All over Woodhaven, fire hydrants were cooling off children as well as adults, streets and cars.  Driving around town today, our car got washed more than it had in the past 3 years.   

We were pleased to see almost everyone abiding the rules, and using sprinkler caps.  Remember - that is the only legal way to open a hydrant.  An opened hydrant (without a cap) wastes 1,000 gallons of water per minute.  A sprinkler cap cuts that consumption down to 25 gallons per minute.  Visit your local firehouse and ask about sprinkler caps.

A fun time was had by all here over by 85th Street as you can see by the smiles.  When the heat is as oppressive as it was on Friday, even a few minutes respite from the heat is enough to make you smile. 

And we were off, to see how others were coping, slowing down to get another car wash --

On Jamaica Avenue, the carts selling flavored ices were doing a brisk business.  We bypassed the street ices for an Italian Ice from Sal's Pizza.  We suspect that not only did Con Edison break records yesterday, but that New Yorkers ate more ices than ever before.   

Heh... it was so hot, we could swear that we saw a St. Bernard carrying water!  You had to really sympathize with the delivery guys yesterday, who carted cases of beverages off trucks all day long in this heat. 

The Park Sprinklers were on all day, throughout New York City.  Over at 60 Park, the sprinkler was more of a mist.  Back when we were young, the sprinkler was a stand-up model in the middle -- and the water shot up in the air and fell on your head.  That back wall looks exactly the same, though.

The sprinkler at the playground in Forest park (near the Carousel) was shooting water out from multiple stations.

Some folks bypassed the sprinklers in favor of other methods of relaxation -- these two gentlemen were so engrossed in their game of chess that they hardly seemed to notice the heat. 

And in a pinch, there is always Mister Softee -- again, we're betting that Mister Softee did a record business yesterday. 

More kids out enjoying the sprinkler caps -- please remember that without sprinkler caps, the force of water coming from a fire hydrant is very dangerous to children, it can easily knock them off balance, or even force them into the path of a moving car.  If you are going to let your children play with a fire hydrant, always make sure there is a sprinkler cap!

Ahhh!  Budweiser! 

These folks decided to have a street barbecue with their neighbors and watch over the children playing in the sprinkler.  Despite the high temps, Woodhaven residents seemed to be bearing up quite well.  We saw plenty of smiles and camaraderie!

The streets of Woodhaven were full of kids having fun with water.  Again, we're happy to report that we saw little evidence of people using fire hydrants illegally.

Looks like fun, doesn't it?

Pretty soon, the sun started to set, hopefully to give us a little break from the heat. 

And as we headed into the evening, the ravages of the day's heat became apparent with reduced water levels around Woodhaven.  There were reports of residents and businesses along Jamaica Avenue without water.  And reports came in from all over Woodhaven that the water supply had slowed down to a trickle.  Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and her office were in touch with the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association -- and they contacted the FDNY and the DEP, reported open hydrants, and got the problem resolved very quickly.

Low water pressure can hamper fire-fighters by reducing the flow of water to their hoses, so it's a crucial problem we all need to be aware of.  Again, sprinkler caps reduce the problem -- and we aren't telling people to not use the fire-hydrants on super-hot days like yesterday.  But when the kids are done playing in it, turn it off.   

Let's hope for a bit of a break today -- and keep our fingers crossed -- and hope that the worst is behind us. 

If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.  

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Photos by Joey Wendell