After the longest stretch of hot weather I can remember in recent history apparently the worst of the heat is coming to an end on Friday. Today it was 98 degrees and it is supposed to drop down into the 70's by Friday. I can't remember the last time it was in the seventies. Maybe, sometime in the early part of May last year?....Heck, just last week the lows were in the seventies. It has been in the nineties and hundreds for about 100 days running now....and....I can't begin to tell you how glad I am to see the heat go. The long range forcast predicts that it will be in the eighties, with a few days of seventies, for the next ten days, and I have my fingers crossed that it will not get into the high nineties or hundreds for the rest of the year. Hip, hip hooray......There are alot of reasons I hate the heat. It is physically draining and it is very difficult to sleep when it is eighty or sometimes ninety well into the night. I also hate the heat because I associate it with poor air quality. You should see the skyline around these parts for much of the summer. It's just downright ugly....although....we have spectacular sunsets due to the flaming red sun that is poking it's face through the pollution as it settles down for the night......I also hate the heat because it makes my outdoor activities "almost" unbearable. For the past four weeks I have been hiking and biking in hundred degree temperatures twice a week and the only consulation is weight loss. On a couple of occasions I may have experienced early signs of heat exhaustion......So, hopefully, it's time to say goodbye to summer until next year and welcome the beginning of my three favorite seasons, fall, winter, and spring. I can't bring myself to say that I am sorry to see summer go because you have well passed your welcome in my neck of the woods.....so.....go bug the folks south of the equator until we meet again, hopefully later rather than sooner......