all,

right now, on the first of September — almost the beginning of fall — at this time of year the weather in the California desert and in Arizona is pretty similar.  it is hot.  day time temperatures getting into the 112, 110 and 108 ranges.  night time temps getting into the 85, 86 and 87 range.

when you walk outside, it is like walking into an oven.  imagine walking into an oven.

that is your first impression.  the heat really hits you head on.  you notice it.  you say to yourself, whoa, it is hot, really hot.

on top of that, at this time of year, believe it or not, there is some humidity.  this morning the humidity was 69%.  this is a real surprise because by and large the southern deserts are hot, but it is a dry heat.  humidity is usually almost non existent.  by this afternoon the humidity had dropped to 19%, which is more like it.

you may ask why do people live in these summertime heat conditions — whether it be in the California desert or in Arizona.  i believe the answer lies in two things.

one, more and more people are beginning to down size and consolidate their living arrangements to one home or one town house or apartment — not two.  they are doing this for economic reasons.  it is cheaper to manage one house than two.  but also they are doing it for simplification reasons.  it is less hassle to manage one home than two.

the other reason, i believe, is that people make trade offs, knowing full well what they are getting themselves into.  so, a person choosing to live in the desert of California or in Arizona knows full well that 3 or 4 months of the year will be hot, really hot and really uncomfortable.  but, hey, the other 8 or 9 months the weather is really good — warm, sunny, and dry.

and finally, people make plans on how to deal with the heat in the summer.  for example, all outdoor activity is scheduled between 5am and 9 or 10am.  even on a 125 degree day, these early hours are beautiful. this morning i played pickleball for 1.5 hours and then jumped into the pool for a few laps.  (this picture was taken last week at tournament on Bainbridge Island, Washington)

in addition, people make sure that they have good air conditioning in their homes, their cars, their restaurants and shopping malls, etc.  finally, people plan trips out of the area during the hot months, visiting relatives in the northwest, for example.

nevertheless, having said all that, if you are here at this time of year, it is really hot.  i mean hot!!  but, the other thing you notice in these hot climates in the summer is how many people live here during this time of year.  alot of people do.