El Paso, Texas. Its supposed to be one of the hottest places on Earth. Its a desert...with rocks and dirt.
Yesterday morning someone left the freezer door open, because it was -10 degrees when I got up at the hotel in El Paso. Last time I experienced that kind of freezing conditions was in Wyoming. I never dreamt I'd experience it in Texas. It was so cold I swear hell froze over too and getting the car warmed up for 13+ hours of travel to California was hell in and of itself. That water I left in the cupholder? Frozen.
My husband, the wonderful South African that he is, had never seen a snowflake. He stared at one on the passanger window for a long time, going into a detailed synposis of the size, color and consistency of each flake. Once he was done, he proceeded to pick up a handful of snow and inspect each flake. Without gloves on.
Later that morning, he pumped the gas into the car. One shivering look from him and I knew he was living a personal hell. His hands were red and numb. Those big brown eyes were wide open. I tried to explain that the weather wasn't that bad. I've been in -20 degree weather before. THAT is bad. He didn't care. The only thing Clint cared about was thawing and it wasn't happening fast enough. Let me tell ya, that cold seemed to slip into your bones and freeze them solid. I could see it in his face. It was one circle of frigid hell, because the car heater couldn't keep up.
Eventually, we made it back home and collapsed in our beds.
The next morning, we got up and headed outside for some McDonald's McBreakfast. Clint stepped outside wearing shorts and a t-shirt. It was 45 degrees outside. I told him to put a jacket on. He laughed and said, "This isn't cold. This is balmy!"
And that my friends is how to get a South African to acclimate to frigid temperatures.
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