proposition.  The conditions - like the apparel observed on the mountain or in the lodge - are unpredictable; you just never know what you are going to get. One may witness rain, snow, sun, and wind in the same day, just as one may see Dale of Norway, Arc'teryx, Carthartt, and Cabela's. But, hey, it takes all kind, right?!  



a sunny February day at Crystal Mt., WA, USA

 


pinched from Stuff White People Like




The author, in repose, donning L.L. Bean
flannel-lined chinos & Sorel Caribou boots



 

Skiing and snowboarding, like golf and wine tasting, are becoming more accessible to a wider range of enthusiasts.  Get used to it!  The influx of diversity doesn't threaten the [Cascadian] prep sensibility; it strengthens it as it become more unique. And from an economic standpoint, greater numbers coming into a sport or hobby, hopefully raise the quality and quantity of venue. What's wrong with that?!




a six-year old angel in pink (center)