I love summer

[jesus marion joseph]

Okay, Clint says we can't post on the "I Love Spring" thread no more 'cuz it's summer, so I started a new thread.

Today I had to travel off-Cape to go to a court hearing. As I drove through the Sandwich area on route 6 I encountered a cloud of 17-year cicadas. Talk about a messy windshield. Had to go through it again on the way back, too. Those cicadas are pretty large, and they make quite a noise when they smack the windshield at about 80 mph.

[Gary Sisco]

Yeah. People do, too.

[Sand]

So do I. If I only could trust it

[Brian Olewnick]

My tolerance for heat and cold seem to be heading in opposite directions as I get older. I went through the entire winter with one light jacket, never zippered, no hat, gloves or scarf. No problem. Hot humid days kill me now. Going to work when it's 80 or above and moist means dripping onto my crossword in the subway and arriving at work ready to be wrung out in a pail. I can't wait for October.

[Scott Dolan]

You have officially redeemed yourself in my eyes, Saint (Ollie).

[Gary Sisco]

Yo.

First day in weeks (so far) without a thunderstorm. I was able to get some work done, and in comfort.

Brian -- I've been warm like that in winter, too, so far as dress goes. I guess I got accustomed to working in the cold. This past winter was the third in a row where I didn't even take my parka out of the closet, nor any of my real winter clothes. Worked all winter in a sweatshirt or overshirt (if wet weather) at most. In the barn, I worked in shirtsleeves only. It's ok with me. I'm really not a fan of being really cold. I used to live in a parka all winter. Not anymore, I guess.

[Gentle Giant]

West Nile
Black flies
Greenheads
Sunburn
Sand in your crack
Humidity

Yeah, summer's great.

[Gentle Giant]

The one thing I like about summer:

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Gentle Giant

West Nile
Black flies
Greenheads
Sunburn
Sand in your crack
Humidity

Yeah, summer's great.

Humidity?!

Sand in your crack?!

Man, one would swear you're a Floridian.

You have no idea...

And I'll see your black flies and raise you deer flies. Until you've had one of those gargantuan pieces of shit noticeably rip your flesh open you haven't truly lived.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deer_fly

[Ron Thorne]

I'm with Brian!

I can tolerate and dress for cold far easier than heat, too.

I love summer . . . in Anchorage.

If it weren't for our son's wedding, we wouldn't be in California now. Yesterday was the first day of real relief from terribly high temps (triple digits) in southern California . . . since June 14th. Low humidity was the only saving grace.

[Scott Dolan]

Fuck heat!!

You lived in south Florida once, Ron. You know exactly what I mean by "heat".

[Gary Sisco]

Alabama's Gulf Coast has little competition.

[walto]

We had a huge hail storm Tuesday. Hot out, everything frozen on the ground. Incredible.

[Chris D]

This is great weather to hit in.

[Brian Olewnick]

Originally Posted by Chris D

This is great weather to hit in.

True. Back in my softball days, I loved playing in sweltering heat and humidity. Totally loosens you up.

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Alabama's Gulf Coast has little competition.

But the southwest coast of Florida has been banned from competition. I've been all over the Gulf Coast, it's hot everywhere. But south Florida cannot be touched.

[Gary Sisco]

I'll take your word for it because if it's worse than the rest of the Gulf Coast, it's too fucking hot.

Southern Florida, I've only been to Miami, but not to hang out much. I don't remember it being vicious hot but it was a long time ago.

[Scott Dolan]

Miami gets outrageously hot. The only difference is the humidity tends to be slightly lower because of the relatively cooler water of the Atlantic.

The Gulf Coast side of Florida is like a super hot version of a rain forest.

[clinthopson]

Thank you, jmj, for pointing out the great power I have over all that happens here.

Summer is the best time of the year for me. I love hot weather (as long as I can retreat into the A/C if it gets too toasty.

Every evening is spent on our courtyard where we never are bothered by the humidity or mosquitoes. Cooling breezes from the ocean bring the day's heat down to a very comfortable mid-70s. We have our dinner outside and are entertained by the twilight gyrations of the humming birds.

Summer brings us stone fruit, scrumptious melons, powerhouse chiles and fresh corn on the cob.

And the livin' is easy.

[Ron Thorne]

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

You lived in south Florida once, Ron. You know exactly what I mean by "heat".

Yes, I lived in West Palm Beach and Miami . . . never enjoying air conditioning except in certain select stores, so I got an early heat "baptism". Somehow, I survived as a kid, but I can't tolerate it anymore.

No thanks!

[Gary Sisco]

I'll be sure to avoid it, then, because I can't stand air-conditioning, either.

Strange that I have no memory of stifling heat, as my times in Miami have been during summer. I guess it wasn't on my mind or maybe the weather was relatively moderate at the time.

[Ron Thorne]

Please don't misunderstand me, Gary. I don't dislike air conditioning. We couldn't afford it. Our version of AC involved Mom spraying my bed with water from her ironing spray bottle, then placing an electric fan at the foot of my bed. I'd lie down on damp sheets and allow evaporation to work its magic.

I wouldn't have survived our current trip to southern California without AC!

[Uli]

I love summer!

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Ron Thorne

Please don't understand me, Gary.

Don't see THAT very often!

[jesus marion joseph]

My buddy Steve and me once did a hiking trip around the Sedona/Flagstaff area in the month of July, which we discovered (once we were there) is monsoon season, which means the storied "dry heat" of the Arizona desert is on vacation, replaced with heat and humidity that reminded me of the west coast of Florida.

On the upside, there were plenty of cheap air-conditioned motel rooms available when we just couldn't take the humidity anymore, and they were dirt heap because virtually nobody goes to Arizona during monsoon season.

[Scott Dolan]

Do you still go down to Sanibel?

[Gary Sisco]

Ron, no misunderstanding, man.

I prefer open windows and ceiling fans to move the air, is all. My best bud used to put a bowl of ice cubes in front of a "personal fan." Everyone has their druthers. I always find the heat even more unbearable after having been in an airconditioned place. Too much contrast or something.

I couldn't afford airconditioning, either, and will be less able in future, so a good thing for me I prefer fans.

[Scott Dolan]

You can have all the fans you want in Florida. You just end up moving a bunch of hot, wet air around the room.

Nice.

Kentucky gets right fucking hot in the summer as well. Are you sure you wouldn't rather find something a little further north?

[Gary Sisco]

I lived in New Mexico two years, Scott. And in the desert of Nevada as well. It's not like I don't know what hot is. 100-plus very often and working outside, construction laborer.

Thing with winter more than the cold is that it's a pain in the ass. Everything becomes more work, more work gets added to the other which already became more on its own, and the expenses that come with it, now, are so extreme that I don't think you'd believe it. Oil truck showed up last winter, it meant 700 plus dollars. Lp truck shows up, ditto. Every time it snows, another 30 bucks. Need sand because it's icey? 40 bucks. Shoveling. Clearing roofs. No, thanks.

I've seen enough of winter, man. KY doesn't get any hotter than VT does, most of the time. I've been comparing the weather there every day for a couple years. As far as heat goes, it's six of one, half a dozen of another. Upper 90s and humid is just as hot in VT as it is anywhere else. And I work with my body in both the heat and the cold. But the best part is that it doesn't get as cold as VT does.

So, no. I don't want anywhere further north. Even if I did, it wouldn't matter, because I can't afford the expenses involved anymore. We're coming mighty close to going belly up broke. I couldn't keep living here if I wanted to. So, it's a good thing I don't want to.

I've lived all over the country. Nicaragua wasn't exactly cool, far's that goes. (Sometimes in the mountains it was, by comparison.) Nor El Salvador. And Iwo Jima was hot like crazy and humid, too. It's a volcano, after all. Heat rises, and believe it, it rose there. There were places on the beach where the sand literally boiled from volcanic vents just below the surface, at water level.

I know real hot and I know real cold. Neither is my favorite.

I'm fried on VT, though. I've been here too long, this time.

When my best bud was living in Phoenix, he came up with a good one. "Yeah, but it's a hot heat."

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Gary

Thing with winter more than the cold is that it's a pain in the ass. Everything becomes more work, more work gets added to the other which already became more on its own, and the expenses that come with it, now, are so extreme that I don't think you'd believe it.

Hey, we have winter here too. Trust me, I know exactly what you're talking about. We ran out the winter with small space heaters so we didn't have to plunk down $900 to fill our gas tank to only use it for a couple of weeks until it warmed up enough to not need the heat on.