Welcome to the last Friday of Hades, erm I mean July. While Monday is the last day of the month from hell, we’re more than happy to bid July farewell early. And good riddance, I say. Elsa here to share something a little bit different for this week’s Nature Friday blog hop hosted by our pals, Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Be sure to check out what others have shared at the link.
It’s too doggone hot to be outside lingering over flowers or critters. Mom said the Dogs Days of Summer have their grip on at least 180 million in the US and countless others across the world. This is about all I can do during the day after my morning walk at dawn when it’s relatively comfortable to be outside.
So let’s get to it before it gets any hotter, okay?
Thankfully Mom let me stay home while she ‘took one for the team’ attended this year’s Dragon Boat Festival and races held at her favorite nearby park, Sloan’s Lake over the weekend. She’s attended this neighborhood event for years but thought this was the biggest yet. While it was super sunny and hot for Mom, her good friend, (my ‘Auntie Cheryl’ and husband) and recently married granddaughter, Hailey and hubs for this year’s event. Opening day starts out the festival and Mom managed to capture the opening parade by Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu with its 75-foot long, colorful, traditional Chinese Dragon winding through the festival to begin the event. The festival celebrates the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) with its diverse culture and this year was an exceptional visual feast and the largest one Mom has attended yet. It’s the largest in the Rocky Mountain region with more than 170,000 attendees last year. The Dragon’s presence symbolizes the chasing away “negative energies” by sending good luck, good fortune and a safe day of racing to all of the race teams, vendors and attendees.
Although Mom didn’t bring her big camera due to the heat, she did pull some close-ups from the festival’s Facebook page.
The festival was well attended again this year though Mom didn’t find final numbers for visitors this year, which included a couple of feathered friends watching the races from the shoreline. This year’s feathered crowd seemed less than enthusiastic. I think they must have been trying to keep cool.
This year, the festival organizers managed to acquire a few new boats for the first time. So shiny and fierce. I think I might start practicing that kind of dragon intimidating look. It appeals to my inner Ninja. Don’t you think I’d look good trimmed out in gold?
The festival stage featured numerous groups entertaining the crowds throughout the weekend.
Organizers seemed to have had more vendors this year with loads of food vendors and Asian crafts. They even provided a water station where Mom and her guests could enjoy “fresh squeezed filtered H20.”
It wasn’t especially icy cold, but it was refreshing enough and kept everyone hydrated in the sunny conditions.
So that about wraps it up for this year’s festival. We’re going to ride off into the weekend counting the days until the official arrival of Autumn arrives. Fifty-six for anyone keeping track.
Sayonara, peeps. Have a good weekend. Here’s to being well hydrated and try to stay as cool as you can but we hope you are still able to enjoy some elements of Mother Nature.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Lulu: “We are lucky to be close to the coast, so we have stayed in the 80s, although Mama complains that even that is too hot. She says it never used to get that hot here.”
Java Bean: “Ayyy, if she thinks this is hot, she should try down in Baja where I used to live on the streets.”
Lulu: “I am pretty sure Mama would melt in Baja!”
We’re with your Mama on temps. It’s too bloody hot for us too.
Yay for “freshly squeezed” water. 🙂
Cool about the festival! Looks fun. Did you buy some of the Asian crafts?
I hope you and Elsa had a good weekend. I did. Had a family reunion and won a bag of Hershey kisses. 😋 Was really nice to see relatives that I hadn’t seen in years.
Happy Monday to you!
Hershey kisses AND a family reunion…woohoo…how fun! You know you can add one of those kisses to a cup of coffee for a deliciously tasty treat. Just saying. Happy Monday!
I did! 😊
Yay! Bet it was totally delish!
Can’t go wrong with chocolate. 😋
Not usually.
Mee-yow Elsa mee heerss you on THE **HEET** an hue-midity!!! This weekend it has kewled off so wee only have to run 1 fan.
Iss apposta heet up again Fursday so wee enjoy our kewl while wee can!
Wee think you wuud look so snazzy an beeuteefull decked out inn gold!!!
An Miss Monika those Dragonss are amazin!!! THE boatss are so beeuteefull.
An Mistur an Missus Duck are cute….
Stay kewl an hydrated deer frendss!
***nose bopss*** BellaDharma an (((huggiess))) BellaSita Mum
As always, thanks. We’re big fans of dragons…and their mystique lends itself so well to the whole Asian culture.
Hi Monika
(Colin from LEADING PETCARE / Damp Dogs & Rabbit Wee here) This is my author blog – still running LP but on a reduced level, as had a cardiac arrest a couple months ago, but back at it now. 🙂
We had our Scottish summer in May. Weather been rubbish since then and certainly we’re not suffering the heat of other countries – which is perhaps a blessing, what with our traditionally fair skins! 😉
The Dragon Boat races look epic. Must have been a great day out.
🙂
Hi Cee Tee…good to hear from you. Gosh, I’m very sorry about the cardiac arrest and hope you’re doing well in recovery. This summer has been brutal…not just because of the weather but dear Norman passed away last month. I’m still in shock. Glad to see you’re still knocking about, even in a reduced capacity. Stay well, and keep smiling. Best regards.
This heat for July sets a new world record . . yikes.
But that festival looks like so much fun. Much needed fun!
It’s always a great time even if it was pizza oven hot. There was lots of competition…for the boat races as well as for hanging out in shady spots under the trees. 😉
Pizza Oven hot . . that’s a real thing these days.
I love those boat races, and the dragons . . they are mesmerizing.
It’s all in line with the culture. 🐉🐲
Seriously
Oh Elsa, absolutely get yourself some gold trim!! Every Ninja girl should have a “fierce warrior” look!!
Love the pix from the festival! Glad Mom enjoyed it even if the weather was brutal. I’ve had to cut back on the Z Kids’ outdoor playtime this past week – just too hot & humid for our usual 45- to 60-minute sessions two or three times a day. We’re down to max 20 minutes twice a day, sometimes three times. Don’t want them overheating since they mostly don’t drink the water I bring outside for them.
We’re still doing our 3+ mile walk but it’s shortly after dawn. By 8 AM the sun is just too intense and with Elsa’s black coat, it would be problematic for her. Stay as cool as you can. 💙
56 days till autumn? That’s about 55 too many! First time I ever had 3 alerts on my weather app: Excessive Heat Advisory, Thunderstorm Warning (it did arrive of course, so little June spent the night in the closet!), and Air Quality Alert. SIGH! How brave of you to “get out” for the parade … lucky Elsa, keeping cool.
I’m with you on it being 55 days too much. The daily forecasts are all the same. Hot with a chance of isolated thunderstorms with frequent ozone alerts. I think humans have broken Mother Nature.
WOW – that was some festival! We loved seeing a pedi-cab…..my Mom lived in Taiwan for two years and really loved riding around town in those. The Asian culture is colorful and interesting. Stay cool – that’s tough to do these days but we have to try because we have more HOT coming before we begin to have some COOL!!
Love, Teddy
Yes, we’re going to have to make the best of what Nature is delivering. Some days it’s tougher than others. What an exciting fact about your Mom living in Taiwan! Bet she has some fascinating memories. Stay cool and hydrated.
Wow a festival with 170,000 attendees (last year). That is huge. It is pretty hot here too. Triple digit every day with few exceptions and it started mid June. I feel sorry for the animals who have to be outside.
Thank you. Yes it’s become a big event. This year had such a great variety of food and merchandise booths and, at least to my mind, more of them than ever before. There was something to enjoy for everyone.
Sorry you’ve been sweltering with high temps too. Everything seems to move that much slower, animals as well. Ours is a dry heat but miserable without shade. It’ll be good to get past the dog days of summer. Have a good weekend and stay hydrated.
Great Post! Mom took some great photographs. Dragonboats are really interesting. We used to have a Dragonboat Festival at one time but it kind of fell by the wayside. Only 33 more days of winter left and I for one will be glad of some heat. The way things are going around the world I may come to regret that comment as we go deeper into the summer. However, right at the moment it’s cold and I could do with some warmth. Have a great day and look after mom.
These dragon boats really are amazing and the entire Asian culture is full of fascinating customs. Every year, I’m blown away by the breadth and scope of the many groups participating in this event. I had no idea of how many groups in the Denver area.
Am happy to send some warmth your way. Right now, winter looks attractive though I’m sure I’ll get tired of shoveling sidewalks in no time 😉 Human nature is fickle like that. Have a good weekend, give my best to Annabell and an extra ear rub for Benji.
The festival looks gorgeous! We’re braving the heat tomorrow for pirate weekend at the medieval faire…argh! We usually dress up but have to go light this year, no chain mail or corsets matey!
Ooh, I love those Renaissance Fair/Medieval themed events. But yeah, no velvet or leather outfits in this heat. But those turkey legs still seem welcomed. 😉 Have a great time!
Very nice photos. Looks like a fun day. XO
Thanks, Ellen. It was a fun event despite being bloody hot.
Wow! What a beautiful event!
I sure hope it cools off soon too. Come on Autumn or at least 80F temps!
Thank you. Amen to the 80 or less. Preferably a lot less! 🙃 Have a lovely weekend.
The festival looks like a lot of fun. Bella is flush horizontal with the relatively cool tile floor, exact position as Elsa. Triple digits here.
We’re hoping this heat wave breaks soon. Autumn can’t come soon enough.
These boat races look like so much fun. Hades is a good description for the month of July. It has been something else. Let’s hope something. breaks. Thanks for sharing the outing, Monika and thanks for the narration, Elsa.
It’s been miserable here but so much worse elsewhere. I still don’t know how you guys handle it in Texas (or Arizona for that matter). The Dog Days of Summer usually start waning around the second week of August. Hope springs eternal, right? 🤞🏼
We can always hope. Our Gates of Hell season goes until September.
You have my deepest sympathies. September is the time for Indian Summer…i.e. mild conditions with that gorgeous golden light. Warm but cooling off.
We call August Hell’s back porch.
Stay cool, you two! 😎
We’re gonna do our best. Hope the weather isn’t so bad in your area. Have a good weekend.
Hell month is an apt name for this soon-to-be past July. Elsa, your Mom was brave going out in this heat. We have been invited to a Luau at the Church Camp where I work tomorrow, but due to the heat, we don’t think we’re going to go. Love seeing the contestants laying on the dragon heads! Stay in, stay cool!
Looks like a fun festival! Though attending in say, 70 degrees, would definitely be more my speed.
Seventy degrees would have been divine. There was a lot of seeking shady spots, that’s for sure. 😉
I’m not letting the thugs see that rickshaw thing…I know who’d be sitting and who’d be cycling.
Hahahaha…you’re too funny, Helen. At least the heat hasn’t diminished your sense of humor. Give the Thugs nice ear rubs from us.
Not yet….
😁
I want a paper parasol for here… that looked like such fun, fresh squeezed water! ha!
LeeAnna
Wasn’t that parasol pup-tacular? Mom sure chuckled at the water station but then again, she’s so weird.
It’s been a hot and muggy, and fiery and thunderstormy and tornado-warningly and just plain gawd-awful month. Well… minus the 11 days Marc was here, of course 😉
I’m ready for fall… That said August usually ends up being humdingingly hot, too, so… I’ll just throw myself into the pool.
Have a great weekend!
Happy you have a pool to cool off in-we just limit our time outside to very early in the day. It’s just too hot to be outside though I’m grateful we don’t have the humidity many others experience with hot temps. I saw a news story last week where there was a tornado on Pikes Peak! (https://weather.com/storms/severe/video/rare-mountain-tornado-uproots-pikes-peak-co-trees)
Yes, I am, too. Honestly, though, when it’s too muggy, who goes out when there is A/C inside?
Good grief! The world is going to hell, isn’t it?
Sadly, in more ways than just temperature wise.
Truth
I wonder if it was cool in those boats! Maybe. In our area Hades is hanging around for another week or so before handing it over to August. We’ve been lucky though. Today is our first day of 90 degree weather. When I hear about the weather around the globe, we aren’t too bad off.
Glad to hear it hasn’t been that bad in your neck of the woods. At least 180 million are suffering in the US, but then I read stories about Greece, Italy and China and am embarrassed about grousing. Maybe Mom should wash the outside windows-it always seems to rain when she does that. We’re hoping for a break in the 90+F temps next week. Can’t come soon enough for us. Stay cool this weekend.
Many countries do not have air conditioning like we do here. I don’t know how they cope.
Me either. I know AC is not overly common in the PNW and they’ve been suffering for the past few years.
I am just grateful that I am not in Arizona, where it is so hot it is killing saguaro cacti; or Florida, where the ocean temperatures are killing coral. I’ll live with 90o.
Enjoy the weekend!
It’s hot all across the country. Triple digits in Montana, Minnesota can be added to the places I’m grateful to not be in not to mention Texas. Stay cool and have a good weekend.
We are looking forward to the first snowfall at our house. Summer is not our time of the year. Heat is no fun. What a fun event you have there and such cool boats competing too. At least a water event looks cool, even if it is still hot.
We’re right there with you. It can’t snow soon enough! Have a good weekend. Hope you guys get some relief from the hot temps and humidity soon.