Mailbag:

As a former Daily Pilot columnist and love doctor to Orange County, I feel compelled to write about an ad in a recent edition of the paper. I loved it!

The ad from the “senior retired bachelor lawyer who has traveled to Paris every spring and fall for many years, seeking a traveling companion,” caught my attention!

“Travel companion wanted.” The advertiser wrote that he’s looking for a “dignified senior lady with a cocktail dress who will be tolerant of my wearing a tuxedo at inappropriate times, such as at a Chinese restaurant.” (He capitalizes “SENIOR.”) Then he clarifies his search: “No chorus girl considered unless she danced in the Ziegfield follies in 1952.”

“I’m celebrating being alive,” he writes. (Even young women kind of like that in a man.)

Whoa. Here’s a charming man offering a trip to Paris and a cruise home from Barcelona; he’s not afraid to ask for what he wants. This guy knows the right way to talk to women, alright.

I think he is someone I’d like to know — that is, if he’s not a murderer or something.

He makes a clever pitch to reassure any takers: “The word ‘companion’ is from the Latin ‘com,’ meaning ‘with pan’ (bread). Someone to break bread with is a companion.”

Sounds OK. My guess is that he’ll have lots of candidates to choose from.

My husband read the ad, too. He said he’d go with the guy, except that he doesn’t have a cocktail dress.

Linda Algazi

Corona del Mar

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Keep covering atheists

What a delight to read about the Freethought Alliance in Friday’s newspaper (“On Faith: Atheism on a billboard”). It made my morning coffee taste better compared to all the religious ranting and raving that has been going on. I fear that the 2012 election will be based on who has the best religion — right or further right.

Rhoda Friedman

Newport Beach

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Stop covering Irvine

Why is Irvine creeping into the Daily Pilot? I believe the fancifully named Newport-Mesa community has sufficient news, events and happenings to keep your pages full.

Your readership will increase if you include more youth sports news with pictures and profiles of local personalities, such as Sunday’s story about Tony the sabot guy. We don’t need to read about Irvine’s news in our hometown paper.

Bruce Diller

Newport Beach

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Maybe wash vets’ cars instead?

Re. “Marines wash a few good cars,” (Aug. 1): It’s not enough for these young Marines to fight for us in Iraq and Afghanistan, now they have to wash Newport Beach millionaires’ cars? Gross.

Liz McNabb

Costa Mesa