Monday, June 22, 2009

Summer solstice

The longest day of the year is always a depressing day for me. It means every day will be shorter for the rest of the year. Here it's cause for celebration: The sun is beginning the slow retreat from directly overhead.

Al Ain is located just miles north of the Tropic of Cancer. The sun at noon is pretty much exactly on top of us and objects cast no shadow. It's bizarre.

The sun's intensity and the heat here is amazing. It doesn't seem possible that I live on the same planet as the one with Iowa's cold, harsh winters.

Day for day I'd rather take the intense heat than a day of an ice storm followed by arctic blast in Iowa. The problem is that the super intense heat lasts seven months (April - October). November and March are very warm and the weather is only "nice" December - February. For those three months the weather is perfect 88 out of 90 days.

What a contrast to Iowa where perfect weather is always followed by a huge storm of some sort.

I'm glad to see summer has finally reached Iowa. I probably don't need to tell you that it's been a cool and wet spring. Until today the high for 2009 in Cedar Rapids was 87, set in April. Today's it's gonna be 92.

Before you feel too bad, the low here will be 89. I don't wanna talk about the high.

4 comments:

  1. Um, Steve... sorry to tell you, but so far this summer has been relatively mild... or maybe it's just 'cooler' here in Dubai. But I've been surprised at how decent it's been this year, even this late in June. We've been lucky with the temp hovering around 44 every day... normally it's over 50 every day like it was in late May. Of course, July and August haven't hit yet!! :-)

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  2. There were worse days in May than the days lately. It can be as hot as it wants to be in August. I'm outta here.

    BTW, I *think* the Coke fridge will have the lights fixed tomorrow. I'm waiting to take pics of it until it has all the lights running.

    It runs very cold - which is the way I like it. I can't find a temp setting but as long as it keeps stuff near freezing I'm happy. I was looking for the temp setting at first because it seems like everything in this country is served warm or lukewarm. I assumed this machine would be the same. I was pleasantly surprised.

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  3. I want you to know buddy, that I tuned in today JUST to read this post, because I had a good feeling you would be posting it. Did you do this last year? I ask more out of curiosity than criticism. I'm not made for that type of heat. Even my inner buddha couldn't keep me cool.

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  4. Can't wait to see the fridge in complete working order, Steve!

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