HOT!!!!!!

Need I say more!? Downtown Duluth and the lakeshore hit 100 today. The high at my house? 98 degrees fahrenheit! Did I mention most Duluthians (including me) do not have air conditioning or central air?

HOT!

This has been going on long enough - and the nights have been so warm - that closing up the house is pretty pointless. We still try, but by the time early afternoon rolls around, opening doors and windows to catch the wind is better than stewing inside the house.

Friday Lake Superior was a refuge. Cool water, but not so cold your feet went numb seconds after entry. Ah, but today the wind was blowing hard from the southwest (which is why it was warmer by the lake). Out blew all the warm surface water, in came the frigid stuff from down deep. Provides a lot of entertainment in the form of watching all the humans behaving like plovers, running in and out of the water quickly, but lessens ones ability to just sit in the water cooling off.

Worked on Icarus a bit last night when it had cooled off enough that the yarn wasn't sticking to my hands too bad. Just a few more rows and I will start the second lace chart. I've been keeping an eye on the Yarn Harlot and her progress on the shawl. She is ahead of me, but not by much.

The socks are coming along. Finished one as I stood outside the International Flights area of the Mlps/St. Paul airport waiting for my daughter to appear. Worked on the second sock while sitting in the sun today watching the same daughter play soccer. Temperature when we left for the field: 88. Temperature when we arrived home an hour and a half later: 91. Number of players on her team today: 8 (yes, there should be at least 11, but you can legally play with 7).

Kept working on the sock later as we sat in the Rose Garden, overlooking the Lake and watching Dances on the Lakewalk. This was the 10th Anniversary of this event and the girls and I have attended every year. By 7 pm there was shade to sit in, but the dancers still had to perform in the 100 degree heat.

Did I mention that Duluth rarely sees temperatures like this? Yeah, we are reknowned for our cold in the winter - and the summer. I rarely head downtown without a sweater or fleece shirt in the car. But now I am trying to figure out how comfortable I am with bare skin! Needless to say, running is on hold until temps moderate a bit. I had got myself used to running when temps hit the mid 70's and have even played soccer into the 80's, but this is crazy hot and this northern gal is not acclimated to exercising in this kind of heat.

Hope you are keeping cool wherever you are!