She shakes her dust rag sky at you, this place does.
She keeps your hands busy with your own dust rag.
Dueling dust rags.
First a shake of hers, then a wipe of yours.
It rained once here.
No one dusted that day; we, instead,
Stood in our doorways, chattering on about a different
Color on the sky.
–Auburn McCanta
The picture above is of the town of Maricopa, thirty miles south of Phoenix. If the wind blows up from the South, the dust only gathers into a larger cloud by the time it reaches us. We usually only have these dust storms during the August monsoon season.
Other days of the year … like today … the dust stays pretty much ear level and we can easily gather it onto our cloths every morning.
Some places rain liquid. We have dust.
Believe it or not, one of the dustiest areas I’ve ever experienced was the Arabian Sea. It blows off the Sahara and Arabian Peninsula and coats everything. The region just outside the Persian Gulf is sometimes referred to as “the devil’s bath tub.” 85 to 90 degrees, 85 to 90 % humidity, and water temperature in the same range. So called “air conditioning” aboard an older US aircraft carrier is nearly non existent. Oh, we had it, but the system first “cools” sea water to make “chill water,” which is then circulated through the cooling coils. When the sea water is so warm, what you end up with is not “chill water,” but slightly cooler, luke warm water. The cooling effect on air passed through coils containing such water is negligable.
Enjoyed watching the first RAMBO movie just to see the outdoor scenes shot in frigid and damp British Columbia. (Met the author at PNWA a few years ago. He said Stallone nearly got frostbitten filming those scenes.
Dave
See, this is why we love you, Dave. Not only did you experience amazing adventures … you served your country! Have you ever thought of writing a “Seaman’s Memoir”? It would be fascinating and I know at least one avid reader and fan (me) that would love to read such a book. If you’ve already done such a book, please let me know.
In the meantime, I’ll think of the Arabian Sea when I’m dusting tomorrow morning.
Yes, as a matter of fact I have thought of it. Perhaps a memoir, or else a novel based on my experiences and observations. Don’t really have anything in mind as far a plot or story, but I am thinking about it now and then. I do have a little something written, something that I wrote while there. Once in a while i try to revise and bring it up to standard, but so far haven’t gotten very far with it.
Dave
May I encourage you to pursue that line? In today’s time, I’d think it would be particularly compelling. Reading about dust blowing across the Arabian Sea is fascinating. Truly fascinating.