I think that I finally figured out something important...(probably was obvious to most but you know the wheels in my head turn slowly), Summer in the Valley is my winter. It's "Bizarro World" out here...(thank you, Seinfeld). Let's do a comparison, shall we?
People leave the Midwest and Northeast in the winter months when cold and the threat of snow rear their ugly heads and come here. Then they return after May to escape the excessive heat and monsoon storms and humidity of the desert summer months...
The invasion of the Jersey Shore begins after Memorial Day (May) and usually concludes after Labor Day (September). Restaurants are packed, the boardwalk is packed, the beaches are crowded and traffic is awful. The "snowbird" season begins here in October and last until April or early May.
Restaurants are packed, golf courses are packed (and the prices go up, up, up!) and traffic is awful.
The Northeast and Midwest have their worst weather conditions from November until the end of April with bitter cold and record snows. The worst weather in the Valley is from June until the end of September with monsoon storms, record rainfall, flash floods, and sticky humidity...
Golfing deals in the Northeast and Midwest are best in the spring (February-April) and fall (Oct until first snow). The best golf deals out here are from June through September...We live in the same country but it's like opposite sides of the planet. And don't get me started on the people...(just kidding...I love my snowbirds like the year round residents of the shore communities love their "bennies"...wink, wink).
Speaking of the weather...you would think that living in the desert would mean dealing with oppressive heat (it does) and temperatures that hang in the 100's for most of the summer (it does) and that's about it... OH NO! Not this summer. If anyone watches the news, 2 weeks ago Hurricane Norbert dumped record rainfall on the valley...(Norbert? Is the best name they could come up with?) No problem, right? The ground would soak it up like a sponge, right? Wrong! The rain had nowhere to go, so roads were flooded out, dry river beds became rivers again and flash flooding was a major problem. I was never so happy to live in a second floor apartment. Norbert dumped 4.5 inches of rain in a 24 hour period on Phoenix alone. I know that doesn't sound like much, but the average rainfall for the year here is 8 inches. Only the major city areas have sewer systems...(Thank you, Tempe). The rest of the state is at the mercy of the washes and gravity and natural drainage. So with some areas still cleaning up, here comes Odile...(who the heck is in charge of naming storms?) up from Baja and Mexico with another round of storms and heavy rain... This is the worst example of dry heat, ever! The heavy stuff is supposed to come on Wednesday night...(of course I'm working!) so I will be manning the rain slicker and hoping the security vehicle I drive doesn't get swept down some wash...(no sewers in Desert Highlands). Mother Nature has beaten me again...Never again will I make fun of the weather elsewhere or revel in the misfortunes of others...(Let's be real. I will always revel in the misfortunes of others, it just won't be weather-related).
So off to work I go. I will make it through, have no worries. Making it home may be another story but I will deal with that tomorrow morning... Adios to you...Hola to Odile...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment