Farmer's Tan

Today I had the opportunity to work 10 hours of overtime doing seatbelt enforcement thanks to a generous grant through the California Office of Traffic Safety. This is not the state wide "click it or ticket" campaign, but grant money for "spot checks".

The things that made working on a Sunday fun, besides the time and a half was the great weather (temp in the high 70's to low 80's) and of course all of the wonderful people I had the chance to "meet" today.

To see the surprise on their faces was priceless, with the added comment "I thought you guys didn't work weekends?" Of course the little voice in me wanted to say "We don't, your luck just sucks."

The only real downside (at least for me) is I tan pretty well even with that sunblock I apply to my arms, neck and face. Given that and we're not even into summer yet, I've got a killer farmer tan going on. Looks like a have a white t-shirt on when I have no shirt on.

I guess I shouldn't complain. Those Officers in patrol cars get that tan on the left arm and left side of their faces being the only area exposed to direct sunlight (If the window is down).

So to be able to spot a motor officer when he or she (yes girls do this too) is off duty is not very hard. You can tell them apart from everyone else by these subtle hints.

You'll more than likely see the pale skin around his or her eyes and temples from the sunglasses they wear (required safety equipment). If you look at their arms, you'll notice either a great tan or bad sunburn from the sleeve line to the wrists. The hands will usually be a little paler than the arms due to the gloves (once again required safety gear).

From the shirt collar up, yep either great tan or bad sunburn (I looked at myself in the mirror and realized where the term red neck came from).

Look for that ring of pale skin where the watch usually is too.

So remember this summer when you're driving around minding your own business, beware of the preying motor officer. During the summer be very wary when approaching areas of shade, like beneath trees, the shadows of walls or buildings, because that's where I'll be parked, waiting to meet you.