If it wasn't the first week of school I would be heading up there now. I wonder if the a/c in all the schools is working.

It feels like summer has finally arrived! Yippee! I don't know what happened this year but my pool did not warm up until last week.

These sultry summer days are why I love the South. Thank God for A/C though...

Because life without a/c is. . . mumble, mumble, something unprintable, mumble, mumble.

In an interesting twist, I'm in Southern California this week, and it's so nice here that the air conditioning is off. I'm sitting, very comfortably, under a slow twirling ceiling fan as I catch up on a few things. Glad I'm not at home right now...

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

97.5 here this afternoon. Thermostat set on 80 and all the south facing blinds closed, and the AC still can't keep up.

They tell me it was a 110 here last week, so if all just right it will be cool in ET in a few days.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

According to Yahoo's current conditions for Baghdad, it's only 90 over there. Although I guess it's in the middle of the night. The high today was 110.

I was thinking earlier today it's pretty bad here, but that our troops are over their walking around with 50 lbs of gear or riding around in Humvees with no AC in 110+ degree heat every day.

So it could be a lot worse. Hope that helps!

(Meanwhile, the Iraqi Parliament has gone on holiday to the Mediterranean, because as Tony Snow reminded us it can get up to 130 over there in August, which is apparently too much for the politicians but A-OK for our troops covering for them.)

But it's a dry 110 in Baghdad! Well, actually, 110 degrees is hot no matter where you are. 130 is downright dangerous.

It was and is disgusting outside in Maryville right now. It's almost midnight and it's hot outside. I took my youngest son to Look Rock today and it was a nice respite - only about 81 at the top though the haze was depressing.

Tomorrow the family is taking a trip for my birthday over to the Bud Ogle Nature Trail with a picnic in Leconte Creek. The other day I walked along the Middle Prong at Tremont and found the creek really cooled things off. It was 94 in Maryville according to my truck thermometer and 80 at the end of Tremont Road. Creekside it was probably about 77. That's the place to be these days. If you work from home or work on a laptop, take it with you up to Tremont, put your feet in the cold mountain stream and enjoy the cool mountain air. The tree cover will keep the depressing haze out of sight too! It's nature's air conditioning.

The digital thermometers are reading 99.3 in the shade on the back porch. The concrete patio is too hot to walk on barefoot.

I put one of the thermometers out in the direct sun on a patio chair, and it shot up to 108.

The Mrs. put it out in the yard in the grass in the sun. Right now it reads 106.2.

Conclusion: It's hotter than a two-dollar pistol out there.

Today's high was 73F at Mount LeConte. Meanwhile, 35 miles away, it was 93F as I rode my bicycle at sunset. Oh well, still beats winter.

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

We went to the Bud Ogle Place near Gatlinburg early this evening for a family hike and it was very comfortable - around 78 degrees. It stayed that way the whole ride home, through Pigeon Forge, Wears Valley, Townsend and Walland. And then right as we passed Heritage High School on 321 the temperature just shot up. It was pushing 9pm at that point and the air felt hot (it still is). But I was amazed at how quickly the temperature jumped when coming into Maryville. It's like the heat gets trapped in the valley.

BTW, Mt. Leconte has NEVER recorded a temperature of 80 degrees. I find that fascinating because 6500 feet is not exactly Mt. Everest.

Oh well, still beats winter.

Yes!

Oh well, still beats winter.

Ah yes, Elrod, I anxiously await your upcoming essay on the fun of driving in East Tennessee when we get a quarter inch of snow, assuming that we will ever see another accumulation.

You really must experience the ET equivalent of the running of the bulls, making sure there is plenty of milk and bread in the house just in case.

As my friend from northern Ohio says, "It's a southern thang."

In the meantime you may want to take a look at this.

Wearybottom Associates

There is a bird bath in the shade of a crepe myrtle in my back yard that has been doing a land office business these last few days (mostly chickadees and titmice). It reminds me of the Sinks on a hot day.

Don't forget to keep your little guys supplied with lots of fresh water.

Wearybottom Associates

100.4 in the shade on the back deck now. Not even frozen Margaritas will help.

The air quality had improved a little yesterday, but seems to have worsened a little today. There's a breeze blowing, though, so maybe it will blow some of that stuff on out of here.

It feels about 66 in our hotel room right now. The windows are closed, so we can breathe without wheezing. Someone should install a/c in the homes (and apartments) without it and see if the community isn't a happier place.

It hit 76 on Mt. Leconte today:

(link...)

Remember: It has NEVER hit 80 degrees on Mt. Leconte. We're getting close to record territory up there.

For the record, I took the kids to Grotto Falls today and it was very comfortable up there. It must've been about 75 degrees and we swam in the creek below the falls. It's about 3800 feet up at that point and we were there at 1pm. It was great being at a place so comfortable knowing that it was 95 in Pigeon Forge. Nature's air conditioner!