Ronald Gardner wrote:
Mary and I (and several other pilots) kept quiet during the
presentation, but strongly disagree with him on this topic. IMHO,
saying "left downwind" is clear, concise, and -- most importantly --
clarifies which side of the airport you're on. To assume that everyone
knows whether the pattern is left (or right) is, in my experience,
naive.

What do you guys think?

ITA with you and will continue to report LEFT or RIGHT downwind, not
just "downwind" *assuming* everyone knows where the pattern is. One of
the biggest things my CFI stressed during training was, *never ASSUME*
what other pilots know/see/are about to do.

ICAM with those who object to excessive unnecessary verbage -- pilots
"in the area" don't need to know you're on the ramp looking for the
restaurant. But it continues to amaze me what a big deal people make of
telling you you're "wrong" to include an "unapproved" word in radio
communication that CLEARLY makes your position or intentions more
specific/precise. The recent exchange over the word "looking" (for
traffic) was a prime example, IMO.