Like walking underwater in a garbage bag

[stgulik]

That was my impression when we stepped off the plane in Charleston. Boy, it only takes a few years away to forget the hideous discomfort that only West Virginia's humidity can bring. But the one-minute walk from the airport terminal to Dad's car brought it allll back.

Other things I'd forgotten about West Virginia:

• When you sit in groups of five or more, somebody always brings up the "dew point." During our visit, the dew point reached 78. This is trouble because, at 80, the air is so wet that fish in the ponds get confused and swim straight out of the water and start flying through the air. Don't get me wrong; them fish is good eatin', but they tend to splat against the windshield. (Okay, I made this up. Most of it.)

• The locals know a damn sight better than to go outside in the humidity, thank you very much. We rented a pontoon boat so we could putter around a lake for a few hours, and we saw NOBODY. Just a few isolated campers who were probably tourists like us. It was odd. I'm used to life on the West Coast where, if a lake like that had 2,000 boats roaring around, we'd be marveling at how deserted it was.

• The local paper runs a column called "Garden of the Month." Families work hard to win this honor and have their gardens featured. Competition can be fierce. There was a joke in there somewhere about unusual fertilizer and the mysterious disappearance of rivals, but I did not dare reach for it.

Comments

[sandlappershell.livejournal.com]

Come on down to SC! I'll see your extreme humidity and raise you extreme humidity x 2!! When it is almost 80* at midnight and the dew point drops to 70* because of the sudden electrical storm, it is time to find a chunk of ice to recline on!! Hope you have a marvelous, not too soggy time in WVa!

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

I actually did! Forgot to say it was a lovely visit and entirely too short.

[bonsaibetz.livejournal.com]

I don't do regional saunas. When i was 14, I got shipped off to my grandmothers for two weeks in June, to Venice, FL (next to Sarasota). Eww. I was thin and young and I was in perpetual melt mode. No A/C at grandma's was awful. I'm such a California girl. I need low humidity. My grandmother had a shower outside because if you showered inside, the bathroom would never dehumidify. And you had to shower in the middle of the day so your hair dried before bed. If you go to bed with wet hair, the pillow will mildew.

My deepest sympathies.

Hurry back to our dry state.

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

Love the story about the outdoor shower. So happy all my relatives had A/C.

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Well, darlin' welcome back to the South. I'm hoping the wine there is at least the right colour.

Your title reminded me of the first time I went to visit my Uncle in New Orleans. I grew up in SC, and it's muggy here, but I had never felt such humidity. I remember getting out of the car on the ferry and thinking I'd just had hot wet wool slapped over my face. Never had anything like it.

I hope the rest of your holiday is fun. I've missed you around, kiddo. Lots to tell when you return!

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

I am back, m'dear, and anxious to get back to LML!

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

I've decided to split 21 and conclude it as 22. I'm finishing up the last bits and will have it to you this morning. It was getting too long, and I didn't like where it was ending, so I'm going to back up and give it another ending - that will propel 22 farther along. It won't be the most satisfactory endings for 21 but it will make more sense for 22 - I think.

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

Okay! I'm ready to dive in!

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Should be in your email inbox even as we speak...

[rivertempest.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Double UGH. Since I neighbor West Virginia, I understand about the humidity.

And the pontoon boats. Garrison Keillor anyone?

And the rabid families that use rival losers as fertilizer. ;)

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

Yet not a mint julep in sight. ::sigh:: West Virginia is not far enough South, I guess.

[justpinkpastel.livejournal.com]

That sounds absolutely awful. We get our fair share of humidity here in the Midwest, but from the sounds of it, nothing like West Virginia, thank goodness.

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

We also hit Southern Illinois, speaking of the Midwest. Not much better, from a dew point perspective!

[arcanetrivia]

Ugh. That's why I stick to my beloved west coast and avoid, oh, east of the Rockies as much as possible. ;)

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

Me, too, m'dear!

[beffeysue.livejournal.com]

LOL! Love the story of the flying fish! I live in the same state as Sandlapper and Teddy, and I agree with them about the heat and humidity of our fair state. From mid-July to mid-September, I do everything I can to avoid the out of doors. It feels like it's a hundred and twenty in the shade and there ain't no shade.

Glad your trip to WVa was a winner, and glad you're back in your more comfy home.

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

Thank you, beffeysue! It was a long plane trip, and the flying fish thing was the best joke I managed to come up with all day.