Off-Topic Forum

Welcome back. Camping trips are usually fun. I just got back from a 4 days camping trip also. Congrats on your boy doing awesome in his swim lessons and rowing. Better get the rowing in while you can.

I've lived in Phoenix for most of my life, so I am used to face melting heat.  What I don't understand is how people can survive in places it snows.  

Though I live in Canada and am used to four distinct seasons (one of the main reasons I live where I do across the lake from Rochester), I once was deployed to the United Arab Emirates for 6 months.  But before my deployment, I had had a trip there in September and remember that I could not remain outside for more than 15 minutes because of the oppressive heat.  I wondered how I (or anyone) could survive.  When I did deploy, it was in January therefore the temperatures were more within reason.  I was there till July but because I was able to acclimatize as the weather warmed, the heat did not bother me.  One just got used to carrying a water bottle all of the time.  But Ialso rememberwatching the people arriving to replace our group.  When they stepped out the door of the aircraft into the heat, it felt like they had stepped into an oven. All this to say, our bodies do adjust to conditions. This is the same for the cold of winter.  Minus 40 degrees (the same whether F or C), is cold to an Arizona resident but cool to a Canadian.

My relatives who were born in NY but now live in Florida literally get out jackets when it drops below 70 degrees. I couldn't imagine wearing a jacket at 70 degrees. But I love the cold weather. If I ever had to move away from home- really away- I would consider Alaska, or, if not staying in country, Scandanavia. Perhaps the upper part of Canada...I could not imagine never seeing something like this again. My yard on March 17th of this year.

Good story Sandy, and I will agree with his statement. I have been in northern Australia (Darwin) in their summer and that was HOT but since I had been in the country for three weeks and started in Sydney in the south and worked our way to the north, I was used to it by then. Was sad to leave. But to tell you the truth Winter is my favorite season, I have always said it is SO much easier to warm up than to cool down. And thanks Avs Junior is still pumped about his badges, momma just sewed them onto his Mickey beach towel.

This will be my first year without a long camping trip in a long time. Not entirely happy about it, but I've put off some home improvements for too long now, so that will be time and money better spent.

Actually, I said Great White North before Dan did. I don't know exactly what 45C is, but it's close to 110F. I've always wanted to go to the Southwest U.S. to see if it really is better to have the "dry heat" vs. the Southeast's humid air. Plus, there are cool things there that I' like to check out. People say that 110F in Vegas or Phoenix is more comfortable than 85F anywhere in the southeastern U.S.. 85F isn't bad if there's a slight breeze and the humidity and/or dew points are below 50 percent or degrees, respectively.

Yeah, cold is much easier to deal with than heat. You can always put on more clothes, but there are only so many clothes you can remove! Also, I would much rather shiver than sweat profusely.