Coming of age...

After several comments on my lack of common sense, I thought I'd share one of my favorite snow stories. As a young'n, my family spent quite a bit of time up in Northern Wisconsin with my Aunt and Uncle. When I was 13 My Uncle Everette told my Dad it was time and my Dad agreed then they both looked at me. "Son, get your coat" I get in the back of the car with no clue what was about to happen. We pulled up to a club my Uncle belonged to and walked inside of a room that looked just like a golf clubhouse, bar and all. They escort me into a locker room and tell me to get nekked...huh? 13 and not too hairy I wasn't thrilled about the prospect. I follow orders, grab a towel and follow the old men of the family into a huge sauna saturated with Eucalyptus. A few things struck me. One, the heat. Two, my sinuses instantly draining. The third was "OMG is my sac going to hang to my knees like all the other old guys in here?". We take our place on a wooden bench and settle in for manly conversation (I have no clue what we talked about but I'm sure it was manly). After 20 minutes we stand up and head for a door. My dad swings the door open to reveal the great outdoors... Wisconsin in December with 2 feet of snow on the ground. A path lead down to the lake where a 10x10 foot hole has been chopped in the ice. They jump in the water and being naked outside in the winter wasn't my idea of fun so I jumped in also. My breath was taken away. We got out and ran back to the sauna. I looked at all the guys there like they were insane. Five times the process was repeated, a shower then a Pabst Blue Ribbon at the bar. I will never forget my Dad telling me "Never, never tell your Mother about the beer"
The heat, cold and beer took it's toll, I passed out in the car...

My first Finn bath...