So Tracy (who is deathly grossed-out by men in Speedos) and I had this little wager going on: If she posted a photo of her and her husband Rich, I would tell this story. She did. So here is the promised story:

11 years ago when Jennifer and I were dating/engaged, we took a drive up highway 1 (which is the famous coastal drive in CA), just north of San Francisco. It was very romantic. We stopped at a beautiful lighthouse and began walking up the coast. As we walked hand-in-hand, we reached the end of the sharp cliffs of the coast. No where to go, we sat down with our feet dangling. Below us was a peaceful beach with a few dozen people enjoying the sun. As we talked, we began noticing that everyone below us was wearing white bathing suits—the guys in Speedos, the girls in string bikinis. Our conversation halted as both of us gazed more intently at those below us. Suddenly, much like the San Francisco fog lifting, the light dawned on us. ACKKK!!! Those aren’t Speedos!! A bunch of—how shall I put this—slightly pudgy buck-naked sun lovers, complete with all the fixin’s. “Ummm…[clear my throat]…shall we go back to the car, my dear?”

I’m not sure who’s eyes were more scarred that afternoon, mine or Jen’s. But given what we saw, I’ll take a middle-aged man wearing speedos ANY DAY!!