IT DECIDES TO BLOW THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD!
Last year during a bad evening thunderstorm, we received a knock at our door. It was our neighbor telling us that our trampoline was in their backyard. "OH NO!"
Out went my husband and me into the raging thunderstorm. I felt like I was in the Wizard of Oz with all of the wind blowing around us. It took 4 adults to finally get a grip on the tramp and get it up against our garage. Atleast, we thought it was safe.....
As I was rounding the house to go back inside, I literally saw the tramp come flying out from the back of the house and towards me. It was absolutely surreal. It was like something you would see in the movies.The thing that saved me, unfortunately, was OUR CAR! It put a minor dent in the the front end, but I can live with that since I'm still alive!
Of course the tramp was in complete shambles and had to be replaced.
This brings us to last night. Now, we are nowhere near tornado alley, but last night I was expecting one as I was wakened by the sound of the wind and torrential down pour. I immediately got up and started peering out the windows to see what exactly was going on outside. As I went to check on my daughter, I hear a loud BOOM!
I immediately ran for my husband. I honestly wish I had him on video because as he is shuffling down the hallway looking like a deer in headlights, he's saying, "WHAT? WHAT?" It ends up that he thought I told him the kids were not in their beds and hiding somewhere! LOL Who knows how he got that from me saying, "I just heard a loud boom!"
Once he came back to reality, we went outside to investigate. This is what we found:
GONE!!!! After last years incident with the trampoline blowing away, we used stakes all around it to keep it in place. The bent stakes are there but the trampoline is MISSING!
I'm having visions that it catapulted through a neighbor's home. I'm thinking, "what's our deductible, did anyone get hurt, will be have to move out of the neighborhood?" As we rounded the side of the house, there it was literally 1 foot from our car, AGAIN!
At 4:00 in the morning, we were strapping our 2nd destroyed trampoline to our basketball hoop pole so it would stay put until we decide how to handle the situation.
My husband saved the posts from our old tramp so we're hoping we can exchange the damaged one's out without having to buy yet another trampoline.
If you're experiencing unsettled weather, stay safe and make sure you BOLT down your trampolines!!!!
Wow! That's crazy that the wind from just a bad storm, and not a tornado, can move something as big as a trampoline! It's as if your trampoline was turned into a frisbee!
ReplyDeleteOh my! I have heard so many stories of wandering trampolines whipping through the air on a wind stream . . . thankfully no injuries to people, though. You would think this would keep me from researching a trampoline to buy for our kids this Spring, but no! I guess I will have to add "how to keep your trampoline from a Wizard of Oz fate" to my search. Oh, and let us know what you end up doing to bolt that sucker to the ground!!!
ReplyDeleteHoly Cow! Glad everyone is safe. Bummer about the car and the trampoline...but like you said, a dent is no problem, you were protected!!
ReplyDeleteI've seen where people have dug large pits for their trampolines so that it's less of a safety issue if the kids happen to fall off...maybe it would help it from blowing away, too!!
It may be time for the children to get their exercise in another way. Just sayin. Glad everyone is OK, and at least the tramp is fastened down (for now)!
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