It's a Riney Forecast

It's not Hurricane Dolly, but there have been a few instances where it's seemed like a hurricane.  We've had high winds, torrential rain, patches of constant lightening and thunder, followed by clearing, just to start all over again.  Rhode Island had a funnel cloud, which is highly unusual for New England.

The forecast for the next 10 days calls for a chance of thunderstorms every single day.  Some days there's only a 20 0r 30% chance of rain, but my family will be in Maine, so it's guaranteed to rain every single day.  Guaranteed. 

I know this because every single summer of my youth, we took a two-week vacation (two parents who are educators).  Every single summer, it rained at least one full week of that vacation.  We've camped in a hurricane in the Outer Banks, where the highlight of each day was the ride to the laundromat to dry out the sleeping bags.  We've stayed at my mom's cousin's house in Ocean City New Jersey during Hurricane Agnes, where it rained constantly for 14 straight days.  That vacation, I read Harriet the Spy 9 times and Strawberry Girl 5 times (we didn't have a lot of money and buying new books wasn't an option).  Rain and family vacation became such a constant, that our good friends created a pun on our last name (Rinehart) and deemed a day with precipitation a "riney day."

It's rained on both my high school prom nights, both high school and college graduations, my first wedding day (the entire town lost power for three hours--I should have taken that as a sign), my second wedding day, our clam bake for 75 to celebrate our life in Maine with our friends....so with 12 folks arriving from Ohio, 10 of whom have Rinehart genes, you can understand why I believe that next week will be a wash out in Maine. 

Now I'm not a glass half full kind of gal, but I like to plan for the worst while hoping for the best.  With 6 kids to entertain, I'm packing the Wii to take to Cushing, a lot of extra DVDs suitable for the small ones and a couple of extra decks of cards.  We already have Cribbage, and Pente (a great game for kids and adults) and Trivial Pursuit at the cottage.  And books.  We have lots of books for adults and kids.  We should be ready for whatever mother nature throws at us.

UPDATE (2:25 pm): Mother Nature has thrown a bit of everything at us today.  Tornadoes were rumored in Durham, NH and somewhere in our county.  As of right now, the neighbor's tree has been struck by lightening and we've got a green, ominous sky.  I'm bailing on my conference call and heading to the basement.   

NEXT UPDATE (4:40 pm) The power went out here at about 2:27 pm.  It just came back on.  We're very lucky.  Margaret's area wasn't as fortunate.  They have suffered some serious damage. 

Comments

[jo]

I am up here with Mom for a few days. We only had rain last night. When I drove through your neighborhood yesterday it just seemed gray and dull. In fact I was shocked at how dead Kittery was.
We are about to hit the shops for some stuff, cause we hear this afternoon is bringing some serious rain.
Mom's eyes lit up when I said you had 10 guests coming as we saw the forecast too....Better stock up on those games! Maybe putt put in the rain?

[jenny]

A friend of mine is vacationing in NH next week and she said that a washout is predicted...I'll let her know who to blame :)

Actually, even with all the rain? Sounds like a great time.

[margaret]

Stay safe!
My community has been devastated by the "tornado"--beyond description. Those who saw it or were in it or whose homes were destroyed by it are convinced it was indeed a tornado. The NWS will have a difficult time convincing us otherwise, when they come to survey and assess.

[t5m]

So this is all your fault, good to know. Dirt and I were planning to go boating tomorrow...guess that might not be a good idea. Dirt hasn't fished all week, he's having withdrawals!

Next year, maybe your family can vacation in a different state? ..Just a suggestion...

:-)

[Melissa]

Well, as of today, I take no responsibility. Come Sunday evening, all of Maine's weather is firmly in our care.
As for next year. No worries, as we'll be back in Ohio at Kelley's Island. Interestingly enough, we don't seem to impact weather in the Great State of Ohio.....just when we move elsewhere as a clan.
And yea, Jo/Jenny, it's gonna be a wild time. Thankfully the family is just the type to embrace putt putt in the rain as well as board games--we're so competitive that we can make fun out of any game/challenge. We'll get by as we're all close and like being together.
Margaret, we're thinking of you.

[Tonya]

Rain. And they say WASHINGTON is the Rain Capital. For us, July and August (and sometimes September) tend to be pretty darned stellar, overall. Last year, not so much. So far this year, we're on par. I'm sure hoping that this upcoming week is as stellar as can be because it's our VACATION! (And yes, with some company coming...) And here's hoping that your "tradition" backfires and that it's truly lovely for you. Cribbage! I LOVE cribbage!

[kelly]

Hey Mimi-

I love your blog. Found it thru your tweets when we were in Maine, and you were up at your cottage/camp/whatever you Mainers call it.

I, too, have grown to love Maine - and reading your blog makes me more able to feel what it will be like when we pull up stakes and move there. Six years but who's counting until these kids are all up and out!

Have fun with the fam and good luck with the rain.

Love from cincinnati.

[Melissa]

Hello Kelly! It's so great to know you're reading. RG and I often talk about you guys moving up here--if, when, and where. It's a GREAT place to live and I know you guys will love it.