Hot Summer Nights

    About once a month or so, we all get together at someone's house some time during the week.  This time it was Wednesday, 23 August, 2000.  This time we had our Hot Summer Night at Eric's house.  There was food, fellowship, and fun.

	It starts with a little (P) ball -
and (B) ball...
	Christian and Mary are chowing down, and caught slightly off guard.  I kept telling Char, my brother there on the right, to look up.  When it comes to food, I could've been an exploding asteroid - that hamburger he's fixing is all he can think about...
And here is Mark, the chef - extraordinaire, master of grill.
	While Josh samples the food - either taking too big of a bite, or it's a bit hot....
We also had some trampoline action going on.  Nathan and Andrew are doing their rendition of the Native American "Hot Summer Nights" rain dance - to keep it from raining rather than to ask for rain.
	From left to right is Elizabeth, then Lucas, then Vilma.  Elizabeth comments on the nice weather, and Vilma agrees.  Lucas, however, say's he's tired of constantly seeing cirus clouds and it's high time for some stratus clouds to darken the sky before he goes bizerk.
Terry enjoys the festivities, trying not to look at the kids on the trampoline too much.  The last time he watched some kids on a trampoline his head got caught in a head-bobbing motion and he couldn't stop it.  Everyone interpreted his constant nodding as being agreeable about everything.  It took five people to hold his head still, but then his body started flapping back and forth like a clock pendulum.  (Just kidding...)
	Scotty manages to maneuver himself in his  chair so that everyone can see he's been working out on his legs - or at least that one he's proudly displaying.
It's Pinata time!  Jessica Demlo is up to bat!  The purple creature taunts her -
	And now Jessica O.  That "Barney" wanna-be is laughing right now, but not for long...
He is no longer laughing - Jessie meant business with that head shot.  It was her birthday that day - she turned 11.  When asked what she did for her birthday by kids at school, she said "I clubbed a dinosaur in the head with a baseball bat."
	Lucas says "You're going down!"  Incidentally, Lucas despises Barney, so this choice of pinata was idea for him...
The purple beast manages to let out one last heckle - rejoicing that it is still intact after 3 brutal assaults.
	Of course, now it's time for the boys, and Aaron claims his arm right of the bat - pardon the pun(t).      The dinosaur yelps in agony.
Now Nathan batters the beast relentlessly.  The "Barney" wanna-be is weakening from a massive loss of stuffing due to his dismembered arm.
	Alex swings wildly at the creature, but it is now using it's evasive tactics to stay alive.
Again, the dinosaur springs out of sight.  Its still amazingly agile after losing its arm!
	The creature springs to the sky again and again - but Alex still manages to get a piece of it.
Finally, Andrew lets lose with a massive blow that rips the dinosaur's spine open, and its internal candied organs spew all over the ground.
	But even after this terrible attack, the purple beast manages to leap off the ground again, and Andrew swings with everything he's got - only to smack into a metal pole which gives a ear-shattering ring!
The three Jessica's stand watching, amazed at the stamina of this incredibly durable monster.
	Ally is standing behind the creature with a bat.  The creature pauses for one last pose, acting like it isn't hurt.  It's even pretending that the bat that Ally is holding up behind it is its arm.  This trick doesn't last for long though -
Ally was offended by the creature's mockery, and now verbally addresses it.  "Are you talking - are you t - ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?!?"
	Whap!  She lets the mocking creature have it!
They eventually have to pull her off the creature.  "No - let me at him!  Nobody talks to me like that!  Stop - let me go!  I'll..."
	The creature certainly has a high degree of stamina, and manages to survive a thorough beating from all the kids.  We finally decided enough is enough - and called forth one of our  seasoned warriors.
He steps forward, not even giving the creature his attention.  The next scene is too graphic for this website.  Let's just say that we were finding candy up to 5 miles away...
	Terry was amused by the grizzly display, but Jenn was shocked, and thought the entire episode was thoroughly distasteful.  She was going to ask for her money back, but she didn't pay anything, because it was free...
Marilyn laughs it off, and gives Jaclyn a hug.  She works in a hospital, and has become desensitized to these sorts of things...
Pinata clips: 1. Jessica D, and 2. Jessica O.

     As always, this hot summer night was a raging success.  Hot Summer Nights have been going on all this summer, and they are scheduled on our calendar.  We post our church calendars here on this website, and also on a small table by the door at church, so anyone interested in attending one of our hot summer nights is welcome.  It's delicious food, and lots of fun!