7/31/2010 A Family Reunion

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

THIS POST IS LONG…PREPARE YOURSELF.

After working the morning, and we’ve got some stories about that, we spent the afternoon and evening with my Dad’s side of the family.

First work. People never fail to amaze me and if the truth be told, disgust me.

Bob was doing litter patrol with his trusty bucket and handy grabber in the kids playground. Let me set the scene for you.

There’s a “fence” around the playground made of some type of plastic or fabric that is attached to wire fencing to give it stability, oh wait, I’ll go take a picture of it right now so you know what I’m talkin’ about. Be back in a minute. (Just so you know, I REALLY AM going out to take the picture)

The purpose of this is to keep the playground cordoned off so that cars won’t park in this area and it does double duty around the playground equipment area by keeping the mulch which is in place to give the ground a soft cushion, from blowing away. So now you know what kind of fence I’m talking about and why it’s there.

So Bob is in this area and he looks up and across the playground and he sees a mom and dad and three kids with all the paraphernalia, complete with wagon, that goes with taking three little kids to the beach for the day. The dad is stepping on the fence, mashing it to the ground, so that him and his family can take a shortcut instead of walking around an extra 100 feet! Bob stood there dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. Shocked at what he was seeing. Maybe shocked is going a bit far after what we’ve seen this summer, nothing shocks us anymore. Anyway, after it registers with Bob that what he thinks he’s seeing is actually happening he called out to the guy as he was walking towards them.

BOB: “Excuse me, please don’t step on the fence like that.”

The guys had the audacity to reply…..

#1 Jerk: “Why not, its falling down anyway.”

BOB: “It’s falling down because you are stepping on it.”

#1 Jerk: With a shrug of his shoulders,he says, “So.”

I think it took all Bob had not to knock this jerk’s lights out. What are these parents teaching their kids? Go ahead kids, if it saves you 100 steps its ok to ruin the property of others, even if that property is there for YOUR enjoyment! Why??? How did it get this way???

So that was HIS incident, I had one of my own.

I was doing the reservation cards this morning and as I was riding down the street on the golf cart I was stopped by two guys. They proceeded to tell me that a couple that had just arrived didn’t park all the way on the hard surface but more in the sand/grassy area and when they tried to open their slide, well it couldn’t go out all the way because their canopy was up. (Not the RV awning, a standalone canopy) It seems the new arrival must have hit a few traffic jams on his way here from New York and wasn’t in the best of moods. When he couldn’t get his slide out he proceeded to take it upon himself to move his neighbors canopy and other belongings they had in the yard. This didn’t sit well with the people who were already here because of the new arrivals attitude and instead of knocking on the door and asking them to move their things he just did it himself.

I looked at the situation and had to agree with the fellows that it wasn’t the best parking job I’ve ever seen and that yes had the new arrival parked on the hard surface he would have had plenty of room to open his slide and all of this could have been prevented. The lady of the new couple showed up then from her walk and I told her that the RV would have to be moved. Now this is the kind you drive so its only a matter of unplugging the electric cord,(sewer line wasn’t hooked up yet) backing up 10-15 feet and pulling forward keeping all tires on the hard surface. Problem fixed. Or so I thought.

After being assured she would tell her husband that the RV had to be moved over a foot or so I went on my way. I checked to see if any more campers left and went to clear the now empty sites with the check-in booth. When I arrived Lynne said the husband of the new arrivals had come to see her and that she told him his space was whatever was between the electric box on his site and electric box on the site to his right and that he was waiting for me at his site. Jay, who works in the booth also, hopped on the cart with me and off we went.

The man kept telling me that he paid for the site between THIS electric box and THAT electric box. It was the principle of it now and since the legs of his neighbors canopy fell over this property boundary he wanted them to take the canopy down! After all, its the principle of the thing now! What the…….??????

“Ok, sir, let me get this straight, its the principle of the situation now and I know that because you’ve said it 23 times so far. You agree that you need to move your RV over, you also agree that you have no plans to sit in your lawn chairs on THIS side of your RV, here next to your sewer hose. You also want your neighbors to take down the canopy that shades their picnic table because the legs of said canopy happen to cross this boundary line that you’ve obviously set in stone, by oh,…7 inches. Now again, because its the principle of it, it will make you happy if you put a damper on your neighbors vacation by making them take their shade away. Do I have this right sir?”

“Yes, its the principle of the thing!”

I had to tell the neighbors to take the canopy down and it killed me. I wanted to walk up to this new arrival and….and….how do I put this…I wanted to slap this jerk senseless. I mean really, what was the point? You are on vacation for heaven’s sake, why look for or make trouble? Does it make you a big man to do this? Eighteen days from now will the legs of that canopy that was 7 inches on your side of this all important (in your mind only) property line going to make a difference in your life? If not, then don’t sweat it. It’s not important. Let the principle of the thing be damned!

I just can’t believe some of the people we run into.

So, on to fun things now.

The lilies in the flowers that Bob gave me for my birthday have opened and they are just beautiful.

A little after one we headed to Harbeson, Delaware. It’s not all that far from here about a half hour. The clan on my dad’s side is getting together because his sister, my aunt, Maryanne and her husband Whitey are here from Atlanta, Georgia. We’ll see cousins we haven’t seen since before we went on the road almost four years ago.

Not the whole clan got together, for instance, my brother Billy and his wife Michelle and their children and grandchildren are all in Florida this week. My Uncle Bobby’s children and grandchildren aren’t here either and Maryanne’s daughter and family aren’t here. (Missed you Beth!) So no, it wasn’t everyone but a good number anyway.

(Top Row fr L: Bob (we call him the “tan one”) Dad, Uncle Bobby, Uncle Kenny, Uncle Whitey, Next Row: Me,cousin Sean, Aunt Maryanne, Next Row: Aunt Patty (actually, she’s my age but technically my aunt by marriage since she married my Uncle Bobby who is only two years older than me) Mom, Bottom row: Cousin Casey, his wife Jackie, 2nd cousin Abby and cousin Timmy.)

Now I’m done with this Aunt and Uncle thing because they are all pretty close to my age and we hang together and party together so formality goes out the window.

The brothers and sister.

It wasn’t long after we arrived that Casey started making his “famous” Clams Casino.

I think he’s happy with how they turned out. I saw how many everyone was eating and they certainly seemed to be enjoyed by those who like them.

Meanwhile, Mom was showing pictures of her great grandchildren to Jackie.

I ventured outside and took this picture of Timmy and cut the top of his head off but I think it turned out pretty good anyway. I just have the handsomest cousins!

Tim manned the grill for awhile.

Little feet trying to fill big shoes,..er,….flip flops.

Our sweet Abby, owner of the little feet above.

Bob and Kenny kickin’ back on the deck.

Uncles make the best playmates, wouldn’t you agree?

MEAT,,,,I smell MEAT!

Abby and her daddy.

A man and his dog….one of them.

Ahhhh,,,tummies are full.

Casey,,,,you missed it buddy! Good try, you’ve got to be two feet off the ground at least!

Bobby and Patty….

Jackie deep in thought. Hmmmm….hamburger or hot dog????

…..and this one saying, “I got dibs on anything that hits the ground!”

“I can’t see anything Abby”…..

While we were all together we celebrated Kenny’s upcoming birthday on the 2nd.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENNY!

So this was a meeting of the Rhoads clan,,,,minus 20 or so immediate members.

Another fun day!