Sea air has begun creeping into Portland, which means that the heat wave is on the wane. You can hear pretty much the whole town heave a sigh of relief when the coastal breeze arrives after one of these spells. It's pretty much on schedule this time around, leaving a blistering stretch of only three days.

When the temperature gets above 90 degrees Farenheit, Portland becomes a different place from what it is the rest of the year. On an afternoon walk, you get the sidewalks to yourself. A few pedestrians who would never think of carrying an umbrella in the rain put one up to keep the sun off. Not as many bicyclists as usual get out there when it's so hot, either.

Oh, but the cars. In a Portland heat wave, there are usually too many cars. The locals see the sun and figure that they ought to be out in it, but since they don't want to deal with the heat, the air conditioner in the vehicle seems like the perfect solution. Yesterday these factors teamed up with the usual Friday uptick in traffic to make for a pretty unpleasant day on the roads.

We're past Fourth of July now, and a lot of the Portland green that comes on like gangbusters in June is already started to slow down. There are dry days ahead for the next five weeks or so, and most of the lush emerald patches will gradually turn a citrine brown. Things have a way of clouding up a bit in mid-August, but in a typical Portland summer, there are some things that the locals come to bank on. Like dry Julys and Augusts.

Last night we grilled a few sausages with peppers and onions, sipping on a local beer while tending the barbecue (keeping a wary eye out for the skeeters). Threw a little slaw on the plate and called it good. Finished things off with a slice of watermelon. Life is good.