Two posts on one day, what’s up with that? Well partly, it is because Anne isn’t feeling well this weekend, but mostly it is because it is too darn hot here in Saint Louis. Saturday is shaping up to be another 100 °F day and it is too darn hot this afternoon, to go outside our little bubble of air-conditioning. The forecast for tomorrow, predicts much cooler temperatures and there is a great bicycling ride scheduled for Sunday. I hope that Anne is well enough to accompany me on it. The paper on Friday had an article in it that explained that this summer has been the fourth hottest summer on record. Hotness is measured as the average temperature for each day in the summer months of June, July and August. Coming in at number four, 2011 had an average temperature of 81.9 °F. Close behind, in the number five-spot was 2010 at 81.7 °F. Other years of interest are #6, 1954, our birth year, coming in with 81.4 °F and #7, 1980, the first year we moved to Saint Louis, with 81.3 °F, but still comfortably in the lead, in the #1 spot is 1901 with 82.7 °F.

Dave cruised into town last night and we had a late patio supper at Pi in U-City. It was late enough that we missed the dinner rush crowd there and the temperature had dropped to a comfortable enough level that we could enjoy dinner outside on the sidewalk. We ended up pretty much closing the place. Dan dropped the rents off at home and then he and Amanda dropped Dave off downtown. They went off to do something or another, it being too late to go to the City Museum like they had planned. Anyway, Dan, Amanda and the Prius were all safely home in the morning. Dave returned mid-afternoon.

This morning I went biking in the Park. I expected the usual crush of weekend warriors, bolstered by the newly arrived college students. Boy was I surprised! The Veteran’s Festival had taken over the Park. This is a new festival and first impressions didn’t leave me impressed with its organizational abilities, but like I said, this is only their first year. The festival featured military re-enactors, amusement park rides, vintage cars and a parade. Saint Louis loves parades and this one was no different. Most of the parade’s audience was composed of the aforementioned weekend warriors, who would pause in their exertions to catch parts of the parade. I was one of these individuals too and snapped a few photographs of the passing spectacle. The Clydesdales were the main attraction; a couple of jogging coeds started singing the Budweiser song to themselves, as the wagon passed. Mayor Slay made an appearance along with many veterans’ outfits. There were also many classic cars in the parade. I’ve included a few pictures of these cars at their static display on the upper Muny lot.. The orange one had mirrors on the pavement about it, to allow viewing of the car’s undercarriage. I spoke with the owner of the halftrack; he said it got between 2 and 3 miles per gallon. I got 16 miles.

Afterwards, I went grocery shopping and stopped by at the Borders store. The shelves are starting to look pretty bare, but the store was still full of bargain hunters. The literature shelves were the barest of them all, but they also offered a 70% discount, instead of the now normal discount of 60% that can be found throughout the rest of the store. Signs outside the store announced that there are only nine more days to go.