@Cerridwyn I looked at long-range weather. Over next 16 days we are forecast to have SIX hours of temps below 77° here (76°, to be exact). House doesn’t cool off overnight and bedroom A/C can’t fight that. [grumble]
@Cerridwyn@phendrick yes, exactly. I have bedroom A/C (portable unit) was hoping it would get me through Summer. But next few days 90-100 with lots of wildfire smoke. I have central A/C but need to re-wire it (long story…)
Summary: I hate Summer
@mycya4me yeah, it’s technically creating distance but I’m too old for that kind of drive in this heat. La Con 3 I only went for a day it was a nice little Drive
@Cerridwyn You are NOT old! Just seasoned just right! I came very close to going to WorldCon the it was Just outside of Washington DC a few years back. But with COVID still around & my lack of cash flown. I was NOT able to go!
@Cerridwyn
I love the Regional Fan Run cons. MarsCON, RavenCon, (pretty much go every year) I also been to MystiCon. I will not go to GalaxyCon (they are only about the $$$)
For a couple years I went Shore Leave with a group (but that was before Covid) No one I know still goes to Shore Leave to help cover the $$$ of the hotel.
I doubt I will be getting to DragonCon, SDCC or a WorldCon mostly due to $$$ & age. But they are still on my bucket list as are a few other things.
@mycya4me yeah I used to do smaller times. The people in Southern California are weird. Even for me. This is the last WorldCon in United States for about 5 years. I love Canada is next year and there’s another Canadian did so a couple of years out. We all know why. I don’t travel well. Seattle just kind of hard on the last year. I’ve never been a fancy traveler but as I’ve gotten older it’s gotten worse. I envy those that just toss stuff and it’s awful and head out and see the world.
Wondering whether my yard and I will survive the heat and dearth of rain.
I don’t dream of fall because here that’s not much different from summer until November or maybe even December.
@kittykat9180
We enjoyed our visit to Portugal several years ago (love me some Fado…) and are thinking about making a family trip back either over Christmas or ín the summer in 2027-28. This year we’re doing Costa Rica.
@kittykat9180
This will be our (wife and I) third visit to Costa Rica. We’ve taken to traveling with the grandkids and family as opposed to giving gifts. The memories are indelible. Plan to spend most of it on the Pacific coast near Manual Antonio…
@kittykat9180 I was in Segovia once and I loved it. It’s so different from most of Spain; we were usually on the east side, Costa Blanca, near Alicante.
@capnjb@kittykat9180 As an only child who had parents NOT let go, I’d say please let her go. This was 40 years ago for me; dorm rooms had a landline phone (there were no cell phones). They would call at 7AM on a Saturday morning. “We didn’t hear from you, are you OK?” The phone ringing would wake up me, my room-mate, and everyone in nearby dorm rooms. The scars are still there.
@kittykat9180@pmarin Heh, we’re not helicopter parents by any means. We’ve been hands off since third grade. She has done it all on her own since then… including earning a full ride to an expensive private college. (not complaining about free college!). It’s not far away… maybe 30 minutes and she could probably commute but I want her to have the campus experience and her college fund should cover her room and board. For the last 10 years we’ve done ‘bagel Tuesdays’ at a local New York style bakery on the way to school. Not every Tuesday but most of them Might be able to do it a few times a semester if she wants to. I’m glad she is close, but I’m just the Uber driver for her She will change the world… of that I’m sure My wife and I will miss her being at home, but she’ll do great… it will just be an adjustment.
The most wonderful time of the year…! Watermelon! Sweet corn!! Homegrown heirloom TOMATOES!!! BLTs with an ear of corn followed up with a large serving of watermelon. My mouth waters as I type this!
Wait, there’s MORE! Open water swimming! Paddleboarding, kayaking, paddle surfing in Lake Michigan, hiking the shores of Lake Superior & then swimming in it!! Having a backyard gathering roasting succulent meats on the grill & sharing it all. Sitting outside while the sun sets reading a book. Watching the fireflies with a loved one. Picking fresh produce & flowers from our garden. Attending a tomato tasting! Lots & lots more!
None of those things can be done outside of summer. It’s absolutely the most wonderful time of the year!! All too short where I live.
@Joedetroit
For me it’s sailing ️ time on Lake Michigan! All the large outdoor festivals on and near the lake are coming to an end only the Air & Water Show is left (great time to be out on the boat: Best Views!) The weather and water are usually calmer in mid August. We’ll see how it goes with wildfire smoke.
@jkawaguchi I used to have a small sailboat. I got nowhere to put one now days otherwise I would get one. Water calmer in August…? I did not know that! Looking forward to more SUP.
@jkawaguchi@Joedetroit
We had a little two man Snark style sailboat when the kids were small. Used to sail around Sabine Bay in Pensacola with it when we visited my father-in-law as well as occasionally on the lake close by. It was a blast. Kind of miss those days.
@kittykat9180@rustyh3
Next week locally (central AL).
Likewise. When I was in high school we started after Labor Day and generally finished in early june. We also didn’t have a week long “fall break” and as long a Christmas holiday.
Noticing the days are getting shorter.
Cleaning up the garden in preparation for fall plantings.
Having pool parties & barbecues and attending outdoor concerts locally.
Putting up figs.
Praying for rain. The fires are starting to show up all over and I really don’t want to have to evacuate. The Englishman took the tallest and a few of his high school buddies on the river today and it’s pretty hazy.
I had to shut all the windows because the smoke is getting heavy here too.
@chienfou@sillyheathen
I just saw a headline that said the Portland area currently has the 5th worst air quality in the world!
(And we’re not even all that close to any big fires - it’s all getting blown in from other areas by shifting winds. )
@macromeh@sillyheathen
That’s really sucks. I love the PNW and have very fond memories of the area.
Hopefully they’ll get the fires under control and your air quality will return to normal(ish).
Wishing it would cool down already.
Realizing it’s summer because it’s staying hot at night. It’s thinking about worldcon cuz it’s less than a month away
@Cerridwyn I guess you are attending LAcon V?
@Cerridwyn I looked at long-range weather. Over next 16 days we are forecast to have SIX hours of temps below 77° here (76°, to be exact). House doesn’t cool off overnight and bedroom A/C can’t fight that. [grumble]
@Cerridwyn @phendrick yes, exactly. I have bedroom A/C (portable unit) was hoping it would get me through Summer. But next few days 90-100 with lots of wildfire smoke. I have central A/C but need to re-wire it (long story…)
Summary: I hate Summer
@mycya4me yeah, it’s technically creating distance but I’m too old for that kind of drive in this heat. La Con 3 I only went for a day it was a nice little Drive
@Cerridwyn You are NOT old! Just seasoned just right! I came very close to going to WorldCon the it was Just outside of Washington DC a few years back. But with COVID still around & my lack of cash flown. I was NOT able to go!
@Cerridwyn
I love the Regional Fan Run cons. MarsCON, RavenCon, (pretty much go every year) I also been to MystiCon. I will not go to GalaxyCon (they are only about the $$$)
For a couple years I went Shore Leave with a group (but that was before Covid) No one I know still goes to Shore Leave to help cover the $$$ of the hotel.
I doubt I will be getting to DragonCon, SDCC or a WorldCon mostly due to $$$ & age. But they are still on my bucket list as are a few other things.
@mycya4me yeah I used to do smaller times. The people in Southern California are weird. Even for me. This is the last WorldCon in United States for about 5 years. I love Canada is next year and there’s another Canadian did so a couple of years out. We all know why. I don’t travel well. Seattle just kind of hard on the last year. I’ve never been a fancy traveler but as I’ve gotten older it’s gotten worse. I envy those that just toss stuff and it’s awful and head out and see the world.
Working like always
Really wishing it was winter already
@reidk5307 NOPE!
Wondering whether my yard and I will survive the heat and dearth of rain.
I don’t dream of fall because here that’s not much different from summer until November or maybe even December.
Traveling somewhere cooler.
I kinda did that. I’m leaving Porto now where it is cooler than Segovia. But now I’m heading back to Segovia.
@kittykat9180
We enjoyed our visit to Portugal several years ago (love me some Fado…) and are thinking about making a family trip back either over Christmas or ín the summer in 2027-28. This year we’re doing Costa Rica.
@chienfou Costa Rica was my first international trip way back in 2007.
@kittykat9180
This will be our (wife and I) third visit to Costa Rica. We’ve taken to traveling with the grandkids and family as opposed to giving gifts. The memories are indelible. Plan to spend most of it on the Pacific coast near Manual Antonio…
@kittykat9180
Enjoy a cataplana for me!
@chienfou
I don’t typically visit the same country twice (except Canada). There’s too much to see and not enough time and resources to do it all.
@kittykat9180
typically we return to share our experiences with others that don’t travel as much or are more timid.
@kittykat9180 I was in Segovia once and I loved it. It’s so different from most of Spain; we were usually on the east side, Costa Blanca, near Alicante.
… to panic. T-Minus 9 days until my daughter moves into her college dorm room. I am so not ready to be an empty nester. Stupid passage of time. Meh.
@capnjb
But now your life is yours again. You have more freedom and you get to walk around your house naked.
@capnjb @kittykat9180
@capnjb Four kids in our household - the final step to an empty nest was a pretty big adjustment…
@capnjb @kittykat9180 As an only child who had parents NOT let go, I’d say please let her go. This was 40 years ago for me; dorm rooms had a landline phone (there were no cell phones). They would call at 7AM on a Saturday morning. “We didn’t hear from you, are you OK?” The phone ringing would wake up me, my room-mate, and everyone in nearby dorm rooms. The scars are still there.
@kittykat9180 @pmarin Heh, we’re not helicopter parents by any means. We’ve been hands off since third grade. She has done it all on her own since then… including earning a full ride to an expensive private college.
(not complaining about free college!). It’s not far away… maybe 30 minutes and she could probably commute but I want her to have the campus experience and her college fund should cover her room and board. For the last 10 years we’ve done ‘bagel Tuesdays’ at a local New York style bakery on the way to school. Not every Tuesday but most of them 
Might be able to do it a few times a semester if she wants to. I’m glad she is close, but I’m just the Uber driver for her 
She will change the world… of that I’m sure 
My wife and I will miss her being at home, but she’ll do great… it will just be an adjustment.
The most wonderful time of the year…! Watermelon! Sweet corn!! Homegrown heirloom TOMATOES!!! BLTs with an ear of corn followed up with a large serving of watermelon. My mouth waters as I type this!
Wait, there’s MORE! Open water swimming! Paddleboarding, kayaking, paddle surfing in Lake Michigan, hiking the shores of Lake Superior & then swimming in it!! Having a backyard gathering roasting succulent meats on the grill & sharing it all. Sitting outside while the sun sets reading a book. Watching the fireflies with a loved one. Picking fresh produce & flowers from our garden. Attending a tomato tasting! Lots & lots more!
None of those things can be done outside of summer. It’s absolutely the most wonderful time of the year!! All too short where I live.
@Joedetroit
My daughter was born in International Falls. We always joked that spring was June, summer July, fall August.
@Joedetroit
️ time on Lake Michigan! All the large outdoor festivals on and near the lake are coming to an end only the Air & Water Show is left (great time to be out on the boat: Best Views!) The weather and water are usually calmer in mid August. We’ll see how it goes with wildfire smoke
.
For me it’s sailing
@jkawaguchi I used to have a small sailboat. I got nowhere to put one now days otherwise I would get one. Water calmer in August…? I did not know that! Looking forward to more SUP.
@jkawaguchi @Joedetroit
We had a little two man Snark style sailboat when the kids were small. Used to sail around Sabine Bay in Pensacola with it when we visited my father-in-law as well as occasionally on the lake close by. It was a blast. Kind of miss those days.
Wondering why schools start so soon…
Back in the day… We never went to school before Labor Day.
@rustyh3
In NM the public schools start later this week or early next week.
Growing up in NorCal school late August.
@kittykat9180 @rustyh3
Next week locally (central AL).
Likewise. When I was in high school we started after Labor Day and generally finished in early june. We also didn’t have a week long “fall break” and as long a Christmas holiday.
Noticing the days are getting shorter.
Cleaning up the garden in preparation for fall plantings.
Having pool parties & barbecues and attending outdoor concerts locally.
Putting up figs.
… getting really tired of mowing the lawn.
@macromeh I would prefer to mow the yard than to have it so dry it isn’t growing at all.
@Kyeh Oh, it’s dry enough here that the grass isn’t growing much, but that doesn’t stop the *&$# dandelions and other weeds.
I get excited knowing school will be starting soon.
Praying for rain. The fires are starting to show up all over and I really don’t want to have to evacuate. The Englishman took the tallest and a few of his high school buddies on the river today and it’s pretty hazy.
I had to shut all the windows because the smoke is getting heavy here too.
@sillyheathen
Awww, so sorry to hear that. Hope you dodge that bullet and stay safe.
@chienfou you and me both!
@chienfou @sillyheathen
)
I just saw a headline that said the Portland area currently has the 5th worst air quality in the world!
(And we’re not even all that close to any big fires - it’s all getting blown in from other areas by shifting winds.
@macromeh @sillyheathen
That’s really sucks. I love the PNW and have very fond memories of the area.
Hopefully they’ll get the fires under control and your air quality will return to normal(ish).
@chienfou @sillyheathen
According to today’s paper, we’re now number 1!
)
Woohoo!
(umm, wait…