Beware cellphone cameras while sunbathing.Iñigo Quintanilla Gomez/Getty Images/iStockphoto
"The regulars at Gunnison Beach claim to know the telltale signs of a photographer in their midst," says the Gloucester County (N.J.) Times. "It's usually a man who arrives with no book, no cooler and, most tellingly, no sunscreen. Clearly he intends to stay just long enough to snap some nude photos at New Jersey's only 'clothing-optional' public beach. For years, nude beach etiquette advised visitors to leave their cameras at home. Now, however, every beachgoer has a cellphone, and every cellphone has a camera. It's easier than ever to take a surreptitious photograph of the nude sunbather three towels away."
Rats have summertime blues
"Rats suffer their own version of seasonal gloom – brought on by brighter days," reports Britain's Press Association. U.S. scientists found that rats experience more anxiety and stress as spring approaches and the days grow longer. "We're diurnal and rats are nocturnal," explained Prof. Nicholas Spitzer of the University of California at San Diego.
Can one enjoy wilderness?
"One of the little-known turning points in the history of American travel occurred in the spring of 1869, when a handsome young preacher from Boston named William H.H. Murray published one of the first guidebooks to a wilderness area," writes Tony Perrottet in Smithsonian magazine. "In describing the Adirondack Mountains … Murray broached the then-outrageous idea that an excursion into raw nature could actually be pleasurable." Adventures in the Wilderness became a surprise bestseller, inspiring a stampede of would-be adventurers. Unfortunately, 1869 was one of the wettest and coldest summers in Adirondack history. "These pioneer nature lovers were soon derided in the press as 'Murray's Fools' (the book had come out around April Fool's Day) and the author was denounced by angry readers for grossly exaggerating the charm of the outdoors."
How to ace a picnic
Some tips from the Abilene (Tex.) Reporter-News:
Picnic baskets look nice, but coolers are the best places to pack your food. Coolers can keep your food cold and fresh longer, particularly the meat.
If you are having an all-day affair, such as a family reunion, eat early instead of letting your food sit in coolers for several hours. Pack the food in the order you will be using it.
With a few strips of duct tape, you can secure items such as your tablecloth if the wind kicks up during your picnic.
If you are worried about uninvited guests such as ants, flies or bees, do not wear brightly coloured clothing. Insects, especially bees, are attracted to them.
Hippos use sunblock
We need to stay cool to stay alive, writes Ivan Amato in The Washington Post, adding that sweating is one physiological tool to achieve this. "Horses, humans, donkeys and other beasts of burden are champion sweaters, which is one reason they are so good at exerting themselves for long periods of time. … [B]asking hippos also are famous for a sweat that is red, and a team of Japanese chemists discovered that the sweat has antibiotic and sun-blocking characteristics, which might trump any role it plays in cooling."
Sightseeing after dark
"The summer vacation season puts a lot more people under starry skies than perhaps any other time of year," writes Johnny Horne of The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. He adds that "taking advantage of … clear, dry summer nights can offer us some of the year's best views of the night sky. The summer Milky Way, a faint band of light stretching from north to south [is] practically invisible from urban locations, but becomes obvious far from city lights." The best times to observe the Milky Way are on very clear nights when the bright moon is absent from the evening sky.
Thought du jour
"Sooner or later we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip."
Robert J. Hastings, U.S. clergyman (1924-97)