Road Sign

Tour071906

Maybe Floyd Landis, until his disastrous showing today a U.S. favorite to succeed Lance Armstrong as Tour de France champion, should have known trouble was coming when he saw this sign on the first big climb of the day, the Col du Galibier: “Galibier 12%, Jack Daniels 40%.” Someone who’s over there could probably do a pretty decent feature-length article on all the stuff that gets painted on the roads of the Tour route and on the people out there doing the painting.

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Heat

“There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands’ necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.”

Raymond Chandler, “Red Wind”

***

“It was past noon, and very hot. The bar was full of reflected river light, with dancing veins of gold. … The light was the light of the very early afternoon — everything stoked up, the blaze got truly going, but with a hint of the blaze about to consume itself.”

— V.S. Naipaul, “A Bend in the River

***

Gimme Swelter

— New York Daily News

***

BERGEN-EASTERN PASSAIC-ESSEX-HUDSON-UNION-

1142 AM EDT TUE JUL 18 2006

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EDT THIS EVENING.

HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL TOP OUT IN THE UPPER 90S TO AROUND 100 DEGREES TODAY…WITH HEAT INDICES REACHING 105 TO 107 DEGREES DURING THE AFTERNOON. MAKE PLANS TO CHECK ON THOSE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE HEAT SUCH AS THE ELDERLY AND VERY YOUNG. PETS WILL ALSO NEED YOUR SPECIAL ATTENTION DURING THIS TIME.

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN HIGH HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED TO COMBINE WITH HOT TEMPERATURES TO MAKE IT FEEL LIKE IT IS 105 DEGREES OR GREATER. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS…STAY IN AN

AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM…STAY OUT OF THE SUN…AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.

Excessive Heat Warning for northeastern New Jersey

***

URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ

342 PM EDT TUE JUL 18 2006

…EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING…

A VERY HOT AND HUMID AIR MASS WILL REMAIN OVER OUR REGION EARLY THIS EVENING. THE COMBINATION OF THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL RESULT IN DANGEROUS CONDITIONS. THE HEAT WILL DIMINISH AFTER SUNSET. HOWEVER, HUMIDITY WILL STILL REMAIN UNCOMFORTABLE. …

STAY PREPARED FOR THE HEAT. WEAR LOOSE FITTING AND LIGHT COLORED CLOTHING. DRINK PLENTY OF NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES TO PREVENT DEHYDRATION. IF POSSIBLE, AVOID STRENUOUS ACTIVITY DURING THE

HOTTEST PART OF THE DAY, WHICH IS TYPICALLY BETWEEN 1:00 AND 6:00 PM.

REMEMBER THAT THE ELDERLY, THE INFIRM AND THE VERY YOUNG ARE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO HEAT RELATED HEALTH PROBLEMS. BE SURE TO CHECK ON YOUR ELDERLY NEIGHBORS AND RELATIVES.

MAKE PROVISIONS FOR PETS AND ANIMALS BY INSURING THAT THEY HAVE PLENTY OF COOL WATER TO DRINK AND SHADE IN WHICH TO REST.

Excessive Heat Warning, Philadelphia Area

***

URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC

334 PM EDT TUE JUL 18 2006

… THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS HOT IS TO DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS. WATER IS YOUR BEST CHOICE AS IT PREVENTS DEHYDRATION. IF YOU ARE WORKING OR EXERCISING OUTSIDE AND FEEL DIZZY OR ARE GETTING MUSCLE CRAMPS…STOP IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK MEDICAL HELP. THE ELDERLY AND YOUNG ARE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO HEAT RELATED INJURIES…CHECK ON THEM OFTEN. NEVER LEAVE PETS UNATTENDED IN AUTOMOBILES – TEMPERATURES CAN SOAR TO 130 DEGREES IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.

–Heat Advisory for Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area

***

URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA

1136 AM EDT TUE JUL 18 2006

… A HEAT ADVISORY MEANS THAT A PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS…STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM…STAY OUT OF THE DIRECT SUNLIGHT…AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.

THE ELDERLY…YOUNG CHILDREN…PETS…AND LIVESTOCK ARE THE MOST LIKELY TO BE IMPACTED BY HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES AND DEHYDRATION. CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTSIDE. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. LIMIT YOUR EXPOSURE TO DIRECT SUNLIGHT…USE SUNSCREEN AND WEAR LIGHT COLORED CLOTHING.

Heat Advisory for central and southern Virginia and North Carolina

***

URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO

118 PM CDT TUE JUL 18 2006

.HIGH TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN IN THE 90S SINCE LAST WEDNESDAY… AND VERY HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH TOMORROW AND THURSDAY. THE LAST TWO DAYS HAVE BEEN ESPECIALLY BRUTAL… WITH MANY LOCATIONS IN KANSAS AND MISSOURI REPORTING 100 DEGREE TEMPERATURES WITH HIGH LEVELS OF HUMIDITY. WITH DAY AFTER DAY OF EXCESSIVE HEAT… THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF THE OPPRESSIVE CONDITIONS WILL TAKE ITS TOLL ON THE ELDERLY AND PEOPLE WITH POOR HEALTH. …

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN HEAT INDICES EXCEEDING 105 DEGREES FOR AT LEAST 3 HOURS…FOR THREE OR MORE CONSECUTIVE DAYS. AVOID PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO THE HEAT…AND BE SURE TO DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. ALSO AVOID ANY STRENUOUS OUTDOOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY…PARTICULARLY DURING THE HOTTEST AFTERNOON HOURS.

CHILDREN…THE ELDERLY…AND PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC ILLNESSES…ARE USUALLY THE FIRST TO SUFFER FROM THE HEAT. HEAT EXHAUSTION…OR IN EXTREME CASES HEAT STROKE…MAY RESULT FROM PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO THESE CONDITIONS. BE SURE TO PERIODICALLY CHECK ON PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST AT RISK. SEEK OUT AN AIR CONDITIONED LOCATION DURING THE HOTTEST PART OF THE DAY. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW DOES NOT HAVE ACCESS TO AIR CONDITIONING…CONTACT YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY OF COOLING CENTERS IN YOUR AREA.

Excessive Heat Warning, Kansas City area

***

URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO

457 AM CDT TUE JUL 18 2006

… FOR THOSE LIVING IN NON-AIR CONDITIONED BUILDINGS…THE DANGERS OF HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES WILL BE INCREASING DRAMATICALLY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS BECAUSE OF THE PERSISTENT HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS. FROM TIME TO TIME…BE SURE TO CHECK ON FRIENDS AND RELATIVES THAT DO NOT HAVE AIR CONDITIONING…ESPECIALLY IF THEY LIVE ALONE. OPEN WINDOWS AND USE FANS TO MOVE THE AIR…AND IF POSSIBLE TRY TO GO TO AN AIR CONDITIONED LOCATION FOR A FEW HOURS EACH DAY TO GIVE YOUR BODY A BREAK FROM THE HEAT. …

IF YOU HAVE AIR-CONDITIONING…USE IT! IF COST IS A CONCERN…UTILITIES AND OTHER LOCAL AGENCIES WILL BE ABLE TO HELP WITH THE ADDED EXPENSE. FOR PEOPLE IN THE ST. LOUIS METROPOLITAN AREA NEEDING INFORMATION ON COOLING CENTERS OR ENERGY ASSISTANCE RELATED TO THE EXCESSIVE HEAT…YOU CAN CALL OPERATION WEATHER SURVIVAL AT THE UNITED WAY OF GREATER ST. LOUIS. THE NUMBER IS 800-427-4626.

Excessive Heat Warning for east-central Missouri and west-central Illinois

Song of the Day

“La Marseillaise”:

“Arise you children of the motherland,

The day of glory has arrived!

Against us tyranny

Has raised its bloodied banner,

Do you hear, in the fields

The howling of these fearsome soldiers?

They are coming into your midst

To slit the throats of your sons and consorts!

To arms, citizens!

Form your battalions!

Let us march, let us march!

May impure blood

Soak our fields’ furrows!”

(French and English lyrics — all seven verses’ worth — here.)

The U.S. Navy Band plays it here. And the French Embassy to the United States relates the song’s story — minus the detail that the composer/lyricist, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, was a moderate who supported the French monarchy and was thrown into prison after he penned the anthem — here.

Tale of Two Felons

There’s a word for this — when you encounter an unfamiliar word or concept someplace, then suddenly see it again, as if it’s quite common. The case in point concerns the word felon.

A couple weeks ago, on the occasion of the anniversary of George Armstrong Custer taking his command into eternity, I opened “Son of the Morning Star,” Evan Connell’s free-form history of the general and his most famous battle. In the book’s early pages is a discussion of Lonesome Charley Reynolds, reputed to be “Custer’s favorite white scout” and one of those who died at the Little Big Horn. At one point (p. 20 of my 1984 edition) Connell says:

“Charley had a seriously infected, suppurating thumb — described in contemporary journals as a ‘felon’ — which troubled him so much that one of the regimental surgeons, Dr. Henry Porter, advised him to stay behind. Nevertheless, he was determined to go, and because Dr. Porter could not cure his thumb Charley approached Custer’s orderly, John Burkman, who concocted a poultice of wet hardtack. On the morning of June 25 he still wore this bulky poultice, but when Burkman saw his body it was gone, which meant that he probably peeled it off when the shooting started.”

I read the book long ago and read this passage, but the unusual term for Lonesome Charley’s infected thumb didn’t stick with me. At some point — my guess: the late 19th century, the time of the most recent citations in the Oxford English Dictionary and earlier — this use of felon was common; a Google search demonstrates it’s still current medical parlance (and if you’re really interested in the subject of pus-producing fingertip infections, check out whitlows and paronychia).

Anyway.

In mid-June, I took a daylong drive in Central Illinois with my brother Chris and my dad, during which we visited the site of the now mostly forgotten Chatsworth train wreck of 1887. Even earlier, I had come across an online mention of a locally produced history of the wreck, which involved an excursion train headed from Peoria to Niagara Falls. After coming back to California, I found a

'The Train That Never Arrived' coversingle copy of the 1970 book — “The Train That Never Arrived,” by Helen Louise Plaster Stoutemyer, former Chatsworth schoolteacher and part-time newspaper columnist. I ordered the book and got it a week or so ago. As books go, it’s slight: 68 pages that occasionally read like someone transcribing a shoebox full of notes. But it’s a labor of love meant to convey a small town’s experience in the only moment that ever brought it any attention.

Ms. Stoutemyer relates the account of Chatsworth businessman L.J. Haberkorn. Reading between the lines, you get the feeling Haberkorn never let the town forget what an important role he played in responding to the wreck. Fifty years after the fact, he was still spinning disaster yarns and arguing about whether he was the one who first rang the village fire bell to summon rescuers. In any case, “The Train That Never Arrived” says, the hero was not supposed to be home in bed when the wreck occurred:

“Mr. Haberkorn operated a restaurant and hotel in 1887 on thhe corner where Culkin’s Hardware Store is located today. The Haberkorns had planned to take the excursion, but were prevented from doing so because Mrs. Haberkorn had a felon on her finger which was giving her considerable pain and caused them to cancel the trip at the last moment.”

I like the parallel: Lonesome Charley went with Custer despite his felon and died. The Haberkorns stayed home to nurse the missus and her felon and lived.

July, California

Pleasantsa070706 Pleasants070706

One of my favorite landscapes: Pleasants Valley Road, running north from the Fairfield/Vacaville area, just north of Interstate 80, up to pretty close to nowhere on state Highway 128. This is one of the places I think of as a real California place: hills and low mountains folded up, the winter’s green grass turned golden in the heat of the early summer, and just three or four miles to the east, the table-flat margin of the Sacramento Valley.

Kate and I were going up to some friends in Fair Oaks, east of Sacramento, on Friday. I took the afternoon and early evening to ride from Berkeley to Davis, about 100 miles the way I go. In the summer, you can count on much warmer weather as you travel from the coast to the interior here. Define “much warmer.” It might be in the low 60s at the beach, low 70s around the shore of San Francisco Bay, and in the low 90s to low 100s as you move from the valleys east of the coastal mountains into the Central Valley. In Berkeley, the transition happens as you cross the hills headed east; there’s a short stretch on one of the roads up there where in the space of 100 yards or so the marine influence vanishes, the temperature rises, the humidity drops, and you’re in the interior.

I could tell Friday’s ride would be warm. It was pushing 80 in Berkeley when I left at 12:30 p.m. I couldn’t have told you how hot it was later, just that it was. Later I saw that the official temperature was in the mid to upper 90s along the route I took; my bike computer’s thermometer, which gets the sun-affected, on-the-asphalt reading, recorded a high of 115.

On my route, you hit Pleasants Valley Road after 65 miles or so. It marks the only place along the way where you have an extended feeling of having left the sprawl truly behind: 13 rolling, twisting miles, orchards giving way to ranches, deluxe estates, and then ranches with orchards. Beautiful even in the heat, though I was less inclined than usual to just drink in the scene.

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Two Bucks

For tonight, at least, I declare the notion of currency is overrated. John, my brother, points out a good Nicholas von Hoffman piece in The Nation on the new United States “embassy” in Baghdad. Another development in plain sight but somehow virtually invisible from these shores:

“Among the many secrets the American government cannot keep, one of its biggest (104 acres) and most expensive ($592 million) is the American Embassy being built in Baghdad. Surrounded by fifteen-foot-thick walls, almost as large as the Vatican on a scale comparable to the Mall of America, to which it seems to have a certain spiritual affinity, this is no simple object to hide.

“So you think the Bush Administration is planning on leaving Iraq? Read on. …”

Yes, read on: Here. By the way, that $592 million price tag — which I’m sure we’ll be able to multiply by two or three or four by the time all is said and done — is two bucks a head for each and every American.

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July Fourth (II)

A New York Times tradition: Publishing an image of the original printed version of Declaration of Independence, complete with John Hancock and others’ signatures. Always inspiring to read when you need to have your civic idealism refreshed, though yesterday I didn’t read the declaration but found myself thinking about the non-PCness of one phrase: “merciless Indian savages” (from this passage: The king “has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions”).

Later, or earlier — I can’t remember which — Kate pointed out the San Francisco Chronicle’s lead editorial for the day: “Patriots, awaken.” I don’t expect much these days from the mostly tired and uninspired Chron, but its little Fourth of July essay was very good. In part:

“…Perhaps it is the lingering shock effects of Sept. 11, 2001, or maybe it is the complacency of a half-century of growing affluence, but too many Americans seem all too willing to ignore Benjamin Franklin’s admonition about the danger of sacrificing essential liberties for temporary security. The Bush administration has been adroit at invoking the war on terrorism to justify policies that should be setting off alarms in this democracy.

“At what point will Americans draw the line at these intrusions on civil liberties and usurpations of power by the White House? Revelations that the National Security Agency eavesdropped on phone calls and e-mails without getting the required warrants didn’t do it. The disclosure that the government has compiled a vast database of Americans’ phone records didn’t do it. The hundreds of examples of President Bush’s unprecedented expansion of the number and scope of “signing statements” in which he gave himself the option to ignore parts of laws he objected to — such as torture — didn’t do it.

“Just last week, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Bush administration’s system for military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay that openly defied congressional law and international rules on the treatment of prisoners of war. So, what was the reaction in Congress? Regrettably, but not surprisingly in this era, there were immediate moves to give the president such authorization. ”

July Fourth (I)

Diablo070406

Mount Diablo, from El Toyonal, in the East Bay hills above Orinda. Kate and I took Scout — our dog — up there for an early evening walk on the Fourth of July; the road starts down in the village of Orinda and climbs high up the ridge; the northern section was closed by a slide in 1982 and was never reopened; it’s a great walking and cycling spot that I’d heard lots about but never ridden until my friend Bruce suggested using it as a shortcut to a climb we wanted to do.