
Maybe it’s just me, but those lazy, hazy days of summer shot by awfully quickly this year. Before we fall too deeply into Fall, let’s savor some summertime memories. To that end, I contacted industry professionals to see what sort of stories they might be able to share. Here’s the first one, sent in by Sharon and Cal Boothby, owners of Redlands Pool & Spa Center in Redlands, Calif.:
“Since our area usually hits triple digits for most of August, and our business starts tapering off at that time, we usually try to escape to someplace cooler, preferably with water. Lake Tahoe has been a favorite summer destination for a long time.
“One year when our children were young, we planned a half-camping/half-hotel Tahoe vacation. (I can only take so many days in a tent.) We pitched our tent at Sugar Pine Point campground, did a little hiking and biking for a few days, then decided to go river rafting on the Truckee. It was sunny and clear -- perfect. We took a shuttle to the launching point and set off on our raft. It was a great ride, leisurely for the most part, with just enough rapids to make it fun.
“Toward the end of our river ride, the weather started changing. Quickly. The wind started to blow, clouds moved in, the raft started pitching, and our son Aaron said, ‘At least it's not raining.’ We reached the dock, disembarked, and made our way back to wait for the return shuttle. It started raining. Hard. Aaron said, ‘At least there's no lightning.’ And then there was. We were still waiting for the shuttle in the wind, rain, lightning and thunder, and Aaron said, ‘At least there's no hail.’ Bingo!
“At this point, we were worried about our tent, sure it would be up in a tree somewhere. As we drove back to the campsite, there were downed trees, and water and mud everywhere, but miraculously, our tent was still standing. We zipped the sleeping bags together and all crawled in to warm up and wait out the storm.
“The next day, we loaded up our muddy clothes and camping gear and checked in at Embassy Suites, looking like refugees. But it was memorable vacation! And Aaron is not ever allowed to give weather reports.”