I do not like summer. Specifically, I do not like the heat and humidity.
I do not like being sweaty — except when I run. Even then, I barely tolerate it. I’m not happy about it, but it’s for a short time, so I suck it up and deal. Plus, I view sweaty summer runs as multi-purpose affairs that not only exercise my body but also cleanse my pores. Win/win and all that.
Outside of runs, however, I do not like having rivulets of sweat course down my body when I’m doing something as simple as walking from my car into a grocery store. Or simply sitting still and breathing. I do not like having my clothes become damp from perspiration and then sticking to my already-warm skin. I definitely do not like having sticky skin sticking to other sticky parts of my sticky skin.
I grew up in a house without air conditioning, so I remember all too well the miseries of Virginia summers in June, July, and August without any sort of cooled air. To this day, I do not take air conditioning for granted and I appreciate every chilled blast that emanates from the vents around Jenworld.
This summer, for the third year in a row, it has been miserably hot here in Virginia. Proof of global warming, for realz. The last few days haven’t been so bad, but last week was brutal, with highs of 100+. It’s times like those that I aestivate and pray for October to hurry up.
But even when it’s in the 80s, I’m mildly discontented. I just don’t like hot weather. I don’t like being cold either, but at least I can easily prepare for the cold. In fact, I love cold weather because I can wear cute wool sweaters and vibrant scarves, and great boots.
I have heard of places that have nice cool summers. I fantasize about being in a locale where one can greet each July day without considering the possibilities of heat stroke. San Francisco, for example. I’ve heard people complain that San Francisco can be damp and chilly in the summer. That sounds heavenly to me.
I’ve also heard that the Pacific Northwest doesn’t get too miserable between the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. Yes, it rains there, but I can live with it.
London is another place that has lovely summers.
Again, I wouldn’t mind cool, wet days. After all, I’d be in England.
For a long time, I was under the impression that Maine is a lovely place in the summer. After all, Maine is the home of L.L. Bean and L.L. Bean is the company that taunts me every summer with catalogs full of photos of happy people wearing summer weight sweaters and summer weight woolens and summer weight gauze scarves. A typical summer L.L. Bean catalog shows models smiling beatifically while wearing more layers than Helena Bonham Carter, with nary a drop of sweat in sight. I cannot even fathom such a life, although I’d be happy to live it.
Yes. Please. Every day. All summer.
But then I actually visited Maine two years ago. I was so excited and for weeks eagerly anticipated the cool Maine breezes that would wash over my body while I feasted on lobster three meals a day. The reality was that for the 48 hours we were there, the temps hovered around 99 degrees, with so-called lows in the upper 80s at night. And no one up there has AC and some folks don’t even have fans or ice cubes. I couldn’t get out of the state fast enough. (But we did eat a lot of lobstah, so there’s that.)
I am still bitter about Maine’s betrayal.
I also used to believe that Cape Cod was similar to Maine, but then early in my marriage, I spent a looooooooooong week in a cottage with no AC or fans or even a breeze coming off the water. This was a week in which the temps climbed into the 90s and stayed there and the humidity matched the heat. I promptly changed my plan of wearing summer weight sweaters and scavenged my suitcase for the lightest clothing possible, while plotting my escape. (The presence of certain people related to me by marriage might or might not have made the situation all that much worse.)
I also used to believe that Canada — which is even farther north than Maine and Massachusetts and is therefore closer to the North Pole — is a delightfully cool place in the summer. But then we visited Toronto (summer 2008 — highs in the 90s) and Quebec (summer 2011 — highs in the 90s) and I was further disillusioned.
Last summer’s visit to Ottawa improved on things a bit, as Mother Nature saw fit to cool things down to the upper 70s. Ask Alison — I was absolutely giddy with delight when we got to her house and I realized that I was chilly and needed a sweater.
In spite of appearances, we found all Canadians -- Mounties and civilians alike -- to be some of the friendliest people on the planet.
So I was somewhat mollified by Canada’s gesture of good faith last summer. However, my Canadian sources have informed me that last week it was hotter up there than it was down her. I’m thinking that Canada can no longer be trusted to cool people off for the summer, eh?
I’ve been pondering lately what it would be like to live somewhere where the summers are pleasant. In fact, I’d like to order up a summer in which the temps rarely get above 80 and when they do, they are not accompanied by fabric-soaking humidity. I don’t particularly care if it’s sunny or rainy. I don’t even have a particular preference for the high and low temperatures. I just want to not be miserable from the heat.
Where would this utopia be? Clearly, one cannot look at a map and assume that northern climes mean pleasant summers. I’m also not saying I’d move there full time — I love living here in Virginia and would simply like to escape for July and August. And even that won’t work for another couple of decades until we’re retired. But that means I can spend the next 20 years pondering where we’re going to summer in our retirement and then prepare accordingly.
Scandinavia is a possibility. Today it’s supposed to be 68 degrees in Stockholm, with lows of 55 tonight. 20 years should be enough time to learn Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, or Danish.
There’s also Scotland. It’s going to be 61 in Edinburgh today, with only a 20% chance of rain. And I wouldn’t even need to learn a new language.
Of course, on the other side of the world, it’s currently winter in Australia and New Zealand. It was 58 in Auckland today and 61 in Sydney. This was a crucial factor in the timing of our upcoming visit — hot and humid here, but cool and pleasant down there. I’ve already started packing sweaters and lightweight scarves. Apparently, Down Under is where I’ll get to wear my L.L. Bean summer weight wardrobe.
Let’s pretend. You have the opportunity to spend a summer wherever you want. Where would you go?
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SAN DIEGO!
I could have wrote this, but added in HOT FLASH HELL. The past 3-4 years, my mind always goes to where you’ve gone in this post—where in the WORLD could I possibly relocate to experience a pleasant summer….temps in my perfect world would be in the high 70′s, with perhaps an 82 (no higher please!) thrown in for good measure. I never (ever) had thoughts of this before peri, and now, post, menopause. Never. I loved HOT, and A/C was something I also loved (having also grown up without) but never required. I think that’s why I have long envisioned a growing old place as being Berkeley….not San Fran. SF while probably doable, seems to be a bit too foggy for me (year round) and my mental outlook. While, Berkeley, in sight of the great SF, has more temperate climes, and may have a hiccup or two of HOT weather, it’s certainly an abberation when it occurs, not the norm. Move a mere half hour east of Berkeley, and it roasts. Oven living= not for the faint of heart. And most def not for those of us whose internal temps fluctuate at the drop of a hat.
I went to Burlington, Vermont a few years ago for a conference. It was like the Charlottesville of the north, but more tolerable weather wise. I could have stayed all summer – they had a happening down-town mall like scene, a great University and cool temps. I loved it.
I’ve also been to Seattle in August. I’ve been dying to go back, in August, ever since.
Until then, I’m happy to sit in my office and at home with a blanket wrapped around me and allow the cool wonderfulness of air conditioning waft over me.
I totally agree with Krissy. Except … that now that there’s a grandson, I’m where I want to be this summer, which just so happens to be a half hour from SF.
Come to San Diego! So much to do and we (and our girls!) can finally meet in person.
20% chance of rain in Scotland? Ha!
My ideal summer location is Annecy as always. Fortunately, Annecy need not await our presence for long.
I want to go to wherever this magical low heat/humidity place is. We can wear wool socks at night to keep warm. Ahhh…
I’m sending my son down your way next week. Try to keep the temps down please.
ANYWHERE without this humidity! I hear San Diego might fill the bill. We were in Acadia 3 summers ago, and it was perfect. Our favorite part was hearing people complain about how hot it was. It wasn’t.
Hush…but the PNW is the best in the world – really ;D just don’t tell anyone. We have cool nights, warm days and everything is green because of the rain but that’s the only part we tell people about.
You know that we would be delighted to welcome you to Scotland but I feel I have to warn you that (a) it’s raining. Again. And (b) you sort of would have to learn a bit of a new language (depending on the precise part of Scotland in which you find yourself!).
I would move to England/Scotland in a heartbeat. Best. Summers. Ever.
If I had to stay within the U.S. it would be the Pacific Northwest – specifically, Tillamook and/or The Oregon Coast. It was fantastic when I visited there a few years ago and I am dying to go back and live there from May – October. Sigh. Someday when I am rich and famous.
Try the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior. My some went to visit Michigan Tech at the end of his senior year in HS. He packed shorts and tees, against all advice. The first night, while it was sweltering in Detroit, the Houghton temps hit 43. During the days it was 60-65.
BTW, it takes about ten hours to get from Detroit to Houghton…about as long as it takes to drive from here to NoVa!
Wow anywhere for the summer? I would have to go with Wisconsin or Vermont. Both places I think of moving to in the future with Kier. Not as much extreme heat as the lower midwest has but still has a decent growing season.
Personally, I miss Germany (I think we had about 4 really hot days in the four years we lived there). And while I am a tremendous fan of the PacNW — heck, I even moved back here! — but we’ve had a heatwave this week in my town and I’ve been in Seattle when it’s over 100 degrees. So I think you have made the best possible decision.
You would probably like the Pacific NW. There is about a month of summer and it gets into the 90′s for maybe a day or two and that’s it. I ran screaming for California by late June in search of bue sky and warmth the 4 years we lived there.
I also lived in San Diego for 10 years and it is true that summers are on the cool side, but not so bad as San Francisco – fall is the best time in coastal California.
I have to say that even though it gets quite warm here (inland of San Francisco) in the summer – over 100 the last couple of days – it cools down at night. So I am fine where I am!
I love our summer weather most of the time (not horribly hot, no humidity, no bugs). But it doesn’t last nearly long enough for growing fun stuff. Of course, anywhere cool will have this problem…Pacific Northwest is definitely on my list of “oh, that would be awesome” places.
How’s about a summer in Barrow, Alaska? It’d be worth it just for the whales and the polar bears. : )
Whoa whoa whoa!! I am IN London now, and you would not believe it. You would certainly not like it. Everyone who lives here is complaining about the weather.
London today is like New York in February. Cold, rainy, blowing, horrible. They say that summer has never arrived. My friends who live here can’t even dry their clothes on the line, it’s so wet and cold.
Our vacation started in Venice, where it was in the 90s. My wardrobe, of t-shirts and cool rayon skirts, was perfect. Thank goodness I packed one pair of long pants and one sweater – when we got to London they were all I could wear and go out safely without freezing. I resisted going clothes shopping in Paris, but here in London I dropped a hundred pounds indiscriminately yesterday morning just to buy a couple of tops with long sleeves, a rain parka and a two-pack of socks!!!
In normal years, the Pacific Northwest is beautiful, because even when it is hot, it’s not humid like the eastern seaboard. But this year things are all gone haywire.
My vote goes to Glacier National Park in Montana. I think it’s warmer there this year (highs in the 70s and low 80s) but we’ve been snowed on in August in the past. I like the combo of fleece in the morning, t-shirt in the afternoon and a sweatshirt by evening.
I live in Seattle, and most summers here are lovely. Sometimes there will be hot stretches in the 90′s, and since most houses don’t have AC so that can get uncomfortable. And then there are summer like this one, where it was rainy and cool through the end of June. But I get grumpy if it gets over 75, so that is fine with me. I’ve lived on the prairies, in the midwest, and in Tucson and I adore the weather here.
We vacationed in Norway about 10 years ago. We came with clothes for the typical mild summer, but they were having a heat wave with temps in the 90′s. And in addition to houses and hotels the CARS there don’t have AC, so it was way too warm for us.
So no guarantees anywhere. I suppose you could go to Antarctica.