Deduction #4--Summer Deductions

Hello, my fellow deductionists!  I apologize for the long hiatus, but I was unexpectedly called away to solve various cases across the country.  I can't tell you everything due to secrecy and all, but there were rooftops; dark, mysterious buildings; some wild dogs; and red velvet cupcakes involved.  (For your information, I love red velvet cookies, cakes, cupcakes, etc.  It's the most sophisticated-looking, dark, mysterious cake color there is.  A little strawberry frosting, though pink and not at all mysterious, doesn't hurt.)

Anyway, I'm back now with summer-related deductions!  I'm definitely writing up "theme" deductions, because there are thousands of individual deductions I could write about and I, like you, have other things to do with my life.  Like eating red velvet cupcakes and, well, solving cases.

Please note:  I understand that in some places, it is currently winter rather than summer due to geographical location.  Also, summer activities may vary from place to place.  These are based on my personal experience, and I will add more posts about this later if necessary.

What to Look For

• If somebody's hair is a lot lighter than usual, they could spend a lot of time in the sun and/or swim.  Chlorine from chlorinated pools sometimes lightens hair.  Swimmers may also have wet hair a lot of the time.
• Assuming the school year runs from approx. September-May/June, if somebody is the "right" age for each grade (Not that there's anything wrong with being older or younger, just what people consider to be the "right" age, such as 8 years old for 3rd grade in the U.S.), they may have a birthday in the summer.  Well, pretty much any time except for fall or early winter, as they are often put a year back due to having a fall birthday.  However, it lets you eliminate a few months.
• If a person has any sand-covered possessions or articles of clothing, they have likely been to the beach.  This is also probable if any of their things smell like saltwater.
• You can often tell if somebody has been on vacation if the time zone on a portable device of theirs is set to that of another country and/or they have souvenirs from somewhere.  Certainly not an exhaustive list, but that was all I could think of for the time being.
• If you're interested in summer activities, you may want to try looking at Deduction #3.

Other Related Advice

• If you're a student and you don't get to see your school friends over the summer, I would recommend that you study deduction in your spare time over the summer, then surprise them in the fall with deductions you make about them.
• If you go to a summer camp, a conference, or any other event over the summer where there are a lot of people you don't know, proceed with caution when it comes to deductions.  Some people in these situations will not be amused.

Signing off,

SM