Beating the HEAT!!!

I planned my summer vacation to Washington months ago, thinking it would be three weeks of a wonderful weather getaway from Tucson's horrendous heat. I anticipated balmy breezes, cool mornings sipping coffee on the patio, long pleasant walks. HA!

Instead, I got to experience the worst heat wave EVER recorded, with heat records being broken day after day in the Northwest. And most people here do not have air conditioning, including the friend I'm staying with. Yesterday, it was six degrees hotter and way more humid here than back home in Oro Valley/Tucson. Even the restaurants in Gig Harbor were closing because of the heat, I guess because the kitchens would have been too hot for their workers.

Luckily, my friends are creative when it comes to beating the heat. I'm staying with Nancy, and she set up her sprinkler so that we could plop ourselves in lawn chairs and enjoy the spray, along with a fan blowing on us. We spent hours under the sprinkler yesterday after spending hours in air conditioned stores.

She also turned the hot tub heater down so we could soak in a "cool tub." I didn't bring a bathing suit, so I just went in wearing my street clothes. It was very refreshing, and afterward we sat under the sprinkler.

Gig Harbor is a water town, and it seemed that everyone who owned a boat was out on the water. Here's the view of the harbor from inside Morso's restaurant. 

I got to go on a boat ride thanks to my friend Dawn, who called a friend and asked him to give us a little ride one evening. It was sooooo much cooler out there.

Dawn was house sitting for someone with a beach house and she invited me to stay one night. It didn't have air conditioning, but it did have a lower level with a guest bedroom tucked in the back that was blissfully cool. We also got to do beach walks and dip our feet in the cold water.

Here's a view of Mount Rainier from the boat.

Skiff the dog gazes out at the boat activity from his beach house. The poor thing must have been so hot in his fur coat, but he sought out the shade and took it easy.

And last night the heat broke!

Have a cool day