Boy, am I glad I got the Tiki bar roof done last weekend. Just in time before real summer in the Valley of the Sun descended upon us. Once you’ve been around here for awhile you know the difference between temps in the 100s and the 110s. It’s not summer, it’s brutal. Just like winter in New England – folks can handle it when it’s below freezing and icy and snowy, but when the bitter, sub-zero temps hit that’s a whole ‘nutha thing altogether. And just like New England in the middle of a deep freeze, here in the Valley you don’t see folks outside much when the temps go over 110 – there’s just simply no relief. And its dangerous at that. Even at night the temps stay around 90 and everything is just hot. Even the swimming pool gets hot – when you get a period of excessive heat like this it can top out at 96 – not refreshing, just wet. In the house all the plantation shutters on the west and south sides get closed in the afternoons and we go into cave mode.

With Goodboys Invitational weekend just a month away from today I’ve got to figure out a way to get out early – before 10 AM at least – to get my work in. Which, of course, I will. But even then it’ll still be blazing by the time I finish. Which is OK, I’ve gotten used to it by now. They say we have a chance of seeing our first thunderstorms and dust storms next week – I’ll be interested in seeing how the new Tiki bar roof holds up.