One of my masters wants me to fry an egg on the sidewalk. He thinks we should video it and put it up on the Web. I don’t know. I figure if it’s hot enough for a sidewalk egg fry, it’s too hot to be standing around outside frying eggs.
I told him it was a good idea, but maybe we should wait until it cooled off. Then, I gave him my ballpoint pen and showed him how it works and he went away happy.
I think the last time we did the egg-frying thing was in 1990, when it hit 122 on June 26. It was so hot that some big jets were grounded at Sky Harbor International Airport.
Rocks on the roof? Who to call but the estimable Max Underwood, professor of architecture at Arizona State University, a specialist in Valley architecture, and hail-fellow-well-met.
Underwood says your native friend is correct. Rocks on the roof can be traced to the Native Americans who lived here long before anyone dreamed of professional hockey and were adopted by homesteaders.
The Arizona desert is known for its summer scorchers. “It’s hot” is probably among the most uttered phrases this time of year, and when the mercury hovers over 110 degrees, “it’s f***ing hot” seems a bit more appropriate. That’s when neighbors start to fry eggs on the pavement and bake cookies on their car dashboards. Scalding seat belts, sweat stains and roadway mirages become the norm.
The heat can be downright daunting, but a little humor can make the temporary discomfort a bit more bearable. So crank up the AC and check out these witty words of wisdom from well-known folks who’ve also felt the sun’s fury.
