Today was over 90° in the Bay Area. That’s rare here so none of the houses have air conditioning. In the evening, it’s hotter inside than it is outside.

I put a bowl of ice in front of my fan sometimes so it blows colder air. This is a familiar fix in certain parts of the country but in California, it’s considered a downright exotic solution and consequently got the name “swamp cooler.”

Thermostat at 7 p.m. tonight

But what to post when my brain is melting? Fortunately, I found this stereoscope of a woman stretched out on her sofa. She, too, looks like she is expiring in the heat, despite her lovely surroundings.

Charles F. Richardson, photographer. LOC

I hope you’ve got a fun Fourth of July planned or that you’re celebrating your independence somehow!

Do you know one odd coincidence about the Fourth of July is that the second and third presidents died on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence being adopted. 

Jefferson was 83 and he died around noon. At some point in the morning, he said, “It is the Fourth.” But according to the people at his home in Monticello, his last words were. “No, doctor. Nothing more.”

Adams died several hours later, at the age of 90. The two men were frenemies, to use a modern term. In fact, Adams last words concerned his old friend. He said, “Thomas Jefferson still surviv…”