Heat is on!

I don't know if the heat wave had something to do with it, but my bulky old TV's tube burnt out last week. One morning, a light went across the screen and it went black. First I thought it was the cable, but no. There was audio but we were no longer able to see the image on the screen. It's still sitting there, but we've been TV-less for the first time, very first time for Taiyo, and in the summer heat we've been busier with activities once again.

Last Saturday was actually very comfortable. Per Taiyo's request, we took a bike ride uptown to the Central Park Zoo. After our usual routine of visiting the gift shop (I warn him that we're not going to buy anything, but somehow he always wins), viewing and talking to the penguins, feeding of sheep and goats, and having a hot dog and french fries at the cafeteria, we headed home.

On the way back, we stopped at Madison Square Park, where there's always some interesting sculpture. Taiyo totally loved these colorful blobs that made cool sounds and music when he touched! This is definitely must-see public art this summer with a little one. They would go nuts!

Next day, Taiyo wanted to play some golf, so that's what we did on Governor's Island. As we headed to the ferry, Taiyo started singing on the back of the bike, "Going on a boat, going on a boat.." He's so good at making up a song these days. The boat was a lot emptier than the beginning of the season. Every time I go there, this island's forgotten old feel, colonial buildings, cannons and forts remind me of Cuba, especially with this heat. When we got to the parade ground, Taiyo headed to his favorite tree house, then we practiced some patting at mini golf. But heat with suffocating humidity was just brutal, and I asked him if we could just go for a bike ride, at least to get some breeze. He suggested lunch instead, and we headed to the food court nearby.

It's a perfect outdoor dining area with some food trucks, and he picked a sandwich, fruit salad (although he only liked pineapple chunks), and orange/mango juice. He couldn't eat much of the sandwich, but he surely was thirsty. We made a quick round of the island and headed home. He gets so excited at this beautiful little island and never lasts more than two hours. Of course he was fast asleep as soon as we got off the boat.