Do you hear me? I cannot EVER live in the Southwest in summer. Don't tell me "It's only DRY heat!"

[Radio_Lady]

Explanation: Some poor deluded salesperson called here and tried to get us to come visit their timeshare this summer. I encouraged Audio Al to go by himself and take our son-in-law with him. Those two are ALWAYS complaining about Portland, Oregon's MILD winters. I'm sick of it. You don't like winter, and I despise summer. Buy yourself a sun lamp and deal with it!

[Ptah]

1. The heat does act like a crude population control.

[Radio_Lady]

2. OK. Lure me in with your gorgeous cactus flowers. You'll see what happens...

LOL with the population control.

I used to have loving embraces on the beaches of Florida in summer. Try THAT in the desert... I'll get prickles in my back.

But I do love the Southwest's "easy care" landscaping.

[Ptah]

3. I miss rivers that have water.

[Radio_Lady]

4. Oregon's waterfalls are magnificent... but we have to protect them.

Before we moved west, we lived about 15 minutes drive from the Concord River in Massachusetts.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d1/Concord_River_at_Old_Bridge,_Concord,_MA,_circa_1900.jpg

[ashling]

5. I spent 3 years in the Great Northwet

good to be back home in Texas

but to each his/her own

[Radio_Lady]

14. We love San Antonio and Austin -- and have worked and visited there several times over the years.

[ashling]

26. I love Austin

Used to live there and had a place out in the hill country for a while. Then I spent 3 years in Washington State now I'm in Denton in North Central Part of the state.

I loved Portland, we went down there two or three times to Powels and Whole Foods.

[Radio_Lady]

27. Hubby was in the running for a job with Crystal Semiconductor and he really wanted it.

But, as fate would have it, the job didn't go to him.

I spent a whole day looking at beautiful homes along the Colorado River.

We stayed in Boston, but eventually followed our daughter and her doctor husband to Portland, Oregon.

[Radio_Lady]

29. On horseback in the hill country of Texas! (PHOTO) Boy, that ground was flinty!

[Lethe]

6. i don't blame you, it's hot down there

but dry heat is 1000% times better than a high humidity heat. At least in a dry heat it will cool off at nighttime pretty fast, whereas in high humidity is still feels like a sauna at 3am.

it'd be nice to live in a place that was sunny and 75 year round. Anybody know a place like that?

[Radio_Lady]

10. I believe that San Diego, California, has the most moderate climate in the US.

Perfect weather pretty much all year long, or so I'm told.

Oh, but they do have smog (90 miles from Los Angeles).

On one of our visits, a woman with a store on Coronado Island told me she just hated the place. She missed the seasons from Hong Kong, where she used to live!

[begin_within]

33. Temperature-wise, it's closest to the ideal comfort zone for humans.

Extremes of temperature are rare in San Diego, because the climate is tempered by the ocean. Rainfall is minimal, mostly in the winter. In the past few years, extremes have become much more common than in the 20th century. From the 1940s through the 1980s, a long period of usually mild, balmy weather made San Diego famous. Most of the time, it stayed in the 60s and 70s, with only the occasional spike into the 80s or 90s. In the past few years (probably due to global climate changes), extremes have become more common. I have lived here 25 years and the highest and lowest temperatures at my house (108 and 25) have happened in the last 18 months. There is an infamous "fifth season" here called the "June gloom" (and also now extended into the "May gray" where a thick layer of ocean-based clouds (the "marine layer") hangs over the city all day long. You don't see the sun for days (something I am familiar with from living in Portland for 2 years). People complain about the June gloom, but I actually like it, because if we didn't have it, then it would be very hot here. The heat comes in July (the "July fry") and hot muggy weather in August, then even hotter but much drier weather in September, then hot, dry, windy weather in October and November - the infamous fire season. The only time I don't like it in San Diego is July in August, because I really can't stand hot, humid weather at all. The rest of the year, it is justifiably famous, especially on those glorious January days in between winter storms, when the air is crystal clear, crisp, dry, and cool, with brilliant sunshine - the most invigorating weather I have ever been in. Some people do complain about the lack of seasons here, and it is true, we don't get the fall colors or the winter snows.

[KitchenWitch]

7. If I hear, "But it's a DRY heat!" here in SoCal even one more time

I cannot be held responsible for what I do.

I figure once it hits 95 degrees, it is farking hot, humidity or no humidity. The A/C just cannot keep up with it unless I want an $800 electric bill.

[Ptah]

9. That is a frightening electric bill.

Yes, mid nineties and above is too hot.



Gaze on the Rockies:

[Radio_Lady]

12. BIG PHOTO of Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. One of the five deepest lakes in the world.

Yes, it really is THAT blue.

[shanti]

11. kitchenwitch

it's NEVER been a dry heat in so cal. that's reserved for nor cal, sacramento in particular. i was born and raised in the OC and altho i live in sac now, i remember the weather i grew up with and it was always MILD and comfortable. however, after returning the past few years, it has definitely become more humid. blame it on global warming :shrug: i still think so cal has THE best weather in the nation. that's the only thing i miss...

[KitchenWitch]

13. I really miss the seasons of the midwest.

It is just way too warm here.

[shanti]

16. maybe you should try norcal

we have four seasons here. no snow, but it does rain steadily in the winter and gets cold. if you go further up into the foothills, they do get snow tho. sac is known for its trees and they turn lovely shades in the fall. it's definitely not so cal. it's even humid in sac now and we've always been known for the "dry heat" which sometimes gets to 110 degrees.

[Radio_Lady]

18. Our best friends moved to Mequon, Wisconsin last year. We really miss them.

I've never been to most of the Midwest. Just flown over it mostly going from coast to coast.

One day in Detroit on a TV show in 1981.

Two days in Chicago for a job meeting in 1995 or 1996.

Eleven hours on the tarmac at O'Hare Airport during a sudden and unexpected snowstorm -- December 24, 1997. Airport crews were let go early because it was Christmas Eve. Left Boston on a totally clear day in the early morning and it took more than 24 hours to get to Portland, Oregon. I did manage to get two free airline tickets for that experience.

A couple of stops in Cleveland and/or Cincinnati on the way to here or there.

That's it.

[KitchenWitch]

19. I have been to Mequon - very nice community

Kind of half suburban half rural.

[Radio_Lady]

39. We met these friends last December on Sanibel Island, FL and hope they will

accompany us this August to Breckenridge, Colorado.

They're younger than we are, and the guy travels the world on varying schedules. He works for a shoe manufacturing company with offshore production facilities.

Cordially,

RL in OR

[Breeze54]

15. Humidity raises the level of suffering by 100%! -Get a swamp cooler. n/t

;)

[KitchenWitch]

17. I have lived in humid

Minnesota gets the 95 degrees with the 95% humidity.

My point is that once it hits 95, it is miserable no matter what.

[Radio_Lady]

20. For me, it only has to be in the low eighties, and I'm a wreck.

Big Island of Hawaii has an additional factor -- VOG -- volcanic smog -- that made me miserable the whole week we were there in March. The sky was gray and the clouds were dark gray. Everywhere you looked there was a haze. I couldn't breath and my eyes were itchy and watery. That volcano has been pouring out tons of particulates and other pollutants since the early 1980s.

It is a shame to say this, but I don't think I'll ever feel the same about going there.

I don't remember ever being so glad to leave a place.

I'm glad my grandson and husband had a good time.

At least Honolulu and Kauai were very nice in the early part of the trip.

[KitchenWitch]

21. Truth be told, 65 is the perfect temperature for me.

Seriously.

[Radio_Lady]

22. We keep our house at 68 degrees winter and summer. When I get up on winter mornings,

it's around 62 degrees in my bedroom -- heat brings it to 68 at around 8 AM.

We sleep with a dual control heating blanket; his is set to about 5 and mine is rarely on. I crack the window a couple of inches next to my side of the bed.

I'm a hot-blooded woman married to a cold-blooded man.

We travel to warmer places during the shoulder seasons of the year (spring and fall).

I never want to go to Bangkok, Thailand -- over 95 degrees with over 90% humidity during the December 5th week (King's Birthday). I couldn't even stand being out by the pool -- it was so hot.

Never will get to the Philippines (Manila) -- Korea -- Vietnam -- Singapore -- or the very crowded cities of India -- cross all of them off my list.

Thermal incompatibility.

Hong Kong is tolerable but only in the winter -- DEC, JAN, FEB.

Sorry, buddy, you'll have to get another gal to go with you to those other steamy places.

Cordially,

Radio Lady in Oregon

[Breeze54]

24. Not in Nevada.... it's just hot but it's bearable.

But if you added humidity to those 100+ degree F temps.; it would be horrible to the extreme!

[Radio_Lady]

42. We own two timeshares in Nevada, but you won't see us there in summer.

Perhaps October through February would be OK for us there.

We like the place, and meet up with a friendly author who recommends places to go -- and meets us there with his wife.

That's fun.

Thanks for your comments.

RL in OR

[BreweryYardRat]

8. The Southeast in summer isn't much better.

If I recall correctly, you're originally from my state...living here makes anyone with sense hate summer. 90s with high humidity isn't any better than 100s with no humidity.

[Radio_Lady]

23. Originally from Pittsburgh, but kidnapped by my parents to Florida when I was 3 years old!

I struggled for almost 30 years in Florida. Mostly, I just waited to escape to the north.

It is pretty in the winter and we go to the West Coast (Sanibel, Marco Island, Ft. Myers area) quite frequently.

Thanks for your comments.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Radio Lady in Oregon

[emilyg]

25. I spent 2 long years in Arizona. Never again.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

28. It has been so nice here this past week. I have not had to run

the heat or the air co. Just enjoying the temperatures provided by Mother Nature. Maybe, I won't hate to open my power bill this month :hi:

Is that Audio_Al in that picture? :D

my backyard

[Radio_Lady]

31. No, that isn't Al. That picture came from somebody's elses blog.

Here are the best photos we've taken from our various trips:

Marco Island, Florida

Brussels, Belgium

London, England

[Tuesday Afternoon]

32. You guys have my vote for cutest couple on DU --

:D really though...they are nice pictures :hi:

[Radio_Lady]

35. Hey, flattery will get you ... everywhere!

Thanks so much.

Good night -- and good morning as the Earth rolls us off to another day.

Blessed be.

ellen & al

If you can stand one more:

Our wedding day 1973 with my two toddlers...

[begin_within]

30. I've lived for 3 years in Phoenix, AZ and 2 years in Portland, OR.

If I was forced to choose between them, I would choose Portland, because it's prettier and I'm more of a cool-weather person than a hot-weather person. The heat didn't bother me all that much when I lived in Phoenix, but I was a LOT younger then. I couldn't live there now. In Portland, the cool temps and the almost constant mist didn't bother me, but the lack of sunshine did. Now I live in San Diego, so like all San Diegans, I'm spoiled rotten. At least I don't complain like some people when one drop of rain falls or a day or two of heat comes around. (Oddly, though, the lowest temperature I have woken up to, 25 degrees, happened here in San Diego in Jan. 2007, lower than the entire 2 years I spent in Portland.)

[Radio_Lady]

34. So, you love San Diego? Did you see my post upthread?

Part of me would like to live on an island -- maybe Catalina -- for some of the year. Hawaii is wonderful at Christmas and perhaps even until Valentine's Day.

I am also entranced by mountain living -- I spent summers in the mountains of North Carolina and South Carolina. Then, my little children and I were living for about half a year in western North Carolina, in Flat Rock, near Asheville. I could also live nearer to Mt. Hood here in Oregon, or perhaps closer to Mt. Rainier.

I'd also consider ranch living, but only in the spring or fall. Eastern Oregon would probably be too hot for me. Summertime here in the Willamette Valley is as near as it comes to perfect. Also, since our son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons are there, Salt Lake City might work for awhile, although I wouldn't go if there was no family to visit.

In the fall, my favorite place would still have to be New England. September and October are just the best. But we're going there in May of this year, and if we're lucky, it will be beautiful.

I love Northern California, at least what I have seen of it. We've visited Santa Barbara, San Rafael (where my aunt lives), San Francisco, and of course Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley. We had a good time in Solvang, CA (but we have to fight to remember the GD name of that place every time we think of it! It does NOT roll trippingly off our tongues!).

I went to UCLA for a year and still have one uncle in Los Angeles. I spent one summer as a counselor at Big Bear Lake, but that area was devastated by fire, wasn't it? I'm not sure I've ever been to Lake Tahoe -- but have seen it in movies.

Well, later this year, I just learned we might get as close as Cathedral City -- Palm Desert -- and (believe it or not) the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido, California, at Christmas this year. Stay tuned --

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Peace, love and happiness,

Radio Lady in Oregon

[begin_within]

37. Yes, I did see your other post mentioning San Diego and I replied to it.

There are a lot of things I like about San Diego, but some I don't like. The weather is comfortable most of the year - typically we only use our heater during December, January and February. We don't even have an air conditioner and we get by with just fans in July and August. Almost any type of plant will grow here. On the other hand the mild climate means a lack of distinct seasonal changes, and the lack of winter cold means some things don't grow well here. Fruit trees that require winter chill (which are most deciduous trees) don't bear fruit, unless they are varieties specially bred for this climate and those are very few. Flower bulbs that require winter chill, such as tulips and hyacinths, only last for one season here and you have to replace them every year.
The variety of scenery in San Diego County is remarkable, in fact last year I posted a series of pictures here which illustrate this. It's the only place in the world that I know of where, at some times of the year, a person can go surfing in the ocean in the morning, drive one hour and go cross-country skiing in the mountains at noon, then drive one more hour and go riding on dirt bikes in the desert in the afternoon. It's all compacted into one county, although I long for bigger mountains and more forest type scenery. The native vegetation of San Diego is just chaparral which is not particularly pretty or interesting, and it's due to the low rainfall totals in the county (except for the mountains). The huge fires in 2003 and 2007 wiped out most of the native forests in the mountains here, with only the area around Mt. Laguna still untouched.
In the time I have lived here (since 1982, although the house I live in was bought by my grandparents in 1938) I have seen San Diego grow from a large but quiet city into a large, crowded, noisy city with all the inconveniences and frustrations of a major urban area. Certainly there are many more choices now in terms of culture and places to eat and happpenings than there were 40 years ago or even 25 years ago. But there are also long lines everywhere you go, long waits for even the simplest things, tons of traffic everywhere, scarce parking, and yes some smog - that is generated here, not from LA. Even the simplest tasks turn out to be incredibly complex and time-consuming due to the crowded nature of the city. 30 years ago, if you wanted to go to the beach, you just drove over there, and found a parking spot. Now, if you want a parking spot, you have to get up at 3 a.m. For those of us who have lived here for a few decades, it seems like our little city has been invaded by huge armies from back east.
The price of housing is still obscene, though in the past 18 months home prices have dropped about 20%, from the ridiculously obscene to the merely obscene. Utility bills are very high. Gas is now $4 a gallon in many areas. I paid $3.95 a gallon recently. The city government is and alway has been deeply corrupt and skewed in favor of big business, and is currently over $1 billion in debt, due to gross mismanagent of city pensions and the building of an unnecessary new ballpark for the Padres baseball team, among other factors. San Diego is a paradise lost, in my opinion, due to the swarms of people that have come here and a long series of bad decisions. There are still a few shattered shards of that paradise laying around, including the famous climate, but it has been drastically altered by mankind.

[JCMach1]

36. Try Dubai!

45-55Cent every day during summer. And that's WITH humidity as well :(


I lived in W. Texas and Florida, so have experience of the heat there. Neither can compare to the heat here in Summer.

[Radio_Lady]

38. Here's a couple of lines for you:

Try Dubai?
Not I.

It's hot
And dry

And I
would fry.

So hi :hi:
And 'bye.

How long are you (forced to stay) there? I hope you're working, making lots of money -- or are a very rich person who can afford creature comforts like air conditioning.

The closest I have been is Cairo, Egypt and the cities up the Nile River. There's a little ribbon of green on either side -- and not much beyond that.

The stunning thing is that they get ONLY 1 INCH of RAINFALL A YEAR.

In March 1987, it was 105 degrees F. at the Valley of the Kings. I was totally wilted and sat with the Pepsi vendor for more than an hour. He kept giving me ice in a handkerchief to put on my forehead and pulse points. I really thought I would die.

Recently, I saw a TV program -- "GlobeTrekker" -- about that area. The young woman's journey in the desert was off the beaten path and it looked really difficult. Sand gets into everything.

[JCMach1]

47. Well and truly stuck as the job is too good to ditch

The only consolation if getting the fark out of the country in Summer. It makes Summer in the states feel cool. Our blood is HYPERTHIN. We spend 8 days in Germany on the way back to the states this year. I have little doubt we will freeze there.

[Radio_Lady]

48. Hi JCMach1 -- Don't believe that stuff about the blood thinning in hot weather.

Several doctors have told me that it isn't so. The only thing that thins the blood is a blood thinner like HEPARIN. Heat doesn't do it, but this old wive's tale just keeps spinning and spinning on its own. I've heard it over and over during the years. I can't find any immediate citations. Perhaps someone else who is medically trained will chime in.

I don't know about Dubai. No amount of money would lure me where you are -- but I've seen photographs and artist's renditions of the place and it looks very seductive and exotic -- beautiful in its own right.

Have a wonderful summer!

Cordially,

Radio Lady Ellen Kimball in Oregon

[JCMach1]

49. One does get used to physically and mentally to different weather extremes

My body began resisting the cold when I lived in OK. After one year here, my body dealt with heat the same way.

Cold now causes me to want to curl up and DIE! I took a winter business trip to Paris a couple of years back and almost couldn't take. I found myself lying in the hotel bed with my coat on underneath the covers.

But it has advantages. When it is 90-95 outside, I won't break a sweat...

[Arugula Latte]

40. I've been in Palm Springs a couple times. Felt like my face was cooking in an oven.

...and that was in March!

No, thankee! I'd shrivel up and turn to ashes in that kind of heat.

[Radio_Lady]

41. We are going there in December; last time, we had excellent weather in February.

I would not venture there in summer.

Nobody wants to see me when I'm hot and bothered!

Thanks for your comments.

Cordially,

Radio Lady in Oregon

[Lil Missy]

43. OMG! Dry heat is much better than humidity!

I can tolerate 100 degrees of DRY heat in Las Vegas much better than 80 degrees of humidity in Texas or Omaha.

Sissy! :P

[Radio_Lady]

45. Lil Missy... thanks for your comments, true, true...

My son and daughter in law got married in August 1995 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

It was 95 degrees out and I wore a long sleeved dress. It was a nice Mormon wedding and the Camelot restaurant where it was held was very comfortable.

After the wedding, I changed into a loose fitting garment and made the best of a very hot day.

[struggle4progress]

44. eh! jes spenda cuppla summers doin roofwerk in thet wether: yu'll git ust t'it

[Radio_Lady]

46. No, not this li'l gal -- t'weren't maid fur hights or rufin' neither... n/t