We're setting records

Day: 11

High Temp: 104F

Job Status: Unemployed

Today we officially celebrated our 66th day topping 100 degrees in 2009. This makes 2009 the second hottest summer on record in Austin. If we make it to 69 days, we will take the top spot from the summer of 1925. Welcome to Austin.

Now of course, Tom and I have been luck to spend a majority of our summer in the tempreate great lakes region, but it is worth noting that each day since we arrived has bee 100 or hotter. Most of you know it is hot here in Texas, and I am sure many of you have heard that this area of the country has been hit by a pretty big drought. Water restrictions are in effect, and many local crops are on the brink.

This explains why yesterday evening's brief afternoon rain was greeted with such joy. It lasted no longer than 15 minutes, but it was a storm welcomed unlike any storm I have ever seen before. Tom and I had walked up to the lovely local organic grocery spot, Farm to Market, to grab a jar of salsa and an avocado to round out the evening's dinner and were taking our time walking back, stopping in a few local stores on our way home. We were in a really excellent antique/junk shop called Uncommon Objects when the store keeper shouted, "Hey everyone! It's raining!" Reacting to our cue, everyone dropped what they were doing to rush outside and revel in the falling drops.

Having baked and boiled ourselves for the past several days, we too enjoyed the rain, and strolled leisurely towards home. I have never seen people so happy for rain. Those walking on the sidewalks seemed to slow down, in an effort to let as many of the drops as possible hit them. Everyone looked at each other with these huge smiles, as if saying, "Look at that, it's raining! How great!"

About halfway there, it really started to pick up, and we ran the rest of the way home, excited to get to the overhang of our balcony to observe the rain as it fell on the live oaks in our courtyard (see pics below). Many of our neighbors joined us out on the balconies to witness the deluge, one guy commenting that he would be okay with two straight weeks of rain.

It was a serious, if brief, summer rain storm, but what came after was perhaps even more miraculous. Instead of the hot, humid conditions that often follow summer rain in the