Photo challenge, Wisconsin

Dog Days of Summer

by Ingrid

It won’t be long and we’ll be talking about fall colors. I won’t lie, I’m looking forward to summer coming to an end. It was a brutally hot and uncomfortable July here in the desert southwest, and cooler temperatures can’t come soon enough.

With that said, my mind drifts to summers in the past. We enjoyed three fabulous summers spent at my sister-in-law’s lakefront property in northern Wisconsin. Unfortunately, yet fortunately, my SIL and her husband sold that property and now live a mere mile up the road from us.

We will be forever grateful to have had such a beautiful place to hang out, especially to ride out the summer of the pandemic.

Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer

There’s such a dichotomy between the weather in northern Wisconsin versus that of Phoenix, Arizona. While the summers in Wisconsin are treasured our summers in the desert southwest are not.

Winters are the opposite. When it’s minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-23C) with six-plus feet of snow on the ground, the majority of northerners hunker down inside. Well, we do the same during the summer when it’s 110 degrees plus F (43C) outside, we remain inside with running air-conditioning. Thank goodness for that invention.

As I type this post, my outdoor thermometer reads 118 degrees F in the shade 🥵(47C). The desert southwest has been setting record-high temperatures for the past month. So, you can imagine, I’ve been staying indoors and haven’t picked up my camera since June. Thus, today’s images are from summer’s past spent in the northwoods of Wisconsin.

Just viewing these images has a cooling effect on my soul and brings back special memories. Perhaps one day, we’ll return, but until then, I’ll stroll down memory lane.

Our daughter fishing in northern Wisconsin. That looks so refreshing!

What does summer look like in your neck of the woods?

This weeks post is in response to Terri’s Sunday Stills photo theme: Lazy, Hazy Daze of Summer. Be sure and check out her post as well as others found in the comments section for more photography inspiration.

61 thoughts on “Dog Days of Summer”

  1. Awesome captures! Magical September will be here soon with its morning fog, golden hour and memorable transition from summer to fall. I can’t wait to see more through your lens!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks! I’m with you and looking forward to magical September. Although, around here it’ll be more like October or November before autumn shows us her colors.

      Liked by 2 people

  2. In the Boston area and New England, we’ve had more than our share of rain this summer.
    VT has had flooding and areas in most New England states have had flooding.
    But we have only had a few days of 90F or above. With the humidity, 80-something feels like 100F!
    But now that summer is starting to fade, I’m appreciating each day of warmth and latish sun sets.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. You’re local flooding hit our news … so sad to see the devastation caused by flooding. Hope everyone is on the mends. Even Europe has experienced some extremes. Crazy everywhere! Before long, just as the days are starting to shorten the cooler weather shall be upon us. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Ingrid,
    118 degrees!?! Say it ain’t so! We’re in Charleston on our way to the Outer Banks of NC. It’s 105 in Charleston. Hopefully we can cool off in the ocean. Love your walk down Memory Lane…the pictures are beautiful as always. Surely, Fall is not far away. Have a great weekend. Joe

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you Joe. Fortunately, we don’t have to contend with humidity or that would make things ten times worse. Have a great time in Charleston, and I look forward to hearing all about it in a blog post.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Oh my! Your photos from Wisconsin are lovely. My summer has been all over. Today finds me in Maryland for baseball and adventure. Last week northern Michigan, next week sunny humid Florida, then home to start school. Summer is always a time of wonder, rest, and reflection. Keep making YOUR days count. Peace.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Wow Clay! You’ve been quite the traveler this summer. We loved our time in northern WI and now it’s time to find new places to escape our summer heat.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Love the photos! What great memories.

    We finally made it to Oregon from the Maritimes. Fortunately it is in the 80s and not higher. We remember how hot it can be in Phoenix. We had fifth-wheel issues one year and were stuck in Mesa for June. Wow, was it hot. The two ACs could not keep up no matter how hard they tried.

    Fall is coming!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. We too have stayed in Phoenix in the RV into June and the poor A/C unit ran constantly. So glad to be in a well-built house during this weather. 80s sounds refreshing right now. Enjoy your time on the west coast.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Lynn. I’ve enjoyed seeing your photos of your trip on FB. You picked a great time to visit. At least our overnight temps are starting to drop which gives me hope. 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  8. 118 F. really is brutally hot, Ingrid. We’re even complaining about 100. Well, it’s slightly above that for the next 10 days – at least. What really bothers us, though, is the extreme drought we’re experiencing. It hasn’t been like this before. Everything is getting brown and we’re afraid we might be losing trees, as we are not allowed outside watering – officially at least.
    All the best and stay well … and COOL,
    Pit

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I woke up to lightening this morning but not one drop of moisture fell. It too is extremely dry here and there’s even concern for the saguaro’s. 🌵 Let’s hope we all get an early fall.

      Like

  9. Love the photos, Ingrid, especially the one of the pier in fog and the one after that. But they’re all wonderful…and wonderfully cooling, if only virtually. How does my summer look? 🙂 Oddly enough, a lot like yours. However, I’m escaping tomorrow morning for a couple weeks in the mountains in Wyoming. Can’t wait to be on my way.

    Stay cool and yes, thanks goodness for AC. Otherwise we’d all need to be living in adobe houses or elsewhere.

    janet

    Liked by 2 people

    1. If not for A/C we’d probably need to build underground bunkers to survive these summers. Have a great couple of weeks in WY. Hopefully, we’ll be able to escape to Grand Junction at the end of the week…. truck issues may dictate otherwise 🥴

      Like

    1. At least most of us living here expect the temps and do our best to adjust and stay in A/C. Those temps aren’t normal for the PNW making it quite unbearable I’m sure. Hopefully, you’re enjoying a lovely summer. 😊

      Like

  11. Great photos Ingrid! We feel your pain with those temperatures after experiencing 111F during a heat dome in BC a couple of years ago. Now we have over 360 wildfires in BC and over 1000 in Canada. Even though we live in a rain forest we are experiencing a drought. Take care and stay cool!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Steve. Oh no, that’s a lot of wildfires going on. So sorry to hear. Those high temps in your neck of the woods are unexpected making it quite challenging. At least desert dwellers expect high temps and adjust our lifestyle. It’s still not fun but a trade off for the other nine months of the year when weather is enjoyable.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I would really struggle in that heat – it hit 41C for a couple of days in London last summer and it was pretty unbearable (especially as we don’t have AC!) This year we have the opposite – apart from June our summer has been disappointingly cool and wet. Your photos from Wisconsin however seem to capture a perfect summer, with beautiful light! No wonder you have such fond memories of time spent there.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. My daughter and her husband spent ten days in early June cruising around England and Ireland and enjoyed near perfect weather. They can’t wait to return.
      As much as we expect the extreme heat, this summer has been a record breaker making it a looong summer. Thank goodness for the A/C 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  14. I feel cooler just looking at your beautiful images from past summers in Wisconsin. I thought it was hot here with 90 degrees until I read yours was 118! Yikes! As we say here in the south “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity”. Like you, I spend most of my days in the air conditioning. If I have to do something outside it is early in the morning. I just can’t take the heat any more.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I enjoyed searching for images to put this post together. Fond memories. As they say here, “it’s a dry heat” but even an oven is a dry heat 🤣 Poor doggies need to wear booties so their paws don’t get scorched from the pavement. At least we’re starting to see our overnight temps drop below 90. It’s so funny to think of 80 degrees as a cool front. But such is life in the desert SW. 🌵

      Liked by 3 people

  15. Hi Ingrid – my dad lives in Northern Wisconsin so those photos look so familiar to me and our area in WI. It is a wonderful place to spend time in the summer. Heading out to fish when the fog on the lake in the morning is rolling in is one of my favorite things to do up north. I can’t imagine the heat that you’re going through in Arizona. Your photos of WI are beautiful – glad they brought you some cool thoughts for your HOT August!! PS – thanks for stopping by my blog too – it was nice to meet you here in the blogosphere!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I totally agree …. heading out on the water as the fog rolls in is always a fun adventure and the fall colors are another favorite. Hopefully, we’ll make it back that way one more time. I feel such at peace there along with a sense of home. But I can do without those winters. 😊

      Liked by 2 people

  17. Hi Ingrid, that’s a fairly hot place during summer! Where we are in Australia we often get to high 30s C but over 40 is uncommon. Your photos tell a story which i very much enjoyed reading 🙂 #Sundaystills

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Fortunately, just a two-hour drive north offers temps 20 degrees F cooler. Thus, a lot of locals like getting away for the weekends which is something we should do more often. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Beautiful pictures! We are hot too (mid-90s), but at least it goes down to 78-80 at night. This is the worrisome time of year now (August & September), because hurricanes generally ramp up.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Although our extreme heat can be dangerous, at least we don’t have to worry about destructive storms. Hope it’s a mild season for you guys.

      Like

  19. No place is perfect, that’s for sure, and one of the reasons to miss full-time travel with the ability to chase and stay in the good weather. I’d answer your question of how summer is where I am, but it will just make more people want to move here, and we’re full 😀 I do hope the heat eases for you, though. Extremes are no fun either way you go!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. No, extremes aren’t fun. We need to figure out a new style of travel so we can escape from time to time during the summer. Fortunately, my brother is a days drive away so we’re targeting another quick getaway to Grand Junction. Fingers crossed!

      Liked by 1 person

  21. Lovely photos! We had a warm start for a few weeks in June here in London. Alas it has been a mixture of rain and sunshine with temperatures around 19 or 20 degrees Celsius here in London since July. But I’ll take it considering how extremely hot it’s been for our neighbours in continental Europe.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you! Yes, southern Europe has hit our news for the record breaking temps and wildfires. Very challenging summer for many. Hopefully, we will all experience an early autumn.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. We too miss our summers on the lake in Wisconsin. Once you’ve experienced one, you are hooked! We do not miss the mosquitoes and humidity though. Our summers in South Dakota are very pleasant but we do miss the fishing very much. We have a lot of trout, but walleyes are very rare.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Yep, sure don’t miss the mosquitoes or black flies but there’s nothing like lake time in the Northwoods. That place will always hold a special place in my heart.

      Liked by 1 person

  25. Wow, Ingrid. You describe my summer up here. Basically hiding from the heat as I used to do in Michigan in hiding from the bitter cold. I too am ready for the cool weather to return so I can get back on my eBike.

    The temps are back to the normal lower 100s now which is nice. I do miss Michigan at times but not those winters!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Although I’d like to think I’m used to the desert summers, this one has been a little rougher than others. As much as I miss summers in the northern Midwest, I know I could no longer handle the winters nor would I want to. My dad always said, “You don’t have to shovel heat”. 🤣

      Liked by 3 people

  26. Gorgeous images of summers past and present, Ingrid. I’m glad you and Al could enjoy that summer respite for a few years. Your July was unbelievable. I don’t do heat anymore (never really could after age 30). My brother and partner escaped the Scottsdale heat and stayed here with us for 2 weeks, and are now heading south to Oregon and California. They think 90 degrees is cool, LOL! How nice your family is close by–that’s really what it is all about in the end. Have a lovely week and stay cool!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you Terri. Yes, it’s nice having both of Al’s sisters (and our kids) nearby. It makes the summers here a bit more bearable. This summer has been more brutal than others with record after record high heat being broken. I think I need another getaway. 🥵

      Liked by 2 people

Comments are closed.