To be honest, I expected it.
I’d planned on a long ride yesterday, but once the temperature hit 100 degrees by 9:30 am, I thought better of it. And as I watched it climb up to 115 on my balcony — in the shade — it was clear that the Westside’s unfamiliarity with extreme heat and addiction to air conditioning meant the power grid would be going down.
The only question was when and where.
As it turned out, the answer was 3:23 pm and right here.
It wasn’t all bad. By keeping the windows closed and the blinds drawn, I was able to keep the temperature in our apartment down to a stuffy, but relatively comfortable 84 degrees. And after a mad scramble to secure ice to keep our food from going bad, we spent a pleasant evening dining al fresco at a nearby food court with the neighbors we never seem to spend time with.
By the time we got back home around 10, we had power again, which puts us far ahead of several other areas that are still without power.
On the other hand, a defective laptop battery that recently gave up the ghost meant that I had just enough time to shut my computer down, losing a day’s worth of links and keeping me from writing last night.
And while I could write something this morning, it’s a bit cooler today, with a tropical cloud cover keeping it down to a humid but tolerable 90, and my bike is making me feel guilty since it didn’t get out yesterday.
So for now, you’re on your own. I promise to be back later today, or by morning at least.
Assuming the power stays on, of course.
Glad to hear you weren’t out biking in that heat! It’s humid as hell up here too, which is unusual, although we’re only in the 70s. I’m so ready for some nice crisp cool fall air.
That is a HOT day.
Hotter than NZ’s highest ever temp, and the same as Melbourne’s hottest ever tempreture.
If you were in Australia you’d be on extreme bushfire alert at the moment.