Setting up the Badlands shot.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota, July 1966. Dad sets up a shot while we visit the Badlands.

Our Brief Visit

Badlands National Park, South Dakota, July 1966. There's little relief from the heat.

Related by Marriage: The menfolk relax.

Union Pier, Michigan, Summer 1961. Mr. Irene, his Dad, and his maternal Grandfather, Stanley, relax at Union Pier. The family often enjoyed a weekend getaway to that familiar spot.

Related by Marriage: Cool off with a cold one.

Union Pier, Michigan, Summer 1961. Wally, the husband of Mr. Irene's maternal Aunt Martha, cools off in his swim trunks while he and Mr. Irene's Dad enjoy refreshing beers.

It must have been hot then, too.

Near Schweinfurt, Germany, Summer 1947 or 1948. The scouts are down to their swim trunks and sandals as they set up camp.

Sunday Paper: Ice-Cream Cone Edition

Suburban Chicago, Summer 1962. Mom reads this week's edition of the Chicago Tribune Magazine.

They won't need coats today.

Seligenstadt, Germany, about 1947. My Mom, on the far left, joins friends for a walk.

Blueberries, as Decorations

Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada, July 1964. My Mom, my paternal Grandmother Tatjana, and I have been blueberry picking, and we are heading back to the cabin in our rented dinghy.

Badlands Reunion

Badlands National Park, South Dakota, July 1966. It's as hot as it looks.

Related by Marriage: Desert Heat

Camp Irwin, Barstow, California, October 1951. Mr. Irene's Dad stands in front of his quarters during his stint in the U.S. Army.

It gets hot every summer.

Near Seligenstadt, Germany, probably 1947 or 1948. A group of scouts—all Displaced Persons—cools off at a campsite. Mr. Irene's Dad is the fellow sitting on the far left, in the darker t-shirt.

Thanks to Mr. Irene's Los Angeles Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Keeping cool.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts, July 1963. I am happy after taking a dip.

Summer Coat

Glacier National Park, Montana, July 1968. A Mountain Goat adapts to the warmer temperatures.

Stay cool.

Brookfield Zoo, January 1975. It will get hot here in the next few days. Find a way to beat the heat.

Badlands

When we made our first family drive to Glacier National Park, we took a slower route and stopped at famous landmarks along the way. We spent an afternoon, for example, touring the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. We ate lunch ate Wall Drug, where my Dad barred the staff from afixing a "Wall Drug" bumper sticker on the car. We also made it to the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, and Yellowstone National Park.

We spent one afternoon and early evening Badlands National Park. The stop was memorable because it was very hot, and I was parched. We did not have a cooler in the gold, Buick LeSabre. Instead, we had a pitcher with warm lemonade. My Mom had made the lemonade from a frozen concentrate in the morning, thinking it would stay cool throughout the day in the air-conditioned car. By the time we got to the Badlands, the mixture had turned into a swill of sour, pulpy, hot juice. It did nothing to quench my thirst.

What I remember most about the Badlands is feeling quite "green" in the afternoon sun.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota, July 1966. I don't seem very enthusiastic about exploring the park.

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Badlands National Park, South Dakota, July 1966. Mom checks out the view while I stay close to the car.
 

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Badlands National Park, South Dakota, July 1966. The view is spectacular.