Thursday, August 11, 2011

The Sucky Aspects of "Dressing in Layers"

One of the many suckeriffic aspects of the Bend climate is the insane temperature variations we experience during the course of a typical day.

When you leave the house on a summer morning the thermometer might be in the low to mid-40s; by early afternoon it very well could be in the mid- to upper 80s, or even higher. And then as soon as the sun goes down it will dive into the 60s or 50s again. How is one supposed to deal with this craziness?

"It's easy," the loyal Bend chauvinists say. "You just dress in layers."

Hmm, okay. Dress in layers. That sounds simple enough ... until you think about the practical ramifications.

Such as: How many layers? What kind of layers?

And the big question: What are you supposed to do with the layers you progressively remove as the day goes on? Tie them around your neck? Throw them in the trunk of your car? Chuck them into a Dumpster?

One solution might be to push a wheelbarrow or drag some kind of small cart around with you all day to carry your superfluous layers, plus maybe a few spare sweaters and parkas in case one of our August blizzards unexpectedly swoops down.

The solution I prefer, however, is to move to someplace where I'll need to wear only two layers: a T-shirt and my skin.

16 comments:

Marshall_Will said...

Just look at any Oregonian's CAR! Everyday looks like moving day.

Working on the airfield in K' Falls I also noticed, whether or not you're in direct sunlight makes a big difference too. The sunny side of the aircraft is plenty warm but working under all that "wing shade" is a totally different story.

So glad that isn't my problem any more. Suffice to say, whatever 'layers' you choose, they'll be wrong. You can see frost lines when they go to tow the airplane away.

Timing.., timing is OH so critical any more. Get done w/ work by 3, you're golfing. Couldn't break away until 4? The back 9 will be chilly. I'm so SICK of living in dread of watching the good stuff slip away in front of your very eyes.

Anonymous said...

I'm so SICK of living in dread of watching the good stuff slip away in front of your very eyes.

you should see if they'll up the dosage for you...

Marshall_Will said...

"you should see if they'll up the dosage for you..."

You know I was 'going' to... but the Doc said my heart couldn't take the levels YOU'RE on?

What part of Wettest Spring in 117 Years aren't you getting? Shall we inform you when portions of Downtown Bend have patches of snow stay that linger year-round?

You're crazy man. Have nice, loooong winter. Our Weather Fall starts tomorrow. You'll be a full (10) days behind us.

H. Bruce Miller said...

"Have nice, loooong winter."

For God's sake, don't tell him THAT -- I have to endure the winter too. (Although if all goes well it will be the last Bend winter I have to endure.)

Marshall_Will said...

"(Although if all goes well it will be the last Bend winter I have to endure.)"

I was completely out of line there Bruce. My bad.

I'm hoping it will be my last 'full', as in uninterrupted godforsaken winter? It's great to see the passage of time work in your favor for a change. As logistic, economic and employment influences hold less weight and doing the right thing before it's too late drives the bus. IMHO

Carl said...

Since hitting Boise, it has been consistently over 85 and usually in the 90s. Just neat compared to Bend. And it still cools off nicely in the evening, but not the bone chilling Bend-style where it seems to drop 10°F as soon as the sun drops behind a tree or the house at night.

Although Bruce deplores it being in ID, got to admit it was voted as one of the top 10 cities to live in a few years ago and the vote seemed justified. As well as,

Best Towns 2010: #1 Overall Town in Western U.S. (Outside Magazine),
Top Ten Cities to Live In: #10,
One of the Best Places to Live in 2009,
Best places for business and careers: # 2 (Forbes Magazine, 2008),
Urban environment report card: # 6 (Earth Day Network, 2007)

The economy seems to be doing much better than Bend.And the cost of living seems lower and houses are much cheaper than Bend-even in its current state.

So all in all, couldn't be happier to have moved here.

H. Bruce Miller said...

As you know if you've been reading this blog, I don't put much stock in those magazine "best places" rankings; they're basically a device to sell advertising. Bend has received about a thousand of 'em.

But I'm glad things seem to be working out for you in Boise.

potatochiplover said...

"The solution I prefer, however, is to move to someplace where I'll need to wear only two layers: a T-shirt and my skin."

"Although if all goes well it will be the last Bend winter I have to endure."

Please, please, please, Bruce, for the love of God, go already! Lord knows you've been threatening to leave long enough!

Paradise is so much easier to enjoy when the whiners move on. ; )

H. Bruce Miller said...

Anybody who really thinks Bend, Oregon is "paradise" has very constricted horizons.

And if it really was "paradise" the locals wouldn't react with such anger whenever somebody dares to say otherwise.

Marshall_Will said...

"And it still cools off nicely in the evening, but not the bone chilling Bend-style where it seems to drop 10°F as soon as the sun drops behind a tree or the house at night."

Carl, that is -exactly- what is so frustrating trying to explain to cheeleaders and Oregon Climate Deniers.

Went to the HS track in Silverton ( which has a climate -nothing- like Salem btw? ) to do (8) lousy laps.

Since it was respectably sunny when I left at 5:45pm, and no one was around, I took my shirt off. It was awesome. During Lap 7, the sun ducked behind a cloud and couldn't get my t-shirt on fast enough! Just that fast.

It's been fairly impactful in the past but over the last several years it can take a to die for day and turn it into let's just get this thing OVER with faster than you can Recreational Paradise.

And I'm seeing it on increasingly younger and younger faces. Couples call it a day and suddenly getting lunches made for the coming workweek become a "pressing priority".

Anonymous said...

August 12, 2011 11:34 AM

You're crazy man. Have nice, loooong winter. Our Weather Fall starts tomorrow. You'll be a full (10) days behind us.

Wrong again Salem guy but that appears to be your MO and you're really good at it!

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Bend+OR+97701?from=36hr_topnav_business

Marshall_Will said...

What..? What's this? A link showing a decent day or non-rainy stretch in AUGUST!?

Well JMFC, I HOPE we're still allowed one or two in 'August'? For an astute businessman I'm sure you'll have no problem identifying it for just what it is: Cherry Picking.

Even in August, there is no safety. Speaking of layers, we went sans to the Albany Art & Air Fest. ( Joan Jett being the only reason ) and it got CHILLY no sooner had the sun gone down. I mean quickly.

Given Joan wears next to -nothing- it's a good thing she jumps around a lot? We no longer have lingering warmth on a Summer's Eve. Pack that up w/ your other childhood memories like so many baseball cards in the attic.

The upside was, Joan's as hot, talented and FUN as ever!

H. Bruce Miller said...

It ALWAYS gets chilly in Bend as soon as the sun goes down; every year I plan on having to wear a sweatshirt to go watch the 4th of July fireworks. I don't mind that so much, but it WOULD be nice to be able to have dinner on our patio once in a while without shivering. We have one of those propane heaters -- a smaller version of the ones virtually all restaurants here have for their outdoor seating areas -- but that doesn't help much on some evenings.

H. Bruce Miller said...

Joan Jett also performed at our Deschutes County Fair. I passed on it because I like her but hate the county fair. Or rather, the crowd at the county fair. Acres and acres of rednecks.

Marshall_Will said...

"We have one of those propane heaters -- a smaller version of the ones virtually all restaurants here have for their outdoor seating areas"

We fully intended to get one many, many times. But after any experience w/ them at all you quickly realize, they're best left for rest's on the beach in San Diego. Almost zero impact here I'm afraid.

This is when I came to the stark realization, something you can pick up at Costco for $300 bucks wasn't gonna' cut it and more complex and involved measures were required.

I've studied Trombe` Walls, heated slabs, fresnel lenses, dark reflective paint, you name it. In the 90's common sense measures provided satisfactory relief. Moving the bar-b-q to the south side of the deck, propane lanterns, wind breaks. Setting your beer DOWN in between sips?

Now you'd need to fire up an F-16 in the neighbor's yard and put it in after burners. Or move. I can't tell you how much of a DEFEAT I tend to view this as? It's a very primal aspect of MAN to conquer his environment. It's part of who we are.

Now I can begin to appreciate how the Okies felt after finally throwing in the towel on their farms and migrating to Cali. No matter how tough you might be, in the end no harvest = no harvest. You gotta' move on or starve, or in this case, go completely pale.

H. Bruce Miller said...

"Now you'd need to fire up an F-16 in the neighbor's yard and put it in after burners."

LOL!