Hot Under The Collar

So, hot enough for ya?

I hate that question and if one more person asks me that, I may just bludgeon them with the nine bottles of water I've got hidden in my tote bag.

Oh yes, there's an explanation there.

So, that rumor about the cooler ban? Wasn't a rumor at all! It was TRUE!

Just digest that for a while...record-breaking heat...no shade from which to spectate...sorry, ma'am, we can't allow any coolers in here...

I thought The Viking was going to go ballistic for a few moments.

Here's what happened. We got to the field on Monday afternoon with two golf umbrellas, two captain's chairs, a tote bag with essentials like car keys, wallets, cell phones (I must add that the cell phone being an essential is debatable) and hotel room key cards, and a small cooler with ice, wet towels and bottles of water in it. I feel it necessary to add that we were by no means toting alcoholic beverages, sharp weaponry, drug paraphernalia or messy foods in there.

We got to the main gate at which point a very beleaguered, very drippy man put his hand up and said, "I'm sorry, Ma'am, we can't allow that cooler in here."

I had been half expecting this, after the rumors I'd heard, but I was still stunned. And a little nervous because The Viking was not two steps behind me and I could see his dander was up.

There was an exchange of words that ended with The Viking asking if someone would be so kind as to come retrieve him if he collapsed from heat exhaustion and, then, we realized that the gatekeepers were very pointedly not checking anything except coolers.

That's when the lights when on.

We removed the bottles of water from the cooler and put them into my tote bag. We did this right in front of the gatekeeper. Then we showed the inside of the cooler to the man, gleefully saying, "See? Just ice and wet towels!"

He let us in.

The next day, there was a young woman turning away coolers. This time, I was alone and I was ready. I had already put my water in my tote bag so when she said, "I'm sorry--" I interrupted her with, "--just ice and wet towels" and breezed past her without missing a step.

Isn't that just ridiculous? Don't even get me started on their Stay to Play policy. Curious? Apparently, in order for your daughter to be able to play in the tournament for which she has already been selected according to her skill and talents, you have to reserve your hotel room through the organization's website in one of the hotels they have already selected. Need I tell you that there wasn't a single one that was in our budget? Need I tell you that we decided to book a room on our own and found one much cheaper?

Well, no sense in getting myself all worked up about it all over again. I really need to get to bed. Redheaded Snippet has a 6:00 am game and has to be at the field at 5:30 tomorrow morning. But, as she said herself, "'Tis the price of being in first place."

Tomorrow, though the earliest day of the week of games, is the last and is supposed to be the least hot. Notice I did not say the coolest as it will by no means be cool. Just not as deadly hot as the rest of the week has been. It's currently 98 degrees with 50% humidity at 11:00 at night. Insane.

Two more days and two more nights and we are back home in our nice, cool house in our nice, soft beds.

And then our real Summer Vacation will begin!