Tuesday, June 22, 2010

sum sum summertime



Summertime -- and the livin' is easy.


So said DuBose Heyward.  (And here I was thinking it was George Gershwin.  Such is the fate of the well-versed lyricist.)


Somewhere the fish may be jumpin'.  And, for all I know, the cotton may be high.  But not here.  Not today.


Even though Monday was the official (astronomical) start of summer, you would have no hint by looking at my window in Salem.  And I am a bit befuddled.


Summers in Oregon are hard to beat.  Sun.  Moderate temperatures.  Clear skies.


At least after Rose Festival.  Traditionally, the grand floral parade is held on an early Saturday in June.  It usually rains that weekend.  Then it stops.  For about three months.  With a few wet days sprinkled in for variety.


Not this year.  The sun provided unobstructed light for the parade on 12 June.  That should have been an omen of groundhog proportions. 


Since then, we have had cloud, rain, and temperatures similar to those that put the French World Cup team under their car rugs in South Africa.


As disappointing as late June has been here in Oregon, the opening day of summer in my small Mexican fishing village by the sea is no walk in the park.  89 degrees with 78% humidity.  New Orleans on a hot stick.


66 degrees with cloudy skies in Salem sounds pretty inviting to me.  And, at some point, the season is going to shift into superb summer weather.


If for no other reason than:
"Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good looking."  

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

We've had the warmest spring with plenty of rain here in Southeast Michigan. Everything is green and river and lake levels are not low. Excellent for boating and fishing. It gets steamy till a storm comes and reduces humidity. From now until late Sept. I'm in water wonderland. Oregon summers sound great too.
Francisco

NWexican said...

RANT:
I have been in Oregon for 20 plus years and can not even pretend to like THIS weather.... Give me a "huracan" in Acapulco ANY DAY!!

Anonymous said...

"Well-versed lyricist." Good.

Horst

Anonymous said...

You ain't felt not'in until you've felt a New Orleans August day at 95 d. F. with 105 percent relative humidity. (Don't ask, I have no idea how one gets to 105%, but it is relative humidity and what the hell it is relative to, I have no idea; I just know it feels verrrrrrrrrry uncomfortable.)

anm

Calypso said...

Weather is an expat issue - always I suppose. Are eastern home in Mexico is getting into the rainy season - here in Las Vegas it is just damn hot.

My take is live where you have to augment temperatures the least - Las Vegas does not fill that bill ;-( Xico does ;-)

Mike Nickell and Cynthia Johnson said...

Hey Steve - same here in Seattle. Lots of gray skies, rain and drizzle. But I'll take this over heat and humidity any day!

Irene said...

The second day of spring is a beautiful day here in the northwest. The ants who come out from under the pavement at my bus stop seemed a little confused. They were milling about not sure whether they should stay above ground or go back underground.

Steve Cotton said...

Francisco -- Water and summer. A perfect combination.

NWexican -- Last summer in Melaque taught me to enjoy my Oregon summers.

Horst -- Thanks. I liked it myself.

ANM -- You are truly the expert on this one. But my summer of 2009 may rival yours.

Calypso -- Good advice. Most of the time, Melaque is fine. It is just those summers. A great time to visit the highlands, though.

Sitka and entourage -- For now, this will do.

Unknown said...

I took a pic in May in New Orleans of a sidewalk musician playing that song. Summertime, where the livin' is easy. Not so easy for New Orleans. Actually grown men drop dead on the sidewalks from the heat, and people keep on walkin'by like zombies. It's the relative humidity. But Ah! Honduras. I need my socks most nights in the good ole' summertime. And the watermelon is better, too.