Dog Days of Summer

I think that I finally understand the term "dog days of summer".

I grew up in rural Oregon where it rarely edged over 90 degrees in the summer. It also rarely snowed in the winter. Just lucky I guess.

I would hear of these "dog days" and never knew what they meant. I think finally after 11 years in Redding I get it.

Dog days means that it is SO BLOODY HOT THAT ALL YOU WANT TO DO IS LIE AROUND LIKE A DOG ALL DAY.

Well up until a few weeks ago I didn't "get it". Well, maybe I just hadn't experienced it. I have lived here and worked here for the last 11 years. I guess that I was kind of acclimated to the summer when I was working here full time.

In fact, I remember starring down the setting sun at MarketFest one year when we were tied with the HOTTEST PLACE ON EARTH (and probably one that was NOT on Earth)! I sat there in the early evening trying to sell sandwiches (the best in town, I might add) and facing West. Not seeing that many people and really questioning my career path at that point.

Since I now don't have to leave the house in the morning during the "cool" hours. You know, less that 80 or so, to go to work and be in and out the heat all day. When I do leave, it is at least 25 degrees hotter than my "comfy" house.

Since I have been working in Berkeley, and it is Summer, I am often cold. I have been out of pants since May. Well not out, just put away so that my shorts are now easy to get, instead of those oh so warm pants. I have several pairs of pants. I have pants that are lined with flannel to keep me warm on those cold winter days in Redding. The thought of wearing them now gets me close to experiencing heat stroke.

I even find that my home air conditioner isn't as cool as it should be when I set it to 75. Now that's just unsane, irrational, but unsane.

COME ON REDDING, I ONLY HAVE SO MANY CLOTHES TO TAKE OFF! Sheesh, give a guy a break. 111, 115, 119 degrees? Really get serious. Although I will admit, you generally get my attention at 110, but after 110 that is just silly.

I now get the term "Dog days of Summer". All I want to do is lay around, scratch myself and lap up cool bowls of water.

I just wish that I could be that happy chasing a ball.

Poe's not home, man!

Well, we went to Baltimore. We saw the sights. We drank in the "ambiance"(i.e. east coast beer that I don't get here). We rode the water taxi. We endured the rain (seriously, it DUMPED for at least an hour) when we were walking to lunch. We dealt with the humidity, which was much easier to deal with than I remember as I spent a year on the East Coast while I was in the Navy.

You would think that was all there as to it. Well I am here to tell you that, nothing is as it seems.

On the surface, we went to Baltimore to see the sights and see what it is like on the "other" coast.

We came. We tourist-ed. We conquered, well not quite. Although, we did see the Baltimore Orioles conquer!

We had a wonderful time on the East Coast. All the sights, all the smells (yes different cities smell differently than home) and all the different people.

All of them were friendly.

So, Poe's not home. You have to be curious, right? Maybe just a little? NO? Well you should be.

The last day of our trip to the East Coast we spent in Baltimore. We decided that we would trek to the Edgar Allen Poe House location that was on the handy little map that was in the lobby of our hotel.

Well, as with a few minor, very minor, directional issues with our trip in, why should this be different?

Our map showed the "historical Poe House" to be a short distance away from our hotel. Really, about 30 or so blocks. What it failed to show, was the part of the city that we had to walk through to get the the Poe House. Let's just say that it was less than savory and leave it at that.

We walked about 2 miles to get to the location of the "Poe House". It did take up most of our last morning in Baltimore. It also did seem a fitting end to our trip. Don't get me wrong, even though it sounds anti-climatic, it wasn't. It was probably the exact perfect ending to a perfect, if not long awaited and needed, vacation.

There are more stories to be told from our trip. From Baltimore's finest helping us to our hotel. Seeing the Orioles win a game in the bottom of the 9th. Getting soaked to the bone in a rain storm, in less than the time it takes you to read this sentence. Being on the Red Line in DC and going through the station that had a fatal train accident less than an hour after we we got off the train. The water taxi, the pedal boats and the never ending beer glass at lunch (I honestly think that free beer is attracted to me by some sort sort of cosmic attraction). The after hours walk through the "nightlife" area of town. It seemed as though every day we were there was a story or stories in and of themselves.

I am sure that we will go back to Baltimore, but when we do, we will call ahead to make sure that the Poe house will be open. Oh, we will also take a taxi there and have them wait outside while we look around.