It was so hot, sweat trickled down as our bodies moved slowly and our breath became labored…

No, not that kind of hot! I mean it was 95 degrees in the shade with 100% humidity on Saturday as we visited our daughter at Union College this past weekend. The weather was one of those drastic 20 degree overnight switches we get at this time of year with a 3 day heat wave. It started Thursday and hit it’s peak on Saturday.

We made the 4 hour drive early on Saturday morning as a busy day was planned. The dedication of the Henle Dance Pavilion was scheduled for noon and our daughter was performing in 3 pieces, one solo. After a quick lunch we were to see the premier of a movie, Benzo, which was the senior project of some film minor students, and our daughter played the lead role. In the evening we were scheduled to attend a theatre production, Gory Stories, which our daughter was also in. The day was to end with fireworks, as if we needed any.

We arrived in good time. The first event went well except that I left my camera battery in the car so I was not able to photograph the dances. Then , after a big build up, the movie premier was canceled due to a hard drive crash. Our schedules got a little confused and we took refuge from the sun and heat in our daughters room. As she went off to prepare for her evening performance we looked for a nice Italian restaurant that her friend had suggested, but we failed to find it and ate warmed up pizza in a warm cafe instead.

The evening performance was enjoyable but after melting all day the theatre felt like a freezer. I must remember to carry a sweater with me the next time we have a heat wave. Photos of a theatre performance are a big No-No, so although I had found my battery and had carried my camera around all day, there were no photos yet.

We sat on the damp grass in the evening warmth with about 3000 other students and alumni to watch the fireworks and I decided to snap some pics (most of which I will save for a July 4th post). However I thought these were fitting for now:

The Nott at night.

Fireball

Heat Monster

Sunday morning after crashing in our daughters room and sleeping in a bit, we headed off to find “Little Italy” again. The restaurant was already full so we took a table outside, fortunately there was a breeze and a canopy and the ambiance was better than inside.

daughter & fiance

husband & son

We were going to leave at noon as our daughter had to go get ready for her last performance, but a quick trip to buy her a few groceries took unexpectedly long. Then there was the refrigerator fiasco, which was a day long process with emptying it, carrying it downstairs, leaving it outside to defrost while I went to the store, and then trying to fit it in the trunk of the car. It didn’t fit.

After I returned from the store we tried to fit the fridge in the back seat but it started to rain, no, pour, and we ran for shelter leaving the fridge in the parking lot next to the car. Thunder, lightning and a torrential downpour, not to mention the abandoned fridge, made it impossible to leave, but at least it was no longer wickedly hot.

When the rain finally stopped we dried the fridge off and slid it into the back seat with plastic and blankets. Unfortunately it did not leave enough room for our son, so we had to choose, the fridge or the son. We opted for the son and told our daughter to sell the fridge, it had been more trouble than it was worth. By this time it was evening and our daughter was finished with her performance and was breaking down the set at the theatre. We said our final goodbyes to her and her fiance and headed out of town in a hurry.

On the way home we met more torrential rains, which slowed us down. We got home at about 10PM Sunday night and it was still warm but cooling.