You can tell...

... what to expect from the day by: the state of the cover.

Huh?  I took the day off from making a post yesterday.  Temperature-wise, it was pleasant.  Well, except for the wind, which was blowing in the low 20s, gusting higher.  Neither of us felt much like working against the wind, with the scoots or the boat.  Instead, we did some running around in Brownsville with the car.

I have to say that it is generally more fun with the scoots, but the traffic in Brownsville can get hectic.  Yes, we saw a car on Highway 48 pass on the shoulder on that 4-lane road.  Less fun to mix it up with idiotic driving like that when on the scoots.  Just feels a bit more protected with sheet metal wrapped all around you.

The decision to drive to Brownsville came up impromptu after lunch out... nothing else going on... a few things we needed (that we can't get in our small town), so off we went.

Back home, Rufus and I got a walk in;  well, more of a meander.  And I went down to the dock to check on the boat.  Lower than usual tides right now, so I occasionally make an adjustment on the dock lines, especially with the gusty wind.

Today, the winds are even stronger: right now they are 25mph, gusting to 33.  I adjusted the dock lines when I got back from a bike ride... really happy to have that pedal assist when riding into the gusty wind.  No consideration of a boat or scooter outing today.  The cover is on the boat - that's what I mean by "the state of the cover."  If the cover is on the boat, I am expecting to not use it for a couple days.  It takes about 20 minutes to put that cover on, including time on hands and knees to get the support posts situated.  That is a bit of a commitment to me; even though I can crawl around better these days.  If the weather looks promising, I leave the heavy cover off and just put a light tarp over the seats - it attaches with a couple bungee cords, so only takes a minute or so to put on.  But, that tarp can't handle stronger winds like yesterday and today.  So, the "state of the cover" is a pretty decent indicator of what I expect the weather to be.

I admit I am a bit spoiled by living where winter rarely reaches us.  I feel for those up north who put away boats and motorcycles for months at a time.  The state of the cover is rarely more than a 48 hour thing.  I can still be outside... in shirt sleeves (the high today is supposed to be 77º).  Rufus will get a walk in, although I don't think he likes it when the wind ruffles his "tail feathers."