Record Rainfall...brighter days on the way

It is quite rare to have school closings due to flooding, but that is the case around here today. Roads flooded and closed, numerous mandatory evacs of some low-lying areas and a whole lot of water with no place to go. Looking forward to Mr. Sunshine coming out and drying up some of this moisture, since all the itsy-bitsy spiders are struggling to make it up any spouts today. Have included a few photos from out and about, taken during a lull in the storm (perhaps just the eye of the hurricane, if you are a pessimist). Don't ever recall the gully overflowing the road near the Timber Trail restroom, and the ballfield might be unplayable today. Good thing that the Easter Bunny is friends with the Easter Beaver and Easter Bass, as they might help hide the candy and eggs in the lake. As we do have a few owners in the process of selling sites on consignment, now is the best time, since rarely can sites at Strawberry Park be described as waterfront. We do feel fortunate that the tree crew was here all of last week taking down any nuisance trees, as there are plenty of saturated trees that have fallen in the region.

New Pull-Thru Rentals

When taking reservations, we are frequently asked about pull-thrus, as they are much more convenient for the average driver of a big motorhome or fifth wheel. However, we are rarely asked about pull-thrus for rentals, and while our Strawberry Grill and Creamery does not yet offer a drive-through window, apparently some campers think anything can be considered a drive-thru. Not quite knowing whether to laugh or cry, here are some photos of one of our new log cabin rentals. Fortunately, no one was inside the cabin, and the teenage driver and his teenage passenger were not injured in this accident that happened on dry roads in daylight hours with no other traffic. I guess if you are going to hit something, you may as well demolish the most expensive rental in the campground. Hoping that the insurance companies act quickly, as repairing a cabin does not seem too easy from my perspective...but I doubt they will look to total a $60,000 RV. A special thanks to our long-term campers who informed us of this incident on Sunday afternoon (not that the culprits could have gotten away if they wanted to, as it took a tow truck to extricate the vehicle from the bedroom).

Half Life of Man vs Carbon 14

Philosophy rules the day as birthdays are observed, and sharing with Aretha Franklin and Elton John has always made me feel much more musical than I actually am. While carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years, mortals tend to have slightly shorter life expectancies. As Woody Allen once mused, I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not dying. With that said, I have recently been pondering what would be the minimum age I would accept as a guaranteed check-out? Knowing that the average US male expectancy is about 75, and tossing in the fact that I have already reached 45 and have avoided the usual knock-out punches that hit those younger than me, I would have to extrapolate that my average would be about 80 (sounds complicated and contradictory, but think about it and it is true...if I were 80, the average for those reaching 80 would be more like 89). I have decided I would accept 83 if it were offered. That means no chance at all of perishing sooner, either by accident, disease, nuclear attack, sharks or anything else. The only exception would be recklessly suicidal actions--you can't just keep stepping in front of trains and expect to survive, so no matter what the contract says, there need to be exclusions and clauses. 83 would give me a few good retirement years, a great chance at seeing some grandchildren, a realistic chance at shooting my age for 18 holes, and would even allow my lovely wife a chance to remarry if she were to find some old geezer, as she would still be young and hot by nursing home standards. Of course, there would need to be some assurances of no catastrophic illness or injury, as I don't want to reach 83 in a vegetative state from 75 on. I would guess that the age you would accept might depend on factors such as your current age (a reckless 19 year-old might agree to 62), your state of health (if you are already on the downslope, you might accept a low offer) and your family history (if your ancestors all reached 90, you might hold out for a similar bid...but if mom, dad and the grandfolks all checked out early, 72 might seem ancient). So there you have it, your topic for discussion at the dinner table. With politics, sex and religion off-limit, why not focus on dying? Since it is also Mary's birthday, I will have to ask her what offer she'd take (women live longer, so I'd guess 86). Again, I'm not saying I would be happy to die at 83, since I do believe that 45 is really my half-life, but if I could have absolute assurance that nothing could happen to me before 83, I'd take the deal, Howie. Think of the money you would save on life insurance premiums.

Hope everyone enjoyed summer in March

How often does the vernal equinox fall on a Saturday when record temperatures are being set? Probably not too common, but sure was enjoyable. I am sure we have all been spoiled, and anything remotely chilly or wet will be despised over the next couple of month. Numerous campers were out and about this weekend as they prepared for the start of the season. Glenn has been working on the water lines, and although we don't usually have all sites live until April 1, he is fairly optimistic that sites will have water for this coming weekend (March 26-28), but no 100% assurances, as turning the system on sometimes shows a few underground breaks from winter frost heaving. The leaf clean up progress continues, and the only negative to this early spring weather might be that the grass thinks it should start growing sooner than normal. We typically have the first mowing around May 1, and if the grass is a month ahead of schedule, it may not get a little longer than expected before the first cut. Guessing that I am not the only one whose NCAA bracket was busted early (I had Villanova winning it all). Still made for some exciting upsets over the weekend. Lastly, while I am not a fan of reality TV or even many game shows, must admit to enjoying the Win it in a Minute...and may look to incorporate some of those games with our campers. Could be interesting.

2006 Chariot Eagle Park Model for Sale

Have just posted on Facebook and on the Strawberry Park home page, but there is a 2006 Chariot Eagle Park Model located on site 421 that is now "bank-owned", and they would much rather sell it at a loss than to worry about having to move the deck, tow it out and sell it at auction. It does not have a loft, but has a rear bedroom with dual door access to bathroom, and the front has a divider for the sofa-bed area. The carpet needs replacing. The former owners were asking in the 30's, but at this point, I think the bank would accept something in the $19,000 range. Best part is that the seasonal site already has a great deck, and the whole thing is fully skirted. Nice private site, with great view, sitting up on the hill. Give a call if interested, as the bank is making removal plans.

Happy Selection Sunday & Pi Day

NCAA selection Sunday is usually one of the top 10 days of the year, but with so little New England flavor this year (only Vermont is in), it just was not the same. Luckily, it coincided with Pi Day (3.14), which makes things better. We did our part by having some Boston Creme Pie, and between us, we had 3.141592653 pieces. Jen helped me post some photos of the FLA trip on my Facebook page (when I say she helped, that means she did everything). Figured there was room for one photo on the blog. Looks like quite a few schools down at the western end of CT were canceled today due to power outs and trees down. We got buckets of rain, but not as much wind damage at this end of the state. With such a variation in "snow days" from region to region, we need to decide quite soon whether or not to have sports camps on the first week of summer (June 21-June 25), as many towns are now scheduled to be in school for some of that week. Hoping that all snow days are now done, as many schools are finalizing their year-end picnics and field days.

Take the Weather With You

While it is a Jimmy Buffett line, it could sure be applied to our recent return home from visiting friends down in FLA. Looks like we left just in time, as the Weather Channel voted Orlando as the "worst weather of the day" yesterday...and it did not make me feel any better hearing that a different flight was being delayed due to a lightning hit. Travel note: unlike the airport in RI, where you can get checked in, through security and grab a bite to eat before your flight in a total of about 40 minutes, apparently 90 minutes is not enough to do the same in Orlando, as we found out when we were standing barefoot in the x-ray line as our scheduled flight departed above us. Luckily, there was room on another plane just 2 hours later...and our luggage made it home on our original flight and was waiting for us at the airport. Other than the long lines, the fine folks at Southwest Airlines were great in getting us on another flight. Many thanks to those we were able to visit, including the Marinos in Ellenton, Bud & Mary in Naples and The Webbs in Vero Beach. Also enjoyed visiting some alligators in the Everglades, the shows at Sea World and Mickey and friends at Disney. Sure glad that Jen did the driving with the big mini-van. Brock and Reed had a wonderful time, and I am sure I will be able to find a photo or two worthy of sharing. Nice to be home, and am trying to get caught up with voice mails and emails, so if you have left a message in the last 8 days, I will hopefully get back to you very soon. Long list of little projects in preparation for opening weekend, so let's hope the spring weather is just around the corner.

Monday Morning Wedding at Strawberry Park

Congrats to the couple who just got married a few minutes ago here at site 64W. The rain/snow held off for them, and I guess they will spend a couple of days here. We have had some spring, summer and fall weddings here...but this may be the first winter ceremony. Speaking of winter, the Friday snow caused the CT wrestling State Open to get moved to Sat/Sun, so a long weekend of announcing and helping out down in New Haven is finally over. Good luck to our CT qualifiers at next weekend's New England Tourney (also in New Haven). Will be the first one I have missed in about 20 years, as we are heading down to FLA early Tuesday morning. Not sure of the exact agenda, but will visit some camper friends along the way, catch some spring training baseball and maybe see a gator in the Everglades before heading north to Orlando for a quick stop at Disney and Sea World. Brock seems excited to fly, but we will see if Reed takes after mom (good flyer) or dad (often green in the gills flyer). No camping shows this weekend, but Foxboro MA next weekend, then wrapping things up in Worcester the following weekend...and then it will be April. Have a great week out there in camperland...if we run across a computer, perhaps I will update our travels.