Year End Wishes

As well as best wishes to all our campers, just a few thoughts as the year (and decade) come to a close. While I enjoy oldies music stations, and most mention that they play the hits of the 60's and 70's, not sure why suddenly they are also playing Michael Jackson stuff from the late 80's. Seems like his passing has caused stations to view his late work as oldies--I really don't want to hear "Bad", although I would be happy to hear "Ben" or "ABC" from the early days (which reminds me that at one point, there were only 3 hits to reach #1 with only 3 letters in the title, and he had 'em all). Would even settle for "One Bad Apple", which although it was the Osmonds, sounds enough like the Jackson 5 that they might consider having Donny portray The King of Pop in a film. My second request for the new decade is that "pressert" becomes accepted as a word and as an acceptable dining request. Sometimes, brunch is served with a parfait...so what is the big deal about ordering a dessert to enjoy before your meal? I'd much rather have a slice of cheescake before dinner, instead of onion rings. Lastly, something needs to be done about the letter "W". Why are all other letters monosyllabic, with none having 2 syllables, and yet "W" has 3? Makes no sense. It is ridiculous for abbreviations to be longer than the thing being abbreviated...when a team is just happy to "get the W", it takes twice as long as getting the win. Truncating it to two syllables is not enough, as it sounds to much like our previous President. What was Al Gore thinking when he invented the internet and decided to start everything with www? Takes 20 seconds just to say that...you mean to tell me there was not a better option? World wide web--3 syllables vs www checking in at 9. I don't know why people don't just say it that way...our website is world wide web strawberrypark.net. So much shorter. I'd even settle for "Globally Encompassing Net"--GEN would be so much shorter. "W" also causes trouble with little ones learning the alphabet. Brock has no trouble with the other letters, but I know when it comes to spelling his last name, those 2 killer letters are going to do him in. And besides, unless you write in cursive (and who still does that?), it really isn't even an accurate descriptor...double V would make more sense, but would still be three syllables. Therefore, I am proposing a re-naming of the letter "W". It may take a little while to adjust when singing the alphabet song on wagon rides, but I think we can be a vehicle for change (literally). In examing the other fine letters, there is a varied mix in those that are pronounced with the starting sound they make, followed by some random vowelness (such as "B" or "J"), and some end with their sound (such as "L" or "F"). Others are a little more inexplicable, such as "H". I am offering the following options, and will feature a survey on the blog seeking the most popular alternative. Keep in mind the letter won't change, just the pronunciation. Option 1: Wuh. Although it sounds a little like "Duh", it makes sense. Option 2: Wii (like the electronic game, also pronounced as "we" by some traditionalists, not to be confused with why, which is letter unto itself). Option 3: Ow. This may cause confusion for parents thinking their child is hurt, so I don't expect it to score well with that demographic. Option 4: Double U (for those resistant to change for the better). Spread the word, tell your friends to vote, make signs...whatever it takes. Happy New Year!!

Preparing for the January 2 reservation rush

As we approach the New Year, looks like there may be some more snow on the horizon. Luckily, just about everything on the ground here has melted from the rains and warm temps that we had this weekend (which will all freeze solid tonight). Have had a few last-minute campers signing up for our BIC program in order to avoid the craziness that is January 2. Hope everyone had a nice Christmas. At our house, we have given up and allowed the "dining room" to become the toy room. Brock has gotten quite good at the air hockey game, while Reed's favorite is the illuminated power button on one of Brock's electronic toys. Who would have thought that the Giants season would be over, after they played so well last week...while somehow the Jets are still alive and control their own destiny, due to the stupidity of the Colts. Sorry, but I don't buy the whole "Super Bowl is all that matters" garbage. I can't recall half the Super Bowl winners of the last 20 years, but I can sure tell you that the Dolphins went unbeaten in '72. How many teams have a chance for immortality this late in the season? Not many, and it made the Pats vs Giants Super Bowl even more exciting. Just hoping my Saints can rebound, as it looks like the Eagles and Packers are playing as well as anyone in the NFC, while Pats, Colts and Chargers are the teams to beat in the AFC (with many others still alive). Lastly, hoping that any impending snowstorm does not cause too much havov with the New Year's holiday and the January 2 reservations fiesta. Have a safe & happy New Year's!!

Merry Christmas to Strawberry Park Campers

Since we will be closing a little early on Christmas Eve (1PM), now is as good a time as any to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. As Jen & I didn't send everyone a holiday newsletter, here is what you may have missed. Also, thanks to our camper friends who sent Christmas cards to Strawberry Park, and a special thanks to a few of you who sent a little something extra. I won't mention you by name, but it was greatly appreciated and not necessary.

2009 Season’s Greetings from Jen, Dave, Brock, Reed, Harvey & Cooper
Although it may seem like it was more than 11 months ago, our biggest news of 2009 was the arrival of Reed Chapin Nowakowski on January 5. With an icy winter driveway, we slid down the mountain and into a tree on our way to the hospital. Everything else went well that day (obviously Dave is typing, impervious to the pain of childbirth), and Brock became a big brother. We struggled with his middle name, but since the hospital required it before we departed, Jen relented and the late great Harry Chapin became further immortalized. Much like when Brock was born just in time to meet David’s grandmother before her passing, sadly, Jen’s grandmother passed away unexpectedly shortly after Reed was born.

Harvey & Cooper have come to tolerate Brock chasing them around the house and tugging them by the collar, and Reed is ready to join the fun. Reed began walking about 2 months ago, before cutting his first tooth. Speaking of cuts, with great rewards come great risks. Reed was the first of the two boys to require a trip to the hospital after meeting the corner of the coffee table, resulting in a single stitch above his right eye. In keeping the car accident/trip to the hospital tradition, David hit a deer on his way home from work after being informed of Reed’s mishap. David was uninjured, but the same cannot be said about the truck or the deer.

Brock still enjoys the classics (“The Cat in the Hat” and “Where the Wild Things Are”), but probably prefers Curious George books above all others. He has started talking much more, and does well spelling his name (first only, as his last name may take until 3rd grade) and counting to 12 (the number of stairs we have). Brock has mastered forward rolls as a result of participating in his gymnastics class and bath time has become more enjoyable as both boys are enrolled in swim class during the camping off-season.

2009 was not a big travel year, as we have mostly been catching up on sleep, since unlike Brock, there were not many (any??) “sleep through the nights” with Reed until very recently. We were able to take a day trip to Block Island (our young friend Lexi is a great helper with the boys), during which a decent wave caused Brock to become a little wary of the ocean, which took many day trips to the beach to overcome. We were also able to make it to the Cape and visit some family members we don’t get to see too often. Our longest journey with the boys was just recently, as we traveled to Santa’s Village in New Hampshire. Much like the waves at the ocean, Brock and Reed will require a few extra visits to Santa before the stranger danger wears off. Other than the long drive and the cold temperatures, everything else was enjoyable, and we even got our tree in the rain on the way home. Brock wanted the biggest tree in the lot, but we settled on the second biggest, one that just barely fits in the cabin.

Congratulations to David’s sister Lisa on her recent nuptials, to the Yankees on their World Series victory and to Derek Jeter being named Sportsman of the Year. Jen’s Red Sox did not fare quite as well, but now that they have Marco Scutaro, the sky’s the limit. Despite her loathing of the Yanks, Jen treated us to a trip to the new Stadium for David’s birthday present. Unfortunately for David, the Red Sox prevailed on that particular drizzly night in May. For Jen’s milestone birthday, we tried to pull off a little surprise party, but the pouring rain put a little damper on the plans. Her best present was having Kelly join us for a few days from her new home down in South Carolina.

Jen is still playing volleyball and the team has been playing quite well this season, currently battling for first place. Although neither of us played much golf this year, we look forward to the near future when our caddies are strong enough to carry the clubs. Brock has developed a nice swing, and has improved his putting. On other sports notes, David continues to follow the post-graduate wrestling careers of a couple of former wrestlers, and we took a recent trip up to Troy, NY to watch one of them wrestle for Hofstra. Although we may not catch as many Griswold matches as in the past, David will still be involved with some of the post-season tournaments in February.

It was a busy summer at Strawberry Park, following a damp June. Brock earned a few ribbons in running races, but usually came up short to a little one who got dragged by a mom for 50 yards. The boys enjoyed bonfire nights, and Brock was thrilled with the fireworks display atop the Mohegan Sun. In July, David escaped the campground for an evening with Jen to see Billy Joel and Elton John at Gillette. Jen got to relive her first concert-going experience after seeing them at the same venue 15 years ago. Jen did not play much Bingo, but did raise a few eyebrows when she was one of the winners on the progressive jackpot in September on her grandma’s lucky number. Nothing annoyed David more than the gloomy forecasts on almost every fall weekend (most of which were inaccurate). Much of the late fall was spent updating the website.

We promised ourselves that we would keep this down to just a page in a normal font (we know
most of your attention spans are like ours and, besides, we need to start on Reed’s birthday invitations).

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Bing would be pleased

After writing the title, I realized that most people today would connect the comment to that new search engine and not Mr. Crosby's classic "White Christmas", but let this be educational for the younger generation (although I do prefer the Four Tops version as featured in Home Alone). Back to the point, we received a fair amount of snow. Sorry, but I don't buy into some of the mega-totals, since there was considerable wind and drifting. Unless you have a legit measuring device that contains directly fallen snow and restricts drifting, I am doubting some of the unofficial totals exceeding 2 feet. Glenn & Jimmy have done a great job plowing the roads here at Strawberry Park, and most area schools had delays today (some even canceled--enjoy your snow day Kate!). Bringing the truck in for the deer repairs--could be out of action for a week. Just a reminder to winter campers: when the temps get down low, be sure your hose & heat tape are working, and many people suggest keeping the cabinets open to allow heat to get into the areas where the pipes may freeze. Some are strong believers in leaving the faucet trickling, but I am hesitant to suggest in case something clogs and you flood your trailer (maybe the tub is the best place to keep a drip). While I am sure there will be at least one more post before Christmas (need to put up our holiday newsletter), for those who may not check this as regularly, have a great holiday. Today is probably the last chance for gift certificates if you want them to arrive in time for Christmas. Enjoy the snow--we had fun running the luge course at the house.

Christmas Countdown...newsletter time is upon us

Now that Christmas is only a week away, guess that means it is time to send out cards and a holiday newsletter. I will be sure to post a copy here on the blog for those of you who may not be on Brock & Reed's mailing list. Glad we waited until the last minute, since so much has happened in the last week (with Santa Land, Reed's stitch and the deer incident), plus the advantage of getting to comment on other folk's holiday letters & photos (guess my dear friend Vart lost a testicle this year...those are the kind of holiday snippets that should not go quietly into the night). Seems like some of the earliest cards we get are from our friends in the warmth of Florida. I guess that means they are really missing the snow (guessing Randy still wears his mittens down there when it dips below 60). Kind of thinking that with all this Facebook and blogging stuff, holiday newsletters may become a thing of the past for many. Camping shows are just around the corner, with Hartford kicking things off on Jan 8-10, and 6 other shows until early March. Looks like Bayside in Boston is back, but Long Island RV Show is not returning. Might catch us in Prov, Worc, Springfield, Suffern, Boston, Hartford, or Foxboro. Gearing up for January 2, which since it falls on a Saturday probably means more campers coming here in person to make their reservations early in the morning.

Looking more like Christmas every day

Between the recent snow and the chilly temps, I guess we are heading down the homestretch to the holidays. Even if the deer had not made survived, $3200 is awfully expensive for a freezer full of venison. Have to make sure if I ever hit another one, I use an older vehicle. If you look closely, you can still see some fur. In retrospect, having a small deductible is nice, but lacking rental car coverage was possibly a mistake. Reminding any campers seeking gift certificates that you want to order them soon to receive them in time for Christmas. We offer them in any amount, and the money goes right onto the account of the recipient. Speaking of Christmas, we got back from Santa's Village in NH yesterday just in time for the afternoon rains, but that did not deter us from chopping down the 2nd tallest tree we could find (Brock wanted the biggest one, but it would not have fit in the house, as this one just barely makes it). If you ever head up to the Village in December, be sure to dress warmly and wear boots, as your toes can get a little cold waiting in line for things like seeing Santa. The reindeer were cool, and the boys enjoyed the train ride as well. Did not see any moose, but after the deer hit near home, maybe that was best.

TGIF...cuz Thursday kinda stunk

Looking forward to a journey north, first trip to Santa Land (or something like that) up in New Hampshire. Just wish the weather was more tropical and the drive was not so long. If you had any wagers on which of our 2 boys would get a stitch first, the winner is....Reed! With a full month of walking experience, he somehow took a digger into the table. If the cut were anywhere other than on his eyebrow, they could have just glued it (sounds cool, and having never seen that done, I was looking forward to that option). Just one little stitch, and he was brave. While waiting in the hospital room, Brock cut his lip, but since they were not offering any "buy one get one free" sales like everyone else at this holiday time, we told him to be a brave big brother and suck it up. So in case any of you might be expecting a holiday photo from Santa Land with the boys, my guess is that Fat Lip and Black Eye (as we may see some reindeer or totonka up north, we have given the boys new Native American nicknames) won't be doing much posing for anything but a profile. I guess the good news is that when, years from now, Reed asks why he had a shiner for Christmas, we can tell him it was because he asked Santa for too many presents and the elves roughed him up. Although we are heading to NH with one of Jen's good friends who have a son Brock's age, in this job market, the thought of bringing Jen's mom crossed my mind, as Santa Land must always be looking for seasonal elves. Getting back to why Thursday was a rotten day (as if a hospital visit were not enough), our tradition of car accidents on days when heading to Backus Hospital for Reed is still alive! You may recall that when we went in January for Reed's delivery that we slid down the icy driveway and hit a tree with Jen's car. Last night, I got the call about the cut as leaving work...and proceeded to take out a deer on the way home. At first, I thought for sure I needed to call my neighbor with the large freezer (and to taunt Jody on Facebook that I got a deer before he did), but the big lug struggled to his feet and wandered off into the woods. While the airbags did not deploy, some decent damage to the front of the truck, and I have left the hair and saliva in case Allstate needs evidence. I tend to see deer most nights on the way home, but this guy caught me off guard. Since the accident was so close to home, I was a little worried about herd retribution while at the hospital, but there was no addtional damage or antler graffiti when we got home. I guess the only thing that could have made the day worse would have been if I were a Steelers fan.

Cajun Zydeco Festival Line Up Nearly Complete

Strawberry Park will present our 14th Annual "Blast from the Bayou" Cajun Zydeco Festival on June 10-13, 2010. It is always difficult to choose bands, as there are some folks who are always looking to see new faces on stage, while there are a few bands that the dancers expect to see back almost every year. For 2010, we have 2 of the top 3 Cajun bands (in most people's opinion), with The Pine Leaf Boys and Steve Riley returning (figuring Beausoleil would round out the "top 3" and they were here a couple years back and will probably return in the future), as well as Cajun newcomers JimmyJo & The Jambol'Ayuhs from Maine, as well as Jesse Lege and Bayou Brew. On the Zydeco side, for the first time, we are presenting 3 of the premier LA/TX artists (each of these 3 considered to be among the top 5 in the world) with Geno Delafose (pictured) and Brian Jack back from 2009, and Chris Ardoin making his return after being away for a couple of years. In addition, Li'l Anne (from NY) returns, as well as Dennis Stroughmatt (from Ill). Each year, we also present some dance bands that are not quite Cajun or Zydeco, and for 2010 we are pleased to see the return of the Derailers, as well as Donna the Buffalo (been a couple of years since the herd rolled in) and Girl Howdy, with some swing dancing. Still finalizing the specific days on which some of the performers will appear, but it looks to be our strongest line up ever. For more info, see the website http://www.strawberrypark.net/cajun-zydeco-festival/ Reservations start on January 2.

Looks like winter is now upon us

Not a ton of snow fell down here, but it was a little icy...and the worst part is that it has not all melted yet, and may not do so before the next batch of weather on Wed. Might have to start thinking about long pants soon. Jen took the boys to see Santa at a mall in RI (Santa does a great job, so she goes there each year). Brock was fine but Reed suddenly developed stranger anxiety, which is not like him. Gave him another shot yesterday, but same clinging result. Will try again, as we are heading north to Santa's Village (or something like that) up in NH this weekend, so I know I will need long pants for that trip. My Saints got a little lucky yesterday, and I know many downtrodden fans today (Pats, Steelers and Cowboys). Great night of college football finishes Sat around 11PM, including UConn, Texas and GT. All these undefeated teams, and no playoff in sight. Personally, I will consider the Obama presidency a success if he is able to enact a playoff during his tenure. Just Bob and I taking the calls this week, as Mary gets a little time off beforet the New Year's rush on January 2. She has been a big follower of the Tiger Tales, citing TMZ as the most reliable name in news, so here is one for her: If Tiger is getting all this action AFTER getting married, what was his life like BEFORE he got hitched? Forget the pursuit of Jack Nicklaus and his 18 majors...I think Wilt Chamberlain's self-proclaimed record of 10,000 may have been in jeopardy (permission granted to Jay or Dave to use on late night, in case they follow this blog).

Congrats to Grammy Nominees

As usual, there are a few of our scheduled performers at the upcoming Bluegrass Festival or Cajun/Zydeco Festival who have received nominations this year, as well as some past performers. For Best BG Album, Rhonda was nominated once again (this will be the first time in about 7 or 8 years that she won't be here...looking forward to having her back in 2011), as well as Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) and a few others, while the Greencards, who will return for BG, were nominated in the Country Instrumental Song category (Carol Young of the band is shown here from last year, courtesy of Ted Lehmann's photo). For C/Z, The Pine Leaf Boys were nominated once again, and they will be back up north in June. Our Bluegrass line-up is now pretty much complete, and has been posted. C/Z should be wrapped up in another week or so. So far, no reports of any major tree damage from last night's storm, but there were many branches down in the area, with some power outages and vehicle damage throughout the region. I guess we should enjoy the temps in the 60's today, as it supposed to get a little more wintry this weekend.

Who dat? Saints beat Pats!

Those of you that know me as a Yankee fan probably think I despise the Pats as much as I do the Sox, but that is not true at all. In fact, I will root for the Pats in almost all games...except vs the Saints. Would love to see a Super Bowl rematch from last night, but that could be tough for both (with Vikes looking good, and Pats having even a tougher road). My affinity for the Saints comes from my freshman year of college at Tulane in N'awlins, where every day was Mardi Gras. I am guessing after Katrina, there must be a decent number of casual football fans who would like to see the Saints do well. To make it an even better sports day, Derek Jeter was named Sports Illustrated Athlete of the Year. Just a quick reminder to all those BIC folks who called to reserve yesterday...please make sure to have deposits paid within 7 days. Always amazes us each year when there are campers who dial away to get through early...and then end up with a deleted reservation because they did not follow through with the deposit. Remember, the Strawberry Park office is open Mon-Fri only in December (we will resume weekend hours in January). For others looking to avoid the January 2 rush, consider becoming a BIC Camper. And finally, Scrubs returns to TV tonight.