The sun's setting early on the longest day of the year thanks to the coming storm. Rain. Shower? It'll probably peter out before anything actually falls. It's weird. Among the things I miss most about Pittsburgh is the weather. Sure, transplants-- and natives-- bitch endlessly about the lack of sunny days, but I liked having a lower risk of skin cancer and I liked my landscapes green. In the almost-year since moving, most of the rain in the warmer months seems to be in the form of brief storms. Not sustained gentle rains of the type favored by farmers nor the sustained storming-all-night storms, just quick hits that usually bypass my humble abode thanks in part to the good old urban heat island effect. As a result, even with sprinklers the grass is already fairly yellowed.

Christ, how I dread holidays. Knowing that it's going to suck and trying to make it suck less is a setting myself up for disappointment, but I can't not do that. Our first father's day without my brother went okay-- as long as we were busy. St Michaels was an adequate distraction. And being down that area just reminded me how much I want to live on the water with a nice little sailboat. Just a wee little sloop or catboat would be nice.