We are into day thirteen of another deluge of rain. There is a 90% chance of rain again tomorrow.
I lived in the Chesapeake Bay region in Maryland for most of my life, where we
would get powerful fall storms, most of which were categorized as
“tropical.” The rain would pour, it
would be windy, and then the next morning, it was gone! I remember loving to watch these storms. There was a house up the street that had this
beautiful big oak tree in the front yard.
When we had a storm I would sit on my covered porch and watch that tree
dance in the wind. We also got a
hurricane or two, during which my kids and I would have “storm” parties. Even if the storm turned out to be a dud, we
still had fun.
We are currently in the rainy season in the Riviera
Maya. This period starts around the
middle of June until the middle of October or so. Then, from November until the beginning of
May – pure paradise! Not much rain,
lower humidity, and very comfortable sleeping weather. We have had a few bouts of tropical
storm-type rain this summer. They can be
pretty fierce, but we have hurricane shutters on all the windows and doors just
in case. I have only closed them
once. Here I get to watch the palm trees
“dance.” They go into contortions that
the oak tree back in Maryland couldn’t even begin to manage. Then, after a few days, the sun comes back
out, everything is fresh, albeit a little humid. Even though it is hotter and more humid
during these months, it is still delightful to be here.
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| Dancing Palm Tree Hard to Capture on Photo |
Humidity is a part of any tropical climate, and is a force
to be reckoned with. We have to keep
closet and cabinet doors open from time to time, plus have moisture trappers in
each one to keep the mugginess to a minimum.
Anything metal that is not stainless steel will rust. Period.
No getting around it. Leather
items need to be treated regularly with leather conditioner or a mold-like
substance forms on it, or the humidity actually dries it out. Something to keep
in mind when planning on what to bring if you are considering moving here. There are some benefits though, my skin has
never felt or looked better!
What is interesting is, regardless of the rain, when I go through the town center here, there are still plenty of folks walking around. The restaurants are full, and there are plenty of people in the lagoon swimming with the dolphins, so rain does not stop activity here.
Tropical storms aside, I look forward to this winter when I
know from December through March how cold it is in Maryland, it will be
beautiful, sunny, and warm here. Every
place has its good points and bad points, but warm winter weather is definitely
a plus to me!
Let’s face it, a rainy day in paradise is always better than
a sunny day sitting in an office!
