The Memorial Day weekend weather could not have been more beautiful! I didn’t get to enjoy it very much, except shopping and running errands. I spent most of the weekend finishing up on some long overdue spring cleaning. I didn’t catch a tan this past weekend, but I did catch enough cat hair in the vacuum cleaner canister to knit a fabulous fur coat for my drag alter ego. (If you’ve never pulled out the bottom drawer of your oven to find out what massive dust bunnies lie beneath, don’t do it!) When I did get outside, the hot rays of the summer sun danced across my face and I felt like I had awoken from a long, winter-induced sleep. My Seasonal Affective Disorder nearly turns me into a zombie during the colder months. The spring didn’t wake me up much this year, for some reason, but the first heat wave always does it for me. If I weren’t terrified by the thought of malignant melanoma, I’d bake in the sun until my skin looked like a leather bomber jacket.

I think summer is especially important to gay people, although I guess I’m only personally qualified to speak on behalf of gay men, if I’m even qualified there. In the winter, we love our Abercrombie turtleneck sweaters for about five minutes before we’re itching and pulling at our inflamed necks when the cocktail party gets crowded and the room temperature skyrockets from the body heat. But we can’t get enough of the sun and the beach—especially Rehoboth Beach—from June to August. Whether you’re sunbathing, swimming, dropping quarters into the skeeball lanes, or gossiping over a gourmet dinner, nothing beats a summer weekend in Rehoboth. During the spring, I spent three or four weekends in Rehoboth, trying to beat the summer rush and the blazing summer sun. I had a great time every weekend. I happily brave the summer Rehoboth crowds despite my disdain for feeling like a sardine packed into a tiny can. Where else could I see so many friendly gay faces?

Summer also tends to make people feel amorous. Who doesn’t want a nice summer romance? What queen doesn’t want to skip down the sidewalk in pigtails and a poodle skirt, belting out, "Summer lovin’, had me a blast!" You may not even care if it lasts past August 31st. I’ve had a few wonderful summer flings that didn’t last, but they did leave me with wonderful memories (and some funny stories). If I ever get committed—to another man, not the mental ward—I would love to have a summer wedding on the beach. No shoes, no problem. We could buzz through the boring ceremony, then set up a volley ball net, a stereo, and a grill, and have a relaxed celebration. I can hear my mother now: "I’m going to get sand all over my good dress!" I’m sure my nieces would love it. But this fantasy’s getting away with me here. I probably need to find a partner before I plan a commitment ceremony on the beach, but maybe I’ll find Mr. Right on the mini-golf course this summer. What a romantic though, huh?

Food is another one of my favorite parts of the summer. I don’t often have much of an appetite in the winter. Even when I do, I usually don’t feel like doing much more than heating up a can of soup and baking some corn muffins. Being a vegetarian, fresh fruits and vegetables in the summer are incredible. Or how about a salad made from mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil? I could eat corn on the cob every night during the summer and never get tired of it, not to mention fresh fruit salad. In the summer, I get a lot of my fruits and vegetables from local produce stands. Shopping at produce stands is usually less expensive and more fun than pushing a wobbly-wheeled cart around a packed Acme on a Sunday afternoon. Lately, I’ve become addicted to homemade fruit shakes. Blend together a banana, a sliced apple, a few berries, some honey, orange juice, plain yogurt, and plenty of ice, and the only thing that can beat it on a hot summer day is an extra-large chocolate/coffee milkshake.

There are so many things to love about the summer, things you don’t get or can’t do any other time of the year. Summer clothes are right up my alley. Dress me up in a pair of khaki shorts, a sleeveless shirt, a baseball cap, and sandals, and I feel like myself. Sunglasses are great, too. You can wear them year-round, of course, but they are both a necessity and a fashion statement during the summer months. Unfortunately, I usually lose my sunglasses a few weeks after I buy them, so my sunglass fashion statement these days says "dollar store." I adore spending time with my two young nieces during the summer, whether it’s at the beach, the zoo, the park, or out on the playground. Having children with you can often come in handy and allow you to participate in activities that aren’t typically viewed as very "adult." With my nieces in tow, Uncle Eric climbs the monkey bars, rides the merry-go-round, and makes funny faces at the zoo animals, and pretends he’s only doing it because his nieces want him to.

However you spend your days this summer, have a great one! Be safe and be fun. I love Christmas as much as the next person, but in my opinion, summer is "the most wonderful time of the year."