Friday, July 27, 2018

Hot, Dogs and Seattle

We’re still in Issaquah and still not liking it so much this year.  It’s hot.  The reason we come up here is to escape the heat in Tucson, and while it’s not as hot as it is there, it’s more humid.  My biggest whinge is that the front RV air conditioner is not keeping up in the afternoons, and the driver's side of the bus (where my chair is) is really hot.  But it always comes back to the question; if not here, then where.  At least we are not getting wild fire smoke like last year.

Speaking of hot, WAPO has a depressing article on why it’s so hot.  Weather, meet climate change.
 
jetstream
The proximate cause of the Northern Hemisphere bake-off is the unusual behavior of the jet stream, a wavy track of west-to-east-prevailing wind at high altitude. The jet stream controls broad weather patterns, such as high-pressure and low-pressure systems. The extent of climate change’s influence on the jet stream is an intense subject of research.
This summer, the jet stream has undulated in extreme waves that have tended to block weather systems from migrating. The result has been stagnant high-pressure and low-pressure systems with dire results, such as heat waves in some places and flooding elsewhere.
Gone are the days when scientists drew a bright line dividing weather and climate. Now researchers can examine a weather event and estimate how much climate change had to do with causing or exacerbating it.

Britain is baking, there are massive forest fires above the Arctic Circle and the US is really hot.  This is likely to be the new normal unless we get hit by an asteroid. 

So, the weather is annoying me.  I am also annoyed at a small sub-set of dog owners.  Let me be clear, I am not casting aspersions at all dog owners, just the ones like the woman we encountered on the trail today.  When I hike, I’m walking really fast, looking down so I don’t trip over rocks or roots.  There’s sort of an “in the zone” thing, trying to move as fast as possible.  This morning, I was startled by what sounded like the Hound of the Baskerville, producing a deep baying bark.  Looking up, I saw a 90 pound dog running at me, jowls flapping.  It scared the living snot out of me.  I shrieked (involuntarily).  I got my poles out in front of me, Jim adopted a stance that would allow him to fend off the dog.  There are signs everywhere that dogs must be leashed.  The owner started calling the dog who did not return to her, but did slow down.  She started in with a not really an apology about “this is what he does when he’s startled.”  Really?  I replied with “perhaps this is why trail users are required to leash their dogs.”  She got hostile!  Said it wouldn’t have happened if she had been closer to the dog, or maybe if I was making more noise.  Well she wasn’t close to the dog, and how is this my fault for being too quiet?  This cheeses me off more than I can tell you. 
We took a short spur off the trail to visit a “scenic overlook” called out on the trail guide.  Colorado this is not!

IMG_2705

There have been some interesting tweets on Twitter about Seattle lately.  I will show you two.  The first photo was taken on the grassy knoll near Pike Place Market.  In the background are very expensive condos with views of Elliot Bay.  Really, city living at its finest.  in the grass we have some of the 12,500 homeless people in Seattle.  What really struck me about the photo is the yellow bike is one of the recently acquired fleet of bike share bikes and the sleeping man’s head is in an Amazon box. 

seattle homeless

This was put up by a local doctor.  He’s not kidding.  A local restaurant in Issaquah had to take down an old dying tree, and they had people coming in yelling at them for about a year because they murdered the tree.

seattle memorial for tree

So that’s what’s happening here.  Wednesday we’re supposed to revert to the weather pattern that brings low clouds off the coast, and I for one am looking forward to seeing them back!

7 comments:

  1. It's been nice here this summer so far. We're going to be in the 90s next week but that's not too far from normal. But it's so dry that I'm sure August will be bad with fires. No humidity here. Some dog owners think they don't have to follow any courtesy laws because their mutt is special. I love my dogs beyond words but they and I obey rules.

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  2. Don't get me started on dogs on paths/trails. I've been knocked off my bike twice by loose dogs. I dont ride fast on trails, always use my bell and I'm conscious of other users, as they are shared paths but dogs off leads, I now am very very wary. It is down to irresponsible owners who dont have control over their dogs, but its pointless arguing with them because usually they think that cyclists are in the wrong. I was off the bike for weeks and it knocked my confidence and at my age its not good hitting the deck and I dont bounce well.

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  3. That has happened to me on trails more times than I would like to recall. Just yesterday, in fact! The owners always shout ahead, "Don't worry! He's friendly!!" Then why are his teeth showing, lips snarled and the hairs standing up on his back? And even if he/she is friendly, I don't enjoy being slimed by a wet tongue (last one licked my expensive camera!!) And then, they look at me like I am some kind of monster because I don't warm up and show Fido any love. It really smokes my shorts!

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  4. As a dog owner and lover of (most) canines, it pisses me off when others don't think the rules apply to them. Just this morning walking to the market, a barking dog came out of his front yard and aggressively approached us and followed us for a ways as we walked in the street. The owner, a nice young woman, and her toddler, were out in the front yard, and mama was apologizing for the dog, but that didn't change his behavior. He wouldn't come to her call, and my husband tried telling him to "sit" with no results. That dog can't help his behavior -- he needs training, and either a leash or fenced yard. I didn't lecture the owner (though I was tempted) because he was obviously a pretty young ("teenage") pup, but that's when bad behavior stops, if it's not nipped in the bud.

    As for weather, it has been crazy hot, and unbearably humid, but of course, we are in Florida. The benefit of being here this time of year is that since it's the rainy season, very often we get some cooling rains, which makes it tolerable to go out for a walk afterwards. On the days it doesn't rain, though, it's just stifling. Guess I'm not the only one suffering!

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  5. On a positive note the great chinese climate change hoax will probably take care of the trees blocking your view before too long. The fires are working on that problem.

    We love animals of just about any description but we've had our encounters with dogs. We have been attacked on our bikes and I've been bitten. The problem is always the human end of the equation. On that same positive note the climate change hoax should reduce that problem as well.

    I always try to remain positive.

    We are liking it here in Newport, OR. At first, I didn't think I liked it but it has grown on me. With the exceptions of some inconsiderate weekend RVers it has been pretty good.

    Jim

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  6. I wonder about that man's story, the one next to the yellow bike.

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  7. The heat has not completely reached us yet this summer, but , then again, August is usually warmer than July. Since you have your own wheels maybe you should go farther north. It's been a most pleasant summer.

    We never go to Seattle if we can help it. It is hostile and dirty and homeless, no reason to go there. There are some progressive remedies happening there, but are mostly just bandages for gaping wounds, no solutions.

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