Sorry not sorry is a sarcastic way of acknowledging that someone might not like whatever you’re saying or doing…but you don’t really care. That phrase came to mind this weekend as we encountered a camper who apologized for opening and closing his car door about 100 times. We said we weren’t nearly as bothered by that as we were the children who were screaming and screeching and squealing as they ran up and down the road. He explained that there 14 (yes 14) of them, all under the age of 8, and they were part of three families spread out across two campsites. He seemed offended that two grumpy old men wouldn’t be as excited about or interested in their brood as he was. Sorry not sorry.

Were we wrong? We came to a campground, not a playground. Is it unreasonable to expect the parents to do their job and properly supervise their children? We realize the pandemic has upended family life, and we certainly don’t begrudge parents a little downtime, but allowing children to run wild in the streets is inconsiderate of others.

Apparently, they got the message. After the first chaotic evening, the children stayed mostly in their campsites and limited their screeches and squeals to the forest.

In all other respects, it was an ideal fall weekend, with temperatures in the 70s during the day and in the 50s at night. We enjoyed lazy afternoon naps, sunsets at the shore, clear starlit skies, crackling campfires, and delicious meals al fresco.

We also took time to try out some polishing products we recently purchased from Griot’s Garage. Over time, the microscratches in the exterior clearcoat can dull the finish, but certain compounds have abrasives that can remove small defects. After working a few areas, we finished them off with ceramic wax. Honestly, there wasn’t much of a difference between the results we achieved from these hyped products and the result we achieved from our trusty old Walbernizer.

The two grumpy guys in the Airstream still find value in doing some things the old-fashioned way.