Dodging the sun and oven-blasts of air, I implored my family, once the sun had set, to let me out. So we all hopped into our little compact car to see a place called “Sparky Park,” lol. No, it’s not a playground sponsored by ERCOT to encourage us to set our thermostats high to make sure the grid holds, no. My wife saw it on Atlas Obscura and it looked wacky enough for a closer look.

She doesn’t like steep grades. And I don’t care for decline. It drives her mad when I spot a good climb and just take off. “Wonder what’s...

Stood with my arms out like I was being patted down by a bouncer. My wife sprayed repellant all over me, one limb at a time. Mosquitoes...