We headed out for our weekender on the hottest day of the year, fully aware that the summer swelter would likely keep us inside most of the time. But there’s something to be said for getting away from the place where we live and work, even if the heat prevents us from outdoor pursuits. Now that the pandemic of the unvaccinated has prompted us to re-establish our bubble, Cloud 9 is once again our refuge.

After setting up on Friday afternoon, we waited in the air-conditioned truck for about an hour while the temperature in Cloud 9 dropped from 106 to 90. It would require another two hours of air-conditioning to get the interior temperature to 80. But with the outside temp hovering near 90 well past midnight, we were cool and comfortable inside.

Friday’s Date Night started with our “proper” cocktail hour, followed by a dinner of grilled tenderloin, with baked potato and charred shishito peppers. Afterwards, we watched part of the “Milk Street” marathon on Create TV, then finished the evening with a glass of port.

Saturday morning found us both working — Cliff from Hampshire and Jon from Cloud 9. Upon Cliff’s return, we engaged in our typical pursuits: Drinking Bloody Mary, reading The New York Times, enjoying brunch, taking a nap. Saturday’s cocktail hour led to a lengthy conversation with Brent and Stephanie, our Airstream neighbors, and, eventually, to a supper of “kickin'” chicken and grilled Caesar salad.

On Sunday, we watched some interesting reporting on a toxic waste cleanup in Butte, Montana, profiles of Alexander Vindman and Jennifer Hudson, and an extended nature segment featuring prairie dogs in Badlands National Park. Our afternoon nap was disturbed by a severe thunderstorm that required quick action to retract our awning and lower our flags. The torrential rain, intense lightning, and 50 mph wind gusts brought temporary power outages, but also some much-needed relief from the oppressive heat. And the storm didn’t prevent us from enjoying shrimp cocktail with St. Elmo’s sauce and white cosmos. As the rain subsided, we opened the windows and enjoyed a mild summer evening, with a supper of grilled salmon, cob corn, and coleslaw. We then watched the latest episode of “Ted Lasso” before heading to bed.

On Monday, we spent time relaxing, blogging, and surfing the web, while Chef Cliff prepared the crockpot for a sparerib supper with potato salad and baked beans ahead of the brunch-nap routine.