Heat Challenge

Summers in college I was a pizza man in a shop that had a stone oven. My job was minding the oven; timing pizzas so they came out with calzones and garlic bread on time, turning them, taking them out and sending them on their way. Basically, I stuck my face and arms into an oven all night. One night as the shifts were changing my buddy Rob accidentally closed the door on my arm as I was reaching in. I was badly burned, but my shift was just starting, so I spent the night putting a blistered arm into an oven.

That was heat.

It blasts you and comes at you. Sharps needles of directional pain surrounding your arm. But you got in and got out. As long as you didnt linger in there; the heat never really got you. I suppose it's like walking across hot coals- as long as you keep moving you're fine.

Well, my Pop asked me what the heat was like here. It's been over 100° every day for over a month. It's in the 90°'s well after dark.

After work I step into the underground parking garage and it's like stepping into a furnace. The pressure of the air changes as you step in. It rushes up and surrounds you. I walk maybe 40 yards to my car and I wonder how this state was settled. How anyone survived without air conditioning.

There aren't any trees, so there isnt any shade. There isnt any breeze so there isnt any relief. You're inside or you're a mess.

I sit on my deck at night to try and acclimate myself. It's shaded, so you dont get the sun, but the heat finds you. After a while it makes your head hurt. My eyes start to feel strange and I go inside. So you live a life indoors I guess until you can take it.

But my father posed the challenge, so I thought I would see what I could do.

I started by putting a block of ice on my deck. That's it above. I thought it would be interesting to take time lapse shots as the block melted away.

That lasted for about 8 seconds.

The block immediately melted on the bottom and slide to the edge of the bar. I touched it lightly and it exploded into its component pieces and helter-skeltered around the deck.

This was around 8 in the morning.

So, I put them into a bowl and set up the camera. It took a couple rounds to get the results, but here they are below. The time lapse was set for one picture every minute. I thought an hour would be enough, but it took two. You will see the slight jump halfway where I had to reset the camera to take an additional 60 shots.