Natural air conditioningJacob and I are spending a summer without air-conditioning in the apartment. Half of the reason was cost (machine and electricity), and the other half was environmental. Which doesn't mean we're spending our free time inside on 90 degree days. Parks in New York are, on average, 10 to 15 degrees cooler than anywhere else outdoors in the city. Tonight we escaped to Central Park, spread a blanket out, and enjoyed the cool plushiness of the grass as we ate baguette and camembert. Nature's air conditioning...what could be better?
Gridskipper also posted a map of gardens in NYC where you can enjoy cool plushy grass and look at nice flowers. Manhattan is the only borough without an official "botanical garden", but it does have the Conservatory Gardens in Central Park and Fort Tryon's Cloisters.
Which goes to show there are options for cooling off in hot hot hot temperatures besides sitting on your AC all day.
A beautiful day on the lake...
...or .01% of the lake.
America: a country with some of the planet's best outdoor spots, and the planet's most worried and litigious people.
Over the weekend Vickie, Andrew, Jacob, and I went hiking in the Shawnangunks (aka the Gunks) near New Paltz. Near the trailhead was a large, beautiful lake ripe for swimming. Sure enough, there was a crowded "beach", complete with changing rooms, lifeguards, and sunbathers in beach chairs. The problem? The area allowed for swimming was about the side of my living room. The worst part? Nobody else swimming or sunbathing seemed to care, or even notice, that they were roped off from nature.
Luckily, about 5 miles into our hike, we found a pristine and virtually empty beach with a much larger swimming area. The water also looked clean enough to drink. The best part: with no kids around, the urine content was probably zilch.
Yes, the sun does come out in Oregon. Once in a while. Taking advantage of the good weather, we took the top down in our rented convertible (that gets good gas mileage!)
This video was shot in the Willamette National Forest, where we drove from Cougar Hot Springs up, up, up to the snowy Santiam Overpass and Sahali Falls.
