It's hot.

Hot, hot, hot.  And dry.  Scary dry, we're in the midst of a drought.  There's the promise of a 60% chance of rain this afternoon with risk of a thunderstorm, keep fingers crossed we get it, we need it badly.  The only bright side is that the skies have been clear at night, good for astronomy.  Haven't had time to lug out my big telescope, but I have gone out where there were predictions of auroras and managed to get some good pictures.  Saturday night's show was the best, took some 30 second exposures that brought out the colours.  I'm not a fan of using bug sprays, but thank goodness for that can of Off, the mosquitoes came out in hordes where I jammed the boat in along the shore.  Someone had discarded one of those nice gravity chairs, one of the bolts had broken off the arm support.  Didn't take me long to fix that.  The chair fits nicely over the seat in the boat, I can sit comfortably while taking pictures, and only restricts the rowing a bit. 

At least the heat has warmed up the lake, the older I get the warmer I want the water.  I'm getting in there every chance I get, when I stand on the dock in November I'd like to think that I didn't waste my swimming time.  Nights have mostly been calm, which is good for the photography, you get the stars and auroras reflected in the water.