Summer 2009 vs. Summer 2011

Summer 2009 was one of the coldest on record for Iowa.

The highs never reached an average high for the month (extraordinary).  Many concluded that the good weather was due to my absence.

July of 2009 was 9 degrees below normal while July of 2011 will end 2-3 degrees above normal.  (Most odd is that the lows for this month are 5 degrees above normal.  The low for three days was 77!  That's a very warm night.)

Meanwhile I was in middle east and the weather was odd in 2009:  hazy most days.  The haze kept the tems from going above 110 but I didn't see a cloud for over a month.  This summer has had a bit of sprinkles, sand storms, and clouds.  During the day we've been baked:  115 most days.

The summer itself has been very different.  Two years ago it was a lot of watermelon and sleep.  This summer I tried getting lots of both...

... but this was one of the few decent ones I could find this summer.  The rest were all past their prime.  And sleep?  It's better than the month of horror (mid-May to mid-June) but it's still not good.  I hope things are better when I'm home.  The fact the heatwave will break by the time I get home is a good sign.  I appreciate not being to be blamed for bad weather.

*****
My aviation-geek friend and airline pilot friend have both assured me that the new plane is nothing to be concerned about.  It's reassuring.