So-Called Moderate Summers of Seattle

So one of the first things Seattle locals told us on our weeklong apartment-hunting trip in early June was about the Puget Sound summers. They raved about the glorious summer months of the Seattle area, when the sun always shines, and the long days are mild under azure skies.

Well, they were certainly right about the sun always shining, but I am not so sure about the 'mild' part. We moved here in mid-June, and several of the days here reminded us of the dog days of summer where we lived earlier. Seattle and the Eastside are having sweltering days of 95-100 degrees - and guess what, folks, the apartments here do not have airconditioning! Maybe I should applaud this as a much-needed act (on the part of us consumption-crazy Americans) of energy conservation.

Most of the locals have assured us that what just ended was a very unusual summer. We fervently hope they are right.