Somebody please turn down the sun

By: JEFF FRANK - STAFF WRITER | Tuesday, July 25, 2006 12:34 AM PDT ∞

OK. When you start looking forward during the weekend to going to the office, just because it has air conditioning, you know it's getting really hot.

Yes, we know that it gets pretty toasty sometimes in North County in the summer, but this is above and beyond any reasonable expectations. My first thought upon hearing that temperatures topped 110 degrees around Escondido on Saturday was to wonder how the people in Phoenix and Texas can stand heat that reaches those lofty heights on a regular basis each summer.

Blame global warming, monsoonal flow, Santa Anas or just the typical summer heat wave. Whatever it is, we're ready for it to stop.

I should have known that insufferable heat was on the way when our living room ceiling fan stopped functioning the day after we returned from vacation.

It's starting to become an annual tradition to have some sort of house problem during the hottest week of the year that exacerbates our discomfort. This year, the ceiling fan. Last year, a pipe break that forced us to bring in four industrial-sized fans to dry the place out, raising the inside temperature well above 100.

The good news for all who lack air conditioning in your homes, is that the parts to repair our fan are finally in. The fix should be completed within a few days, so look for an unseasonable cool spell to hit these parts sometime soon.

That's just the way it goes.

Hot stuff: They almost didn't need a grill at Sunday's Rides & Smiles fundraising barbecue. The food wasn't the only thing baking in the near triple-digit heat, said Marilyn Greenblatt, coordinator of the Jewish Family Service senior transportation program. Sill, about 90 people turned out, including surprise guest Randy Jones, who knows a little something about barbecue. The former Padres pitcher stuck around to signing autographs, though he never ventured near the grill. Another pleasant surprise at the barbecue was a $1,000 donation to the program from the Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club.

World tour: Youngsters attending this week's Vacation Bible school at Escondido's Seventh-day Adventist Church will travel the world without ever leaving the grounds. Stops on the school's "Trading Spaces" tour are Mexico, Brazil, Poland, China and Kenya. Children 3 to 12 will receive visas for each country and learn about the food, culture and daily life of its citizens. An international food court will be open to children and their parents from 5 to 6 p.m. each day through Friday. The lessons, which include how students can help others, will follow. Call Gayla Powers, (760) 522-8781.

-- Contact staff columnist Jeff Frank at (760) 740-5419 or jfrank@nctimes.com.

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.