Saylorville Lake Sunshine 85 Degrees (perfect State Fair weather)
The Famous Iowa State Fair began on Thursday. Over a million people from all over the world will visit the huge fair over the next 10 days. Native Iowans have a mindset programmed in their DNA that makes them believe if they don’t go at least one day of the fair they will be doomed to an eternity in purgatory with other bad Iowans who weren’t fair goers. It’s an Iowa thing. I’ve been to state fairs in other states. This one truly is one of the best.
We are starting to realize that we have crossed the line from novice full timers to the ones that newer full-timers or what I call full-time dreamers seek out for insight into the life style. When we were starting to talk seriously with each other about actually doing this we started picking the brains of every full timer we came across. You learn to sniff them out. They (now we) have a certain subtle energy that is easily recognizable by certain other campers who want to be full time. It’s hard to explain. We are less the brain pickers now and more the pickees. I love it either way. I love talking to the warriors who have been at it nearly two decades, as much as I like talking to the dreamers who want to know how we find gigs, or how we brought ourselves to trade our foundation and roots for wheels.
Today we worked the Saylorville Lake booth at the State Fair and talked to all sorts of people. We talked to a couple who dream of doing what we do. One of my best friend’s sons stopped by and said hi, and best of all my old office mate and boss, who I still consider a friend even though we don’t see each other much, was at the fair and stopped by with her family. It made my heart so happy to see her! It has been nearly two years since we last saw each other and the first thing she said is, “you look so happy”. She meant it and she was right. It’s that energy thing I mentioned earlier. I don’t know what it is, but there is a certain look that people who are truly content with their lives and unburdened by the daily grind of the rat race have. It’s kind of like the energy of someone who is totally swept off their feet by a new love.
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After we finished our shift we “Did the Fair” with Steve and Sue, Champ’s brother and sister in law who we are close to spent a lot of time with before we “sold everything and took off” (as Steve puts it). We had a great day! It was another of those times when you try to wring out as much quality time as you can, knowing we will be apart for the winter.
As we enter, full throttle into the last half of our summer season at home we are becoming so busy we don’t know what day it is. Late summer birthdays, The Fair, an extra volunteer gig that I picked up, a new baby born, that we have yet to see, what will likely be a weekend motorcycle trip to the Loess Hills this fall that just struck me today as a must do before we leave this fall and an out of town wedding next weekend, is making us both tired just thinking about it. In the meantime, we try to cram 12 months of family and kid time into the 5 ½ months we are in Iowa. Plains Georgia will be a change of pace akin to getting off a Japanese Super Train and hopping into a covered wagon. We may need it by then to recover from the break-neck speed that life is travelling this summer. When I decided to start volunteering for the new Nature Center, Champ laughed at me and said, “You’re just like your Aunt Pat, you’ll be 100 years old and still have your finger in a dozen pies and love every minute of it”. He’s right I can’t get enough now that I have time. I ran across a Gandhi quote for the last newsletter I wrote that fits this wonderful life so well.
“The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in service to others”
Until Next Time…
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