This past weekend was one of the hottest on record for this time of year in the San Francisco Bay area - with temperatures hovering around the 100 degree mark and above almost everywhere.
On Sunday, I was sweltering at the annual Joseph Phelps Winery members party (we love their wines - and were lucky enough to taste some of their great older wines that they poured that day). In Napa Valley it was over 100 degrees, with almost no breeze. Everyone was seeking out the shade under the tents or under the few vine-covered trellises.
One of the obvious things I noticed was that no matter where people were on the terrace of the Joseph Phelps Winery (which is a beautiful place, by the way!) that as the sun moved during the day, it hit different areas and heated the terrace up so that people had to scramble for shade. And even worse, as soon as the sun started to go down in its arc - around 3 PM - there was no escape.
I realized how different it was from the same conditions the day before - when it was just as hot on the Peninsula. We had a party on our deck under our awnings on Saturday, and even in the near 100 degree heat, it was definitely bearable. Everyone had a good time, keeping cool in the shade, listening to music on our outdoor speakers, playing with the kids and the dogs, eating good food and enjoying iced drinks - really like resort living at home.
You could also really tell the difference inside. The one room where we don't have a shade on the window turned into a hot, stultifying oven, but the rest of the house, while warm at nearly 80 degrees - was nowhere near the 90 to 100 degree plus temperatures found outside and in the unshaded room.
As you know, everyone says California has "dry heat" - but even dry heat is horrible if you are baking under the sun - or if the sun is turning your house into an oven. Lots of people at the party were raving about how cool the awnings were (literally and figuratively), and several people asked how they could get some for their houses. Of course we were more than happy to oblige :-)
On Monday and Tuesday, our phones were ringing off the hook with calls from all over the Bay Area, looking for a cool way to beat the heat. We had a call from the General Manager of the restaurant and bar of a very high end hotel call call us and say "I need one of your Markilux awnings RIGHT NOW for my patio - I'm losing customers who can't sit outside. How fast can you help me?
Don't wait too long and suffer in the heat - order your Markilux awning, exterior solar shade or window awning now so you can be prepared when the really hot weather comes!
