There was plenty of scope for creativity with this month’s theme, staying cool. Since I never quite managed that fashionably attractive “it” factor and am still working on maintaining calm no matter what, I went with the most straightforward interpretation: staying cool = remaining at a low temperature/becoming less hot.

We had no trouble staying cool at the start of the month. In fact, we sheltered under a couple of evergreen trees to avoid the worst of a snow squall during one hike and opted to hike in steady snowfall most of another day. But the temperature exceeded 30C (85F) other days this month, which is pretty hot for the Calgary/Canmore area. That’s when we had to a little more intentional to stay cool: get out and about first thing in the morning, seek shade and/or water, or hibernate in the basement where it’s much cooler.

Here are five examples of how we stayed cool this month:

1. Hike in Snow

We stayed in the Lake O’Hara region of Yoho National Park the first four days of July. It snowed for about 45 minutes while we were hiking to Lake McArthur on July 1st (Canada Day) and it snowed all day when we hiked to Lake Oesa a couple of days later.

2. Seek Shade

Even though we get out and about by 8 o’clock on days that are going to be hot, we often end up seeking shade on the way back home. One morning I was walking home from the grocery store with a loaded up pack and noticed even the magpies were seeking shade – anywhere they could find it!

3. Head to the Basement

By late afternoon on a hot day, our basement is at least 5 degrees Celsius (about 10 degrees F) cooler than the main floor. So heading downstairs to do a little photo project with my light box is a good way to cool down. This month I built set 40291, a bonus set that came with another set order from the Lego online shop. How cool is it that when I come across a piece that’s unfamiliar to me, I can learn more than everything I want to know about it by looking it up on Brickset?!

4. Find Water

Whether it’s a cool shower, a dip in a pool or wading in a creek, immersing at least part of yourself in water is a fast way to cool down. It’s also pretty cool that my camera has a wi-fi connected app that lets me use an app on my phone to set aperture, ISO and shutter speed, select the point of focus and release the shutter. 🙂

5. Stay Hydrated

Whether your beverage of choice is tea, milk, juice, soda, coffee, beer, cider, water with plenty of ice cubes or something else, hot weather is a good reason to make sure you drink enough hydrating fluids every day. Over a typical day I drink a big glass of water, 2 cups of coffee, a glass of milk, and several cups of herbal tea. How about you?

Those are my best ideas for staying cool! How do you stay cool?

Check out the cool factor of participants by heading over to a ‘lil Hoohaa. He’s running late this month, so give it a day or two to be on the safe side. While you’re there, please consider joining us! This photo blogging challenge is a low-stress photo assignment. For each month’s theme, you’re asked to share five photos; the amount of accompanying text is up to you. The next theme will be posted at a ‘lil Hoohaa in early August.