Ah, the heat. They say 107 today. Hottest in fifty years. Portland's not built for it. Firstly, and worstly, the craziest public pool system I've ever seen in my life. At Sellwood Pool, for instance, you can swim from 1:00 to 2:30, then they kick you out and you have to completely exit the pool area with all of your stuff in tow, get back in line (and there are already fifty people standing in line by the time you get out there), pay again, and come back in at 2:40 to swim until 4:10. Wilson Pool lets you stay all day, but I think it's the only outdoor one that lets you do that (don't quote me). But I feel sorry for the kids around here in the summer. They don't know what it's like to ride your bike to the pool, with a towel and a book in your bike basket, and stay from morning until dinnertime with nothing but a frozen Snickers to tide you over.
My neighbor brought over a pitcher of iced tea the other day. I think I'll bring her one back today. My sister-in-law left a box of peppermint tea here a few weeks ago when she was visiting. That sounds perfect for 107 degrees.
Oh my gosh, how's the humdity? You are not used to that are you?
Barbara
Swimming in the city pool was the only thing to do in the summer on a hot day. We had to travel 23 miles to the nearest one but somehow managed to find a ride once a week at least. Mostly we swam in the creeks and at the strip mine pits (not recommended). Then to the Dog 'N' Suds for Coney dogs and Root Beer! Several of these calories can now be seen on my hips. Loved summer!
I wish I could have some of your sunshine and warm here ! It's so depressing in England :(
Title of the post made me want to sing martha reeves !
That's absolutely lovely your neighbour came around with ice tea!
Have a lovely day ox
I heard it's hotter than HELL there right now. My family lives in Portland and they are not prepared for heat like that (no AC). We have the same stupid system here in NYC. We deal with it. Ikea is down the street from the pool (so picturesque). If we are desperate we take advantage of their air conditioning and meatballs. It doesn't get better than that:)
I saw this on the weather/news last night & immediately thought of you! Oh- I am so glad you have AC!
big fan & still loving your book from Christmas :)
The memories of riding my bike to the pool hit me hard with your description. That is exactly what I would do. Well, I might ride home for lunch if I was too lazy to pack something.
OMG! I just saw the weather for Portland on the news and then your blog. Yikes! I turn into a bitch when the weather turns 90 and the humidity is high. No other way to put it. I HATE,HATE, HATE hot weather. Blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin. I wanted long thick straight hair,and a California tan. That was 1967. What's a gal to do. Oh yeah, my family never had central air. Everyone one in the family tanned and had darker hair. No, I wasn't adopted-just took after my German great-grandfather. Thinking of you.
Oh Alicia, it's insanity. We have no air conditioning, and our sweet kitty is terrified of our ceiling fan!
Neighbors bringing each other iced tea...I love it! What a neighborhood you live in! Our pool system is wonky here too. There aren't ANY public pools here so you either have to drive to another town or join something expensive. Ridiculous!
We aren't QUITE as hot up here, but still stiffling! We were in Yakima yesterday and it was 102 by 2pm and the news said that the humidty was 44%. That's just too much for me!
Oh dear - you're getting some of our Texas heat! (It's in the low 70s here today.) Hooray for iced tea and neighbors - hope you can find a way to stay cool!
My husband and I were just camping at Lake Chelan in Washington over the weekend and it was so hot that around 7 or 8am it was already 80 degrees. And inside our tent it was even hotter. Thank goodness we were on a lake! We spent most of our days in the water :)
oh I loved going to the pool in the summer, we would be there from about 9AM until they closed, sometimes as late as 9PM! Riding my bike, the wind in my face - ahhh such memories. We had plastic tags with id numbers that our moms sewed onto our swimsuits for easy admittance to the pool, my sister still has some of those tags! They were Kelly Green. Then walking over to the candy store for a candy bar and a pop for 25 cents - the lifeguards occasionally making announcements over the loudspeaker "so and so, your mom called, COME HOME NOW!". How I miss the small town life.
This pool system is what I was used to up in Ontario when I was young. I could never understand why we had to change, exit, then pay again for another 2 hours of pool time...go figure. Sorry you are so hot there. It is so humid here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, everyone just stays inside during the day hours...ah, the joys of summer. And to think, we look forward to this season all year long!
Ouch! Sounds like Mother Nature is in a tizzy, upside-down and all discombobulated! Like Texas, it is in the 70's here in Kansas ...you've got our weather and we've got yours. I hope you don't mind. I'm sure we'll be returning it to you shortly! ;-)
That pool stuff is just whack! Close for 10 minutes and then make you pay again?! harrrruuumph!
Stay cool!
Jennifer in Kansas
This will probably sound nuts, but, I envy your weather. (kinda!) Our summer here in Pittsford Ny has been a bust. Rainiest and coldest July I ever remember. Our pool was dipped into for the 1st time yesterday.We had a heat wave (80s) and some SUN.Overcast today....rain predicted. Oh! All this rain has been a dream for the mosquito population.But, such is life. I've been gardening when I can, and cozying up.
I love your blog. I really do. I just think you know that. Thanks for making my day!
Now they're saying it's going to be 108.
The cats have turned to butter, and this morning I broke the sun tea jar.
Oh oh.
i loved swimming at the town pool- i remember the first time i jumped off the high dive- my dad said he'd by me any bar of candy i'd like at the concession stand. of course i chose a snickers bar.
I have never been to our cities public pool--too crowded for me. The neighborhood pool memberships are too expensive! Usually we take the boat to a lake or swim in the stock tank. All is too dried up with the drought this year, so I haven't even had my suit on! We have been having triple digit temps since June. They are more common in late July and August. Heat is exhausting!
Blessings,
Lorilee
Yikes! That is HOT for there! Here in the Austin, TX area, we've been in the triple digits for days and days now. Ick. Even though we have pools a plenty, it's still stinkin' hot! Even the pool feels like a warm bath after a while and the cold water is never cold from the faucet either. It's odd when you go to do laundry and you swear you put it on cold, but it's rather warm water! Double ick.
Hope it gets better for you guys there soon! And feel free to send some cooler temps our way too! :)
It's been hot here, too. Not 100-degrees hot, but I firmly believe that once you hit a certain point it all feels the same- miserable. Today it's hot, humid, and overcast. The clouds look like thick, grey wool blankets that are holding in the heat from the now-hidden sun. I feel like if I could just poke a hole through the clouds, all of this hot air would escape, bursting through like steam from a pressure cooker.
Feeling the heat with you- up here in Seattle. My son is at the pool right now- 8:30am, for swim team, and then he'll come home at nap until noon.
I'm in survival mode until after the weekend- lots of watery drinks and salads and reading by the fan. I'm off to water the garden before it's too, too hot. It does make me think of AC- what a treat that would be.
Holy cow! I know what you mean... It's hot every day in sunny Florida. Plus the humidity. But I personally don't do well in dry heat. The pool set-up there, however, is a joke... Cheers, Julie
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