today is San Juan's Day

[Kali]

the old timers say it is the traditional start of our summer rainy season - now known as monsoon (change of wind direction) and my Grandfather used to say if it rained in June before the 24th, the rains would be shitty.

for the past 20 years there has been NOTHING normal about the weather here in SE AZ, but this year after an almost normal winter, there has been no rain in June so far - although there were some hints last Monday and some thunder yesterday. Today it got nice and cloudy and there was thunder and that smell - the one only noses that have experienced the desert can know - it was so wonderful! Its coming! The water that life in this place has been waiting for is coming!

Dance for the rain, please? :toast: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Ptah]

1. An atempt to convey the olfactory experience:

The air changes from "hot oven" to "life sustaining moisture"

ahhhhhhh

[struggle4progress]

2. I hope the experience isn't like summer rain in central Texas:

before, stinkin-dog-hot at 115
the fresh cool smell of a summer shower
the delightful sizzle of rain on blistered ground
after, dog-hot at 105 with 100% humidity and somewhat foggy

[Kali]

3. it can be like that if the rain happens early in the day

and if the sun comes out the next day from a later or night rain, but it's all part of the system - need that heat and humidity to keep driving the storms

I'm at a higher 4500 ft elevation and we can get these heavenly cool nights this time of year - like tonight - aahhhhh

[MiddleFingerMom]

4. Kali's nights are cooler, but the lack of humidity means OUR nights...

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...here in Tucson generally drop 30 degrees or more -- somewhere just
over 100 degrees today and should drop to lower- to mid-70's tonight.
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We had a VERY shortlived gusty period today that made a coworker of
mine look up and scream a little with its momentary violence.
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It probably lasted less than a minute -- but all SORTS of shit was
BLOWIN' past!!!!
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No cattle... so I doubt Kali got that wind.
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[Kali]

6. yep we had it, plus a few rain drops, bit of thunder

it was upper 90's earlier today, 72 right now
think I need a blankie tonight :P

[MiddleFingerMom]

7. I think during this season, Kali can make...

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...both sun tea...
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...and moon ice cream.
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My FAVORITE day motorcycle trip was up to the top of Mt Lemmon
and back (a 50-mile round trip from the base of the mountain
to the top. It might be 70 degrees at the base, but by the time
I got above 6,000 feet or so (top was about 8,000 feet+), the
temperature was near-freezing (October???) and I would ALWAYS
forget my gloves, so I ended up doing a lot of one-handed riding
on those trips... with my other hand tucked into my crotch.
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You know... for warmth.
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OK, OK... that's pretty much how I rode EVERYWHERE.
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But atop the mountain, it was business... not pleasure.
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[struggle4progress]

5. I lived in the eastern California high desert years ago: summer days at 120,

summer nights at 50