Community Chat

[Kachina624]

I don't own an umbrella...or a parasol.

[ROMARY]

I have one of those safari types of hats (you know, the ones that look like a bee-keeper's hat (lol, as that's what one of the seniors at a nearby community center thought about my hat.  I heard her telling her friend.).  Anyway....my hat really doesn't keep the sunlight completely away from my face when walking in certain directions.  A parasol/umbrella would.

[Lyttlewyng]

Yes, I've used parasols and found some very beautiful ones in my travels.

Lacey, ruffled, fringed and brocade.....all lovely.  There are interesting designed parasols that work for men, as well.  I find that men who use a parasol have a distinct confidence about themselves.

[Meowingkitty]

Most people with any amount of common sense don't go out in the heat of the day unless it's to get in their cars. No one in their right mind would be out walking in Arizona in the heat of the day.

[Say Nay]

I see it most often with women from SE Asia although women of all ethnicities carry sun umbrellas. I rarely see men do this and it's been limited to downtown. I'm assuming they don't want to get sweaty in their business attire while walking from building to building. No one gives them a second glance. The sun can be brutal here. The skin cancer rate is very high in SoCal and I think it's a great idea.

[Moonchilde]

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@ChynnaBlue wrote:

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@sidsmom wrote:

Isn't that technically a 'parasol?'

So very dandy!  

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Mosts true parasols won't work to keep rain off you. An umbrella works in the sun and the rain and a true parasol usually won't work in the rain.

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And many sun parasols are made of cut lace and are cotton, so no rain protection intended. The holes are nice for a breeze to move through - an umbrella can get umcomfortable in a no-air-moving way but with sun beating down, like in a tent. The trade-off is that actual parasols aren't collapsible or small enough to stick in a bag :-(

[Annabellethecat66]

Here is a simple explanation between the two.

http://www.bellaumbrellablog.com/blog/2013/11/29/what-is-the-difference-parasol-vs-umbrella.html

[Moonchilde]

Having lived most of my life in an area where it's hot and sunny, I definitely use an umbrella to walk any distance when it's mid-80s and above. I have never done well in the heat and am prone to heat exhaustion; the umbrella helps. Like others, I stick a lightweight mini-collapsible in my bag when I'm expecting to walk in the hot sun. I also have one of these. Weighs nothing, also shades eyes, and doesn't sit "on" your head so no headache or sweaty head.

[GingerPeach]

Hands-free parasols/umbrellas plus, of course, a celebrity or two:

[Desertdi]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

I don't own an umbrella...or a parasol.

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I keep getting them for Christmas.....I think it's the Arizona answer to "the fruitcake".