Day 215: Bah-Bah-Bah-Bah-Barbecue

In case you're confused by it, the subject line of today's post is meant to be sung along to the Beach Boys' tune "Barbara Ann."


The dog days of summer are (un)officially here - right? - and with the temps in the 90s every day, at least we can still barbecue often. Tonight, Dave cooked up a delicious dinner out on the grill.

Day 204: Everyone Likes Ice Cream

. . . yes, indeed, they do.

On a hot summer day, as was the case today, few things are better than an ice cream cone, as Kira demonstrates here:

Day 187: Centerville Parade

Generally speaking, I don't care too much for parades - either watching or taking part in them. I could write up a list of about 1,000 other things that I'd rather be doing on a hot, 90-degree-plus summer day.

Nevertheless, the Improvables were asked to provide announcers for yesterday's Fourth of July parade, and sometimes you just gotta "take one for the team" and step up and volunteer to help. Ten members of the troupe were stationed at three announcing booths along the parade route, which began at Chase Lane and traveled south down Main Street to Pages Lane.

Steve, Summer, and I were positioned at the steps of Centerville's City Hall, where Summer kept track of the approaching floats while Steve and I took turns announcing and, on occasion, ad libbing when necessary.

You definitely have to stand up and applaud when the veterans pass by, as was the case with this group that carried our country's flag:

I also liked the superhero float, which featured several members of the Avengers, Batman, and Spider-Man, among others:

We took advantage of this opportunity to promote our troupe, and after the last float has passed by us, we handed out a stack of fliers to the parade goers.

It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.

Day 152: Jackson's "Napoleon" Moon Boots

A visitor came by my room earlier today, doing - whether it was intentional or not - his best Napoleon Dynamite impersonation, wearing moon boots on a 90-degree day.

Who else but my nephew Jackson?

Day 113: Hot Dog, the Seagull

With today's unseasonably warm spring weather, including a high temperature that was just three degrees shy of making it the hottest April day in Utah history, our family's bi-monthly dinner together also became the first barbecue of the year 2012. Included in this feast were several delicious hamburgers and hot dogs:

I joined most of the kids in the backyard, as they felt like picnicking out on the grass. A couple of them got a bit anxious to go over to the adjoining playground before finishing up their meals, and a clever seagull soon swooped down and begin to pick apart the crumbs that they had left behind.

Notice the hot dog in its mouth here:

Kenna named him Hot Dog, which seemed only fitting. Come and visit us again, won't you, Hot Dog?

The Mother of All Snow Cones

Earlier today, I had a little adventure that I can really only compare to a "Mr. Bean" episode, or at least the type of predicament he might get himself into.

It being a warm summer day, I happened to be driving past one of the many snow cone shacks that dot our fair city. On a whim, I stopped to (you guessed it) buy one. As I had not previously been to this particular snow cone shack, and there were no pictures to indicate the size of the snow cones (small, medium, and large) that you could get, I ordered a large cherry snow cone. After all, when I try something for the first time, I most often like to get the maximum value out of it so that I can judge whether I want to try it a second time.

The girl working the snow cone machine said to me, "I'm warning you; the large size is . . . like, really big."

I was pretty thirsty, and I thought I could easily handle a large, and I told her so. However, the monstrous, globe-sized thing she placed into my hands a few minutes later was . . . well, to quote her, it was "like, really big" - I'm talking literally akin to basketball-sized in circumference.

For the next 20 minutes or so, I feverishly tried to eat this snow cone as I melted all over my hands and all over me. Alas, it melted faster than I could eat it, and I left a sticky mess on the picnic table next to the snow cone shack. I grabbed a handful of napkins to try to clean myself and the table up as best as I could, but I'm afraid I still left a bit of a mess. I apologized to the girl working the snow cone machine.

"I warned you, didn't I?" were her final words. Admittedly, she had warned me. With no comeback immediately at my disposal, I left.

I don't know. What do you think Mr. Bean would have done?

The Dog Days Roll On

Whenever August rolls around, as it is wont to do each year, I am reminded why it has typically been one of my least-favorite months. No offense is meant to those of you who celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, getting to send your kids back to school, or bar mitzvahs or have any other good thing to look forward to during the month, but it's generally one of those blah times for me.

In the first place, there aren't really any holidays to look forward to. Once Independence Day and Pioneer Day are over, the next holiday of any real substance is Labor Day - and August stands right in the middle of this time period.

Secondly, I will admit freely and honestly that the summer is not exactly my favorite season of the year. I am first and foremost an autumn person, followed by spring, then the winter. And August is traditionally when the hottest of the hot weather comes along.

The only time of the year I enjoy making gravy is on Thanksgiving, if you catch my drift.

But Jon, you're probably thinking. You're handsome. Do you really prefer the cold, cold Utah winter over the summer? Also, do you enjoy having brownies delivered to your doorstep by cute girls?

The answer to both questions is: Yes, I do. I would much rather bundle up (or cuddle up - I'm not picky!) on a cold summer night than sweat like Richard Nixon did during his presidential debates with John F. Kennedy. You can always put on another sweater or turn up the thermostat a couple of degrees, but in the summer, you can shed only so many clothes. Additionally: Brownies are delicious.

For those of you who weren't aware, I served my mission in Lima, Peru, which is one of the hottest cities on Earth, given that it is just a few hundred kilometers (they use the metric system there, which partly explains why they're still in the Third World) south of the equator. How I ever survived in that climate for that long, I may never know.

Nevertheless, the summer has been pretty good to us this year along the Wasatch Front. The first couple of weeks of June were marked by unseasonably cool weather, and so far it has been one of the coolest Augusts I can remember. So, I may be warming up (no pun intended) to August after all.

I don't want to be one of those people who looks at the weather forecast each day and screams in frustration or throws up his arms in despair, because I know a few people who fit that description. In the summer, they hate the heat; in the autumn, they hate the cold; in the winter, they really hate the cold; in the spring, they hate the rain. Essentially, they choose to be unhappy at all times. When you think about it, there are things to be enjoyed in the weather and in nature every day - if you look for them.