The Secret War on the White House's Trees
07.07.11
Only added to the machination with cryptic-in-retrospect revelations that the the Colorado blue spruce had "no known fitness problems" prior to falling. And a Park Service spokesman said that "the operation identified a successor [to the tree] two years ago but was not ready to reveal that tree’s tracking down." Over the past week, the arboreal warfare has entered a new, more-advanced contrive. That much was clear when we saw the July Fourth pool report written by Isaac Wolf of Scripps Howard about a "WH walkway north of briefing scope" being "cordoned off, on concern a tree may fall." As time-honoured, storms in the area offered a plausible cover, but the menace was there, especially when an constable from the National Parks Service (them again!) told Wolf, "If this tree falls on you, you'll frame the news." When you know about the last three years of mulchings and secret spruce without interruption plans, it's hard not to treat those words as a threat. Based
Source: The Atlantic Wire
Santa's sleigh boat leaves other White Lake revelers in wake
07.07.11
Small craft owners decked their helms for a Christmas-in-July-themed parade on White Lake on Saturday afternoon, as temperatures left side Santas sizzling and reindeer roasting.
Fourteen boats, from a Chris-Dexterity carrying Uncle Sam to a party pontoon with a Christmas tree and a DJ, circled the lake, with riders waving and cheering, hoping some of the hundreds of other people zooming, paddling or floating by would show of hands for them in the parade competition.
After the 198 votes were counted, Rick Scorey of Highland Township came out the conquering hero.
Scorey's boat was wrapped in Christmas paper, festooned with a palm tree. The women were dressed in Santa hats and skirts and the children were dressed as elves. A stopgap chimney appeared to have Santa's legs stuck out the top. Two reindeer trailed from the back of the yacht leading to a sleigh built on what appeared to be floats. A man dressed as Santa was within, minus the coat.
“The little Santa sleigh was, I just thought, very unparalleled. You've got the theme, Christmas in July, you've got the pontoon boat pulling Santa, instead of reindeer,” said White Lake Township Boss Greg Baroni, who was one of the judges.
Source: Hometownlife.com