We visited; France, Italy, and the United Kingdom four times over eleven years, and each time we were there it was…hot. The only respite from the heat was in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2016. It was chilly in the summer. I loved it! Europeans are not accustomed to air conditioners like we Americans are. In Nice and in Tuscany and Venice and Florence there were large shutters on the windows that were opened wide and let the fresh air…flow in. No window screens to be seen. I recall searching for a hat for my balding head in 2014 when we stayed a week in Nice, France. The Mediterranean sun is a bit intense. We also did a lot of walking as a means of conveyance to where we wanted to go in France and Italy…and we were sweaty and spent at the end of the day. It is customary to hang your wet laundry on a little line outside your humongous open shuttered windows in both France and Italy. Somewhat like when I was a child and mom hung out laundry in our backyard with wooden clothes pins. When she brought in the natural dry clean clothes…they smelled wonderful. It was 104 degrees in the United Kingdom today. That has broken all heat records since the UK began keeping records.

‘It is hot enough to fry eggs on the sidewalk,’ Chet said with a grin.’ ‘I had my portable TV on and in my bed with me with my earphones on…until Sign-Off…and then I watched the test pattern for over an hour…but no sleep,’ yawned Billy B. ‘I am going to Cousin Freds and see if they have any $3 Box Fans…at least I can put that by my bed and have some type of air moving over me…even if it is like a gas furnace,’ Billy B. continued. ‘I hear that people are staying in the Ben Franklin Dime Store for most of the day…to enjoy its wonderful air conditioning, ‘Neva J. laughed. ‘You should plug your new Box Fan into an extension cord and sit on a lawn chair and peer out at your new swimming pool that is being dug…and think cool thoughts,’ Jane suggested. ‘I almost wish for school to hurry up and begin…but the only air-conditioned areas are the principal and his secretary’s offices,’ Darryl noted. ‘I have just had a brainstorm…or since it is summer…a brain thunderstorm…why don’t we see if Leo will open the Orpheum Theatre for movie matinees during the week like he has on the weekends…I bet he would have a full house just for the AC,’ said Chet with exuberance!

‘Man O Man this is the Life,’ Billy B. proclaimed! ‘Not only sweet air conditioning…but also free soda pop and popcorn,’ Jane bubbled over with delight. ‘Leo said that he has made more money in a week than he usually makes in six months…and he thinks that he is going to open the Orpheum every summer…with monster marathons and The Three Stooges…and John Wayne and Elvis Presley Flicks,’ Chet said. ‘I heard that Leo is going to extend the Theatre to have 3 separate auditoriums in order to show 3 different features per day,’ Darryl smiled. ‘You can not stop progress…,’ Neva J. laughed as she reached for the popcorn.