Date: July 19, 2010
Location: Plattekill, NY
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Into each life some rain must fall and it looks like it might be dump day in Plattekill. The deep blue skies dotted with puffy clouds have been replaced with a grey ominous filled sky of portending dampness. Our stupid weather alert kept us awake most of the night with its piercing warble of danger approaching. I was so interested in the warning signals that I shouted a profanity; turned oven ad went back to sleep for six or seven minutes until it beckoned my attention again. We are still here, nothing has blown away so I guess the dangerous storm as in another valley. I hope they had a weather alert radio.
Mother Nature has a habit of being fickle and on her own schedule. She will offer the most beautiful calm day on a Wednesday and torrential rain on the week end. I think she does this just to irritate the working slobs of the world. It always seemed while I was working that it was beautiful weather from 8 to 5 on Monday through Friday and all hell broke loose at 6 pm on Friday. It would then rain, thunder, and be miserable until sometime Sunday night when pleasant weather would return. It may have just been me, but that is how I remember it. The weather and Mother Nature were never on my side.
In retirement, it is some what more difficult for the rain, or misery to totally screw up my plans. My Saturday may be on a Tuesday and my Sunday may not come for a week. Basically I don’t have a schedule and thumb my nose at Mother Nature. Or at least I do sometimes. She still can throw in a thunderstorm just in time to totally mess up my desires to venture into the city or to wonder through some pristine wooded hiking trail. I may not be winning the game, but I think I am not quite as far behind. There are sadly a lot of people that we meet everyday at the campground that are still way behind in their relationship game with Mother Nature. Sucks to be them.
We offer a tour, which is very well received, from our campground to New York City. It includes a ferry ride to Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty and a ride to the observation deck on the Empire State building. These are two things that one might want to enjoy in the midst of good weather and clear skies. The ferry ride on a choppy sound that is being riled by a thunderstorm is not nearly as much fun as a smooth glide from the southern tip of Manhattan Island. It would also be nice to actually be able to see the skyline of New York from the island, instead of a grey fog of almost descernrable buildings off in the distance. Riding to the top of the Empire State Building is fun but it is much more rewarding if, once there, you could look over the edge and see all the way back down. Looking into the mist of a thick cloud is just not as much fun. You could have saved some money and stayed home and all gathered in a hot shower trying to look out the steamed glass window. It could look much the same. A magnificent view can become a “yeah so what” with just a little rain storm and a cloud or two at the 83rd floor.
Last night as I was selling a family their four hundred plus dollars worth of tour tickets they asked what the weather was going to be for their tour. I had to be honest and refer them to the large TV screen behind my head that warned of thunders storms and rain for the day of their excursion into the Big Apple. I did feel some remorse for them, but the bus was still going to arrive at seven-thirty and the guide was still going to be ready to regale story after story about New York and the ferry was still going to fight the torrent of rough water on the way to Liberty Island and the Statue would still be standing with her arm raised to the open door. Of course they may not be able to see much of it, but that is just how it is in the real world. Everyday is not a picture postcard day and reality can suck sometimes. Mother Nature one, Family coming to bat.
I am not sure where my blog was going today, but it seems I have arrived. Into each life a little rain must fall and that usually happens on your day off or during your vacation. Sometimes you win but usually Mother Nature is in the driver’s seat and there is not one blessed thing you can do about it. Take an umbrella, wear a rain coat and suck it up. Memories are made by experiences and adventures and maybe you will b up on the Empire State building when it gets hit with lightening. What an adventure story that would be to tell all of those couch potatoes back home. But maybe the rain will turn south and head to Jersey and you will get that breath taking picture leaning over the railing of the 86th floor observation deck. Have someone hold on to your belt. It is a long way down and a very sudden stop at the last floor.
By the way, you can not lean over the railing on the observation deck. It is all fenced in and very well protected. But if you wiggle your camera through the fence opening and hold it just right you can get a great picture. Just remember that the acceleration of gravity is 32 feet per second/per second and cameras do not bounce well.
PS It is now a bright sun shiny day. Maybe the family will have a hit and still be in the game.
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