Until We Meet Again

We are in the final countdown to the day we will depart from Balcones and head back home to Iowa. I am so excited to get back home and spoil the grandkids, get caught up with friends we haven’t seen since October and connect with our three kids again. Through the magic of social media and video chat, we have been much more connected than we could have been just 10 years ago, and for that I am thankful.

As with any adventure we are counting down the times we will do certain things before we leave.  Three more Taco Tuesday’s with our group, two more Monday’s of PUA duty, two more Tuesday’s working the Visitors Center talking to visitors about what there is to see and do here. Seven more total work days and two weekends. When we leave, we will take some time going home and visit Shreveport, Hot Springs, Mark Twain National Forest and stop for a quick overnight visit with a cousin in Kansas.

I marvel at the fast friends we have made in Hill Country.  We had the good fortune to be in the company of very dynamic people who love this lifestyle as much as we do.  John & Cathy lived in the area for 17 years before taking the plunge and selling their home last year to go full time. They introduced us to their friends from the area and we have had a wonderful 3 months here socializing with them and making new friends.  Like everything else in life, people are what make the experience heartfelt and worthwhile.

[caption id="attachment_204" align="alignnone" width="300"] The Great 8[/caption]

The refuge staff have been so generous with their knowledge and willing to let us roll up our sleeves and get involved in projects that contribute to the mission of the refuge. I have been able to experience things I never dreamed I could be a part of and will take these experiences with me along with my photographic record of this beautiful place. Being RV volunteers has given us the opportunity to experience the refuge in a way that would not have been possible any other way.  I will miss this place and the people get to call Balcones Canyonlands NWR their ‘office’.

[caption id="attachment_110" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Refuge Entrance[/caption]

There will be tears for sure.  The day we leave will be tough. It’s amazing how quickly one can grow fond of people and how hard it is to part ways.  When I imagine the perfect version of this lifestyle I see us meeting people over the years and reconnect with some of them periodically as we return to different regions of the country.  That is certainly true of our feelings for the folks we have met here this year.  We hope to return to Balcones in the future for another stint and most definitely will make it a point to come to the area on the way to or from somewhere and see our Lago Vista friends.  We are already talking about how and when we may see each other again.  Fortunately, Saylorville is centrally located and a beautiful campground.  Beth has reservations there a couple of times this summer so we know we will see her again.  John & Cathy are talking about making it a destination for a couple of days on their way to their summer gig in Northern Minnesota and a couple we met in Kerrville stay at Saylorville each year on their way to Minnesota and will let us know when they pass through so we can visit them again.   We met Central U.S. snowbirds at Kerrville earlier in the winter who plan a summer reunion in South Dakota, where one of the couples volunteers in the summer. If things work out we may have the opportunity to see them again for a long weekend.

In 30 days we will be back in Iowa nestled away at Volunteer Village. Saylorville holds a special place in our hearts.  It is the place where we met and our life began together some 16 years ago. We will be home in time for our oldest son’s birthday, Easter and the procession of summer holidays and family traditions that will take place over the next 7 months, until we head out again, in late October, to escape the winter months and return to Texas.

Next winter will bring a new opportunity working and staying at Goliad State Park south of San Antonio. I can’t wait to see how many more people we will have met by then. The end of this month will be our first of many times we will say ‘Until we meet again”

Until next time…