[Jim in CT]

Every year for the past 15 years, my parents spend the first 2 weeks of May at Fisherman's Memorial Campground, a beautiful public campground in Narragansett. Almost every year for the last 15 years, we visit them on Mother's Day. We always eat lunch at George's, and then go to Roger Wheeler State VBeach for a stroll, and for the last few years, our little kids splash in the shallows.

This year, for the first time, there were parking lot employees charging to park. $28 for out-of-state. Seems a bit like gouging to start on Mother's Day. Worse, my kids got hungry, so I ran into Galilee to get hot dogs for everyone, and they tried to charge me again to get back in. I guess their policy is no re-entry. Maybe there's logic to the on July 4th, but on this day, there were less than 20 cars in the mammoth parking lot, and they were acting like they couldn't spare a spot to give me.

Sign of the times.