This will be 66 years for us in this valley, and never has there been weather as beautiful as we have seen this year.
With the exception of a couple of very hot days, the rest of the weather has been outstanding.
They were predicting July 4th would be very hot. It was not.
There has not been a forest fire blowing hot smoke down the valley, and both the car exhaust and the ag dust have been below norm and manageable, with a breeze which allows it to move in and out of the valley.
The result is the crowds have been out in great numbers.
Atwater’s July 4th turnout has been as large or even the largest we have ever seen. Merced’s downtown “Mercado” Night Market was packed on Main Street and along Canal. People in other communities have also enjoyed sitting out and enjoying the evenings.
This is not normal and maybe the weather man is playing tricks on us — trying to make up for the past years when we were suffocated with smoke or the heat was unbearable.
The No. 1 news story in the nation is the weather, and because of the weather in other areas, hundreds of flights have been cancelled.
Why would anyone want to fly when the weather is perfect for driving.
Going camping is a perfect way to celebrate the great weather. The kids love it, and for adults who have put in a hard winter, it is a time to relax and enjoy this valley which is our home.
Yes it is time when the baseball teams are going full blast and watching them on TV is tempting, but keep it to a minimum. Baseball will still be going on for a long time this summer.
A recent trip to Yosemite witnessed the most beautiful waterfalls in recent history, and there is still snow at the top of the mountains. Amazingly, fear of having too much water has been a problem instead of the drought we are used to hearing about.
Californians have something to shout about at last.
We are looking at the price of gas, but it is manageable. At least there seems to be an adequate supply to handle all the tourists.
Boaters are enjoying our lakes and fishermen are having a good season. We have seen limits caught at several lakes.
We have been to two weddings in four days, and it seems like folks who did not want to get married during Covid are now lining up at the altar.
Because of the weather, the gardeners are out in force and the floral displays in the yards are special. Since there is plenty of water for a change, the lawns are not dried out and yellow, but rich green, and of course, they need more moving, which is good exercise.
More people are out walking in the mornings and evenings. It is another thing important for the health of all.
How long will this last? No one knows, and we don’t want to spoil it by writing about it.
It is just so normal to hear people complain about the weather, so when it is this beautiful, we need to shout.
Thank you Mother Nature, and just keep it coming.