Everyone met at Ted and Connie's house Friday afternoon into evening. Tom was first to arrive followed by Tony and Alice and their teardrop camper. Lance soon joined the group and around ten in comes Jock and Bevin trailed by Harold and Laurie. Staying at a house sure makes a difference. No tents to set up or lots of gear to unpack. Ted cooked hamburgers and hotdogs for the masses and then it was drinks and chit chat for the rest of the evening.
Saturday morning it started. Around seven. Rain that is. And rain it did for quite some time. The whole Midwest had received an ample supply of rain all spring and the ground was already saturated. Guesses put the morning's rainfall around an inch or more and canoeing just seemed a tad bit on the dangerous side. There were even flash flood warnings out. Around eleven everyone piled into two vehicles and took a look at a very swollen Whitewater River. The local canoe livery puts out warnings at 4.5 feet and they close at five feet. It was way above that stage by then and the official flood stage height was FOURTEEN feet. That is a lot of water. So canoeing was officially canceled for the weekend.
With stomachs rumbling, a restaurant was searched out. It was to The Pirates Den where they had indoor cornhole for Harold and Tony. Addicted they are. After filling up it was off to Aurora, the town Connie grew up in, and a local brewery. They did for it Tony, that spoiled brat. The Great Crescent Brewery is a small place with only a carry out. After a few free samples Tony picked up a growler and back to Ted and Connie's they went. Jock took a side trip to the yarn shop for Deb, that nice man.
Back at the house it was social time while even more rain fell from the cursed sky. At least it was consistent. Tom had other commitments and soon headed for home. Around five Ted and Connie started the potluck. Shish kebabs were grilled for the troops with pork, chicken, zuccuni, yellow squash, onions, pineapple and peppers of many colors stuck on sticks,. With sides of spiced rice and green bean casserole everyone became immobile with contentment. Bevin and Jock had to head home soon after eating.
Wanting to see the local casinos, Harold and Laurie talked Ted, Connie and Lance into heading downtown. Alice and Tony took showers and relaxed until the "tourist's" came home. The guys then played a friendly game of poker while the ladies sat and chatted.
Sunday morning it was NOT raining, at least not when everyone woke up. Ted and Connie cooked up breakfast of sausage, potatoes and eggs and served the OHCRA members on their wonderful patio. Lance thought he wanted to canoe so everyone packed into Ted's car and off they went to see the river again. It was much higher and full size trees were drifting past, faster then Lance could paddle. So he let the rest of the folks talk him out of canoeing.
After driving through a county park, they went back to the house with everyone soon heading for home. That was two outings at Ted and Connie's house this year and both times the weekend's plans were changed. They are starting to think there is a curse on the place. But again as OHCRA members do best, they adapted to the changes with ease and still enjoyed an OHCRA weekend with good food and great company. Next month the boats will be wet again. We hope!
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