Like the blowing sands of the Sahara...

 

You're back in the desert?  No.

With the shortages of everything these days, we make it a point to stay up on Rufus's food supply.  There are times that we can't find the healthy food brand we feed him.  Joan goes back and forth between Chewy's and PetSmart (on-line and in the stores)... when I got back from a motorcycle ride this morning, Joan said to me, "The PetSmart in Brownsville has all the food and his litter." 

I said, "I guess we're going to Brownsville."

Yep.

Highway 48 connects Port Isabel and Brownsville.  Back when it was a 2 lane road, it was listed as "the most dangerous highway in Texas."  Over a decade ago, the highway was upgraded to 4 lane, with a concrete barrier as a median, to prevent head-on collisions (the reason it had that reputation).  There is nothing along that road other than flats that dry out and create blowing dirt.  Over the years, different sorts of greenery have been encouraged to grow there, along with some digging to the Brownsville Ship Channel to allow some water to flood into that area to keep the blowing dirt down.  All those efforts have been reasonably effective... until you get an extended dry period and big winds... like what is happening currently.

Thank goodness for "recirculation" in the car's climate control system.  The blowing dirt and sand is nasty ugly today, with wind blowing from the south at 25 gusting into the upper 30s.  The wind changed from the usual southeast to more south - that also plays a part in this.  Can't be good for the car's paint... and you sure wouldn't want to be out there breathing it in.

This area is flat.  You can see the blowing sand and dirt from miles away.  It is clear (pun intended) that these clouds of dirt are more than what's blowing off the flats - it is coming from Mexico as well.  And Joan told me that she saw on last night's weather forecast that we will be getting sand carried from Africa in the upper winds in this area in the next few days.  Because, apparently we don't have enough of our own blowing sand and dirt.

A good time to spend the rest of the afternoon inside, enjoying the air conditioning.

 Those symbols at the bottom are chance of precipitation, not humidity; the humidity right now is 73%... so if you do go out in the blowing sand/dirt you will be sweaty so it will stick to you.  I was going to wash the car today... looks like I get out of that for the rest of the week.