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One hundred degrees and counting

The Texas summer has kicked in and it's HOT here. We have succumbed to the lure of the air conditioning and are learning to go out only in the early morning or after dark. Heat-combating gadgets like hand-held misters or insulated bottle holders are suddenly looking very attractive. And sunscreen - well, anyone remember the song?

However, the hot weather does provide opportunities for doing some fun things. In Sundance Square, downtown, there is a free movie showing every Thursday, and last week we took our lawn chairs down and watched Young Frankenstein. It's a decidedly bizarre black-and-white film about the grandson of the original Baron von Frankenstein, who, despite initial opposition, becomes determined to carry on his ancestor's work and create life from death. This with every cliche in the book, including sexy blonde assistant, abundant thunder and lightning and an Igor whose hump mysteriously moves from one side of his back to the other.

The lawn chairs got another outing when we went to the Levitt Pavilion in Arlington for one of their series of free outdoor concerts. We relaxed to the chilled sounds of Beatlegrass, who do, believe it or not, bluegrass versions of Beatles hits. I can't say it's a combination which immediately grabbed me, but they sing some original bluegrass too, and that was pretty good.



Cool water is definitely the order of the day, so when we both had a day off we headed down to Dinosaur Valley State Park again for a swim in the Paluxy River. There's an awesome swimming hole which is deep enough to dive into in parts, and considerably bigger than the pool here at Firestone. Admittedly you have to share it with lots of tiny fish and a considerable crowd of children, but that's all part of the fun.

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