The 43

At about 6 p.m., Lori showed me the weather app on her phone. The temperature in Riverton, Utah, was 104 degrees. I'm outside on the porch at 10:45 p.m. Sunset was almost two hours ago. I looked at the temperature clock we have before coming outside: 84 degrees. It was so hot today that our air conditioning can't keep up with cooling the house. I tried cleaning the filter and am contemplating putting a new one tomorrow, but the AC was sufficiently cooling the house yesterday when it was just high 90s. Triple-digit temperatures are winning. The boys competed in a kids multi-sport race this morning, with Ben skipping the wheeled part and simply running 1.1 miles. Michael did the whole race, 1.1 miles on his bike and 1.1 miles running, and finished second in his age group and fourth overall. Thankfully, the race ended before it got too hot. We came home and made bacon, pancakes and egg muffins for breakfast/lunch. I didn't want Michael to overtire himself before his ba...

On what felt like the hottest day of the year today, we were back at the pool today. Honestly, the heat wasn't that bad. We found a shady spot (and out of the sun, the conditions were tolerable), the water was refreshing, and the bright sun dried me out quickly. The boys and I chased a dive rocket (Michael is swimming underwater so well), and Ben found another of his friends and performed goofy dives with him. I didn't dare turn on the oven tonight, preferring to use the slow-cooker for some pork ribs. Even with the air conditioning cranked up, the house wasn't as cool as we hoped. And tonight, a little bit of humidity is making typing outside not the pleasant experience it usually is. Saturday might even be hotter, and Michael has a baseball game late in the afternoon. I keep reminding myself, this is better than winter ...

As predicted, today was a scorcher, but we made the most of it. While Ben was at soccer camp, I took Michael and his best friend to the waterpark. We have season passes that allow us to get in at 9:30 a.m. (non-passholders have to wait until noon). With the temperature projected to hit 100, I figured the waterpark would get crowded in the afternoon -- I was a little surprised how crowded it was at 10 a.m. But we got there early enough to get inside easily and then quickly get tubes. We staked out a shady spot, and the boys went off to splash on their own. I was thinking I'd relax with a magazine in the shade, but I ended up going in the wave pool and the lazy river with the boys. The lines got so long for the water slides, and the water for one big section of the park was hypothermia-cold, but the boys had fun nonetheless. We left at the right time -- the park was absolutely packed as we departed. Once home, Michael hung out by his friend's house and Ben returned home from ...

Today was my first sunburn of the year. It's not bad -- just a little red on my back and neck where I missed with sunblock. The goal is not to burn at all, but inevitably, once a summer, you do. The sunburn occurred at the pool today. We were only there for a couple hours, but it was enough (Michael is a little red, too). We brought one of Ben's friends, who had fun jumping off the diving board. Michael found one of his swim teammates to hang out with. I spent most of my time in an middle spot on the pool watching the various kids, with the water level right at my shoulders -- hence, the sunburn. Michael's all-star team had an exhibition game tonight and struggled a little. The players got their uniforms right before the game and didn't have a lot of time to get focused, and the exhibition opponent was a comp team that thought nothing of using normally illegal bats. And it was hot tonight, which I think sapped our team's energy a little. Still, I think the kid...

The last three days have busy, and gradually getting hotter. We might hit 100 this week. Sunday, I hiked with the dog in the morning, threw some batting practice to Michael in the afternoon, and worked in the evening. Monday, Michael swam and dived in the morning and Ben began soccer camp. They had a swim meet in the evening, with each of them getting a personal record in one race (and Ben just missed a second in the backstroke). Today,. soccer camp and diving again, with Michael and me trying a little tennis and more batting practice while Ben was playing soccer. I helped with Michael's all-star team baseball practice later in the afternoon, came home and ate dinner, then took the dog for a walk. Very workmanlike three days. I'm waiting for some freelance projects to be approved, and honestly, I'm craving the work. Fitting these projects into my schedule seems to make everything else seem more productive as well. In the meantime, the heat his coming ...

Every summer solstice for several years now, I've sat atop a hillside at a Salt Lake City park and watched the sun set on the longest day of the year while reflecting, and writing, about the year that had passed. This year, I missed the solstice because I was making s'mores with my family on Friday night. I couldn't go a day later, either, because I was throwing batting practice to Michael as he struggles to regain his confidence at the plate. So here I am tonight, listening to "Sister Golden Hair," writing about life while watching the sunset. However, I'm not on the hillside, but instead, am typing from the balcony at work. The sun just dipped behind some clouds that will block my view of it setting below the mountains of Antelope Island. I'm writing tonight, here, and not at the usual time and place because of commitments I have made. Commitments to support my family in any way possible. I gladly welcome these commitments with the knowledge that som...

Plenty of baseball on a gorgeous summer day. Michael had all-star practice this morning, I took him to see "42" in the afternoon, and we finished the evening with some extra batting practice at the park/school near our house. What happened in between? Not a heck of a lot, and really, not much else was needed. I sat on the porch this afternoon, enjoying the nice day and reading a magazine, when the urge struck to take a little siesta. Popcorn and I walked a couple miles tonight. The super moon is bright in the sky. This was a good Saturday.