Rehomo Ramblings: (A Lot) of Fun in the Sun

Simply put, it was fun in the sun for the many gay boys and girls who flocked to Rehoboth Beach for Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start to summer.

My partner and I arrived in town around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday evening, and, even before going to the beach house, we beelined it to Arena's Deli and Bar, just off Rehoboth Avenue. Thursdays is Mexican Night with discounted tacos, nachos, margaritas and Mexican beers.

A few of our housemates were already there, and they were quick to alert us to the fact that Arena's had updated the menu to include the options of beef or chicken and a hard or soft shell. I opted for a couple soft shell chicken tacos.

That Sexy Mona "Mistress of Moxy" Lotts

Once we had a fill of tacos, we headed across the street to the Blue Moon. Mona "Mistress of Moxy" Lotts was back for another season as the host of Thursday night karaoke, and she was at the top of her game as her jokes and commentary on the hit and miss performances flew from her mouth. The Moon's resident diva Pamala "Aging like a Fine Wine" Stanley made a brief appearance to let the crowd know she was back for another year and would be performing every Sunday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the summer.

Come Friday morning, my partner and I headed to 24/7 Club Fitness. The gym was packed with hot boys getting their pump on before the weekend hit its stride, and we bumped into a number of friends taking advantage of the $99 summer membership.

After the gym, we headed downtown to grab a bite to eat from Touch of Italy, located on Baltimore Avenue a few steps east of the Moon. The market opened late in the season last year, so I was happy to see it busy. I did make a mental note, however, to call ahead next time to avoid waiting.

Gossip at Poodle Beach

My meatball parmigiana sub and I found a spot at CAMP Rehoboth's courtyard. While I enjoyed my lunch, all the eye-candy passing by reminded me that I need to hit the beach. So I wrapped up the remaining half of my sub for later and took off for Poodle Beach.

If I had been a newbie, locating Poodle Beach at the southern end of Rehoboth's boardwalk would not have been a problem-the swarm of gay boys was impossible to miss. I spent a few hours catching up and gossiping (okay, okay... there was more gossiping than catching up) with friends as well as getting the lowdown on the weekend parties.

"Upgraded" to Aqua

Freshened up after the beach, I was ready for a cocktail. There was barely any room to move when I arrived at Aqua, but it was worth wading through the crowd to discover that Nikola "Upgraded" Bugarin was back for another season. And while the winter months can be tough on the waistline, it was not the case for Nikola. He had obviously worked hard on his body and it had paid big dividends. Checkout the photos from Miami photographer Frank Rubio.

After a night of naughty dreams about Nikola, I was inspired to work out again on Saturday morning before heading to Philadelphia Street to see Charlie "Want to see my Bean Pole?" Champagne and his partner John "Bedhead" Barnes. Charlie was absolutely giddy showing off his summer garden.

Following some quality time with John and Charlie (and their pool), I made a visit to Bin 66 to see the relocated flagship store. The new store is in the same shopping plaza as before but in a larger space, which has allowed for a greater selection and more room for the Saturday afternoon tastings. I convinced one of my housemates to buy a bottle of Gruet sparkling wine (I visited the winery during a recent trip to Albuquerque).

From the wine tasting, I trekked over to Sixth Street for Mario "The Passionate Pragmatist" Acosta-Velez's annual birthday celebration. Mario must have a cursed portrait hidden away because I swear he doesn't age.

Before calling it a night, I made a quick visit to Purple Parrot's beirgarten behind the existing restaurant. The open-air space was hopping.

Sunday was a complete whirlwind. The day started with a trip to Outlet Liquors to pick-up supplies for my beach house's annual Memorial Day weekend celebration. Outlet Liquors is partnering with CAMP Rehoboth to organize a beach cleanup on Saturday, July 23, which my housemates and I are supporting. The cleanup is part of the Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project.

Oh My Sarong!

While our party was a big hit (ah, I'm allowed to be a little biased), I still had plenty of energy to partake in the festivities of the annual sarong party at London Circle. The plethora of barely covered flesh had me on the verge of sensory overload.

On a disturbing note, Washington Blade reporter Chris "What's the Scoop" Johnson suffered a broken nose in an attack on Sunday night by unidentified assailants. In an article posted on the Blade's Web site, Rehoboth Beach Police Chief Keith Banks said "there's no evidence to indicate the attack and robbery was a hate crime." If it is any comfort to Chris, many men (me included) find a broken nose extremely sexy.

I was sad to have the Memorial Day weekend come to an end but I'm looking forward to seeing - and reporting on - how the rest of the summer fares.