I'm really, really tired of the heat

And I'm also tired of living 1500 miles away from my family.

After a 1 week vacation, my folks left today, Heather to California, my parents to Palatka, Florida. Opposite sides of the country. It was great to have them here, and great to see that Logan was able to interact with my half of the grandparent set. I think all involved loved it.

Hard to see them go, however, knowing that it will be months at best before they can return. Once I have finished my fellowship I have hopes of gathering all the family together to within some reasonable distance. Katie's family is incrementally moving to Seattle, and somewhere in the Pacific Northwest may be a good spot.

Also, we are suffering through record temps here in Temple. 102, yesterday, projected to get to 105 today, with heat index greater than 110. In fact, it is so hot that not only can I not go outside, but I really can't tolerate being in the garage for long. And when the garage, which is "my space" in which I have all my personal hobbies/projects arranged, is off-limits then I go a little crazy. I have a long list of stuff I want to do, and can do NONE OF IT.

This is way hotter than Houston. Granted, Houston stayed in the 90s, but rarely cracked 100. Perhaps this is why:


Temple is in the Texas desert. Little rain, lots of heat. Houston was moderated by the costal climate, so it never got as hot (nor as cold).

Let's compare, for example, the Portland, Oregon area:


Or the Seattle, Washington area:


A study in contrasts, don't you think? Now I'm cheating, of course, because both these pictures are of mountains some 1-2 hours drive from the respective cities. Where we are, a 2 hour drive means...you are still in Texas, and it's still HOT.

Turns out that the average HIGH temps for Seattle and Portland are nearly identical to the average LOW temps for Temple. And frankly, my ideal temperature for outdoor fun is about 55-65 degrees. A good fraction of the year is that temperature at some point of the day in the Northwest, whereas here that time of year may be best measured in seconds.

We're leaving. It won't be for at least 2 years, maybe longer. But we are leaving. And we are going to either the Pacific Northwest or something so similar that I can't tell the difference. And there will be mountains. Mountains sing to me. They pull me towards them, and up them. And now that I may have some options in selecting where I will live, I will no longer live without them.