More Damage Than Irene

I don’t know for sure but it seems that the fast-moving storm that went through the area Saturday night caused as many problems for some as Hurricane Irene last August. I had a 50-foot tree completely uprooted in my backyard which crashed through my fence; fortunately it fell away from the house.

Others in Beachwood were not as fortunate as I saw a tree crash and total a car and another go right through the front of a house. Many areas were without power and some did not get it back until Sunday afternoon or evening. It just goes to show the force of thunderstorms, especially when they follow days of very hot and humid weather.

Congratulations to my neighbor Trevor Geerinck who was among three members of Boy Scout Troop 70 to officially become Eagle Scouts over the weekend. Trevor, along with Peter Johnson and Ryan Voigt were saluted as part of an Eagle Scout Court of Honor which is quite an accomplishment and one attained by only a small percentage of those who enter scouting.

Each had to do a special project to complete the program and Trevor restored the rain garden in the back of Beachwood Elementary School back to what it originally had been more than a decade ago. In addition he came up with a maintenance schedule to insure the garden is taken care of in the future and also created a power point presentation for teachers.

Earning the right to call yourself an Eagle Scout is one that will go on your resume regardless of what you do and can open doors closed to others. Congratulations to all three young men on a job well done.

This is a rough week for sports fans with baseball on its All-Star break. There is not much happening until Friday unless you really care about the Home Run Derby and the All-Star game itself which I don’t.

The good news is the BlueClaws return home tomorrow night for an 8-game home stand and local football fans have the 35th annual U.S. Army All Shore Gridiron Classic on Thursday night at Holmdel High School. I’ve never been able to figure out if that is the last game of last season or the first game of the coming season. Either way it’s a reminder that football season is not far away.