Seattle Summer

We are finally settling into a Seattle summer. The last 4 summers we've spent mornings at Splashtown, afternoons eating popsicles & having waterfights with friends, and evenings enjoying our A/C indoors. Average temperature in Houston this time of year - mid 90s. Average humidity - 97%. Also, summer in Houston starts in late April and goes strong until early October. Though the heat is miserable, we had adjusted and found many fun ways to cope.

Here in the Northwest the average temperature this time of year is in the mid 70s (and we've had a particularly chilly summer). Average humidity - 65%. We finally gave up on having any hot, sunny days about the end of June. We blew up the new pool & set it out in the yard. Then, we filled it with water. Not hose water, mind you, as this was much too cold. Instead we drained the hot water heater & poured in a few pan-fulls of hot water from the kitchen sink. Danny & Kaylee were thrilled to splash and play. It's certainly no Splashtown, but Danny managed to make his own pirate ship anyway. In the end the cold was victorious over the fun.

We finally did get a hot streak a couple weeks ago with several days in the 90s. Initially it felt GLORIOUS! Despite my whining about TX heat, I'd sort of missed the bright sunshine that warms you clear through. We played outside in the pool and soaked in our Vitamin D. We went to a splash park with friends, drank smoothies, and ate popsicles. But then, in the afternoons, I was reminded of another Northwest anomaly. No air conditioning. Fortunately, our house is in a shady area so the indoor heat never topped 90 degrees.

The HOT weather didn't stick around too long and lately we've been spoiled with sunny days and weather in the high 70s. Last week we had a blast at a beach park with friends. It's been a long time since I spent the summer in the Northwest and I had forgotten how different the beach experience is here. Instead of sun-kissed tans fleeing to the water to cool down, there are glowing white bodies fleeing from the water to warm up. The chattering teeth and goosebumps don't seem to slow anybody down though. Kaylee and Danny both braved the water, but had the most fun digging around in the sand.

Since many of our old summer favorites don't work quite as well in the new climate, we're finding many other ways to keep busy and have fun including museums, parks, libraries, the waterfront (not IN the water though), & our recently rediscovered favorite, stick collecting. I mean, hiking.So after adjusting to many changes, we are thoroughly enjoying our 1st Seattle Summer.