We are having the kind of summer we both envisioned when we launched into this lifestyle. We are at our favorite park, work camping and enjoying our little neighborhood called Volunteer Village. This summer we are providing the day care for one of our granddaughters and savoring the 2-3 afternoons each week we get to spend with her. We have our two young grandsons over regularly. More weekends than not, I wake up to the sound of little voices and have to step around the queen sized air bed they sleep on when I emerge from the bedroom at the back of the motor home. I don’t even mind stepping on the occasional Lego brick that sometimes gets left on the floor and finds itself embedded in the arch of my foot during my 3 a.m. trip to the bathroom. We have pulled out of our site twice now to join our old camping group at another campground and have plans to do it once again in September.
Nora and Grandpa park time 
S'mores time 
Evening fishing with the boys 
My baby is 30! 
I spent a great day in early August with our two grandsons Isaac and Hunter at the Bison Days Festival at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge. It was an exclusive grandma day. Champ stayed home and let me have them all to myself. It was a hit with the boys. We spent the morning at the refuge engaged in all kinds of activities and at the end Hunter asked me when they would do it again. He was a little disappointed when I told him it would be next summer. It makes my heart happy watch them enjoy and learn about nature and wildlife. One of the best parts of our summers now is exposing the young grand kids to outdoor activities in natural areas. They love to go to the Nature Center and they all seem to forget about the television and their tablets when they stay with us.
Prairie Flowers scavenger hunt with the boys 
Antler ring toss
The Iowa State Fair is now a memory of two shifts worked at the Saylorville Lake booth and more memories made as a couple at the site of our first date 18 years ago. The summer has also been marked by the wedding of our oldest grandson, and the 30th birthday milestone of our youngest. In between we have managed to hold three village potlucks, spend time with siblings and friends and even reconnect with family that we have not seen in years.
Areal view of the fair from the sky glider
Late summer vegetables are finding their way from their pots to my kitchen, the herbs I grow are thriving and the flowers are in all their glory. Our site is a little slice of heaven for us.
I have started working for my friend at his store now that back to school and football season upon us. It’s a fun gig for me each summer and it’s easy extra help for them during their busy late summer season. Champ and I are beginning to talk about the time till our departure date in terms of weeks instead of months. The emotions of excitement to escape winter, see new places and reconnect with RV friends, ebbs and flows against the wall sadness, guilt and angst of leaving friends and family behind.
It has taken three summers but we have settled into a nice
summer routine. We come back to Saylorville, work part time for the lake, spend
lots of time with the kids and do our best to cram 12 months of stuff into the
6 months that we are here. It’s nice when the vision you dream up turns to
reality.
Until Next Time…
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