Saylorville Lake – Sunshine 78 Degrees
Our daughter and her family are in Colorado for the first time. I’m jealous, but I’m also glad she is getting to experience the wonder of the Rocky Mountains in the summer time. I fell in love with the place as a teen ager and the love affair continues today. I say all the time, if the kids weren’t all in Iowa I’d be in the mountains this time of year.
I’ve spent the past five months chronicling our life as full time RV work campers. A lot has happened in that time. When I started on March 1st, I would have never imagined that my sixth post would be about Champ having emergency surgery, or that we would experience flooding in both parks we have worked in during this ½ year. Life is like that, you just never know what lurks around the corner. It may be a disaster, or it may be your soul mate you just never know.
I have written about the question “What is it like?” from many angles. In some ways it is very unique, in others it is very much like a traditional bricks and sticks life. There are a number of challenges exclusive to the RV lifestyle and some rewards that one wouldn’t realize in a stationary life. Lately I am excited that my Paleo diet that seeks out local, whole foods will have a different sort of variety, since we move about in different regions and climates. I can’t wait to see what a winter farmers market in the south east United States will offer this winter.
When I decided to write this blog, the one thing I didn’t want it to turn into was a daily dear diary or social media style play by play. I want to write meaningful things about this wonderful lifestyle. The good the bad and the ugly. Having written, for the most part, daily for the past several months I feel like the hum-drumness is setting in. My ambition of writing daily for a year was lofty, I knew that. I know a lot of people who read my posts daily and I love hearing that someone reads my blog and finds in interesting. I want it to stay that way. I hope everyone continues to follow me and tell their friends. I love sharing our life with people who dream of doing this or just want to see what it’s like.
In the interest of keep it fresh, I’m going to go back to posting when there is actually something to talk about or if I find myself thinking deeply about some aspect of our life and feel the need to share it with the world of RV’ers or RV dreamers. It may come in consecutive days or a week may go by depending on what is going on. Many of you have subscribed and I hope more do, as we move into our second year. If you click the box below an article that says “Notify me of new posts via email”, enter your email address to subscribe you will get a notification with a direct link to my blog when I post a new article. That’s it, this isn’t a market gig and I’m not trying to sell anything. Many see my posts in their Facebook news feed. Changes to FB will impact my interface between my blog software and Facebook. We have some exciting stuff coming up that is planned and of course the forces of the universe will add their own flavor to our well laid plans. I am going to let the second half of the year unfold in its own time with its own excitement or lack thereof and write along with the ebb and flow. Frankly, after the events of the past 9 months or so, I could use a little ‘lack thereof’.
Until next time…
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Day 151 / 214 The Aftermath
Saylorville Lake Sunshine 73 Degrees
We basked in another mild day in Iowa. The heat is returning the end of the week. Before we know it, we will be getting ready to flee south from the inevitable cold that will settle in by November. Iowa is a state of extremes. Heat- Cold / Drought- Flood. There doesn’t seem to be much in between in the weather here.
I finished waxing the motorhome this morning. My goal of not leaving the lake area this weekend was realized. I still have a long list of little projects I want to get done but I made a good dent this weekend.
[caption id="attachment_1070" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Tree Top Debris[/caption]
The water is now back in the confines of the lakeshore for the most part. The beaches remain underwater and some of the natural flood plain areas are still holding water. I think the worst part of flooding is the after math. I am always amazed at the carnage that is left behind when the water recedes. It’s amazing to walk along a trail, or what is left of it and see a tree limb 15 feet up in a tree. The smell is the worst. The dense stand of timber that surrounds volunteer village is serving as an air filter for the stench of rotting vegetation that hangs in the air where some 15 feet of flood water stood just two weeks ago.
The foot bridge that connects my favorite walking trail is intact but not the beautiful place it was five weeks ago with its tree canopy tunnel reflecting morning light on my walks. The trees are covered in dirt from the flood water and limbs that washed in are tangled in the mess of branches that are knotted up from being submerged for several weeks. The warblers and song birds are gone now. The only birds that are active are the tree swallows, who are feasting on the population explosion of insects. As we made our way to the parking lot area that just became dry yesterday a big flock of Franklin’s Gulls were sitting on a patch of tree debris. We walked past the field that Champ and Will planted with sweet grass for the deer and he wondered out loud if they would have him replant for fall food.
[gallery ids="892,1068,1071,1069"]
Rain clouds were in the area. As we rounded the corner to come up the road back to our RV we were treated to the site of a shower in the distance and a bright ray of sunset striking through the middle. It was quite beautiful. The picture doesn’t do it justice.
Work awaits us both, tomorrow. Champ will continue with flood recovery here at the lake, I will go back to the overhaul at the store that will likely take most of this week to complete. I am looking forward to dinner out with my sister this week. It will be the first time I’ve seen her since returning home in April. August will be busy with birthdays, and an out of town wedding. The summer is really ticking by quickly!
Until next time…
We basked in another mild day in Iowa. The heat is returning the end of the week. Before we know it, we will be getting ready to flee south from the inevitable cold that will settle in by November. Iowa is a state of extremes. Heat- Cold / Drought- Flood. There doesn’t seem to be much in between in the weather here.
I finished waxing the motorhome this morning. My goal of not leaving the lake area this weekend was realized. I still have a long list of little projects I want to get done but I made a good dent this weekend.
[caption id="attachment_1070" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Tree Top Debris[/caption]The water is now back in the confines of the lakeshore for the most part. The beaches remain underwater and some of the natural flood plain areas are still holding water. I think the worst part of flooding is the after math. I am always amazed at the carnage that is left behind when the water recedes. It’s amazing to walk along a trail, or what is left of it and see a tree limb 15 feet up in a tree. The smell is the worst. The dense stand of timber that surrounds volunteer village is serving as an air filter for the stench of rotting vegetation that hangs in the air where some 15 feet of flood water stood just two weeks ago.
The foot bridge that connects my favorite walking trail is intact but not the beautiful place it was five weeks ago with its tree canopy tunnel reflecting morning light on my walks. The trees are covered in dirt from the flood water and limbs that washed in are tangled in the mess of branches that are knotted up from being submerged for several weeks. The warblers and song birds are gone now. The only birds that are active are the tree swallows, who are feasting on the population explosion of insects. As we made our way to the parking lot area that just became dry yesterday a big flock of Franklin’s Gulls were sitting on a patch of tree debris. We walked past the field that Champ and Will planted with sweet grass for the deer and he wondered out loud if they would have him replant for fall food.
[gallery ids="892,1068,1071,1069"]
Rain clouds were in the area. As we rounded the corner to come up the road back to our RV we were treated to the site of a shower in the distance and a bright ray of sunset striking through the middle. It was quite beautiful. The picture doesn’t do it justice.
Work awaits us both, tomorrow. Champ will continue with flood recovery here at the lake, I will go back to the overhaul at the store that will likely take most of this week to complete. I am looking forward to dinner out with my sister this week. It will be the first time I’ve seen her since returning home in April. August will be busy with birthdays, and an out of town wedding. The summer is really ticking by quickly!
Until next time…
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Day 150 / 215
Saylorville Lake - Cloudy 74 Degrees
You’ve all heard a retired person say, “I work more now than when I worked!” That’s kind of how Champ’s volunteer work here is going now that the flood waters are receding. I am having a similar spurt at my part time job in town. My friend decided he wants to completely overhaul the displays at the store and we started last Sunday. The project will likely take another week. Champ’s flood clean-up work will take much longer. After a long week of hard physical work, we both said we would take it easy this weekend and be ‘retired’. It’s not quite turning out that way.
We woke up this morning and greeted the cool 56-degree morning and saw that the high would only be in the mid 70’s. Both of us simultaneously launched into big projects. I have been wanting to wax the motorhome for some time. Today became a day to work on conquering my fear of ladders. I spent this morning washing and waxing the driver’s side of the motorhome. I wonder if there is anyone who remembers movies of the 80's who can apply wax to a vehicle without hearing Mr. Miagi's voice in their head? My task required lots of standing at the top of a big ladder. Something I wouldn’t have even attempted last summer. Champ came around and checked on me periodically to be sure I wasn’t in a heap on the ground and even took a couple of pictures in case I never did it again. Those who know me best know I rarely stand with my feet planted anywhere but on the ground. I have the other side and the front and back to do tomorrow. More reconditioning my brain to not be afraid.
Champ gathered material from old projects and build me a nice rack to keep my computer, folders, bird books and my Paleo bible that I refer to daily right now. Before, things were kind of piled in the corner on my side of the table where I spend most of my indoor waking hours. Now things are nice and organized, the way I prefer them. My neat-freaks heart is happy with my new custom build storage. Courtesy of my talented husband. When we started this chapter, we went through all our credit cards deciding which ones to keep. The Menards card was one of the first to go. We never thought we would need a home improvement store much in this life. Wrong! We go to Menards and Lowes regularly. I am continually surprised at how many little projects we do around the ‘house’ these days.
[gallery ids="1063,1064,1065,1062,1066"]
I took time out and went to a fascinating lecture over at the Visitor’s Center about the geological history of Central Iowa. I’ve been a rock hound all my life and know some basic history about the glaciers and oceans that were once here. This was the best hour I’ve spent in a long time. I was thrilled to see that the promotion I did of the event in the newsletter paid off. The auditorium was full of fellow nerds, some toting in boxes of fossils and rocks for Michael to help them identify and learn more about.
All in all, it was a very satisfying day. I worked hard again and loved that I can do the work I want to. I waxed by hand for the exercise. Like I said in an earlier post, we take every opportunity we get to stay fit and healthy. I’ll get another good workout tomorrow. So much for holding down the lawn chair this weekend. That’s okay.
Until next time…
You’ve all heard a retired person say, “I work more now than when I worked!” That’s kind of how Champ’s volunteer work here is going now that the flood waters are receding. I am having a similar spurt at my part time job in town. My friend decided he wants to completely overhaul the displays at the store and we started last Sunday. The project will likely take another week. Champ’s flood clean-up work will take much longer. After a long week of hard physical work, we both said we would take it easy this weekend and be ‘retired’. It’s not quite turning out that way.
We woke up this morning and greeted the cool 56-degree morning and saw that the high would only be in the mid 70’s. Both of us simultaneously launched into big projects. I have been wanting to wax the motorhome for some time. Today became a day to work on conquering my fear of ladders. I spent this morning washing and waxing the driver’s side of the motorhome. I wonder if there is anyone who remembers movies of the 80's who can apply wax to a vehicle without hearing Mr. Miagi's voice in their head? My task required lots of standing at the top of a big ladder. Something I wouldn’t have even attempted last summer. Champ came around and checked on me periodically to be sure I wasn’t in a heap on the ground and even took a couple of pictures in case I never did it again. Those who know me best know I rarely stand with my feet planted anywhere but on the ground. I have the other side and the front and back to do tomorrow. More reconditioning my brain to not be afraid.
Champ gathered material from old projects and build me a nice rack to keep my computer, folders, bird books and my Paleo bible that I refer to daily right now. Before, things were kind of piled in the corner on my side of the table where I spend most of my indoor waking hours. Now things are nice and organized, the way I prefer them. My neat-freaks heart is happy with my new custom build storage. Courtesy of my talented husband. When we started this chapter, we went through all our credit cards deciding which ones to keep. The Menards card was one of the first to go. We never thought we would need a home improvement store much in this life. Wrong! We go to Menards and Lowes regularly. I am continually surprised at how many little projects we do around the ‘house’ these days.
[gallery ids="1063,1064,1065,1062,1066"]
I took time out and went to a fascinating lecture over at the Visitor’s Center about the geological history of Central Iowa. I’ve been a rock hound all my life and know some basic history about the glaciers and oceans that were once here. This was the best hour I’ve spent in a long time. I was thrilled to see that the promotion I did of the event in the newsletter paid off. The auditorium was full of fellow nerds, some toting in boxes of fossils and rocks for Michael to help them identify and learn more about.
All in all, it was a very satisfying day. I worked hard again and loved that I can do the work I want to. I waxed by hand for the exercise. Like I said in an earlier post, we take every opportunity we get to stay fit and healthy. I’ll get another good workout tomorrow. So much for holding down the lawn chair this weekend. That’s okay.
Until next time…
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Day 146 / 219 Use It Or Lose It
Saylorville Lake Sunny 84 Degrees
We are finally getting May weather! We had to wait till late July to get it, but that is how it goes in the Midwest. The temperature is influenced from so many different places you never know what you will get. The only thing we know for sure is that we will not endure an avalanche, there are no mountains. And hurricanes will not make landfall here, even though they are known to drench us in several days of rain if they make landfall in Texas. Outside of that anything can and does happen here.
I have been thinking a lot about health and longevity lately. It occurred to me that people who work camp are general a healthy lot. Most fellow work campers I meet are fairly to obsessively health conscious. I have to wonder “Are people healthy because they work camp, or do they work camp because they are healthy?” Kind of a chicken and the egg question. I think it leans toward the latter and goes on because of the former to some extent.
Take our friends Will and Judy. They have been doing this for 18 years. They are both 79 years old and run circles around folks young enough to be their kids. That includes me, on both counts!
Full-time RV lifestyle is physically demanding weather you work camp or not. Just preparing to move, pulling (or driving) the thing from point A to point B, and setting back up is a lot of work. Even on full hook-ups you have to be able to dump your tanks once a week or so. We don’t walk into the garage like we did in our sticks and bricks home. We stoop down and stand on one leg, put our head under our armpit and reach over with the opposite arm to get a screwdriver out of the compartment. The roof needs attention regularly to maintain it. It’s not a young mans game crawling up the ladder and hoisting yourself on the roof to clean off the AC vents, clean out the little gutters or sweep the mulberries off so they don’t stain the roof purple.
I’m learning quickly, widowhood rarely takes the surviving spouse off the road. They just carry on. But a progressive chronic illness in one half of a couple or a single person will take them off the road right now. Staying healthy is on the minds of all of us. We all have our different methods. At the root of it is what we all want no matter how we live. Quality of life for how ever many years we get on this earth, or on the road in our case.
Until next time…
We are finally getting May weather! We had to wait till late July to get it, but that is how it goes in the Midwest. The temperature is influenced from so many different places you never know what you will get. The only thing we know for sure is that we will not endure an avalanche, there are no mountains. And hurricanes will not make landfall here, even though they are known to drench us in several days of rain if they make landfall in Texas. Outside of that anything can and does happen here.
I have been thinking a lot about health and longevity lately. It occurred to me that people who work camp are general a healthy lot. Most fellow work campers I meet are fairly to obsessively health conscious. I have to wonder “Are people healthy because they work camp, or do they work camp because they are healthy?” Kind of a chicken and the egg question. I think it leans toward the latter and goes on because of the former to some extent.
Take our friends Will and Judy. They have been doing this for 18 years. They are both 79 years old and run circles around folks young enough to be their kids. That includes me, on both counts!
Full-time RV lifestyle is physically demanding weather you work camp or not. Just preparing to move, pulling (or driving) the thing from point A to point B, and setting back up is a lot of work. Even on full hook-ups you have to be able to dump your tanks once a week or so. We don’t walk into the garage like we did in our sticks and bricks home. We stoop down and stand on one leg, put our head under our armpit and reach over with the opposite arm to get a screwdriver out of the compartment. The roof needs attention regularly to maintain it. It’s not a young mans game crawling up the ladder and hoisting yourself on the roof to clean off the AC vents, clean out the little gutters or sweep the mulberries off so they don’t stain the roof purple.
I’m learning quickly, widowhood rarely takes the surviving spouse off the road. They just carry on. But a progressive chronic illness in one half of a couple or a single person will take them off the road right now. Staying healthy is on the minds of all of us. We all have our different methods. At the root of it is what we all want no matter how we live. Quality of life for how ever many years we get on this earth, or on the road in our case.
Until next time…
Friday, July 20, 2018
Day 142 / 223 Back In The Old Neighborhood
Saylorville Lake Cloudy 78 Degrees
Receding flood waters and lots of hard work from the Natural Resources crew that Champ works with, and the maintenance staff the past week allowed us all to move back into our Village today. We had some downright crazy weather here yesterday! About 3PM a massive tornado outbreak began that went on for several hours in Iowa. Numerous towns took direct hits including downtown Marshalltown who lost their century old clock tower on the courthouse. Yes, I mean lost, the tornado picked it right off the building and dropped in elsewhere. A major manufacturer in Pella took a direct hit as well during production hours. Miraculously know one was killed. Until yesterday I had not seen a tornado in my lifetime. I saw several yesterday in the distance as we were headed to Altoona to pick up Hunter and Isaac. We were contacted by many friends around the country who told us we made the national news that evening. We were in a sort of donut hole. Tornadoes touched down all around us. Where we were the sun shone, no rain fell and the winds stayed relatively calm.
Since buying the motor home the grand kids have all been intrigued with the driving compartment. We thought it would be fun to go get the boys since they are close and let them ride with us the 10 miles around the lake between campgrounds when we moved today. The plan was keep them overnight to spend some time with them and let them move with us. Isaac was not a fan of coming with us. Having just arriving home from daycare and not seeing his mom yet, who was still at work he wanted to stay home. Hunter thought it sounded like a good idea, so we got some one on one time with him and he got all kinds of new adventures.
[caption id="attachment_1052" align="alignright" width="225"]
Hunter leaving on his first motorcycle ride.[/caption]
Not only did he get to help pack up the motorhome and ride in it with grandpa when we moved. He also got his first real motorcycle ride! Champ used to ride around the acreage with him when we was a baby, perched on the gas tank, but this was a real ride on the back with his helmet on and out on the road. He got the full affect of the joy of being on a motorcycle and the unobstructed view of the lake as they road across the mile-long bridge. He’s hooked!
We’re all set up, but in another site with better shade. A good thing since our AC is still waiting on a part and running in low capacity. The evidence is still quite present that this was underwater a week ago. The flood line behind the motorhome tells a story. There is still some debris between sites. This new site is the first one in from the tree line that separates the village from the road that leads to the boat ramp and beach. You can see the road through the trees, except now it is littered with dead trees, deposited by the flood waters and left behind as it receded. It will take several days of heavy equipment and dump trucks to haul it all away and either munch it up or pile it to burn. It won’t happen any time soon, the water is still up the road way and probably 15 feet deep on the parking lot. Barring any heavy rain up north, it will be several weeks before the water is back to normal conservation pool again. It doesn’t smell as bad as I thought it would. Mostly, it smells like dirt, not the rotting vegetation smell I anticipated. A few good rains and a couple of rounds of mowing and you’ll never know it flooded here. The wild animals will have the toughest adjustment since the humans have invaded their shrunken habitat once again. I feel bad for them. They are really struggling to find food and shelter. The road way is strewn with animals that did not make it across and probably would not have been near the road had their home not flooded.
[gallery ids="1053,1054,1055"]
The cats were not thrilled when they realized we were moving again, yet when we arrived back here they seemed to know where they were. I brought them out on their lines, they looked around and walked to the back of the pad where they are normally tethered and laid down on the hill. As if to say, “yep, we're back home again.”
With any luck we can now get back to some normalcy with our summer. There are three birthdays and the second wedding of the summer coming soon. We’re looking forward to lots of family time with the kids and more fun events. It’s been an chaotic year so far. At least there have been no real catastrophes, just a few bumps, a couple of floods and an emergency surgery. One thing is for sure, it hasn’t been boring!
Until tomorrow...
Receding flood waters and lots of hard work from the Natural Resources crew that Champ works with, and the maintenance staff the past week allowed us all to move back into our Village today. We had some downright crazy weather here yesterday! About 3PM a massive tornado outbreak began that went on for several hours in Iowa. Numerous towns took direct hits including downtown Marshalltown who lost their century old clock tower on the courthouse. Yes, I mean lost, the tornado picked it right off the building and dropped in elsewhere. A major manufacturer in Pella took a direct hit as well during production hours. Miraculously know one was killed. Until yesterday I had not seen a tornado in my lifetime. I saw several yesterday in the distance as we were headed to Altoona to pick up Hunter and Isaac. We were contacted by many friends around the country who told us we made the national news that evening. We were in a sort of donut hole. Tornadoes touched down all around us. Where we were the sun shone, no rain fell and the winds stayed relatively calm.
Since buying the motor home the grand kids have all been intrigued with the driving compartment. We thought it would be fun to go get the boys since they are close and let them ride with us the 10 miles around the lake between campgrounds when we moved today. The plan was keep them overnight to spend some time with them and let them move with us. Isaac was not a fan of coming with us. Having just arriving home from daycare and not seeing his mom yet, who was still at work he wanted to stay home. Hunter thought it sounded like a good idea, so we got some one on one time with him and he got all kinds of new adventures.
[caption id="attachment_1052" align="alignright" width="225"]
Hunter leaving on his first motorcycle ride.[/caption]Not only did he get to help pack up the motorhome and ride in it with grandpa when we moved. He also got his first real motorcycle ride! Champ used to ride around the acreage with him when we was a baby, perched on the gas tank, but this was a real ride on the back with his helmet on and out on the road. He got the full affect of the joy of being on a motorcycle and the unobstructed view of the lake as they road across the mile-long bridge. He’s hooked!
We’re all set up, but in another site with better shade. A good thing since our AC is still waiting on a part and running in low capacity. The evidence is still quite present that this was underwater a week ago. The flood line behind the motorhome tells a story. There is still some debris between sites. This new site is the first one in from the tree line that separates the village from the road that leads to the boat ramp and beach. You can see the road through the trees, except now it is littered with dead trees, deposited by the flood waters and left behind as it receded. It will take several days of heavy equipment and dump trucks to haul it all away and either munch it up or pile it to burn. It won’t happen any time soon, the water is still up the road way and probably 15 feet deep on the parking lot. Barring any heavy rain up north, it will be several weeks before the water is back to normal conservation pool again. It doesn’t smell as bad as I thought it would. Mostly, it smells like dirt, not the rotting vegetation smell I anticipated. A few good rains and a couple of rounds of mowing and you’ll never know it flooded here. The wild animals will have the toughest adjustment since the humans have invaded their shrunken habitat once again. I feel bad for them. They are really struggling to find food and shelter. The road way is strewn with animals that did not make it across and probably would not have been near the road had their home not flooded.
[gallery ids="1053,1054,1055"]
The cats were not thrilled when they realized we were moving again, yet when we arrived back here they seemed to know where they were. I brought them out on their lines, they looked around and walked to the back of the pad where they are normally tethered and laid down on the hill. As if to say, “yep, we're back home again.”
With any luck we can now get back to some normalcy with our summer. There are three birthdays and the second wedding of the summer coming soon. We’re looking forward to lots of family time with the kids and more fun events. It’s been an chaotic year so far. At least there have been no real catastrophes, just a few bumps, a couple of floods and an emergency surgery. One thing is for sure, it hasn’t been boring!
Until tomorrow...
Thursday, July 19, 2018
Day 141 / 224 Practically Paleo
Saylorville Lake Cloudy 72 Degrees
Iowans are breathing a sigh of relief as we bask in a few days of moderate temperatures. The summer has been one of endurance and change for sure. A big change in my world has been the way I eat and by proxy the way Champ eats. My journey toward a Paleo diet has happened by degrees over several years. I decided to share this here in case anyone who follows me has experience similar health issues and has yet to find a solution.
I’ll start by saying, I have lost respect over the years for the world of conventional medicine. I think it has its place and is wonderous if you suffer a traumatic injury or medical emergency or are born too early. But when it comes to over all health and the epidemic of chronic health issues that has gripped our society this past few decades, todays doctors seem to be clueless about nutrition or how to avoid feeling the way we do. They only know reactionary responses like throwing a drug at it without trying to figure out the root cause. My first experience was about 12 years ago when I was having severe nerve pain and numbness in my extremities. After only asking a couple of questions, my Primary Care doc told me I had fibromyalgia and got out her pad to write me a prescription for Lyrica. I almost ran out of the office! The next day I mentioned the interaction to my chiropractor as he was giving me an adjustment and he asked how much artificial sweetener I ate. He told me the evils of the chemicals in them and told me to start reading labels, gave me a list of generic names for said evil substances and started me on a B-Complex Vitamin regimen with strict orders to stop eating anything with artificial sweetener immediately. He also said it would take about 6 months to turn things around but assured me it would work. He was right.
Next stop on the journey was my old arthritic joints that are a result of playing too hard and working even harder in my younger years. I started researching the evils of refined sugars and inflammation. I decided on my own about 4 years ago to cut refined sugar out of my diet as much as possible. Guess what? My joints quit hurting, and I lost 30 pounds that I have kept off since.
All this time I have dealt with a sluggish lower GI track. I do a good deal of nutrition research anyway since my daughter was diagnosed with Celiac at age 19 after being sick her whole life. Again, conventional medicine failed her miserably as a child and teenager and still struggles to give her any real answers about her autoimmune issues. As her symptoms and issues have compounded over time I dive deeper into researching my hunch that everything circles back to what we put in our bodies. I have felt for many years that most of what is wrong with us is the crap that they call food that we buy at the grocery store and fuel ourselves with. The more I researched gut health the more I learned that over the counter meds for headaches, joint pain, acid reflux and a host of other aggravations we don’t like to feel are destroying our gut health and leading to most of what ails us. They are supposed to be safe right? I think the FDA has a very different definition of safe than I do. Safe for the health of the drug business maybe but not our bodies. I also read a lot about the grains we eat today what I call Frankengrain. The genetic tampering with our crops is down right scary.
What did I have to lose? I have always grown vegetables and cook from scratch. As I read several books about Paleo style eating I realized there are several levels of ‘compliance’ to the diet but the root philosophy is eat whole foods, local if you can and stay the hell away from refined sugar, dairy and grain of any kind. Eat like the Hunter Gatherers did. I realized quickly I had been moving in that direction with my diet for several years and I love vegetables so much Champ says I’m part rabbit. It wasn’t that big a leap for me. Champ would tell a different story. He eats Paleo dinners with me and I have noticed on his own he is making better food choices for himself for breakfast and lunch. He’ll never admit it, but he is noticing a difference too.
I say I’m practically Paleo because although I follow the main principles day to day and eat 7-9 servings of vegetables each day (it takes a lot of veggies to replace all that pasta and cereal!) I do occasionally drink a beer. It usually upsets my stomach now so I’m not as inclined as I used to be. I do eat brown rice a couple of times a month. I am not eating $12.00 a lb. grass fed hamburger but do buy better quality meats. And I’m pretty sure the chickens that lay the eggs I buy at the store, do not have names, nor are aloud in the house of the person who owns them. I am buying more than ever at local Farmer’s Markets and am going to start exploring local meat lockers for locally sourced meat. It’s a progression.
The cool part is I feel better than I have in years. The chronic burning pain in my gut has disappeared, I’m more regular that I was. My energy level stays consistent throughout the day, I am sleeping better, and I have only had one headache since three days after making the switch 9 weeks ago. A three-day migraine a couple of times a month and nagging tension headaches the rest of the time was par for the course for me before. Champ has been able to stop taking is OTC purple pill for acid reflux that he as taken for several years. The best part is we have both lost about 5 lbs. without really trying.
[caption id="attachment_1048" align="alignnone" width="225"]
Colorful Paleo Dinner[/caption]
I’m not saying I’ve found the fountain of youth, or a magic bullet. I do however believe more than ever that how we eat as a dramatic effect on how we feel. I do my yoga practice and stay strong as I can and eat a loose version of a Paleo diet and I feel great. I am now officially decaffeinated. I love what I eat each day and I love cooking even more these days. One thing I can say about Paleo food is “It sure is pretty”! The only thing I really miss is Pizza. I REALLY miss pizza.
Iowans are breathing a sigh of relief as we bask in a few days of moderate temperatures. The summer has been one of endurance and change for sure. A big change in my world has been the way I eat and by proxy the way Champ eats. My journey toward a Paleo diet has happened by degrees over several years. I decided to share this here in case anyone who follows me has experience similar health issues and has yet to find a solution.
I’ll start by saying, I have lost respect over the years for the world of conventional medicine. I think it has its place and is wonderous if you suffer a traumatic injury or medical emergency or are born too early. But when it comes to over all health and the epidemic of chronic health issues that has gripped our society this past few decades, todays doctors seem to be clueless about nutrition or how to avoid feeling the way we do. They only know reactionary responses like throwing a drug at it without trying to figure out the root cause. My first experience was about 12 years ago when I was having severe nerve pain and numbness in my extremities. After only asking a couple of questions, my Primary Care doc told me I had fibromyalgia and got out her pad to write me a prescription for Lyrica. I almost ran out of the office! The next day I mentioned the interaction to my chiropractor as he was giving me an adjustment and he asked how much artificial sweetener I ate. He told me the evils of the chemicals in them and told me to start reading labels, gave me a list of generic names for said evil substances and started me on a B-Complex Vitamin regimen with strict orders to stop eating anything with artificial sweetener immediately. He also said it would take about 6 months to turn things around but assured me it would work. He was right.
Next stop on the journey was my old arthritic joints that are a result of playing too hard and working even harder in my younger years. I started researching the evils of refined sugars and inflammation. I decided on my own about 4 years ago to cut refined sugar out of my diet as much as possible. Guess what? My joints quit hurting, and I lost 30 pounds that I have kept off since.
All this time I have dealt with a sluggish lower GI track. I do a good deal of nutrition research anyway since my daughter was diagnosed with Celiac at age 19 after being sick her whole life. Again, conventional medicine failed her miserably as a child and teenager and still struggles to give her any real answers about her autoimmune issues. As her symptoms and issues have compounded over time I dive deeper into researching my hunch that everything circles back to what we put in our bodies. I have felt for many years that most of what is wrong with us is the crap that they call food that we buy at the grocery store and fuel ourselves with. The more I researched gut health the more I learned that over the counter meds for headaches, joint pain, acid reflux and a host of other aggravations we don’t like to feel are destroying our gut health and leading to most of what ails us. They are supposed to be safe right? I think the FDA has a very different definition of safe than I do. Safe for the health of the drug business maybe but not our bodies. I also read a lot about the grains we eat today what I call Frankengrain. The genetic tampering with our crops is down right scary.
What did I have to lose? I have always grown vegetables and cook from scratch. As I read several books about Paleo style eating I realized there are several levels of ‘compliance’ to the diet but the root philosophy is eat whole foods, local if you can and stay the hell away from refined sugar, dairy and grain of any kind. Eat like the Hunter Gatherers did. I realized quickly I had been moving in that direction with my diet for several years and I love vegetables so much Champ says I’m part rabbit. It wasn’t that big a leap for me. Champ would tell a different story. He eats Paleo dinners with me and I have noticed on his own he is making better food choices for himself for breakfast and lunch. He’ll never admit it, but he is noticing a difference too.
I say I’m practically Paleo because although I follow the main principles day to day and eat 7-9 servings of vegetables each day (it takes a lot of veggies to replace all that pasta and cereal!) I do occasionally drink a beer. It usually upsets my stomach now so I’m not as inclined as I used to be. I do eat brown rice a couple of times a month. I am not eating $12.00 a lb. grass fed hamburger but do buy better quality meats. And I’m pretty sure the chickens that lay the eggs I buy at the store, do not have names, nor are aloud in the house of the person who owns them. I am buying more than ever at local Farmer’s Markets and am going to start exploring local meat lockers for locally sourced meat. It’s a progression.
The cool part is I feel better than I have in years. The chronic burning pain in my gut has disappeared, I’m more regular that I was. My energy level stays consistent throughout the day, I am sleeping better, and I have only had one headache since three days after making the switch 9 weeks ago. A three-day migraine a couple of times a month and nagging tension headaches the rest of the time was par for the course for me before. Champ has been able to stop taking is OTC purple pill for acid reflux that he as taken for several years. The best part is we have both lost about 5 lbs. without really trying.
[caption id="attachment_1048" align="alignnone" width="225"]
Colorful Paleo Dinner[/caption]I’m not saying I’ve found the fountain of youth, or a magic bullet. I do however believe more than ever that how we eat as a dramatic effect on how we feel. I do my yoga practice and stay strong as I can and eat a loose version of a Paleo diet and I feel great. I am now officially decaffeinated. I love what I eat each day and I love cooking even more these days. One thing I can say about Paleo food is “It sure is pretty”! The only thing I really miss is Pizza. I REALLY miss pizza.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Day 139 / 226 Why We Work
Saylorville Lake – Cloudy – 84 Degrees
People ask us all the time why we chose to work camp. We work for our site about 10 months out of the year. The other two months we find a nice RV Park and hang out and relax and socialize. There we run into full-time RV’ers who do all kinds of things. Some are retired and are on a perpetual vacation, others are snow birds who still own property elsewhere where they take the RV during the summer, we have met families who home school the kids on the road and contractors who work from their RV’s in a staggering variety of vocations. The reason for us to work camp is multi-faceted.
Most importantly it is economical. I ‘retired’ at the ripe old age of 51 when we hit the road. That posed a number of financial challenges namely health insurance for me and the reality that I am not eligible to contribute to an IRA now since I have no earned income. Essentially, I walked away from 15 or so years of retirement contributions to live my dream. I am working part-time this summer so will be able to make a partial contribution, but this summer is unusual. Work camping makes this life much more affordable and comfortable on Champs retirement income which keeps us comfortable.
The second thing we talked about when we started imagining this lifestyle is work camping as a way to stay in shape, active, and engaged each day. We are both healthy and work hard to maintain our health. Neither one of us can conceive of sitting in the lawn chair yet. Hopefully we’ll be about 98 years old before those days come.
With those two notions in mind we set out getting volunteer gigs in areas we want to spend time. As we have worked different areas we are realizing other benefits of the work camping lifestyle.
We have done some really cool things! One common theme amongst workcampers who work in wildlife areas is all the neat, hands on things they get to be a part of along side the biologists, and naturalists. My friend got to help release sea turtles that had been rescued from the cold Texas coast waters last year. I got to net and catch birds for banding one year. We leave a little mark on the places we go. A visitor’s center display here, a welcome kiosk there. Champ’s efforts helping plant over 3500 prairie plugs this summer will be visible in the form of vast fields of wild flowers here at Saylorville for years to come. My friend Judy is the driving force behind the beautiful butterfly gardens that grace Saylorville. There is a deep satisfaction in giving your talents and muscle to make a public place more beautiful or accessible.
The other unexpected reward is the depth of knowledge we gain by working behind the scenes and interpreting the park we are working in to the visitors. I have been a voracious learner and researcher since I was a child. This lifestyle is quite simply a dream come true on that level.
Like most new things, you imagine how it will be, then if you are 100% in you get so much more than you expected. Like any way of life, you get what you put in. In this case we are getting it back several times over.
Until tomorrow…
People ask us all the time why we chose to work camp. We work for our site about 10 months out of the year. The other two months we find a nice RV Park and hang out and relax and socialize. There we run into full-time RV’ers who do all kinds of things. Some are retired and are on a perpetual vacation, others are snow birds who still own property elsewhere where they take the RV during the summer, we have met families who home school the kids on the road and contractors who work from their RV’s in a staggering variety of vocations. The reason for us to work camp is multi-faceted.
Most importantly it is economical. I ‘retired’ at the ripe old age of 51 when we hit the road. That posed a number of financial challenges namely health insurance for me and the reality that I am not eligible to contribute to an IRA now since I have no earned income. Essentially, I walked away from 15 or so years of retirement contributions to live my dream. I am working part-time this summer so will be able to make a partial contribution, but this summer is unusual. Work camping makes this life much more affordable and comfortable on Champs retirement income which keeps us comfortable.
The second thing we talked about when we started imagining this lifestyle is work camping as a way to stay in shape, active, and engaged each day. We are both healthy and work hard to maintain our health. Neither one of us can conceive of sitting in the lawn chair yet. Hopefully we’ll be about 98 years old before those days come.
With those two notions in mind we set out getting volunteer gigs in areas we want to spend time. As we have worked different areas we are realizing other benefits of the work camping lifestyle.
We have done some really cool things! One common theme amongst workcampers who work in wildlife areas is all the neat, hands on things they get to be a part of along side the biologists, and naturalists. My friend got to help release sea turtles that had been rescued from the cold Texas coast waters last year. I got to net and catch birds for banding one year. We leave a little mark on the places we go. A visitor’s center display here, a welcome kiosk there. Champ’s efforts helping plant over 3500 prairie plugs this summer will be visible in the form of vast fields of wild flowers here at Saylorville for years to come. My friend Judy is the driving force behind the beautiful butterfly gardens that grace Saylorville. There is a deep satisfaction in giving your talents and muscle to make a public place more beautiful or accessible.
The other unexpected reward is the depth of knowledge we gain by working behind the scenes and interpreting the park we are working in to the visitors. I have been a voracious learner and researcher since I was a child. This lifestyle is quite simply a dream come true on that level.
Like most new things, you imagine how it will be, then if you are 100% in you get so much more than you expected. Like any way of life, you get what you put in. In this case we are getting it back several times over.
Until tomorrow…
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Day 137 / 228 Summer Flies By
In our second summer as full-time RV’ers I realize today that these are the manic months. We try to cram 12 months of family time and living and making up for being gone all winter into the 6 months from April to October. We consider ourselves very lucky that we have this great Corps park located centrally to all our family and friends to come and work camp for each summer.
[caption id="attachment_1041" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Part of the old group of camping girls[/caption]
This past week was crazy. We both pulled extra duty for the park doing dam gate duty. We had family and friends, who we used to camp with regularly, staying at Saylorville for the week so in between my job, our hours here and spending time with them, we barely slept. The week ended with one of the happy events we have been waiting for.
Last night our close friends daughter was married. The first of two weddings this summer. It was a beautiful evening for a casual outdoor wedding and reception nearby. It was one of those events that put us in front of people we havent seen in many years. Usually it's a funeral where that happens. How nice to be at such a joyous event and run into people. I had to laugh when someone asked if we were doing a lot of camping this summer. We took a few minutes and got them caught up on our life over the past couple of years. This morning we got up with no ambition to do anything or go anywhere.
We did pry ourselves out of the RV and go over to volunteer village to take a look at the condition as the water recedes. The water is going down and leaving all the debris we anticipated behind. The village didn’t smell as bad as I thought it would. Our pad is dry but there is some erosion on the road.
[caption id="attachment_1042" align="alignright" width="300"]
Our pad far left. The garden frame in the road with the firewood[/caption]
It was weird to see the frame for my raised garden bed lying in the middle of the road. The zinnia and blanket flower look strange blooming there in the middle of all the brown residue that has replaced the lush green Iowa grass. The water is back in the timber again and the lake continues to go down. I imagine sometime in the next couple of weeks if the rainfall continues to moderate they will restore the power and we can do the cleanup and get moved back over there around the first week of August. In the mean time we are enjoying our temporary spot in the shade. We pull out weekly to dump the tanks and fill with fresh water. I am getting practice driving the motor home in tight places and backing it back into the site.
It hit me this morning that our time in Iowa is half over for the season. I’m not sure how I feel about that today.
Until tomorrow...
[caption id="attachment_1041" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Part of the old group of camping girls[/caption]This past week was crazy. We both pulled extra duty for the park doing dam gate duty. We had family and friends, who we used to camp with regularly, staying at Saylorville for the week so in between my job, our hours here and spending time with them, we barely slept. The week ended with one of the happy events we have been waiting for.
Last night our close friends daughter was married. The first of two weddings this summer. It was a beautiful evening for a casual outdoor wedding and reception nearby. It was one of those events that put us in front of people we havent seen in many years. Usually it's a funeral where that happens. How nice to be at such a joyous event and run into people. I had to laugh when someone asked if we were doing a lot of camping this summer. We took a few minutes and got them caught up on our life over the past couple of years. This morning we got up with no ambition to do anything or go anywhere.We did pry ourselves out of the RV and go over to volunteer village to take a look at the condition as the water recedes. The water is going down and leaving all the debris we anticipated behind. The village didn’t smell as bad as I thought it would. Our pad is dry but there is some erosion on the road.
[caption id="attachment_1042" align="alignright" width="300"]
Our pad far left. The garden frame in the road with the firewood[/caption]It was weird to see the frame for my raised garden bed lying in the middle of the road. The zinnia and blanket flower look strange blooming there in the middle of all the brown residue that has replaced the lush green Iowa grass. The water is back in the timber again and the lake continues to go down. I imagine sometime in the next couple of weeks if the rainfall continues to moderate they will restore the power and we can do the cleanup and get moved back over there around the first week of August. In the mean time we are enjoying our temporary spot in the shade. We pull out weekly to dump the tanks and fill with fresh water. I am getting practice driving the motor home in tight places and backing it back into the site.
It hit me this morning that our time in Iowa is half over for the season. I’m not sure how I feel about that today.
Until tomorrow...
Friday, July 13, 2018
Day 135 / 230 A Cat's Eye
Saylorville Lake – Sun 90 Degrees
I haven’t written about Buster and Annie in some time other than an occasional anecdote. They have been travelling with us for almost 2 years now and we’ve learned some things about travelling with cats along the way.
When we first got serious about doing this we struggled with the cat question. We love our cats and they were free roaming, hunting king and queen of their universes. The thought of corralling them in a camper seemed cruel. Were we being selfish wanting them with us at the expense for their cathood? Was it best for them to find a home for them with someone who would allow them to come and go as they pleased like they were accustom to? We decided to let them tell us.
The summer before we took off we started taking them camping with us and they went on vacation with us that summer. The first weekend, I’m sure they thought they’d been kidnapped by aliens and subjected to every horror that could befall a cat. Being trapped in the 5th wheel, having a collar placed around their neck and a rope that wouldn’t allow them to take off. Noisy campgrounds with weird sounds and even weirder smells. They were stressed but did pretty good. Each time they went with us on a short trip that summer they got a little more comfortable. They soon learned the signals that we were preparing to go somewhere with the camper and became harder and harder to catch when it was time to take off. We talked at length about what would be best for them and even talked to a couple of people about taking them. In the end our selfishness overruled, and they went with us.
I have to say they have adapted quite well over the two years. I wonder if cats have any long-term memory. Do they remember the good ole days when they went on 2-day hunting safaris at harvest time? Do they remember the old house? Do they remember being outside without being tethered? All good questions, maybe karma will bring me back as a cat that travels with an RV’er and I’ll find out.
[gallery ids="997,768,704,443,273,22,37,1036,1037"]
Like us they prefer some places over others. They really loved the first wild life refuge we worked at since they were able to roam free a bit during the day. I think they felt like real cats there, hunting and roaming about the woods. Every now and then they seem to really like a place and we feel guilty for taking them away when it is time to move on. They do well here at Saylorville, but our temporary site while we wait for flood waters to recede is really to their liking.
They like the motorhome, with it’s big windshield to lay in and watch the world when they aren’t outside and the pass-through bathroom that provides an oval style racetrack for them at 3AM when they decide it’s time to get some exercise and romp.
I have found so far that veterinarians are very understanding with folks who travel. It’s easy to get a recommendation when needed and we carry their records with us, so we know what shots they need and when. That part is easy.
One thing I can say is they know the vibe when we are getting ready to move and they don’t like it. They stick very close together and spend a lot of time sitting with their backs to us to let us know their disdain. They recover quickly and still love on us. They are probably more spoiled now that ever due to our guilt for taking them away from their real cat life. At 8 and 6 years old they are healthy, and I think happy most of the time. Accept when grandkids come to visit with their quick movements and high-pitched voices. They can’t escape as easily in the motor home as they could in the 5th wheel when they would simply run through their cat door in the steps into the compartment aka the ‘cat condo’. Those were the days. As I went through pictures I’ve taken of them the past two years I think they are content and I hope they feel as warm and fuzzy toward us as we do them. Who knows with cats, they probably only care that we keep the food bowl full and leave once in a while, so they can lay on the kitchen counter without getting sprayed with a water bottle.
Until tomorrow..
I haven’t written about Buster and Annie in some time other than an occasional anecdote. They have been travelling with us for almost 2 years now and we’ve learned some things about travelling with cats along the way.
When we first got serious about doing this we struggled with the cat question. We love our cats and they were free roaming, hunting king and queen of their universes. The thought of corralling them in a camper seemed cruel. Were we being selfish wanting them with us at the expense for their cathood? Was it best for them to find a home for them with someone who would allow them to come and go as they pleased like they were accustom to? We decided to let them tell us.
The summer before we took off we started taking them camping with us and they went on vacation with us that summer. The first weekend, I’m sure they thought they’d been kidnapped by aliens and subjected to every horror that could befall a cat. Being trapped in the 5th wheel, having a collar placed around their neck and a rope that wouldn’t allow them to take off. Noisy campgrounds with weird sounds and even weirder smells. They were stressed but did pretty good. Each time they went with us on a short trip that summer they got a little more comfortable. They soon learned the signals that we were preparing to go somewhere with the camper and became harder and harder to catch when it was time to take off. We talked at length about what would be best for them and even talked to a couple of people about taking them. In the end our selfishness overruled, and they went with us.
I have to say they have adapted quite well over the two years. I wonder if cats have any long-term memory. Do they remember the good ole days when they went on 2-day hunting safaris at harvest time? Do they remember the old house? Do they remember being outside without being tethered? All good questions, maybe karma will bring me back as a cat that travels with an RV’er and I’ll find out.
[gallery ids="997,768,704,443,273,22,37,1036,1037"]
Like us they prefer some places over others. They really loved the first wild life refuge we worked at since they were able to roam free a bit during the day. I think they felt like real cats there, hunting and roaming about the woods. Every now and then they seem to really like a place and we feel guilty for taking them away when it is time to move on. They do well here at Saylorville, but our temporary site while we wait for flood waters to recede is really to their liking.
They like the motorhome, with it’s big windshield to lay in and watch the world when they aren’t outside and the pass-through bathroom that provides an oval style racetrack for them at 3AM when they decide it’s time to get some exercise and romp.
I have found so far that veterinarians are very understanding with folks who travel. It’s easy to get a recommendation when needed and we carry their records with us, so we know what shots they need and when. That part is easy.
One thing I can say is they know the vibe when we are getting ready to move and they don’t like it. They stick very close together and spend a lot of time sitting with their backs to us to let us know their disdain. They recover quickly and still love on us. They are probably more spoiled now that ever due to our guilt for taking them away from their real cat life. At 8 and 6 years old they are healthy, and I think happy most of the time. Accept when grandkids come to visit with their quick movements and high-pitched voices. They can’t escape as easily in the motor home as they could in the 5th wheel when they would simply run through their cat door in the steps into the compartment aka the ‘cat condo’. Those were the days. As I went through pictures I’ve taken of them the past two years I think they are content and I hope they feel as warm and fuzzy toward us as we do them. Who knows with cats, they probably only care that we keep the food bowl full and leave once in a while, so they can lay on the kitchen counter without getting sprayed with a water bottle.
Until tomorrow..
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Day 133 / 232 The Crest
Saylorville Lake – Sun 94 Degrees
I woke up this morning feeling less like a sci-fi killer alien and more like my old self after a rather psychotic day yesterday. I honestly don’t know how husbands survive menopause. They must really love us! Champ put a new water pump on the motor home this morning and that problem is solved. The generator could be another story but it’s not high on the list with everything else that’s happening.
The lake crested Monday. As I drove across the mile-long bridge on my way home from work that evening, I took note of the tops of the trees that had disappear below the surface last week.
Champ spent the day doing natural resources work. Now that the constant rains have taken a break the heat is back in full force and the water bags they installed around all the new tress earlier this spring need filled with water. On days he isn’t standing guard at the dam gates he will work on that job this week.
[caption id="attachment_1029" align="alignright" width="300"]
Crest line near the top of our retaining wall.[/caption]
Monday evening, we went over to Volunteer Village to check out the crest line on our retaining wall. Site 8 next to us is completely underwater. The road will need some work but not much. The electrical boxes on the back row, including ours will need some work before they put the guts back in and turn them on. I’d say we got very lucky.
[caption id="attachment_1032" align="alignright" width="300"]
Close call[/caption]
The water came up to within a couple of feet of the back of the pad and just a couple of inches below the top of our retaining wall. The sludgy residue left behind by the receding flood water is reminiscent of the bathtub ring left by the average 4 year old who has had a good day playing outside at our place.
There are subtle signs of the stress the animals are under being driven out of their homes in the timber and having their food source get flooded. Several of us have hosta planted under the trees in our sites. They have all been eaten. I left a tomato plant in my front planter that is still high and dry but has been eaten. Nothing ever eats tomato plants, they taste terrible! Someone was very hungry. There is goose and raccoon scat all over the pads that will need pressure washed before we move back. Disease will plague the animal population the rest of the summer and mosquitoes will thrive. Standing there reminded me that my tetanus shot needs updated when I get my physical later this week.
[caption id="attachment_1030" align="alignleft" width="225"]
Hunter and Isaac throwing rocks into the flooded yard where we usually play ball with them. Water is about 5' deep there now.[/caption]
I imagine I’ll have to put the cats out toward the front of the pad when we move back. Who knows what kind of primordial crud will be growing in the aftermath of the flood. It will not smell anything like the “Iowa” candle my daughter gave me that smells like fresh cut grass, but more like a high school gym locker and rotting vegetation. With any luck, in a couple of weeks the water will be out of the village and off the road. Clean up will kick into high gear and eventually we’ll move back to our summer home.
This season has been a memorable one so far. Record snow in April when we arrived, record heat early and a sick AC, then record flooding. I could really use some good old boring routine the rest of the season. Isn't it funny how life can go from utterly boring to chaotic in the blink of an eye? I have to remind myself daily that the chaos can and will subside at some point. Just like midwest weather, if you don't like the current condition, wait 5 minutes it will change!
Until tomorrow…
I woke up this morning feeling less like a sci-fi killer alien and more like my old self after a rather psychotic day yesterday. I honestly don’t know how husbands survive menopause. They must really love us! Champ put a new water pump on the motor home this morning and that problem is solved. The generator could be another story but it’s not high on the list with everything else that’s happening.
The lake crested Monday. As I drove across the mile-long bridge on my way home from work that evening, I took note of the tops of the trees that had disappear below the surface last week.
Champ spent the day doing natural resources work. Now that the constant rains have taken a break the heat is back in full force and the water bags they installed around all the new tress earlier this spring need filled with water. On days he isn’t standing guard at the dam gates he will work on that job this week.
[caption id="attachment_1029" align="alignright" width="300"]
Crest line near the top of our retaining wall.[/caption]Monday evening, we went over to Volunteer Village to check out the crest line on our retaining wall. Site 8 next to us is completely underwater. The road will need some work but not much. The electrical boxes on the back row, including ours will need some work before they put the guts back in and turn them on. I’d say we got very lucky.
[caption id="attachment_1032" align="alignright" width="300"]
Close call[/caption]The water came up to within a couple of feet of the back of the pad and just a couple of inches below the top of our retaining wall. The sludgy residue left behind by the receding flood water is reminiscent of the bathtub ring left by the average 4 year old who has had a good day playing outside at our place.
There are subtle signs of the stress the animals are under being driven out of their homes in the timber and having their food source get flooded. Several of us have hosta planted under the trees in our sites. They have all been eaten. I left a tomato plant in my front planter that is still high and dry but has been eaten. Nothing ever eats tomato plants, they taste terrible! Someone was very hungry. There is goose and raccoon scat all over the pads that will need pressure washed before we move back. Disease will plague the animal population the rest of the summer and mosquitoes will thrive. Standing there reminded me that my tetanus shot needs updated when I get my physical later this week.
[caption id="attachment_1030" align="alignleft" width="225"]
Hunter and Isaac throwing rocks into the flooded yard where we usually play ball with them. Water is about 5' deep there now.[/caption]I imagine I’ll have to put the cats out toward the front of the pad when we move back. Who knows what kind of primordial crud will be growing in the aftermath of the flood. It will not smell anything like the “Iowa” candle my daughter gave me that smells like fresh cut grass, but more like a high school gym locker and rotting vegetation. With any luck, in a couple of weeks the water will be out of the village and off the road. Clean up will kick into high gear and eventually we’ll move back to our summer home.
This season has been a memorable one so far. Record snow in April when we arrived, record heat early and a sick AC, then record flooding. I could really use some good old boring routine the rest of the season. Isn't it funny how life can go from utterly boring to chaotic in the blink of an eye? I have to remind myself daily that the chaos can and will subside at some point. Just like midwest weather, if you don't like the current condition, wait 5 minutes it will change!
Until tomorrow…
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Day 132 / 233 It's Been A Day
Saylorville Lake 92 Degrees Sun-- Humidity What else is new
I had another post prepared today, but the day took a few turns that I didn’t anticipate, and I am sitting here at the end of a very difficult day writing about something totally different. The cool part is tomorrow is already done!
“What’s it like?” Today is kind of a best/ worst day. I am in the grips of menopausal mood swings to the extreme today and everything I encounter is making me crazy, really. When you live full-time you are kind of on the ragged edge technology wise. The power went out in this part of the world this morning. I literally had my finger on the button to pulverize my disgusting looking, yet tasty smoothie for breakfast when everything went dead. No problem I thought. I went outside, and the breaker was not tripped. A quick look outside at everyone coming out of their campers scratching their heads told me it was an outage. No worries, I own a motorhome now! Not so fast. The damned thing wouldn’t start. Fuel delivery issues apparently, by the time Champ identified the part that needed to be ordered a couple hours later (of course) the power was back on. Cool! The generator is broke now too along with our AC that is still waiting on a motor. It will be very, very hot in here very fast in this weather. At least we're in the shade, unlike some of our neighbors. I left for work early to escape the issues here and walked into a fire storm of annoying activity that nearly did me in today. Did I mention my menopausal mood issues today? Yes, they are making me borderline psychotic at work too. I really needed a quite day at work I got just the opposite.
Here’s where the best part comes in. Through social media an acquaintance of mine from school and I connected. She started doing the full time RV thing last year and a mutual friend hooked us up on Facebook to share our experiences. I can’t help but visualize a Venn diagram when I think of how I knew Rhonda in school. We moved in different social circles a grade apart I am older. We had enough mutual friends that those circles intersected occasionally.
[caption id="attachment_1024" align="alignright" width="225"]
Rhonda, the ray of sunshine in my day today![/caption]
Fast forward a few decades and we grew into very like-minded adults whose lives ultimately resulted in this full-time RV lifestyle. She was going to be in town today and I knew she would be there when I got home. After my crappy day I was looking forward to seeing her and talking about whatever came up. It was a delightful afternoon! I do love that this lifestyle sends you down paths not only to meet new people, but also, to reconnect. It’s like a new / old friend. Very cool! I have no doubt that this is the beginning of a new friendship that was germinated some 40 years ago but has lain dormant somewhere between our very different paths waiting for its time to grow. How’s that for deep?
Back to the shitty part of the day. As we were sitting outside in the shade visiting, I notice the water pump was engaging every few seconds. I looked at Champ and he quietly, almost terrified looking said, “it’s broke too.” I knew I was shooting flames through my menopausal eyes and emitting a ton of negative energy because he looked like he wanted to run, far away and very fast. I’ve heard about pumps going bad due to non-use when you are on full hookups all the time. We use ours on the road and turn it on occasionally. Apparently, the people who owned it the 12 years prior to us didn’t know about that or didn’t care because the regular use the past week has done in a seal or diaphragm or something that is causing it to lose pressure and groan every 10 seconds or so. Not good for someone who has trouble staying asleep and is… did I mention having a very bad day and ready to commit menopausal murder or at least property damage.
I ponder if menopause and full-time RV living are compatible. Maybe it is recommended that women navigate that part of their life before trying this. My rational mind says, tomorrow all this stuff will roll off me. We’ll order a new water pump, fix the generator so it will run next time we need it. The sun will come up and life will sail along. I am trying really hard not to maim my husband as he sits casually 12 feet away with no estrogen, watching TV and knowing he will fix the crap that broke today. He won’t make eye contact with me, little wonder why. This day in this life has been weird and frustrating and very joyous all at once. Way too many emotions for me to process tonight. I’ll write about the receding water tomorrow and hope the devil that is ‘the change’ is back in the bottle tomorrow.
[caption id="attachment_1023" align="alignleft" width="225"]
Orange, kale, other grees, berries , chia seed and brazil nuts. Pre-smoothing form just add coconut milk and hit the button for a glass of green goo.[/caption]
When I get up my blender full of stuff will be in the fridge and I’ll decide then whether to blend it up and drink it or throw it out and start over. It may look pretty nasty by then.
Until tomorrow…
I had another post prepared today, but the day took a few turns that I didn’t anticipate, and I am sitting here at the end of a very difficult day writing about something totally different. The cool part is tomorrow is already done!
“What’s it like?” Today is kind of a best/ worst day. I am in the grips of menopausal mood swings to the extreme today and everything I encounter is making me crazy, really. When you live full-time you are kind of on the ragged edge technology wise. The power went out in this part of the world this morning. I literally had my finger on the button to pulverize my disgusting looking, yet tasty smoothie for breakfast when everything went dead. No problem I thought. I went outside, and the breaker was not tripped. A quick look outside at everyone coming out of their campers scratching their heads told me it was an outage. No worries, I own a motorhome now! Not so fast. The damned thing wouldn’t start. Fuel delivery issues apparently, by the time Champ identified the part that needed to be ordered a couple hours later (of course) the power was back on. Cool! The generator is broke now too along with our AC that is still waiting on a motor. It will be very, very hot in here very fast in this weather. At least we're in the shade, unlike some of our neighbors. I left for work early to escape the issues here and walked into a fire storm of annoying activity that nearly did me in today. Did I mention my menopausal mood issues today? Yes, they are making me borderline psychotic at work too. I really needed a quite day at work I got just the opposite.
Here’s where the best part comes in. Through social media an acquaintance of mine from school and I connected. She started doing the full time RV thing last year and a mutual friend hooked us up on Facebook to share our experiences. I can’t help but visualize a Venn diagram when I think of how I knew Rhonda in school. We moved in different social circles a grade apart I am older. We had enough mutual friends that those circles intersected occasionally.
[caption id="attachment_1024" align="alignright" width="225"]
Rhonda, the ray of sunshine in my day today![/caption]Fast forward a few decades and we grew into very like-minded adults whose lives ultimately resulted in this full-time RV lifestyle. She was going to be in town today and I knew she would be there when I got home. After my crappy day I was looking forward to seeing her and talking about whatever came up. It was a delightful afternoon! I do love that this lifestyle sends you down paths not only to meet new people, but also, to reconnect. It’s like a new / old friend. Very cool! I have no doubt that this is the beginning of a new friendship that was germinated some 40 years ago but has lain dormant somewhere between our very different paths waiting for its time to grow. How’s that for deep?
Back to the shitty part of the day. As we were sitting outside in the shade visiting, I notice the water pump was engaging every few seconds. I looked at Champ and he quietly, almost terrified looking said, “it’s broke too.” I knew I was shooting flames through my menopausal eyes and emitting a ton of negative energy because he looked like he wanted to run, far away and very fast. I’ve heard about pumps going bad due to non-use when you are on full hookups all the time. We use ours on the road and turn it on occasionally. Apparently, the people who owned it the 12 years prior to us didn’t know about that or didn’t care because the regular use the past week has done in a seal or diaphragm or something that is causing it to lose pressure and groan every 10 seconds or so. Not good for someone who has trouble staying asleep and is… did I mention having a very bad day and ready to commit menopausal murder or at least property damage.
I ponder if menopause and full-time RV living are compatible. Maybe it is recommended that women navigate that part of their life before trying this. My rational mind says, tomorrow all this stuff will roll off me. We’ll order a new water pump, fix the generator so it will run next time we need it. The sun will come up and life will sail along. I am trying really hard not to maim my husband as he sits casually 12 feet away with no estrogen, watching TV and knowing he will fix the crap that broke today. He won’t make eye contact with me, little wonder why. This day in this life has been weird and frustrating and very joyous all at once. Way too many emotions for me to process tonight. I’ll write about the receding water tomorrow and hope the devil that is ‘the change’ is back in the bottle tomorrow.
[caption id="attachment_1023" align="alignleft" width="225"]
Orange, kale, other grees, berries , chia seed and brazil nuts. Pre-smoothing form just add coconut milk and hit the button for a glass of green goo.[/caption]When I get up my blender full of stuff will be in the fridge and I’ll decide then whether to blend it up and drink it or throw it out and start over. It may look pretty nasty by then.
Until tomorrow…
Monday, July 9, 2018
Day 131 / 234 Top Pet Peeves of Seasoned Campers
Saylorville Lake Sunny- Humid – 91 Degrees
I have a few pet peeves around the campground that I speak out unapologetically about. Campgrounds can be a little like foreign countries. The seasoned campers know the local etiquette, whereas the rookies or the ones who only go a couple of times a year or are maybe in a rental RV trying it out for the first time, often commit a few blunders that drive us diehards crazy. Being in Acorn Valley this past week and for the next several weeks has reminded me how annoying these indiscretions are. Here are a few things that make us cringe and grit our teeth.
Don’t get me wrong, I love most things about campgrounds. The smell of campfires and the sound of families and friends gathered around laughing and talking. Kids riding their bikes and playing with no concern about anything but having a good time. Campgrounds are my one of my favorite places to be. Be part of the good things, don’t be the a-hole.
Until tomorrow…
I have a few pet peeves around the campground that I speak out unapologetically about. Campgrounds can be a little like foreign countries. The seasoned campers know the local etiquette, whereas the rookies or the ones who only go a couple of times a year or are maybe in a rental RV trying it out for the first time, often commit a few blunders that drive us diehards crazy. Being in Acorn Valley this past week and for the next several weeks has reminded me how annoying these indiscretions are. Here are a few things that make us cringe and grit our teeth.
- Dogs that aren’t trained. No one seems to train their dog anymore. They leave them home in kennels for 10 hours a day while they go to work and then bring them to the campground on the weekends and expect them to know how to act around all the unfamiliar smells and sounds. I like dogs it’s not their fault they don’t know how to act. Owners, listen up. Yelling at your dog all day does not constitute training and we are more annoyed by your constant bitching at your dog than we are the dog itself. I know every dogs name in this campground this week. Not because I’ve been introduced when I walked by and stop to scratch it on the head, but because their owner yells it every 10 seconds when it barks at something. When I am out walking, it is not even close to cute when your dog lunges to the end of its retractable leash to dive at my leg or worse yet, lick me.
- Slow down! This is a campground road not a county highway. There are people walking, kids riding bikes and people trying to enjoy the peacefulness. Driving through the campground like you are driving to the grocery store is dangerous. Period! Don’t do it.
- Leaving your stuff in the shower house. I encountered this over the winter while pulling shower house duty in Texas and am confronted again this week using the public shower house here in Acorn Valley. The campground bathroom is used by more than you. Don’t leave your disgusting bar of soap in the soap tray. I don’t have a place to set mine. Don’t leave your shower bag on the bench in the stall. I am dismayed at people who leave their towel in there to dry. Don’t think for a moment that these are all innocently forgotten. The same bag will be there every day till a given camper pulls out, revealing the offender. Please, take your stuff back to your camper.
- If an area is closed, deal with it. Don’t complain to the park people that you didn’t get to do all you wanted to when you came. Just because a trail is not completely submerged or blocked, doesn’t mean there isn’t hazard. It could also be closed because they are trying to protect the area from you! There may be a new planting, or a wildlife issue. Perhaps the eagles are building a new nest and need to be left alone for a while as they settle into their new home. There may be rabid raccoons running around that they are working to catch. Maybe there is an active crime scene. Things happen out in the wilderness all the time. The rangers know more about their park than anyone else. If an area is closed its for your safety. Get over yourself and stay out. Don’t be stupid.
- Hummingbird Feeders. This isn’t necessarily a camping thing, but it is a real hot button with me. Hummingbirds are pollinators. If you want to attract them plant the flowers that they like to pollinate. It’s that easy. Sugar water molds in about 24 hours. Plus, their little bodies don’t like high fructose corn syrup any more than ours. The biggest killer of hummingbirds is hummingbird feeders. They should be taken off the market. Same goes for grape jelly to attract Orioles. It’s terrible for them. Stick and orange on a stick or throw some berries out for them.
Don’t get me wrong, I love most things about campgrounds. The smell of campfires and the sound of families and friends gathered around laughing and talking. Kids riding their bikes and playing with no concern about anything but having a good time. Campgrounds are my one of my favorite places to be. Be part of the good things, don’t be the a-hole.
Until tomorrow…
Friday, July 6, 2018
Day 128 / 237 Dam Duty
Saylorville Lake – Sunny – 78 Degrees
I’m spending the next two Friday’s 2pm – 8pm with my Volunteer buddy Don, sitting at the closed gate at the road across the dam and turning away people who are trying to get to the spillway to see the water rush out. It’s a steady stream of traffic, despite the local news channels doing daily reports about the closure. This is how we are earning our site these days. The emphasis is now on public safety and traffic control.
I’ve said repeatedly that one of the coolest parts of being resident volunteers at various parks is access. I am on the short list of people who are allowed to drive across the dam road and take the picture of the spillway opened full bore. It was a real eye opener.
Our site at Volunteer village is turning into an island. I went over this morning and took a couple of pictures. As I stood on the edge of my pad looking at the water, a fish jumped in the area where my little garden was. Don’t see that everyday in volunteer village!
We got moved and I managed to get the newsletters out on time, barely. Not my best work but it got done. My biggest challenge right now is to try to find something interesting to write about as the flood story gets stale.
Enjoy the pictures.
[gallery ids="1013,1015,1016,1017,1018"]
I’m spending the next two Friday’s 2pm – 8pm with my Volunteer buddy Don, sitting at the closed gate at the road across the dam and turning away people who are trying to get to the spillway to see the water rush out. It’s a steady stream of traffic, despite the local news channels doing daily reports about the closure. This is how we are earning our site these days. The emphasis is now on public safety and traffic control.
I’ve said repeatedly that one of the coolest parts of being resident volunteers at various parks is access. I am on the short list of people who are allowed to drive across the dam road and take the picture of the spillway opened full bore. It was a real eye opener.
Our site at Volunteer village is turning into an island. I went over this morning and took a couple of pictures. As I stood on the edge of my pad looking at the water, a fish jumped in the area where my little garden was. Don’t see that everyday in volunteer village!
We got moved and I managed to get the newsletters out on time, barely. Not my best work but it got done. My biggest challenge right now is to try to find something interesting to write about as the flood story gets stale.
Enjoy the pictures.
[gallery ids="1013,1015,1016,1017,1018"]
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Day 126 / 239 Independence Day
Saylorville Lake - Hazy Sunshine 94 degrees
It’s Independence Day! The made-up birthday for the United States. Everyone is a patriot today. The campgrounds are buzzing with activity and the boat ramps are closed due to the fact that the reservoir is doing what it was designed to do; hold back water and protect Des Moines and Polk City from worse flooding than they are already having.
In this world we live in today it is easy to get lost in the caustic politics, relentless newsfeed topics decrying one or the other of the political parties and incessant blame on whose fault it is that our ‘American Dream’ is in jeopardy. I have to admit I’m not very optimistic about the future of this country as I have known it, my first 53 years, but all things change and change hurts. Stay with me for a minute… Yes, I despise our current president but more than that I have felt for years that the root cause of our inability to deliver ‘liberty and justice for all’ lies in our two party, tribalistic system. The Great American Experiment is a failure. Not because it was a bad idea, but because human nature is inherently selfish and greedy. In the caveman days it was a simple matter of survival of the fittest. Power has always corrupted once good people and money is at the root of all that is evil about our government. That aside I feel very lucky to be a natural citizen of this country. I have travelled in developing countries and countries ruled by martial law and in spite of all that is wrong today we are very lucky to live here.
This full-time vagabond lifestyle we live these days would not even be a pipe dream in many countries. We take our RV, collect our retirement income via direct deposit, pay what bills we have online and go about our business without any thought that our government may impede our will to travel and explore. No papers required to cross state lines. Our credit cards work where ever we swipe them and the world turns.
We live in a relatively safe society, really, we do. At least we don’t have to worry about a mortar sailing through our dining room window in the middle of breakfast, or our kids being rounded up by a martial government to force them into a life of soldier hood for the current regime. As women we can marry whom ever we want. We really do have it good in the United States of America.
The best part of celebrating our freedom is the reminder, that if we hate our government we can say as much without going to jail. And we as citizens have the ultimate power, OUR VOTE! We get to decide who holds office. Vote intelligently, get involved and above all thank your lucky starts that you are an American.
Happy Independence Day!
Until tomorrow…
It’s Independence Day! The made-up birthday for the United States. Everyone is a patriot today. The campgrounds are buzzing with activity and the boat ramps are closed due to the fact that the reservoir is doing what it was designed to do; hold back water and protect Des Moines and Polk City from worse flooding than they are already having.
In this world we live in today it is easy to get lost in the caustic politics, relentless newsfeed topics decrying one or the other of the political parties and incessant blame on whose fault it is that our ‘American Dream’ is in jeopardy. I have to admit I’m not very optimistic about the future of this country as I have known it, my first 53 years, but all things change and change hurts. Stay with me for a minute… Yes, I despise our current president but more than that I have felt for years that the root cause of our inability to deliver ‘liberty and justice for all’ lies in our two party, tribalistic system. The Great American Experiment is a failure. Not because it was a bad idea, but because human nature is inherently selfish and greedy. In the caveman days it was a simple matter of survival of the fittest. Power has always corrupted once good people and money is at the root of all that is evil about our government. That aside I feel very lucky to be a natural citizen of this country. I have travelled in developing countries and countries ruled by martial law and in spite of all that is wrong today we are very lucky to live here.
This full-time vagabond lifestyle we live these days would not even be a pipe dream in many countries. We take our RV, collect our retirement income via direct deposit, pay what bills we have online and go about our business without any thought that our government may impede our will to travel and explore. No papers required to cross state lines. Our credit cards work where ever we swipe them and the world turns.
We live in a relatively safe society, really, we do. At least we don’t have to worry about a mortar sailing through our dining room window in the middle of breakfast, or our kids being rounded up by a martial government to force them into a life of soldier hood for the current regime. As women we can marry whom ever we want. We really do have it good in the United States of America.
The best part of celebrating our freedom is the reminder, that if we hate our government we can say as much without going to jail. And we as citizens have the ultimate power, OUR VOTE! We get to decide who holds office. Vote intelligently, get involved and above all thank your lucky starts that you are an American.
Happy Independence Day!
Until tomorrow…
Tuesday, July 3, 2018
Day 125 / 240 Other Duties As Assigned
Saylorville Lake Sunshine – 93 Degrees
When people ask me what we like most about the work we do, our initial response usually leans toward our preference for variety. Let’s just say we are getting our wish this summer.
The Natural Resources team that Champ is a part of has switched their mission from resource and wildlife management to public safety and flood monitoring for the next few weeks. As the lake continues to rise and comes ever closer to the magic elevation of 890 feet above sea level, when it will breach the emergency spillway, the water encroaches on new areas each day. Many sections of the 13 miles of bike trail that run through the parks are underwater. All of the boat ramps are closed and now some of the day use areas are being flooded. The campgrounds are built high on the ridges around the lake and will not flood. They are sold out for the holiday week as mother nature has her way with the area.
I stopped by Volunteer Village this morning to take a picture and ran into Champ and Will. They are tasked today with going around to all the areas that have been barricaded to be sure the barricades are still up and haven’t been removed by visitors who don’t seem to understand their purpose. It was strange to look at our village, normally bustling with activity, sit there vacant, yet still dry. Just before I left the Electricians arrived to begin the process of taking the panels and breakers out of the electrical supply that feeds the area. The water is at the edge of our little neighborhood and will begin flooding that area over the next couple of days.
[gallery ids="1001,1000,1003,984,1002"]
The road that goes across the dam will be closed today and part of our jobs will be to take shifts standing at the barricades to explain to people why they can’t go over the dam and see that they know the alternative route to get around the lake. So many roads are closed it is confusing, even for someone like me, who grew up here.
People surprise me in these situations in two ways. First, we see all the time how people step up and help each other during disasters. Second, the uglier side of human nature is that people are also very curious about disaster areas. Everyone wants to be able to say they were there and saw it first hand and brag about who was closer. We humans love a good tragedy. Being on the back side of this situation has been interesting. It’s amazing the danger people place themselves in just to get a good look. Closed gates and barricades mean nothing to some people. There is an unbelievable amount of activity at the lake monitoring and trying to keep everyone safe while they enjoy the areas that are open. I watched a family the other day playing in the debris ridden flood water line near the village. They had parked at the closed gate and walked around it. They were letting a small child run around in the shallow water on the road completely unaware that the ditch was there and is about 3’ deep. The kid trotted right off the road and went underwater. This kind of thing really brings out the stupid in people. With drownings happening every week in Iowa one would think people would give this situation more respect, they don’t. Anyone who has worked in public safety will understand. We are getting schooled in it. I will even be doing some shifts at the dam on my days off here at the store. July will be a busy month.
Until tomorrow…
When people ask me what we like most about the work we do, our initial response usually leans toward our preference for variety. Let’s just say we are getting our wish this summer.
The Natural Resources team that Champ is a part of has switched their mission from resource and wildlife management to public safety and flood monitoring for the next few weeks. As the lake continues to rise and comes ever closer to the magic elevation of 890 feet above sea level, when it will breach the emergency spillway, the water encroaches on new areas each day. Many sections of the 13 miles of bike trail that run through the parks are underwater. All of the boat ramps are closed and now some of the day use areas are being flooded. The campgrounds are built high on the ridges around the lake and will not flood. They are sold out for the holiday week as mother nature has her way with the area.
I stopped by Volunteer Village this morning to take a picture and ran into Champ and Will. They are tasked today with going around to all the areas that have been barricaded to be sure the barricades are still up and haven’t been removed by visitors who don’t seem to understand their purpose. It was strange to look at our village, normally bustling with activity, sit there vacant, yet still dry. Just before I left the Electricians arrived to begin the process of taking the panels and breakers out of the electrical supply that feeds the area. The water is at the edge of our little neighborhood and will begin flooding that area over the next couple of days.
[gallery ids="1001,1000,1003,984,1002"]
The road that goes across the dam will be closed today and part of our jobs will be to take shifts standing at the barricades to explain to people why they can’t go over the dam and see that they know the alternative route to get around the lake. So many roads are closed it is confusing, even for someone like me, who grew up here.
People surprise me in these situations in two ways. First, we see all the time how people step up and help each other during disasters. Second, the uglier side of human nature is that people are also very curious about disaster areas. Everyone wants to be able to say they were there and saw it first hand and brag about who was closer. We humans love a good tragedy. Being on the back side of this situation has been interesting. It’s amazing the danger people place themselves in just to get a good look. Closed gates and barricades mean nothing to some people. There is an unbelievable amount of activity at the lake monitoring and trying to keep everyone safe while they enjoy the areas that are open. I watched a family the other day playing in the debris ridden flood water line near the village. They had parked at the closed gate and walked around it. They were letting a small child run around in the shallow water on the road completely unaware that the ditch was there and is about 3’ deep. The kid trotted right off the road and went underwater. This kind of thing really brings out the stupid in people. With drownings happening every week in Iowa one would think people would give this situation more respect, they don’t. Anyone who has worked in public safety will understand. We are getting schooled in it. I will even be doing some shifts at the dam on my days off here at the store. July will be a busy month.
Until tomorrow…
Monday, July 2, 2018
Day 124 / 242 Evacuation Day at Saylorville
Saylorville Lake Sunshine – 90 Degrees
I realized today, I’m about a third of the way through my year-long project of posting daily (mostly). I remember thinking when I started this “who knows what the year will bring?” The weather has been full of surprises all over the country this year.
As I sit here in our new site that will be home for the next several weeks I can’t help but feel grateful. First and formost we are in the midst of devastating flooding all around us and we have not been injured or had any property damage. A local radio personality lost his life Saturday night in the torrential flash flooding that occurred in Des Moines. 10” of rain in a couple of hours caught everyone off guard. The family I work for suffered substantial property damage due to the deluge of rain overwhelming the storm sewer system in their neighborhood. I have not seen damage like this since 1993 when the entire Midwest flooded. The 500-year flood they called it. The Corps watches the lake level and emergency spillway closely and we all hope for the best. So far, the water is going out the Dam Outlet at maximum capacity of 22,000 CFS. The problem is it is coming in the north end at 33,000 CFS so the lake continues to rise steadily. They predict it will crest on the 8th now.
We work for an amazing Corps of Engineers project. The staff bent over backwards to find us all sites in the campgrounds that will accommodate our length and power needs. We won’t have the luxury of full hook ups till we go back to the village later this summer, but that is a small inconvenience considering the situation we are all in. Then there is the family I work for. There is a reason I have stayed friends with Jeff all these years. His whole family are some of the best people I know. With all they had going on themselves my co-workers and the Kirschbaum’s made it possible for me to take today off so we could get moved. My daughter loaned us her pickup this morning to haul all my summer container garden our deck and patio furniture to the new site. When we move around in the winter we don’t have but a fraction of the outdoor stuff that we do in the summer when we are in one place April to October. This move was much more involved than our normal routine.
I’m thankful for the volunteer community that we are a part of at Saylorville. Everyone is keeping a great sense of humor about our predicament and pitching in to help each other where ever we can. We are all scattered about in a campground on the west side of the lake but still kind of together.
We have a beautiful, shaded site that backs up to the woods and looks out over a big ravine. In our 17 years together, we have never spent time in this campground. Mostly because it is on the side of the lake with no boat ramps to speak of and we come here to boat. It will be a nice opportunity to experience Saylorville from the other side of the lake with different views, different birds inhabiting the timber behind us no sun beating down on the big windows each afternoon, I am thrilled to be here. The only thing that could make it better is FHU’s.
I have to drive by Sandpiper, where the village is, each morning on my way into work, so I will stop and check out the situation. They wanted us out before the water invades, which will be soon, so they can get over there and take the guts out of all the electric boxes and remove the big power supply before it gets inundated with nasty, river water and debris.
I’ll talk tomorrow about how Champ’s job will change for the foreseeable future. In the midst of all this I still need to get two newsletters ready by Wednesday so here are some pictures from our evacuation day and I’ll sign off with my usual.
Until tomorrow…
[gallery ids="994,993,992,991,997"]
I realized today, I’m about a third of the way through my year-long project of posting daily (mostly). I remember thinking when I started this “who knows what the year will bring?” The weather has been full of surprises all over the country this year.
As I sit here in our new site that will be home for the next several weeks I can’t help but feel grateful. First and formost we are in the midst of devastating flooding all around us and we have not been injured or had any property damage. A local radio personality lost his life Saturday night in the torrential flash flooding that occurred in Des Moines. 10” of rain in a couple of hours caught everyone off guard. The family I work for suffered substantial property damage due to the deluge of rain overwhelming the storm sewer system in their neighborhood. I have not seen damage like this since 1993 when the entire Midwest flooded. The 500-year flood they called it. The Corps watches the lake level and emergency spillway closely and we all hope for the best. So far, the water is going out the Dam Outlet at maximum capacity of 22,000 CFS. The problem is it is coming in the north end at 33,000 CFS so the lake continues to rise steadily. They predict it will crest on the 8th now.
We work for an amazing Corps of Engineers project. The staff bent over backwards to find us all sites in the campgrounds that will accommodate our length and power needs. We won’t have the luxury of full hook ups till we go back to the village later this summer, but that is a small inconvenience considering the situation we are all in. Then there is the family I work for. There is a reason I have stayed friends with Jeff all these years. His whole family are some of the best people I know. With all they had going on themselves my co-workers and the Kirschbaum’s made it possible for me to take today off so we could get moved. My daughter loaned us her pickup this morning to haul all my summer container garden our deck and patio furniture to the new site. When we move around in the winter we don’t have but a fraction of the outdoor stuff that we do in the summer when we are in one place April to October. This move was much more involved than our normal routine.
I’m thankful for the volunteer community that we are a part of at Saylorville. Everyone is keeping a great sense of humor about our predicament and pitching in to help each other where ever we can. We are all scattered about in a campground on the west side of the lake but still kind of together.
We have a beautiful, shaded site that backs up to the woods and looks out over a big ravine. In our 17 years together, we have never spent time in this campground. Mostly because it is on the side of the lake with no boat ramps to speak of and we come here to boat. It will be a nice opportunity to experience Saylorville from the other side of the lake with different views, different birds inhabiting the timber behind us no sun beating down on the big windows each afternoon, I am thrilled to be here. The only thing that could make it better is FHU’s.
I have to drive by Sandpiper, where the village is, each morning on my way into work, so I will stop and check out the situation. They wanted us out before the water invades, which will be soon, so they can get over there and take the guts out of all the electric boxes and remove the big power supply before it gets inundated with nasty, river water and debris.
I’ll talk tomorrow about how Champ’s job will change for the foreseeable future. In the midst of all this I still need to get two newsletters ready by Wednesday so here are some pictures from our evacuation day and I’ll sign off with my usual.
Until tomorrow…
[gallery ids="994,993,992,991,997"]
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Day 123 / 242
Saylorville Lake – Rainy 72 degrees
We received 7.5” of rain overnight at Saylorville. Not the answer we were looking for from mother nature. Ankeny, the city adjacent to the lake area and where I work got 10”. The weather reporters all forecasted rain for us but no one saw that coming.
Evacuation prep is underway, and we will likely move tomorrow unless the rangers change the plan. The difficulty is we are in the midst of the biggest camping week in Iowa’s summer season. 4th of July week. As they figure out sites for us to move to we wait for our assignment and pack up our patios.
I dug up the tomatoes, squash and peppers that were growing in the ground and put them in the huge pots I used last year, when I did my entire vegetable garden in containers. So much for getting a site with raised beds! I have talked to many people this morning who have suffered property loss in this deluge.
The rangers came around last evening getting length and power requirements for all of us as they figure out site assignments for everyone. It’s going to suck a little not being on full hook-ups for several weeks, but we will all adapt as full-timers must. Our jobs here at the lake are pretty predictable from now till October. Flood recovery will be the theme for Champ's team. We are no strangers to flooding, having spent most of our lives in Iowa we know what awaits when the water recedes.
As annoying as the weather is being this year, I just look to each day and be glad the power is on, we are both healthy and working for a park that values their volunteers and will take good care of us as we ride this out with them. This little adventure is just part of the package.
Here are the pictures for the day.
[gallery ids="983,987,980,985,984,986"]
Until tomorrow...
We received 7.5” of rain overnight at Saylorville. Not the answer we were looking for from mother nature. Ankeny, the city adjacent to the lake area and where I work got 10”. The weather reporters all forecasted rain for us but no one saw that coming.
Evacuation prep is underway, and we will likely move tomorrow unless the rangers change the plan. The difficulty is we are in the midst of the biggest camping week in Iowa’s summer season. 4th of July week. As they figure out sites for us to move to we wait for our assignment and pack up our patios.
I dug up the tomatoes, squash and peppers that were growing in the ground and put them in the huge pots I used last year, when I did my entire vegetable garden in containers. So much for getting a site with raised beds! I have talked to many people this morning who have suffered property loss in this deluge.
The rangers came around last evening getting length and power requirements for all of us as they figure out site assignments for everyone. It’s going to suck a little not being on full hook-ups for several weeks, but we will all adapt as full-timers must. Our jobs here at the lake are pretty predictable from now till October. Flood recovery will be the theme for Champ's team. We are no strangers to flooding, having spent most of our lives in Iowa we know what awaits when the water recedes.
As annoying as the weather is being this year, I just look to each day and be glad the power is on, we are both healthy and working for a park that values their volunteers and will take good care of us as we ride this out with them. This little adventure is just part of the package.
Here are the pictures for the day.
[gallery ids="983,987,980,985,984,986"]
Until tomorrow...
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