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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Keeping Cool on the Coast

Monday my daughter Amy and I escaped the heat in Gig Harbor and came to the Long Beach Peninsula. I nearly left at 10 PM Sunday and it wasn’t nearly as hot there as it has been yesterday and today. Although it has been beautiful each day here and we watched beautiful sunsets last night and the night before, cool ocean breezes have kept the house very comfortable, even upstairs in our old Victorian with the low ceilings and no AC.

This afternoon as Portland and Seattle were experiencing record temperatures the fog began to roll in here, quickly dropping the temperature from a high of 70 today down to a current 58. The fog is so thick I cannot see the Ilwaco headlands from our front porch.

This evening my husband had to drive home for work tomorrow and said that he hit a wall of heat in Olympia that was “bat @#$% crazy.” I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to be sitting in my cool kitchen, looking out the door at the darkening fog. I’m not going back to Gig Harbor until things get better!

11 comments:

Kim Thompson said...

That temp sounds heavenly.

Stephanie Frieze said...

It may have stayed 58 all night because that's where it is now at 7:20 AM. The good news is that you all should begin to get a little relief today and more on Friday.

How's the pup doing in the heat, Kim? Dave said he was going to go home and put a bucket of ice water in front of the fan to make his version of a swamp cooler.

Kim Thompson said...

Thanks for asking.

Kona is doing fine. We've been wiping her down with cool towels and put left over tiles in the freezer and took them out for her to lay on. She loved that. She plays with ice cubes, too!

Stephanie Frieze said...

By the computer I see that overnight you all had temps similar to that here on the coast. Are you breathing a sigh of relief?

Tim on Jackson Lake said...

Stephanie - My wife and I have been down to the Long Beach peninsula the last two weekends an d enjoyed the mist and cool temps. We made an offer on a 1895 house in Ilwaco and had it accepted. Hope to be full time residents in a year or so

Stephanie Frieze said...

Ooo, now I will have to drive around town and speculate. If the economy ever gets better or Lockheed shuts down Seattle Flight Service, we will be neighbors. I love our old house (1881) even if there is always something that needs fixing. Since we had to halt renovations we've been puttering in the yard. See my View From My Broom post about the view from my porch. :-)

Tim at Jackson Lake said...

It is at 310 Lake st.

Stephanie Frieze said...

I know that house! It is sweet and my daughter-in-law was sad when Michael and his wife moved out of it. Did they go back to Portland. I met him one day when they first lived full time in Ilwaco, not long after we bought our house some 17 years ago. I was out for a walk and he was in the yard and chatted with me. I know he did a lot of work to the inside so you are probably way ahead of the game from where we have been with ours! Congratulations and welcome to the neighborhood.

Tim at Jackson Lake said...

They moved to Manzanita Oregon. Can't wait to get started on the landscape. We will be down on the 15th for the event at the port.

Stephanie Frieze said...

I am surprised as she inherited that house which had been a family summer home, but they had lived in Portland and may have missed Oregon. Manzanita is very cool and Ilwaco is having a hard time getting over its shabbiness. I wish people would spruce their property up a bit, but I would not like Ilwaco to turn into a tourist Mecca. Its quietness is what appeals to us.

I will be sure to say hi if you are in the yard!

tkezele said...

We hope that a bit more pride comes to the residences in Ilwaco. That beautiful 1897 house accross from the fire station is great except for the two tree trunks with red paint thrown on them in protest to thier removal. I plan to transplant my tree & shrub care business there.