I’m continuing this habit of going to the gym during the workday in order to make sure it happens. So far so good, but on my way back to the office today something unexpected happened.
As I walked up the tree-lined sidewalk across from the park next to my building a strong gust of wind blew down the street. The gust of wind is not particularly unusual. The far end of Harrison Street begins by emerging from an underwater tunnel from Alameda, serving as the primary means of reaching downtown Oakland from the far side of an estuary. In other words, the street begins at the edge of a body of water. Alameda is a relatively small island, and beyond it is the San Francisco Bay.
Incidentally, the beach on which I spent my afternoon yesterday, flying kites with Lil’B and, as it turns out, getting a rather unusually shaped but bright red sunburn on my right forearm and backs of both calves, which, naturally I was completely unaware of until later in the evening when I randomly scratched an itch on my arm with my meant-to-clip-those-a-week-ago too long finger nails before crying out in pain and looking down to see my glowing red flesh with the half inch wide pale strip where my LiveStrong bracelet had protected my skin, was in Alameda and the waves that rushed upon the shore were in fact from the San Francisco Bay and not the Pacific Ocean. (Was that really all one sentence? Heather Armstrong would be so proud.)
Lil’B spent more time with his kite in the air and looking at the ground collecting Sea Shells than he did actually paying attention to his kite which only prompted me to reprove him, I don’t know, A FEW HUNDRED TIMES. “You’re getting too close to that tree, you’re gonna get tangled up.” “You’ve got to keep your distance or our kites are gonna get stuck together.” “My kite is not coming after yours, but that’s why you’ve got to keep a little distance between us.” Finally, I reeled my kite in and followed him around as he wondered up and down the beach looking for more shells. He told me, though how he would know I have no idea, that he’s going to have to collect sea shells for his class next year in the third grade. I’m not sure what was behind that statement, but I told him I guessed we’d have to make some more trips to some more beaches then. So all of that is to say that you can potentially look forward to more beach pictures that are of the actual Pacific Ocean in the future… Maybe. Also, that my skin really hurts.
But I digress.
This wind tunnel affect on Harrison Street is not an unusual thing especially since there is a “lake” on the far side of the park and my building is surrounded by wind causing bodies of water. So as I walked up the street, it wasn’t the gust of wind that caught me by surprise; I’m used to that and it felt kind of nice after heating myself up in the gym. No, what surprised me was the considerable number of dried or drying leaves that fell from the trees. It is still July, isn’t it?
I am not a fan of extreme heat; it’s the reason I moved away from Oklahoma, after all. I don’t mind it so much in the evenings when I’m at home and I can open up the doors and windows and wear fewer clothes to keep cool, but during the work day when I have already had my work-out and showered and I’m heading back to the office, I sure don’t want to be getting sweaty all over again if I can help it. So with that in mind, I know better than to complain. But I’m a bit surprised because while it is still July, it is also July and we haven’t had summer yet. We’ve had only a handful, maybe a child sized handful, of days this year that have gotten into the 80s and many that have gotten just barely into the 70s, but most days it is in the 60s. Being anti-heat (anti-sweating) as I am, I’m truly not complaining about this. It’s just that, well, it’s rather like waiting for the other shoe to drop. You know its coming. It should have already happened, but it’s not.
A lot of the continent is experiencing summer now. Places that are farther north than I am are having blazing hot, humid weather. Even the southern half of the state I live in is having high heat, but here in the bay area…
And now we’re starting to experience autumn? Are we skipping summer altogether this year? Is this the end of the world as we know it?
Riggledo 
I think your summer got lost. It’s here in Minnesota at the moment. We had a heat advisory today and are now under a tornado watch.
I am not complaining either. I DREAD the winter months.
Oh, I remember heat advisories and tornado watches. I think I’ll pass on both thanks!
I have not experienced a truly significant earthquake to date, so I may well change my tune, but as of now, I’ll take an earthquake over a tornado any day!