Another hot day gone by.  It seems to be cooling down tonight, but so far we haven't had any rain, just a rumble of thunder earlier in the evening.  I measured .25 in. of rain from last night's storm.  I thought there would be more than that; it woke me up when the rain started last night sometime after midnight, I guess because we're not used to hearing rain much lately.

The weather seems to have been good for some things - there is a huge apple crop nearly everywhere this year.  Trees around our place that haven't amounted to anything in the past are laden with fruit this fall.  Our old tree that normally bears only every other year had a bumper crop last year and has a great crop again this year - the apples are small, but are great for applesauce, so Fred picked up a big bag full today and did the first of two batches of applesauce while I was working on some history stuff.  I helped with the second batch.  We have a nice supply to put in the freezer for next winter.

I also made frozen yogurt today.  We had a quart of plain no-fat yogurt that was nearly out of date and we knew were weren't going to use it, so I made maple flavored frozen yogurt.  It came out very smooth and creamy, and I'm hoping the maple syrup I used to flavor and sweeten it will keep it from getting rock hard.  Even if it does, it only takes a few minutes out of the freezer for it to soften.
I bought an ice cream maker a couple years ago as a surprise for Fred, who loves ice cream, so I could make healthy frozen desserts for us.  It arrived about two days after he swore off ice cream.  I was not about to send it back, but didn't use it much until this summer when I decided I wanted to make sherbets and sorbets to have during this hot weather.  By now Fred has relented and enjoys desserts again, so I'm really glad I kept the machine.  It does a nice job - no cranking necessary - and freezes whatever mixture in about half an hour.  I've tried making real ice cream, sherbets, and now frozen yogurt - all successes. 

I've recently been going through minutes of JPA meetings over the years to pick out anything I could find about the progression of building the facility we now have - the recreation field and pavilion.  The Association started off with just a shed to accommodate some shuffleboard equipment and maybe a croquet set.  Over the years, more equipment and a more substantial building evolved.  I'm up to 1984, and in the next issues of minutes there will be a lot more information as to how it developed.  It has taken me back to when I was first aware of JPA in the 1960s and then actually became involved in the 1970s lettering slats for the signs and as co-chair of the Boat Parade, sailing in the Sunfish races, etc.  Lots of names that bring back memories, too.  It's great fun to look back now.  I wish I had pictures of the old wooden picnic tables and benches that served for so many years for social events and meetings, but I don't seem to have much from that era.  Perhaps someone will find some photos and send them to me!