Thunder and Lightning

Okay, so in my last post, I said I could do without summers on the East Coast. That isn't entirely true. I missed one little detail.

August is the best month of summer. Not because its baseball's stretch run, or back-to-school time, but for that moment of indescribable happiness that comes along on selected afternoons in August: the very moment the sun comes back out after a massive and violent (and most times mercifully brief) thunderstorm that brings sheets of rain and an impressive light show.

As the storm clears out, the sun emerges with brilliance and and smell (oh man, the smell) of fresh, moist, crisp air fills the lungs. Sometimes you even get a rainbow as icing on the cake. The temperature and humidity have both come back to within the 'habitable' range.

Man, I love a good thunderstorm.

But I'm realizing that it just isn't going to happen. It's Western Washington - rain capital of the country. Who could blame me for hoping, after the long and damp winters?

Where's the high humidity? 100 degrees anyone? Oppressive heat? Come on, summer, give me your best shot. Yet mother nature seems to have cried uncle before even lighting up the sky just once.

I miss my east-coast thunderstorms. They're like clockwork, happening at the same time (hence, the 3 o'clock shower) every day. It's the worst time of day for a run to the coffee shop two blocks over. It's the best time of day to stare out the window for a while. And it's always fun to see those poor corporate-types caught in the rain without an umbrella.

Mother Nature? A request. Thunder and lightning. Bring it.

Pleeeeeeeease.

Summertime

Allow me to set the scene.

It's late afternoon on a Saturday. A few people are over listening to the ballgame. The grill is firing up some freshly charred goodness, to be placed between a bun.

Ah, summer. What a glorious time of year.

If only the weather weren't so much like mid-spring. Come on. It's 65 degrees and mostly cloudy.

But this is the Northwest, so I guess people get used to it. (This is, of course, not to say that it never gets that way - it's been plenty hot, but not consistently for days on end.)

But why am I complaining? I'm a New Yorker, so to me, "summer" translates to "100 degrees, 100 percent humidity, the 3 o'clock thunderstorm, and enough ruined shirts to last a lifetime."

I guess I could do without it. Yeah, I could.

Bring on the burgers, and get outside!

If These Roof Shingles Could Talk...

...they might ask for an umbrella. And a wind breaker. And a parka. And not nearly frequently enough, some suntan lotion.

This is my first summer in the Northwest, so I'm entirely unaccustomed to the fact that spring doesn't really end here until well into late June and that it's light out until well past 9pm.

But the oddities haven't been confined to this part of the country - it's everywhere. Here's some highlights:

- Record cold in Western Washington including several inches of SNOW in the Cascades, stranding three (understandably) unprepared hikers on Mount Rainier (one of whom didn't make it - may he rest in peace and my thoughts and prayers go out to the family and loved ones)

- Wisconsin and Indiana have become a very large, very unfortunate aquarium resulting from damaging rainfall and subsequent flooding with more rain on the way.

-A massive heat wave, one of the earliest on record, took on most of the Eastern seaboard and has broken since.

So, it's been an interesting last 7 days or so. I'd rather be in cool and damp than hot and humid - anyone who has experienced the dog days of summer at any length on the east coast will surely agree with me.

But what happened to June? It's one of those months that is supposed to be warming, and a foreshadow of the summer to come. If this June is any indication, it's going to be a long, cold, dark summer.

I'll admit that the weather here takes some getting used to, and I've been okay for the most part. The real big change is that the seasons are fundamentally different - rainy and dry seasons that change when they want to versus clearly defined spring, summer, fall, and winter.

And having come back west from a short break on the east coast well prepared for warmth and abundant sunshine, I find myself turning the heat on in the house and wearing sweatshirts all day.

Barbeques? Sunshine? Sports? Lounging around?

Only in my wildest dreams...