After a week-and-a-half of deliciously cool, naturally air-conditioned weather, courtesy of what local meteorologists called a "polar vortex," temps are heading back up to a more seasonable range. Today's high should reach the upper 80s˚F. I'll miss the lows for sleeping (several nights of 51˚F tied old records for the date) and I'm really not looking forward to tomorrow's predicted high of 90˚F, either.
Ahhh, well…Ohio's weather has always been fickle, no matter what the season. Change is our only constant. But it gives us something to gripe about. Which can be important when you're trying to decided whether to wear a heavy sweater or sleeveless tee in late-July.
The turtle clan will certainly enjoy the warmer weather. When daytime temperatures struggled to rise above the low 60s˚F, the larger rocks in the Cottage Pool were conspicuously vacant. But yesterday, the first day we've hit the 80˚F mark in a while, they were back out in force—painted, softshells, snappers—basking in the sun.
One man's swelter is a turtle's bliss.
_________
8 comments:
Yikes! 90 for you tomorrow? That means I'll have the day after that. And just when I was enjoying a mostly non-air conditioned summer...
Carolyn H…
Yup, your naturally air-conditioned summer has ended—at least for now. At the moment (6:00 p.m.) it's 86˚F here. Too, they're still saying 90˚F tomorrow.
So I'm as bummed as you are…
93 for us tomorrow here in Central Illinois, then dipping to 81 on Wed. I love the changing weather, as it guarantees some cool comfy days during the summer. I was raised in Texas where they claim the weather changes all the time. But I can tell you that when it hits the 90's in July it seldom goes back down until Fall. Hot! I like the surprises here in Illinois! Of course we don't ALL live by the river like some folks do.....but we perservere. ;)
Debbie…
I really shouldn't whine about summer being summer. But I hate hot weather—always have—and anything above the mid-70s˚F is, to my way of thinking, hot. Of course most summers here in Ohio, we see temps in the upper-90s˚ to low-100s˚. And that truly is HOT. Usually, too, when it gets hot like that it stays hot through August. So really, this year, with its ups and downs, has been a sort of gift. But for as long as I can remember, summer has been my least favorite of the four seasons.
Hey, living by the river is compensation for not having air conditioning, which I also dislike—mainly because I like open windows (and doors) and spending as much time outside as possible.
How's that for quirky? :)
Softshell turtles are so cool. I've only ever had a chance to see two in my life. They don't occur in my creek.
I completely agree with you about the hot weather. Yesterday, during a casual conversation with one of my board members, he said, "We haven't had a summer yet." Now, I know what he means--that temperatures in general have been fairly moderate so far this summer, but nevertheless (1) we have had many days in which the low-90s temperatures and high humidity have conspired to make things pretty soupy, and (2) any temperature above 75 is, at best, uncomfortable and the mid-80s are definitely in the "hot" range for me (just like you). So, a year without a "summer" would be just fine with me.
Scott…
It's sure summer here today—89˚F already and rising! I was just out back, in full sun, sawing some wainscoting, and when I got back inside was too overheated and bedraggled to start installing until I'd drank some water and rested a bit. Hence this midafternoon blog comment. Ugggh! Way too hot here for this ol' boreal natured bear!
FYI, right now, I'm looking out the window at the river at the same rocks shown in the photos and there are…(counting)…15 turtles that I can see. Of which…(more counting)…5 are soft shells. One little guy is smaller in diameter than a teacup. I'd UPS him to you except first I'd have to catch him. Can't believe that during your Ohio time you didn't see way more softshells than two. They're quite common all around here—occasionally growing to substantial size. Not as big as snappers, or at least not as heavy proportionally. On any sunny summer day, you'd certainly not have any trouble increasing your life list of 2 to 20 in about that many minutes! And I bet we could quintuple that count with an afternoon's expedition.
As I recall, you have read David Carroll's turtle and nature books, right?
Grizz: One of the two softshells I have seen was, in fact, in Ohio--in the Chagrin River, which flows northward to Lake Erie along the eastern side of Cuyahoga County where I grew up. They weren't common elsewhere in northeast Ohio. (My second softshell was last year in a slough along the Poudre River in Fort Collins, Colorado.)
Yes, I have read David Carroll's books. "Swampwalker's Journal" is one of the best nature books I've ever read.
Scott…
I was pretty sure we'd commented to one another re. David Carroll's books before, but thought I ought to check.
You know, I didn't realize softshells weren't to be found up in Ohio's northeast corner. I've seen plenty of them poking around the shallows of Lake Erie's western basin. And I've encountered softshells almost everywhere else while rambling about the state. Guess when I was up in those dozen-plus northeast counties where softshells are absent, I simply assumed, when not seeing one during a day's fishing or photo-rambling, that I just didn't see a softshell that particular day or place…NOT, didn't see a softshell that particular day or place because THEY'RE NOT THERE TO SEE!
Here, spiny softshells are quite common. Too, when I been a'stream in several of the counties bordered by the Ohio River, I've seen quite a few smooth softshells—they're also fairly common in those precincts.
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