We're Keeping Cool

The heat wave continues out here. We did have a slight reprieve on Sunday and Monday when the highs were only in the mid-90s. Otherwise, we've pretty much stayed with triple digit temps, including a reading of 107 one day.

The heat is certainly taking its toll on the grass and plants. It's taking its toll on us, too. We are not going out and sitting on our patio very much. The heat is really oppressive right now. We'll go out during the afternoon to water the plants on our patio and to see what activity is going on in the neighborhood, but we don't stay out long. We usually go back out right before bedtime, when the evening has cooled things off. Even the early mornings are hot, with night lows sometimes hovering around the 80s. I much prefer walking in the morning when it is 65 or so.

We did get out to San Angelo State Park early one morning, around 6:15 or so. We did our regular 5 mile route out there, and it was pleasant enough. Fortunately, there was a cloud cover, so the sun never really emerged to cook us. We were finished with our walk by 8:00.

To change course a bit here . . . .

I've always been intrigued by how light plays upon natural features. I've posted such pictures over the years. The mountainous desert terrain is one of the best places to observe this. Depending on the time of day and the angle and amount of sunlight available, the same place can take on quite different looks.

For example, note the picture below I snapped of the Colorado River in Laughlin, NV, about 3 years ago. I love how the setting sun lights up the top of the Arizona mountains, while the rest of the landscape is bathed in shade.

The sun sets on the Colorado River in Laughlin, NV.

A few entries ago, I shared some shots of the full moon rising early so that the rooftops of homes were still bathed in sunlight. The other night some clouds were moving through to our south. We didn't get any rain from the movements, but I did enjoy the play of light and dark upon the clouds. Here are some of those pictures.

This view looks southeast, so the sun was behind me, probably just barely above the western horizon.

I zoomed in for this shot of the clouds only.

This shot is from our walk in the park early in the morning. There is a cloud cover above, and the sun has just begun peaking above the horizon in the east. You can see a bit of the lake in the center.