Coastal living at 110 degrees.
Yesterday topped 110 degrees. Even the birds were silent. The air, a steady bake, quietly hovered over the surface of our lives. On an otherwise normal day in Southern California, lawns singed. Tires burst. People withered. If, indeed, geography is personal, then climate is even more so. Here in coastal elementary schools, meccas of mid-century architecture blithely shaded scores of limp children in classrooms untouched by scientific concepts such as Global Warming, let alone one air conditioner. Not in the budget. Yet. There were no extra fans, and no school AC. Perhaps, the (wise and loving) occasional homeroom teacher managed to provide, one or two fans of their own, for their classroom. But, generally, the schools were all left wide open. Open and welcoming to the friendly skies of 1957, when they were built. The only catch is, it isn't mid-century any longer. It is now 2010. School budgets no longer contain enough for books, teachers, or ev