March 10, 1983 - Just Another Rainy DayMal 6'10,1983
gbi ' U66`th Tim-to'
Just Another Rainy Day
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
It's been one of those days when it's hard
to settle down on any one thing and get it
done. Perhaps it's because the day is rainy
and stormy out making one restless. Or is
it because there was a full moon? Some
people believe odd things go on during that
time. It has to be something because I'm
not getting anything done.
The rain on our big picture window that
faces east gives you the impression of a
modern painting. There's a hint of trees
there but the blur from the rain creates a
pattern that captures the imagination.
From the very day Barbara and I were
married, rainy days have played an
important part in our lives. As a matter of
fact, that rainy Thanksgiving turned into
the tail end of a hurricane and found us
marooned in our hotel -- but then the
hurricane didn't seem to matter.
In those early days we had few dollars,
and one of the best ways to enjoy a
weekend or a vacation practically cost -
free was to go camping. We went
everywhere with our kids. Being outdoor
enthusiasts it was easy to pack up and go.
The kind of vacation we did seemed to
create an interest in others and once when
a doctor friend and his wife thought they'd
like to try camping we said, "Let's go."
Knowing they were novices at the game,
we chose Hither Hills over at Montauk for
their first campout.
It had been raining for three days
previously and when the weekend came
along we thought surely it was rained out.
It was the fall, off season, and we had left
home in high spirits. At Montauk the rain
had stopped and the kids took off to check
out the beach while we adults set up the
tents. All seemed to be going fine. There
were no crowds and we had good
companions. We ate together and had a
thoroughly enjoyable evening. About ten
we all turned in.
Comfortable on Air Mattresses
The kids had cheap inflatable air
mattresses while we older ones had two
snapped together. Our tent was a large one
with sides that could be lifted up to give
you extra ventilation which we all enjoyed.
Everyone had snuggled down pretty well
for we were all tired; that is all but Poppa,
who thought he heard thunder way off in a
distance. He had experienced this kind of
problem years ago so he kept one eye open
as he kept telling himself it would soon
pass. 10:30- 11:00- 11:30. It was getting
stronger and through the open sides,
flashes of lightning could be seen. But all
slept on.
Just in case, I thought it would be
worthwhile to go outside and lower the
flaps -- you know how precaution
sometimes pays off. With the flaps down
and the front secured, the tent was pretty
cozy and after all what if it did rain, we'd
live through it. I'd try to get some sleep.
All along the family slept even when the
first drops started to fall. First one, then
another. Then more and more and then it
started to come down. How could this be?
It was supposed to have rained itself out.
But then that's okay, we'd survive. I did
wonder a bit how our doctor friend and his
wife were doing but they wanted to learn
camping. Now they were experiencing
some of the trials.
I remember being half awake during the
night and at first I was pretty snug as our
tent shed the water. After all, it was
supposed to be waterproof and it had a nice
waterproof floor to keep the water from
seeping in. Yet what was I feeling on my
face? A superfine spray was drifting down
on me. My covers were all wet.
Rain Coming In
What was going on? This must have been
about three o'clock in the morning and my
uneasiness must have aroused Barbara or
had she also been awake? I reached for the
flashlight and to my dismay the tent roof
had a million little droplets of water
running down it. It was raining so hard the
water actually was being forced through
the fabric of the so- called waterproof
tenting.
It poured all night and well into the
morning. Our beds were soaking wet and
in one corner the water had accumulated
in our watertight flooring to such a depth
that one of the kids still sleeping was
actually floating on his air mattress. The
rest of us, a bit uphill, were all wet
underneath our inflated mattresses and on
our covers above.
By 10 the rain was over. The sun was out
and so were all the tenters in the park.
That is, those that were left, for all during
the night we heard cars start up and I
imagined tenters were heading for dry
motels.
Sleeping bags were now hung out,
Page 13
RAIN ON THE WINDOW - -The blurred impression of the trees through the
window on a rainy day gives the impression of a modernistic painting.
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
clothes were draped on lines and I
remember the cardboard boxes with our
canned goods whose bottoms simply
disintegrated when we picked them up,
leaving their contents behind. It looked
like a disaster area. Yet to the kids who
slept through it, it was a great experience
and they thought nothing about it. They
were up and out, ready for a day's play on
the beach. Ah, to be a child again.
Our doctor friend and his wife -- well,
they didn't fare any better but they were
good sports. To this day I don't know if
they have ever gone camping again.
However, til our kids were in high school
we camped every summer we could and
many's the time it rained. Sometimes it
would catch us in a storm in the middle of a
lake as we paddled across, other times
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we'd go fishing in the rain or maybe we'd
just stay in and read books. We soon
equipped ourselves with rain gear so that
no matter what the weather we'd be able to
get out. Often we'd hike in the rain.
Even today when the rains come we
seldom find ourselves being slowed down.
I can remember just last year while
sailing through one of the heaviest rain
storms I can recall, we did it with a smile.
I'll always remember it. On we sailed,
water pouring off the sails, while Barbara
down below cooked up a hot soup for the
helmsman above. It's times like this when
most of the world is inside. A time when
you can say to yourself -- we did it no
matter what.
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