I am beginning to pack for my upcoming trip to Greece. Yes, I leave soon for the island of Corfu on the northwestern coast of Greece. And here’s how it happened.

My sister-in-law, Diane, Scott’s sister, called me last October. Here is my recollection of our conversation (with a healthy dose of poetic license.)

D: There is a writer’s workshop next May in Greece that I’m thinking of going to.

C: I’ll be there. What time?

D: It’s kind of expensive.

C: OK. Swimsuit?

D: It’s for a whole week, plus a few days for travel.

C: I’ll have them hold my mail.

In other words, she had me at Greece. Also writer’s workshop.

This is me, since I joined The Worst Club Ever, saying YES to new adventures.

This is me, spending all my money on travel until I either run out of money or can no longer navigate an airport.

This is me checking things off a non-existent bucket list cause I never thought in a million years that this would be me.

And now I have to pack.

So we will be in a villa (yes, villa!) with a pool and access to the beach (yes, Mediterranean!) and so I will bring my swim gear.

And when I say gear, that is what I mean. I am old and I require things to go out in the sun, get wet, and survive.

1. Swimsuit: a two-piece tankini with a cute skirt. This hides a multitude of sins and keeps upkeep to a minimum. Plus it makes bathroom visits easier. As your Senior Influencer, I need to tell you these things. Plus, let me just say that swimsuits are the great unequalizer between men and women.
2. Hat: Mine is floppy, waterproof, and packable. It protects my face, but also the back of my neck. It’s not young and hip, like my daughters, or even my sisters, wear, but it is me.
3. Swim shirt: Introduced by my sister Leigh, this is a must have. Crew neck and long sleeves, lightweight and dries fast. Between the hat and the shirt I rarely use sunscreen. I have them in two colors: black and navy. White might be cooler, but discolors in the lake.
4. Floafers (pictured above): And here’s the kicker. I have sensitive feet (they cry at movies) and so I want coverage on them. Soft swimshoes were the best I could do, but made it hard to walk on rough surfaces, rocky lakebeds, etc. Until Adam showed me his FLOAFERS. Rubber loafers with hard bottoms and holey uppers to drain water. Lightweight and quick-drying, they are perfect for me. I wear them at the lake and in the pool and soon they will be traipsing around the Med.

Here is the new me, decked out in my swim finery (before I got my Floafers) wearing another piece of water gear, the upside down life vest, worn like an adult diaper (I guess, never having worn one, thank heavens.) It is hilarious, but works pretty well. I have since graduated to a floating saddle arrangement.

So…off I go, with an enormous suitcase and an out-sized sense of adventure. Pictures and travelogue to follow.

Ade ya! (This is supposed to be goodbye in Greek, but don’t hold me to it.)