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Whatever Floats

It's raining. And raining. I'm thinking about the power of the storm Tuesday afternoon, and about the rushing waters* in Ellicott City. Then I wonder about what long-term progress has been made to help residents and businesses in Old Ellicott City deal with chronic flooding. And I think about how much polluted stormwater runoff that storm generated that headed directly into the Chesapeake Bay.

It reminds me of the old joke:

Hey farmer, when you gonna fix that leakin’ roof?


Well, stranger, when it’s a-rainin’, it’s too wet to fix it; and when it’s dry, it’s just as good as any man’s house.

Still, all of this is merely a prelude to this question: what about the Columbia Patuxent Rotary Boat Float? (Yes, I went from rain to storm to rushing waters to run off to boats.) Have I missed it? Are they having it this year? I've never been, but every year I tell myself this this will be the year to go down and experience this uniquely Columbian event.

Did I put it off too long? Has it ceased to exist? Is it one of those things I just assumed would go on forever and still be there when I finally decided to go? I don't know, and a quick Google search was no help. In the meantime, here's some YouTube footage from 2013 featuring well-known local emcee extraordinaire (and Rotary member) Dave Bittner.

Maybe I'll just go play with boats in the bathtub.

*****

Update: I have learned that the Boat Float is no more. I wish I had taken the opportunity to see it. That's the price of putting things off and taking things for granted.



*Scroll down on the County Executive's Facebook page for two short video clips of Ellicott City during the storm.

 

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