Like, what's the weather like?

I am getting a lot of queries from the old CA gang about our weather here in North Carolina. There seems to be a great deal of misinformation about the weather Back East, or Anywhere But California. The assumtion, due to more than a century of marketing no doubt, appears to be that California holds a monopoly on good weather. This is the same marketing that has my French relatives believing Californians spend all year at the beach. The standardbearer for the entire Golden State must be San Diego.

Okay, so to ease all your minds, the weather here is remarkably like that of good old Davis. Right now the nights are cold (in the 30's, lower with the windchill factor, that is, when the wind is blowing, which is not all the time). The days are sunny and balmy. I've been in shirtsleeves. Folks here tell of snow, but Mike says that snow here is limited to a little covering that disappears the same day, before it can even make a mess of anything. Rain comes and goes in 2-day spurts, usually at night.

Others have asked about the Fall Color. Yes, that was very pretty, but it occurred back in October, and now it's only manifest by the thick crunch of leaves everywhere, very fun to kick around. However, unlike the North (where the Yankees live) or Old Europe, the trees here are about half deciduous and half conifer, which means that our scenery is still remarkably green.

Now you all remember how much I fear the cold, right? I'm doing great, and I haven't had to stock up on down and woolies. Honest! This is no marketing gimmick, it's very temperate here, come visit!