Trip Report: Back from my Colombia, all the wiser.

[AltoHombre]

I Last night was my ESL class, I teach once a week. Tonight I'll finish it off the rest of the story.

Tony

[AltoHombre]

Friday Night, "Grande, Más Grande."

So I left off driving in the taxi to Palmira. Thanks to folks here, I had already figured out about where we were going. Barrio Olympico, I had looked over the satellite images and knew the basic path to the barrio, and the basic street. I was happy to see that the taxi was going about where I expected. We arrived at night and got out of the cab to enter a narrow walkway. Neat, small single family houses on each side of the walkway. Each house attached to the next. Clearly a "close" neighborhood.

Once I got into the house, I got to meet, the entire family. Three sisters, mom and dad. I could not have had a warmer greeting were I to walk into my own parents home. And the event of the evening was seeing me. I'm 6'4" a big guy, and they were just amazed. I must have stood up about half a dozen times. It was all good. They offered me something to drink. I was happy to have a little water. Next question did I want "yellow". Ok, I'm stumped.. "yellow", I'm thinking to myself, what the heck is "yellow", but I figure I'm game in for a centavo, in for a peso. Yes, I'd like "yellow". Well it turns out as many of you I'm sure know already, "yellow" is hielo, or as we say in English... Ice.

Oh, it's going to be an interesting weekend. I vow silently to myself at this point, that I'm just going to dive in, say yes to as much as I can.

Mom, has made me some dinner. I'm offered a plate of chicken, rice, beans, plantains and some fried arappa. I'm happy to have it, it's all excellent, very tasty. I'm grateful it's just a chicken leg, and nothing too exotic. We talk, as best we can, working back and forth in english, spanish, translating with the dictionary, and the second oldest daughter speaks pretty good english. Her accent is a bit strong, but still understandable with a little effort. Far far better, then the butchering I'm doing of the spanish language. I tell her this and politely she assures me, I'm doing very well. I think to myself, "Polite, but a bold faced Lie!", but I graciously accept her compliment.

The night is going well and Luza, my hostess, is talking to me in spanish. Much of which slips right past me, but some words are obvious. Some not so much. I can tell she's making some comments about beauty products. My general take is that she's going to be putting on some kind of cream/mask on her face and wants me to understand that it's one of those things women do, and not to be shocked. I'm an easy going guy, so I nod my head. Repeatedly. Sure I say, Sure, no problem. Knock yourself out. I try to point out that to rejuvenate your skin, you have to not be joven already, but my little joke is lost in the translation.

Its clear that I've been assigned a bed in one of the rooms and that its probably time to call it a night. I'm relatively happy with this idea, and am ready to get some sleep. It has been a long day. I'm glad for my first day in Colombia to come to an end.

Oh one last thing. There's no air conditioning in their home. Of course I didn't expect there to be so this comes as no surprise. However, they do have a very nice little table top oscillating fan. Which seems to follow me everywhere I go. One sister or another is constantly moving it, from table to table to table, to make sure I'm constantly in the breeze. It's very nice, but also a bit embarrassing. After all I'm not the only person in
the house, and I'm not the only one who must be feeling the heat, but that's the way it's going to be and there's no arguing about it. When it's time for bed, the fan ends up in the room pointed at the bed. I'm not willing to fight the battle to say I don't need it. I don't really, but it's just not worth the effort.

Saturday: "That's for who?"

I awoke Saturday morning at about 7:30, which is pretty normal for me. However, it was clear this was not a normal waking time for my hostess and her family. I decide I'm not getting out of the bedroom, till the rest of the family awakes. Which takes about an hour and a half. I have my iPod so I listen to a few pod casts and keep myself amused.

Breakfast is ready shortly after I appear. It's a hot dog, scrambled eggs, juice and coffee. The hot dog has clearly been fried. It's not what I would consider normal breakfast fare, but I'm hungry, and it's good.

I try to explain that I can't eat too much. I have a little gastro-intestinal issue, that means I have to take it easy. Eat slowly, and not too much. This I think surprises them, that someone so large, eats so small an amount. But I assure them, as best I can, that the food is wonderful and that I'm honored to be their guest.

As this point, I see Luza with a bowl and a cucumber. She is furiously shredding it. I, who am watching, am amused and just enjoying sitting back and am not thinking much about it. She is watching to see when I'm finished, and when she's sure she drags me back to the back of the house, where there is a small enclosed patio. She sits me down in a chair, and makes it clear she's going to take care of me. It quickly dawns on me, that she's planning on giving me a manicure. And shortly after that, I realize that the shredded cucumber.. That's for me. For me? Yes, for me.. it's the máscara, from last nights discussion.

So I sit down in a small plastic chair, lean back, and am treated to a Colombian beauty regimen. Cucumber mask, with two slices one for each eye, 5 min. She cleans up my hands, and feet first with soap then with some gritty cleanser mixed with a hand cream. She trims my nails hands and feet. She cleans up my cuticles and as the last step puts a coat of clear lacquer on both my fingers and toes.

All and all it's very unexpected. At the same time both pleasant and a bit bizarre for me. The whole time we're talking as best we can. Oh, as the first step in this whole process she has me put my feet in a tub of hot water. It's a very pleasant experience. I'm glad I took full measure of the pleasure of hot water. Because, that was the last hot water I was going to have access to, for cleaning purposes till I got back to the hotel.

The home of my hosts, had no hot water. None. no hot water heater, and no plumbing for hot water. None. Yowza. That was a big shock. Three days of body washing with only aqua frio. Which you know sounds almost like a nice men's aftershave when you write it in spanish. I will tell you now, that the words are much more enjoyable then the reality.

I could go on in detail, but I think I'll try to speed things up a bit.

I explained I needed access to the internet, to let my friends back home know that all was well. We took a quick trip into the Palmira city center. Four of us. Myself, Luza, her oldest sister and her father. We went to the Cathedra, but it was closed. We wandered around a bit through the city found an internet center. I did my quick emails to say all was well and then we were ready to head back to the house. We were expecting guests. There's a friend of Luza's who was going to arrive that afternoon.

We took a quick side trip, I wanted to use a bathroom, but of course like in many cities, you can't use a bathroom in an establishment unless you're a patron. So we stopped in to a small restaurant and had a quick bite to eat (my treat). The waiter, Walter, was a man who'd spent 26 years in the US, was now a US Citizen, but was back in Colombia, because his father was ill. His english was perfect. I asked him to translate a few things for me, and he was glad to do it. He offered his services to help Luza learn english if I needed to find her an instructor. I may very well take him up on that.


That night we went out with Monica, Luza's friend and two of her sisters. The plan was to go to the local mall for dinner. My treat again. We wandered around, found a place for dinner, had a lovely time. This was another little point of conflict. They were happy to eat at a fast food place. Because I have to be careful of how much and what quality of food I put in my mouth I wanted a sit down indoor restaurant. They complained it was too much, too expensive. That they were happy with something quick and inexpensive. After a bit of discussion, and a phone call to Moncia's boyfriend to help with the translation, we ended up in a very nice restaurant in the mall. I had a very nice chicken florentine. It was all lovely the conversation was good. The company terrific and I felt like a million bucks.

The night ended at a small bar in the middle of the mall. Where a short beauty contest? was being held. The ladies were insistent that we should stop and watch. Luza explained to me, that one of the contestants was a friend of hers from school. So for the next hours or so, I got to sit by the "runway" and watch, not too closely of course, in deference to my hostess as several very attractive Colombian beauties, strutted in front of the crowd. Did I mention I was loving every minute of this vacation?

The night ended with a taxi back to the house. The rest of the family was already in bed, so I bid the young lady who was quickly becoming my novia, buenos tardes.

[LastLion]

OH awesome report Alto... I can see it thru your eyes, good writing and great observations. Keep it coming.. SOunds like your gal beautician or something... HAHAA

Keep it coming, this is about the best thread on the site in weeeks maybe months!!

[AltoHombre]

]
I'm glad folks are enjoying my postings. I feel at times they are a little long winded. What I hope to get across in this postings, is my own stream of consciousness as I explore my own feelings and live through the experiences of this trip. I'm trying to concentrate on some of the things, that I wish I had known before I started. Just give a heads up to other folks who might be in similar situations. I guess I can pontificate at length and if you find it boring, well there are lots of other postings to read here. Anyway back to the trip.



Sunday "When do we go to Church?"

I realized long ago, that my out look on religion is significantly different then most people. I cant decide if I'm an agnostic, who borders on atheist, or an atheist who borders on agnostic. One thing I'm not is bound to any kind of religious background. I wasn't baptized, between the time of my earliest memories and my twentieth birthday you can count less than 30 entries into a church for any reason. The most common reason for those entries was probably funerals. My parents used to take us to church when we were young, probably once every two years, for maybe 3 weeks. Mom felt I think a desire to provide us with some kind of spiritual guidance, Dad always referred to it as my religious inoculation. Well like any good vaccine, it pretty much worked. I know a fair amount about religion, but I don't have any strong religious identification with a specific denomination. Dad's Italian and so Roman Catholic was the church I was most familiar with which brings us to the point of this little side trip into my past. I understand the out look of catholics. I don't agree, nor subscribe to the churches teachings, but I know the pattern, and the feel of a catholic service. Which I figured would serve me in good stead in Colombia, where much of the population is Catholic.

In particular, Luza had told me that her mother was fairly religious, and went to church several times a week. So wanting to make a good impression, I figured I would end up attending mass with the family on Sunday morning. This I figured would score some bonus points with mom and dad, and improve my overall rating in their eyes. Luza at one point had asked me about my background, I think with an eye to understanding what kind of wedding we might have if/when we got there. I told her I'd be happy to do almost anything she wanted. However, that there might be a problem, because while I didn't have a problem with going through the Catholic ceremony, the church might have a problem with me. Not baptized, no communion. Truly damned in the eyes of the church. My first clue that my understanding of this situation was less then accurate should have come when Luza suggested it was ok, we could have a civil ceremony if it came to that.

Anyway, I was kind of looking forward to attending mass in a country where the Church seems to be so much more strongly a part of the daily life. I had brought a tie and long sleeve shirt, along with a jacket to wear. Second clue that things were not as I thought. When Luza packed my stuff for the trip to Palmira on Friday, she had made a point of not including the ties or the shirts, or the jacket. I wouldn't need them she said. At the time I just assumed this was because it was too hot for that kind of clothing. Never assume.. I should always remember that.

So I rise again, earlier then most of the house. I putz around listening to pod casts, till I hear the day starting around me. At which point I make my appearance. Breakfast this morning, is yogurt, juice, coffee, two fried eggs and two hot dogs. A simple breakfast, the eggs are cooked the way I like them, solid. The hot dog ends have been decoratively cut. The plan as we talked in the morning was to go to church, then in the afternoon, a small party at the home of a family friend.. It seems there were two birthday's in close proximity to the day, and so a small party was to be held as a joint celebration. I asked about what time we were going to be going to church, and was told 9am. It was about 8 am, so I felt confident that we would be leaving soon.

However, confidence was quickly dashed on the rocks of time. Because no one seemed to be in much of a hurry. We were waiting for a sister to return from purchasing the cake for the party. Waiting to get everyone ready. Waiting to get the team in gear and going. Waiting.. Waiting.. Waiting.. 9:00am came, and went.. 10:00am came and went. Finally, I made the point that I needed to do a check in at the internet again and I'd like to do that before the party. Luza assured me that wouldn't be a problem that we could stop in after church. I was dressed now, ready, and it seemed the rest of the family, at least the part of the family going with me to church was ready. However, instead of the whole family going, it was going to be me, and Luza and her sister Victoria. Mom, Dad, and her other two sisters were going to stay home. Oh well the best laid plans of mice and men...

We get a taxi, we head off to the central church, the cathedral in down town Palmira. I'm not sure at what point it finally dawned on me. It might have been in the taxi, or just before, or it might have been when we went into the church and arrived in the middle of the service. I'm not exactly sure at which point it because totally obvious to me, but suddenly it dawned on me. The only reason we were going to church, was because I had suggested it. There was no sunday morning family service. It was just them accommodating me. Me who would gladly have not gone except that I was trying to be accepting and accommodating of their beliefs.

Oh well there we were, downtown Palmira. I decided to make the best of it, and head over to the Internet cafe, and make my daily safety report. A quick walk, a quick 2000P later and my emails are sent and my news habit is sated and I'm at ease having gotten my internet fix.

Ah, a quick rant here. I don't remember if I've mentioned this before. The internet cafe's in Palmira totally surprised me. I've traveled a bit, and everywhere else I've been each workstation has a camera and a headset. So that you can effectively use Skype, Yahoo Phone, and chat for doing video chat/talk. When I was involved with a young lady in the Philippines we chatted fairly often and it always included a video and audio connection. I'm totally surprised that they don't have that set up in Colombia. When I first started talking with Luza, it totally annoyed me that she never had a camera, or that we were unable to voice chat. I couldn't understand what the problem was. Now, I totally understand. I think the first guy who opens an internet cafe/center that includes that capability is going to clean up. Unless there's some legal/telephone tarrif reason that they can't it makes total sense. Ok end of rant, back to story.

We leave the internet center, and head over to another smaller church. I think they wanted me to see how nice the churches are in Palmira, and I was happy to do that, because I do in fact find religious art amazing, and there is a familiarity of the nature of churches that is comforting to me even if I'm not a practicing catholic.

Across the street from the church is a small bakery/breakfast bar. We stop and have a cup of cofee for me, and a rize and cream pudding. The ladies have a pastry and some juice. We talk for a bit. They are very interested in the variety of religious denominations that are found in the US. I go through a list. Baptist, Mormon, Anglican, Presbyterian, Jewish, Islam, Buddhist come to mind immediately. After a bit of discussion I manage to remember a few more. We talk about the difference between how my parents, who have found a church and attend every sunday now, do things differently from their family. We discuss the possibility of going to the Zoological park in Cali, in the afternoon. We generally relax.

We leave the breakfast diner, and head off to actually enter the second church. This one is significantly smallre then the cathedral we first went to. It's nice, well laid out, the art work is less prominent. The feel of the church is more of the people. This feels like a church people go to for guidance, the first one felt more like a church people go to for ceremony. Perhaps I fell that way because it was clear there were a number of baptisms going on in the first church.

We leave the church and wander a bit more. At this point, both Luza and her sister, Victoria suggest that there's a nice shop in town where I can buy some souvenirs for my family and friends. So we go shopping for about 1/2 hour in the shopping center, to enjoy an afternoon of fine Colombian trinkets. I've never been much for the little knick-knacks that many people pick up while traveling, but I figure it's probably a good idea to pick up a few things. Just to have something with me when I return. After wandering the halls looking for ideal souvenirs for my nephews and nieces. I finish the encounter with a bag of loot. A few t-shirts, a few key chains, a mug, less then a dozen things to round out my trip with, and I add my small contribution to the US trade deficit. ;-)

They mornings adventure ends with a trip to a local park, where we take a seat and this vendor in the park provides us with this delicious cup of fruit. Shaved ice, some kind of berry juice over the ice. About 5 different kinds of fruit slices, covered with a bit of carmel sauce. The stand is run by a young man, in his twenties. Luza tells me that she and he went to school together. That his family has been running this stand since she was a child. That of the several vendors who serve this ambrosia in the park, his family is the one her family always buys from. He's very nice, his mother and father are there as well, as well as a young woman who might be his sister. About half way through the fruit cup, Mom comes over and swirls another round of caramel sauce over the top of my treat. It's amazingly delicious and quite enjoyable. Sitting in the park, in the shade, enjoying the company of a beautiful young woman, with fruit ambrosia and warm tropical breezes. Have I mentioned recently how much I was enjoying this little break from the cold US winter? If not, let me tell you, it was heaven.

We catch a quick taxi back to the house, about 2800COP for the taxi ride. I have consistently been rounding up to the next even 1000 COP, It's my little habit, the drivers always seem to appreciate it, and Luza seems to think I'm nuts. I wonder briefly if I'm under-tippping, but the look on Luza's face seems to suggest she thinks I'm a bit crazy.

We lounge at the house for about an hour. And then the move is on to get from Luza's family house, to the house of her mother's friend. It's quickly clear we're going to need two cabs. Luza once again takes the situation in hand, makes the call, and now we sit and wait for the taxi's. We all bundle up, split up and get started riding, the 10 or 12 minutes to get to the friends's house. Here the house is really the second floor and third floor. We get the grand tour and I get to meet her mother's friend, the husband, the their children.

It lasts about 2 hours. I wont' go into the details, as it was relatively uneventful. I found out later, that I was a topic of much conversation, but I was blissfully unaware of that. The house was very nice, quite a bit larger than Luza's family house. It's very nice and while I was almost totally out of the conversation it was a fascinating afternoon.

The Day ends at this point with a trip back to the hotel. Luza and Victoria accompany me. We have a nice time in the cab, Except that we reach the same blocked off section of road that I had to detour around on the first trip in to Cali. The driver doesn't really know exactly where he's going, so along the way he asks for directions from people who are driving near us. To get to the final destination another taxi driver, leads the way in his car. Luza tips him a 1000COP for his help.

I was a bit surprised at how helpful people where to each other. It's a bit of a contradiction that in a place where everyone is so concerned with security, they are also more then willing to help and rely on the help of others. It's like they have a secret signal, to know who is safe and who is dangerous.

Once back in the hotel, Luza and Victoria, stayed a few minutes to help me get all set in my room, but they wanted to take that same taxi back to Palmira, so I didn't hold them there long. Shortly after they left the room, I was in the shower for my first steaming hot shower in days. I had a lot to think about and an early morning flight out of Cali, so I was into bed quickly. The wake up call came at 4am. And by 5:30 I was at the airport.

That story will finish off my trip report.

[El Yumbeño]

Wow! It sounds like you´re an experienced blogger. Quite a detailed report and a classic example of the proverbial gringo´s first trip out of the US with all the attendant cultural shocks. No hot water? Why would people who earn four or five hundred dollars a month spend money on heating water in a hot valley where the temperature might "plumet" to seventy four degrees F only once or twicw a year? I won´t elaborate on all the other "shocks" included in your report but one issue remains outstanding. If you have any serious intentions at all with this girl or any other colombiana for that matter immediatly sign up for a beginning Spanish class at your local community college. It doesn´t matter whether you plan to bring her home to Somallia or the US. It is just as imperative that you learn Spanish as that she learns your language. Any gringo who gives short shrift to that obligation can write off any chance of a successfull relationship/marriage to a Colombian girl.

[LastLion]

I have taken plenty of ths cold showers, I have to admit there is nothing like the first hot shower after that...

Nice report Alto,, sounds like there might be somethign there..

Overall how was the chemistry with your gal??

[Whitey]

Great trip report, Alto ... a lot of fun to read ... and I find your "ramblings" interesting.

But come on, give us a little info on how things went with you and Luza!

What are your next plans ... are you going back?

Whitey

[John Wayne]

Originally Posted by LastLion

I have taken plenty of ths cold showers, I have to admit there is nothing like the first hot shower after that...

Nice report Alto,, sounds like there might be somethign there..

Overall how was the chemistry with your gal??

I agree LL I want no cold water out of the well on my body out of a bucket, I will boil a quart or so to throw it in there first......

Nice Post Alto.....BS Excellent Post....

[AltoHombre]

Well where to start now. There are a few questions hanging out there, and I feel I ought to address most of them. I guess I'll start with the simple ones. Spanish, yes, I know very well that my spanish needs to get a lot better. I have a few things now that keep me here in the US. I'm working at breaking the lose the things that have me caught in a tight grip here in the US. What I'd like to do is take a break from my current occupation and travel to Colombia for at least a few months. During that time I'd like to to two things. One, get a TOEFL course under my belt, so that I can teach english. I've been doing that locally through a volunteer program here in Virginia, but I'd like to get certified. Second, I'd like to immerse myself in a spanish culture for a few months. I know that won't make me fluent, but it should help. It's very clear to me, that if Luza and I have a future we have to meet each other in the middle.

Now with regard to hot water. Sometimes in life, you have a certain set of circumstances that are co-incidentally linked. In January, before I had decided to travel to Colombia, on an especially cold day, after having paid an exceptionally large electric and gas bill, I distinctly remember standing in my hot morning shower. As the hot water rolled over me, I remember thinking that there was a lot going on in the world; The financial crisis was erupting and the price of oil had been sky high. I'm a child of a child of the depression in the 1930's. My father has been expecting the next depression for as long as I can remember. As a result that fear of economic collapse kind of wore off on me. I'm standing there, luxuriating in the hot water and I was thinking.. What happens if you can't afford hot water. What would you do if you couldn't wash your body in this daily bounty of steaming hot water. I thought for almost the entire human experience hot water was not something most people ever got to experience. What would it be like to have to shower in cold water.. every day. I sat there just pondering the idea. Glad that it seemed unlikely.

I arrive in Luza's house, and it became quickly clear that what had been a little mental exercise was clearly now the reality at hand. Hot water in the shower, was not a part of their lives. The house is not even plumbed for it. I instantly realized the reasons why. It made total sense, both economically and practically. I managed the situation pretty well. Obviously I'd feel that lose for a while. And I will always want that pleasure. However, I'm sure I could learn to live with only cold water. LIke it, no, probably not for a very long time. Live with it, yeah, I could. I hope I don't come across as a spoiled north american who can't live with out his starbucks and hot showers. I've lived rough before, and I'm sure I'll do it again. A little sacrifice is good for the soul.


Now let's get to the heart of the matter. What happened between Luza and I. How do I feel, what's going to happen next, where is it going?

First a little background I met Luza on-line over a year ago. She's young, very young. I have my own concerns about the age difference. I have friends who I grew up with who have children Luza's age. She constantly tells me that age is just a number. I on the other hand have lived at both 20 and 48, and I know that age is much more than just a number. At 48, you know what changes you've been through you know what changes happen as you move from 20 to 30, nver mind the difference between 20 and 40. The age difference concerns me. It's not put a hard stop to the relationship but it concerns me.

I've been married, and I have had children, my ex-wife had children from her first marriage. I do not have children of my own. At 48 most of the women my age, or even 10 years younger than I am are done with the having babies part of life. That's part of the reason why I'm not seriously looking for a wife in the US. I want a family, and to do that I need to find a woman young enough to be interested in starting on that path. As a result I'm not against the idea of marrying a woman who has a child already. Luza has made it clear she wants to be married she wants a family, our desires on that path are very similar.

Educationally, she's very smart, but her education is lacking. Which is not surprising. However, my impression is that she's very smart, and very capable. I strongly want her to go back to school and she is all for that. Again we have similar outlooks on what path we both should be on.

We have our differences, she felt strongly that she needed to iron my dirty clothes before we packed them. I had the hardest time understanding that point of view and in communicating my feelings on this point. We have our differences, no doubt.

I'm concerned that she's walking into something with out thinking about all the consequences. On the other hand, isn't that part of what it means to be young. You choose a path, you blaze a trail, you don't worry or often plan about the outcome. It's only after you've been burned and beat up and had to all back to plan B, or perhaps all he way to plan M or Z, that you learn to think about how to plan ahead, and what too look for.

On the flip side, I think at times I've lost a lot of the wonder of what its like to be young. I've lost touch with some of that confident bravado, that youth imbued us all with. Which makes me think that quote, "the wine is good, but the meat is spoiled".. (Who recognizes that famous translation error?)

Luza reminds me of what it is to feel passion, to be certain, to take chances again.

I love this woman very much. She makes me very happy, and foolishly she seems to feel the same thing for me. I'm 48, it's my job to worry, to over analyze, to think a thousand times before I step. I'm sure I've done that more in a day then she has in the year we've known each other and almost certainly more than enough for both of us. In the end, my first marriage lasted almost 5 years, I want a second to last a lifetime. I'm romantic enough to hope that this will be that, but realistic enough to know that there are a lot of reasons to worry that it won't be.

A famous writer once said:

"People who go broke in a big way never miss any meals. It is the poor jerk who is shy a half slug who must tighten his belt."

Which to me says, when you bet big, you may fail big, but you've lived life. If you're always minimizing risk, covering your ass, watching the pennies, and dimes you're missing the fun of the big picture. Maybe the pendulum is going to swing too far in the wrong direction, well that's the nature of life. You get burned you try to minimize your exposure to that problem again.

My plan now, is to go back to Colombia for 10 days around June 2. That's Luza's brithday. I'm smitten, but not so much that I'm going to be a fool, but maybe, just maybe I'll be a little foolish, and that I think will be a good thing. I hope this leads to marriage, that's what I want, that's what she wants. Now the devil is in the details.


Tony

[JMitch1959]

The showers in Colombia aren't really cold. The water is often not heated, but it's what I'd call tepid. It's really not all that bad. I could get used to it; especially considering how much electricity costs. An air conditioner would cost a lot to run, and my last trip to Cali I didn't even need a fan. I really appreciate that it never seems to be cold in Cali, and it doesn't seem to get really hot and humid either. It's a climate that I really like a lot. Much better than the cold winters, and hot summers, here in Southern Oregon. I also appreciate that the days are almost always the same length.