The Coolest Place in Town

As the dog days of August begin, most of us spend a lot of time in air conditioned relief. So prevalent is this convenience, that many take it for granted.

Growing up in Texas before air conditioning (BAC) was common you knew the places that you could cool off from the oppressive heat. In those days, summer seemed to be endless.

There was no air conditioning in schools, cars or in many businesses. I do remember that the grocery store seemed cooler, and an occasional movie theater had air conditioning.

Early on at our house, all we had was what was affectionately termed a “swamp cooler.” This unit hung from one window in the house, and blew somewhat cool air because of the water used in its operation. To add additional cooling, we would place a tray with ice cubes in front of its vents. Naturally, we would sit as close a possible in front of the vents for maximum effectiveness.

At night, the extent of cooling in our bedroom was provided by an attic fan. For those unfamiliar with that device, it was an approximately three by four foot fan that hung horizontally from the ceiling. When used it would pull air from the outside through open windows and up through the ceiling in order to extract hot air.

My good fortune was to be the eldest of two boys. Because of that, I chose to place my twin bed next to the window in our room where I could hang on the window to maximize the incoming air to cool off. The only pool I had as a kid was the pool of sweat that I fell asleep in after a desperate search for cool air.

My poor brother was left to sleep in the middle of the room with very little ventilation to provide relief. I don’t remember him complaining, but I think that is more a factor that I wasn’t listening.

One highlight of our summers was a trip to the farmer’s market to select a fresh watermelon. In the center of the store was a vast walk in cooler to keep the melons cold. My father would allow my brother and me to select the melon that we would purchase. After a few minutes in the cooler, he would ask us if we had made our choice. Every time we would delay in order to remain in the cooler as long as possible. That walk in cooler was in fact the coolest place in town.

In those days (BAC), there were far fewer people who chose to live in Texas because of the climate. Today, after air conditioning (AAC) has become commonplace spending any time without cool air is the exception. Cars, schools and virtually all businesses are cooled. Relief from work or play in the hot sun is available for almost everyone.

Today, Texans and non-Texans benefit from central air conditioning and heating, which resulted from technology improvements and reduced costs that occurred because of the success of our economy and a lot of people’s hard work. Not everyone in the world is as fortunate as we are.

I am grateful to live during this time and in America.

© 2006 Richard V. Battle