feelin hot hot hot

Air conditioning doing double duty yesterday as the heat index reached 110 degrees.

yes. Its hot. very very hot. News reports of Baltimore weather have stopped calling it a heat wave, appropriately so, since this oppressive heat has been here for about three weeks. No longer a wave, just a state of things.

This historic summer heat however, is leaving me pretty untouched. Just like during this winter's snowmageddon, Lucy Maru is once again a joy to live on- an air conditioned refuge gently bobbing oblivious to the sticky muckiness outside. Now I know this artificial air, in the car, on the boat, is making me soft, gooey even, but man it feels good. So, soft or not, we're going to enjoy these luxuries while we can, anything else would be... dumb... and hot.

Me Voy continues to wait her turn.

Anyway it got hot at a very good time as far as boat work is concerned. The major project left on L.M. is painting the decks. Its a big job, and we have to plan it carefully so that when we begin, we'll be able to finish without interruptions. That means clearing the decks and our schedules, as well as coming up with an orderly system by which to proceed. We're going to use Sani-Tread as some people here at the marina have had great success with it. Its basically a rubberized coating that fills in any cracks, and makes the whole deck completely waterproof. Because it's rubber, it expands and contracts with the wood, remaining flexible for years. We're going to do the decks in a tan non-skid, with white edges. This is the final touch on L.M. It' s going to look so good, pulling the whole boat together, both in terms of color, and finish level. But, right now we're at the waiting for materials stage, enjoying the AC and working on some interior projects.

Meanwhile, magic is happening at the garden.

Yes our little 10x15 city plot, turned into a sort of supermarket, where I go to pick chard, cucumbers, green peppers, eggplant, and squash, lots and lots of squash. The plants, rooted in one spot and unable to enjoy artificial air, are actually fairing quite well. We laid soaker hose throughout and have been very conscious of watering and weeding. In response the plants kept on producing fruit, which we are very happy to eat.

Cooking with garden veggies

Farmer Allen at Vital Zuman Farm, where Travis and I lived in an old Airstream, would be proud.

Home is Where the Cat Is

We packed the car, filled Billy's bowl with at least four day's worth of food, asked our neighbor Linda to water our plants, and set of driving to Chicago to visit my Mom and Dad, where we were treated like royalty.

Traveling with the windows of our Fit rolled up, was a new experience. Our bubble of climate controlled air, sped thru the heartland with cruise control set to 70. It was more like spending a day at the office then driving across the fields of the mid-west. We arrived in Chicago fresh, untouched by the road. I relished the comfort.

We chose this same method for our drive back. Windows up, AC on, cruise control set. So easy, so mindless, so comfortable.

There's only one thing.

I missed that feeling of skin tingling, wind whipped, salty smell of the road on my skin. That mix of exhaustion and exhilaration at the end of a day spent mingling with the elements.

So why did I roll up those windows?

And, why would I do it again?