Heat and bugs Summer returns to Leetonia

Isabel is visiting this week from Rockford, Illinois and is getting to experience the heat of summer in Leetonia. During the last week summer came without mercy. Temperatures near 90 and humidity about the same has made work outside difficult. We have still been getting frequent thunderstorms keeping the creek high enough to canoe. I took Isabel and Diane down Pine Creek from Blackwell to Cedar Run. We started around 5pm and were rewarded with the moderating evening temperatures and a quiet paddle down the creek. Hitting rocks was kept to a minimum and the rapids were gentle enough not to scare the novice paddlers in the canoe. It didn't take more than an hour to paddle down, however, we extended our trip by stopping to talk to Brad
along the way. His house is just a mile from Cedar Run. Brad at 89, had just returned from a bike ride up the bike trail to Rattlesnake rock. He is amazing. He used to be a bicycle courier in the DC area during the Roosevelt Era. He actually met Roosevelt in an elevator while delivering a message. So much has changed since then. Text messaging has eliminated the need for such messengers as well as security issues would never allow such a casual meeting today.
The heat and rain allows the bugs to multiply and be quite annoying in the early morning and evening hours. The last pictures shows Diane and Isabel wearing head nets to take an early morning walk with the two pit bulls: Leo and Thor. The worst bugs are the no see-ums, named so because they are so small they go through the screens and when they bite you they are hard to see but easy to feel. They leave large welts on you without being noticed. They also seem to get into your eyes and mouth.. very annoying. It looks like we might get a little reprieve from the heat this weekend. I hope so. I am working on a roof job and it is unbearable in this heat.