The Second Half

Oh boy, summer is really clicking by. Our mid-summer Volunteer meeting when we will talk about our fall departure date was Wednesday night.  I realized today, that the grand kids will be back in school this time next month and the late summer birthdays will begin next week with a grandson, my daughter, daughter in law, another grandson and yet another grandson all having birthdays within 30 days of each other. The State Fair is around the corner and this morning as I walked out of the Visitor’s Center, I spied a huge flock of Pelicans circling above. They are a couple weeks early this year. Who knows why? Maybe it’s climate change, maybe the fires in Canada this summer, maybe the crazy out of character weather patterns, but they are back and that is a sure sign of fall coming.

Work here has changed up a bit. The grass does not need
mowed weekly in Iowa this time of year. I have lots of days, that I don’t need
to mow, so my duties have been quite varied. Power washing bridges, weeding the
butterfly garden, weed eating areas we can’t get with the mower, trimming bushes
and branches back from the roadsides, picking up large rocks from the beach,
left by flood waters. And, every wild area Volunteers favorite duty; pulling
fence.

I say all the time that my least favorite work is weed eating. The constant vibration in my hands makes me nauseous, always has.  Then, I get sent to pull fence and I remember, weed eating is my second least favorite work. If you work on a maintenance or natural resources team at a big park or natural area anywhere in the US, there is a good chance, that in the timber or open fields where the public doesn’t go, there are old wood fence posts and barbed wire left over from decades ago when the land was cattle ranch or some sort of agriculture operation. When time allows, a fall back job for volunteers is to work on removing the old wire and posts; mostly by hand because of the location.  It is a hazard for the wildlife especially deer who forage in the area and it also inhibits fire work.

Then, as always, Mother Nature can change the plan any day. It happened here at Saylorville last weekend. The sweltering hot humid weather was broken by a front that came through and used 60 MPH straight line winds to lower our temps and drive out the humidity. The result was some significant tree damage here. Thankfully, it occurred in day use areas that were not occupied at the time and not in campgrounds. An enormous tree fell at the Visitor’s Center and another at the edge of the Butterfly Gardens. Today's work, after our quality time with the barbed wire, included making use of the mulch left behind by the tree service and spreading it on some of the flower beds. The rest was hauled away to the mulch mountain that exists behind the scene’s here.

• 

  Judy standing on the stump from the giant Oak that fell at the VC

• 

  Wrangling old barbed wire and brambles

• 

  Tree trunk grown around old barbed wire and chain link

• 

  Downed Oak at the VC

I made reservations for our trip south a couple of days ago. We’ll start in Lindsborg, KS with my aunt and cousins for our third time at the Swedish Festival, then kill 10 days meandering our way to Mercedes, Texas with a stop on Galveston Island for 5 days. Back to School shopping is getting ready to kick into high gear and I’ll work in my friends store for the next 8 weeks helping out through the chaos. In the meantime, I’ll keep working for the park here, writing the newsletters and spend as much time as I can with the kids and friends. The pace is ramping up to fever pitch.

It’s like the storm before the calm. It will be off the
charts crazy busy from now till Mid October, when we leave. Then we’ll have a
winter of basking in warm weather, leisurely schedules, seeing old friends and
missing the hell out of the kids.

Until Next Time…

Caterpillars and Storm Clouds

It is getting to be the time of year when Natural Resources duties become varied and interesting. With the arrival of drought season and the extreme heat that bears down on Iowa this time of year, mowing is no longer a weekly job. I mowed Monday and likely won’t mow again for a couple of weeks. With the mowing contractors in full swing, I can get my mowing done in a little over a half day. That leaves a partial day and another full day to do whatever Ranger Coty tasks us with. I like the variety and mystery of how each day may unfold.

At a big place like Saylorville about anything can and does happen. This past week Judy and I went over to the Butterfly gardens to water a couple of beds that were built after the sprinkler system was built and are just out if its reach. We were thrilled to discover a multitude of Monarch Caterpillars munching away on the dill growing in the gardens. Monarch Caterpillars are naturally attracted to dill. It made sense as we watched them and realized they are perfectly camouflaged in the dill weed. As we weeded some of the beds we squealed every time we came across a caterpillar or cocoon. After all, that is why the butterfly garden exists. The fruits of Judy’s dedicated labors were revealing themselves! I love working with her. Driving down the paths on the ATV is an ongoing lesson in Saylorville history. With 18 years of volunteering here under her belt, every nook and cranny of this place holds a memory for her, that she freely shares as we work around the lake.

• 

  Monarch Caterpillar on Dill

We have been busy power washing the bridges that traverse the creeks and ravines in 7 places along the 13 miles of the 26-mile-long Neal Smith bike trail that moves through Saylorville and is maintained by the Corps. Some days we trim branches that are encroaching the trail and roadsides, or low hanging branches that make mowing difficult. We have pulled old cattle fence and some days we weed eat, my least favorite job. Eventually we will be filling water bags placed around new trees to keep them properly hydrated as they establish themselves.

Yesterday, Judy and I were tasked with removing the sand left behind by flood waters from the picnic pads at Sandpiper Beach. The three 10x10 pads were covered in about 4” of sand. Picnic tables and nice canopies will be installed now that we have cleaned them off. As we shoveled and swept, we started watching a rather impressive shelf cloud begin to form just to the north of us. We worked a little faster and took a call from Coty, who was 8 miles south at the other end of the lake and also watching the sky. We promised to head back as soon as we were finished. Turns out Judy and I both like a good summer thunderstorm. We had both seen the forecast and knew that our 10% chance of rain was going to happen and that it would be short lived and strong but non-severe. I had my camera for once.  We were making good progress getting back to the shop just ahead of the front line. I was taking pictures and we were enjoying the sudden 10-degree temperature drop and cool wind ahead of the storm. Life was good till the ATV we were driving began to overheat and we realized we were not going to make it back, not in that vehicle anyway. Coty had called to check on our progress getting back and we gave him the news. He drove the park truck out to fetch us from the trail and we limped the ATV to cover so it could cool down and make the rest of the trip back to the maintenance complex later. We finished our workday soaked to the skin and laughing.

• 

  Storm Clouds over Prairie Flower

• 

  On the trail driving just ahead of the storm

The summer is passing quickly. We have our mid-summer Volunteer meeting next week to talk about departure dates, who is planning to return and sign up for our shifts manning the booth at the Iowa State Fair in August. It’s hard to believe that I’m already plotting our trip and stop overs for our trip to Mercedes Texas where we will winter this year. Who knows what the rest of the summer will bring? That’s the best part, everyday is truly and adventure.

Until Next Time…

A Trip Down Memory Lane

There is no question we are back in Iowa.  The daytime temperatures have see-sawed between cool damp rainy 50’s and warm sunny lower 70’s. The wind still has a bite, and I start my outdoor workday in about 4 layers from the waist up. Someday's, I am still in all four layers when I come home, other days I am carrying a pile of clothes from the car and down to my High Viz work T- shirt.

Everyone who will occupy Volunteer Village has arrived. In a couple of weeks we will host our season opener happy hour to bring all the new people and the returning people together and have a chance to get to know each other better.

I have started getting my publishing calendar for the newsletters filled in with topics that will get me started for the season. At a certain point my ongoing weekly project will start to generate its own momentum and instead of trying to come up with topics for articles it will be a matter of choosing which things to write about.

I answer the question, “What is it like?” occasionally. Answer?  “It can be very nostalgic, if you return to places regularly.”

I love time spent on a mower.  Next to gardening work, it is my favorite
form of park volunteer work.  This summer
the volunteers will be taking on some more of the mowing. At the beginning of
the season when mowing contracts are still being finalized and the weather is
uncooperative, as it often is during spring in the Midwest, the initial spring
mowfest falls under “Other Duties as Assigned” for the natural resource
volunteers.  In between rain showers I
have spent some time on a commercial mower getting campgrounds and day use
areas groomed for the opening season that arrived last weekend and is sold out
here at Saylorville.

My office view this spring

The ranger tasked two of us with mowing the very campground where Champ and I camped regularly before we started our new lifestyle three years ago.  I was mowing at Prairie Flower and found myself mowing the campsites in Honeysuckle Loop where we spent many weekends over the years. All of a sudden, I realized I was mowing the campsite where we had an all-night fire side conversation about the fantasy of living in our camper and being one of the volunteers we encountered when we were camping. I got a little choked up remembering that night as I mowed and realizing just 12 years later, we are living that pipe dream we spent all night talking about when we still had a daughter living at home. As I mowed each site, I remembered times when we were in that site. Triple birthday celebrations for me and my two sisters whose birthdays are within a month of mine. Mother's Day breakfasts. A terrible storm one weekend that sunk our boat and the neighboring camper who put our awning in and picked up our lawn chairs while we were dragging our sunken boat out of the lake after straight line winds  drove it underwater seconds after I abandoned it along the shoreline realizing it would sink with me and my daughter in it as we awaited our turn to load. I mowed around a good-sized Maple tree, remembering a weekend early in our marriage when we were camping in the site next to it and witnessed some college kids strip the green limbs off the tree for ‘firewood’. We called the Ranger and watched as they were removed from the campsite. The tree survived and is now a 20’ tall Maple showing no signs of the trauma is suffered as a young tree 15 years ago.

I realized the place, while it is a nice campground lives in my heart because of the experiences and the people I remember from these sites. I started thinking about other places we've been. The ones I remember the best are the places where we met new people. I remember great detail about those places. Without the human connection my memory of places we've been is vague. I thought ahead to the winter we have planned in Texas this next season.  As Champ and I talked that night about my trip down memory lane we both realized we will go south to get away from the cold northern climate each winter season. But our choices are now being driven more by who we will see in the places rather than the places themselves. We return to Texas next winter. Yes, it will be warm and the park where we will work camp for our site will be nice. The true draw though is who we will see while in Texas.  People we will visit along the way between Des Moines and the southern border. People we met this past winter who will end up in Texas near us for at least some of the time, and of course the people we already know who call south Texas home. We have plans to visit other states that we haven’t traveled to yet. The reason they are officially on our radar now is the people we know who will be there to welcome us and show off their home state to us. New places are fun and interesting, new people make them special and memorable.

Until Next Time…

Day 345 / 20 What's The Draw of Workcamping

Ocala, Florida Rainy 70 Degrees

Yesterday afternoon, during a happy hour gathering with our neighbors, one of them posed the question, “So, what’s the draw of work camping?”.  The answer is multi-faceted. Our answer, in the moment only scratched the surface of the true ‘draw’ of work camping. I’ve been mulling it ever since. Most of the year we are in parks where we are volunteering with other like-minded full-timers. Birds of a feather as they say.  This winter is different. Our volunteer gig for the winter imploded and we have found ourselves in a long-term situation with people who do not workcamp anywhere. Most don’t even know what it is about. They are either retired snow birds who have come here to escape cold weather in their home state, or they are full-time RV’ers who travel about and stay in private RV resorts as they explore our beautiful country. Many have never spent a night in a Corps of Engineers Park, and don’t even know what we mean when we say, ‘Corps Park’.  A sad thing to me. A few have spent time in a State Park but for the most part the folks we are with this winter frequent private RV parks and travel like tourists. There is nothing wrong with that scenario for some people, it all depends on your expectations of how one experiences an area. Needless to say, couples like us are something of a curiosity to others, when we do hunker down in a private park occasionally. We are enjoying the opportunity to share our experiences with RV'ers who have never workcamped. Who knows, maybe someone will get inspired and check it out. The life of a workcamper is a very rewarding one for sure.

Back to the question. There are several things that draw us
to the life of being workcampers.

#1. The main draw is the economy of the life.  When you workcamp you typically trade about 25 hours a week of time and talent for the use of a FHU site and the utilities. In some cases, we are provided with laundry facilities.  I have to qualify this here.  We seek out jobs at Federal and State Parks. Often our sites are the only ones with full hook ups. The sites are usually spacious, not the grid style compact sites that exist in private parks. We have yet to volunteer at a private park, but may try it next winter.

#2. You have to do something. Even in retirement years people are happiest when they are busy. When you live in your RV and travel around you give up many things that fill your days. No yard to groom, big house to maintain, garage to work in etc.  Many people stayed busy with social activities, like church, service group activities, clubs and the like. Work camping gives us an outlet to stay busy using our hobbies, passions and skills for the benefit of the park we are working for. There is a stucture and routine to a workcampers day and week that keeps us motivated and feeling useful. It gives us a social network of people who share our interests. Simply put, it gives us some resemblance of our former brick and mortar lives.

#3. Work camping allows you to really get to know an area.
When you workcamp for a park you gain an in-depth knowledge of the area. It’s
part of your job. A person experiencing an area for a couple of weeks as a
tourist can never begin to learn what a workcamper learns about an area through
the course of their volunteer work. Not only does a workcamper get access to
areas, not open to the public, they also have at their disposal the knowledge
of those who work there, often rangers, biologists and other scientists who
make their career managing the parks and wild life areas where workcampers volunteer.
Work camping presents opportunities to nurture new and old hobbies and
interests. Work camping also presents endless opportunities to do new exciting
things as needs arise. Especially if you volunteer at a Wildlife Refuge or
National Forest. Workcampers are not only lending their talents and skills to
parks in exchange for a site to occupy for an extend period of time, we are
continually learning new things and growing as individuals.

#4. Giving makes you happy. 
Many people who workcamp were involved in community outreach programs
and volunteered their time to organizations in their former lives. Work camping
and giving back is highly satisfying. When your skills and passions result in
elevating the experience of those visiting the area where you volunteer, a warm
fulfilling sense of satisfaction arises in your inner self. It feels good to
give.

#5 People. When you work with others toward the mutual goal of making a place nice to visit you get to know them on a level unlike any other connection you will make with people you meet on the road. Partly because you are together for at least 90 days, partly because you are working together. Visiting with neighbors in a leisure park is fulfilling in its own way. But you will never experience the depth of the connection you develop with those you work with for a season in a park. Workcampers nurture each other. It comes in many forms, maybe a volunteer companion helps you learn a new hobby. If one of us is in their home area, we share the company of our family members and friends. Workcampers tend to seek each other out as we travel about. If someone is in the area, we make plans to meet. The other volunteers we are with get to meet the other gypsy friends and compare notes about the life. Volunteers often coordinate future jobs specifically to have to opportunity to work and live together again.

In a nutshell the draw is a sense of community, satisfaction
of being a part of what makes a place nice to visit, the growth that comes from
the new experiences and the ability to kick off your shoes and stay awhile.

Until next time…

To learn more about volunteering for federal parks go to http://www.volunteer.gov

Day 309 / 56 Ask These 2 Questions Before you Accept a Workcamp Job

This winter has taught me to ask two very important
questions when interviewing for future jobs with federal parks.  First, I will be asking for a picture of
our site. Some places in the past have emailed me a link of a Google Earth
picture. I will insist on it from now on. We would never have agreed to the job
in Plains had we seen a picture of the campground and the pad if you want to
call it that.  Second, I will be asking for specifics about what will happen with
volunteers if a government shutdown occurs and how our job descriptions may
change and what will be expected of us.

Volunteering for government operated parks poses a unique circumstance when a government shutdown occurs. Last spring when we arrived at Saylorville, an Army Corps of Engineers Park, the threat of a shutdown was looming. The Rangers told us that the park would close to the public, but we would be allowed to remain in Volunteer Village and would resume our duties when the park reopened. The shutdown didn’t happen last spring. It was the first time either one of us had thought about it.

So many things went wrong with our short experience with the National Parks Service in Plains GA. Any lingering guilt I was holding about leaving that situation vanished yesterday when I read several articles about the conditions of National Parks and what is being expected of volunteers in these conditions.

Photo courtesy of 93.1 WIBC News

For reasons I can’t make sense of the current administration with its laughable judgement, has not closed access to the parks even though they are being run on a skeleton staff at best and no contractors are doing basic things like pumping out pit toilets and hauling trash away. The articles told of unsanitary conditions at the park. Public running over the places with no supervision or boundaries. I hate to say it by human beings in groups with no restrictions tend to ruin a place. The lack of respect is appalling. With bathrooms locked down at Joshua Tree National Forest people are simply using the outdoors and not discretely. The park officials talked about how their volunteers were doing the nasty duty of picking up human feces from the edge of trails and around the locked bathroom buildings. Hauling trash in their personal vehicles since the park vehicles were inaccessible during the shut down all while their own accommodations becoming less sanitary with no trash pickup. Just this morning I read an article on NPR that 3 people have died of injuries sustained while enjoy areas that are still open. Two fell and staff simply wasn’t available to respond. A child who fell into a canyon laid there for a day before someone responded. That’s absolutely unacceptable. I imagine in Plains there would be little to do accept go out to the farm and take care of the goats, chickens and mules. Or stand around outside the locked building and tell people who enter, that the buildings are locked and there is nothing to see. I have no idea what we would be doing if anything if we were still in Plains accept sitting around in a clay mud hole, chasing away stray cats and watching the white trash conduct their ‘business’ at the convenience store directly in front of the trailer park we called home for 2 ½ weeks.

We have friends working in various federal parks around the
south this winter. I wonder what their experience is like during this shut
down.

As for the volunteers in some of the National Parks doing some really nasty duties right now, I have this to say to them. You are volunteers. If they ask you to do something outside of the job description you agreed to, you are completely within your rights to “Just say No” in the words on Nancy Reagan. If you are working in a federal park this winter, I hope they are treating you well. It’s a bad situation for all.

Right now, I’m very thankful to be here in Ocala, working in town knowing we have escaped a situation in Plains, GA that would have undoubtedly gone from terrible to intolerable. In the mean time I hope the powers that be, in our Nation’s Capital, will get over their childish power struggle and start governing before it is time to head back to Iowa in April.

Until Next time...

Day 261 / 104 Sometimes Things Don't Work Out

Plains, Georgia  62 Degrees Sunny

What's It Like?  Well, today we are at a place where many work campers find themselves at some point and we hoped we would never experience. We have entered some tenuous situations in the past and were able to 'ride it out' or work to find a solution that resulted in a very good experience. This time it is not in the cards. 

The work at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site has been a pleasure so far. The rangers and other volunteers are nice and engaging. The problem is with our accomodations. We knew upon arrival that we were in a tough situation and it has deteriorated every day. We read many forums about people arriving at places to work and finding their living situation intollerable. That is what we have found in Plains. This National Park does not provide RV pads on their property for their volunteers, but rather pay for sites in the locally owned park in town. 

Our first red flag shot up on arrival at the RV Park on the 1st of November. An old yellow dog was laying in the road as we pulled in. Bob, the elderly gentleman who owns the park and lives across the road introduced us to the neighborhood dog. (great) he also infomed us that the man who lives in the home directly in front of our site feeds several 'neighborood kitties' aka feral cats. He is an OTR truck driver and 'don't worry, the folks who work at the convenience store feed them when he's not home"  Great, again. 

Lady, The Camp Dog napping in our site

We took a deep breath and set up in our site. I gritted my teeth as I picked up the waste that the dog left in our site the next morning. The 'kitties' number over 15 and are made up of 3 nursing females, several males and 2 distinct litters of kittens appearing to be about 4 weeks and around 3 months old.  The males caught the scent of our cats the first time I let them out on their tethers. They stalked me when I took Buster for a walk ending in Buster hissing and growling ( not at all like him if you've met him you know his temperment) and so upset I had to pick him up and carry him back indoors. That night one particularly aggressive male climbed the tree next to our RV, jumped down on the slide awning and proceed to 'mark' the roof of our motor home. That has become a nightly event. Other males started coming around daily when ours were inside marking the lawn chairs, lawn, yard ornaments and even our wooden deck stairs. Not good. 

Enter the culture difference.  We brought this situation to the Volunteer Cooridnator, who hired us. She appreciated our situation, shared she had never had a volunteer 'complain' about the park and committed to finding a solution. Over the past few days we have learned that there is no real animal control unit in town or the county for that matter. The local attitude about stray animals is quite cavalier. They don't see the nuisance, or the issue of disease being spread or the property damage that can occur from feral animals. Especially cats. Their solution was a park near Andersonville National Park 25 miles away, with even less curb appeal, and the same feral animal problem obvious when we drove through the park. Now they expected us to move to another crappy park with potentially the same issues and drive an hour round trip to work our hours three days a week. Not gonna happen 

It was a difficult decision for us but we called and visited several RV Parks in Central Georgia to inquire about a site that we would stay in till / if we find another work camp gig this winter. We found one that is pretty nice      ( not like we experienced in Texas, again another distinct culture difference about how one defines nice) the price was decent for the area. We expected to pay with elbow grease this winter,  but we will likely experience property damage if we stay where we are. 

Serendipity (my favorite word) will rule our destiny for the near future. 
The silver lining in the cloud is the man in the office where we will be moving on Sunday, deduced from our conversation, that we are experienced RV Volunteers and asked if we had a resume'. He may have some work for us in the park if we are happy there. So a work camp situation may develop over time. We don't know how things will evolve, but for now we know we are moving from here on Sunday and putting our jacks down in Perry, Georgia for the foreseeable future. 

Our meeting with Beth went better than expected. We handed in our uniform shirts and name tags this afternoon, along with a letter of resignation formally explaining our decision. She appreciated our choice and we shared that we appreciated their budget constraints and inability to find a quick solution to a problem that exsists in the Park they purchase space from for their volunteers. We parted on good terms. By far this is the toughest thing we've face so far. We will incur debt we didn't expect. Our two weeks in Plains has been good and difficult at the same time. We have had some great experiences. How many people get to walk through a car show with a former President in arms reach? The decision was hard but in the end we have to do what is best for us and our pets who travel with us. 

The next chapter will unfold in it's own time.  

Until next time...

Day 259 / 106 Pictures of Plains

Plains, Georgia  52 Degrees - Drizzle

[caption id="attachment_1224" align="alignright" width="300"] The Iconic Smiling Peanut[/caption]

Saturday the sun came out and made for a good day to drive around taking pictures of the area. The famous Smiling Peanut graces the entryway to the RV Park where we are stationed during our 90-day tenure here. I remember seeing it on television after he was elected. His big smile quickly became the subject of much caricature for the cartoonists and still lives on here.

Like our time in Texas last winter, we arrived in an area recently stricken by a hurricane.  Michael was still a Category 3 when it crossed this area of Georgia last month. Sustained winds over 115 MPH ravaged the trees here. Clean up is underway and most public properties have been cleared. Many private residences are still awaiting clean up efforts. Common sites are giant uprooted trees lying across and entire yard or whole tress cut up, often with trunks approaching 3’ in diameter. It is quite a site. The storm ruined the Pecan crop for the season, stripping the trees of their nuts before they were mature enough to pick and be good quality. I’m sure it will be reflected in the grocery store over the next months.

[gallery ids="1222,1225,1226"]

The dirt is very red here. Meaning if you have a white car, it will look orange most of the time. I have read about how a century of cotton farming depleted the soil in much of the area. The absence of top soil make the roads a slimy red mess when it rains, which apparently is about every other day. I asked for directions to a car wash upon arrival. The first two people said they never wash their cars. My car was covered in road grime after three days being towed behind the motor home in the rain. We eventually found a car wash in the next town over but have yet to wash it since the roads have been wet all but two days so far. I’m starting to understand the “I never wash my car” attitude.

[caption id="attachment_1227" align="alignleft" width="225"] 1/2' of rain turns our site into more of a pond.[/caption]

The name Plains is an apt title for this area.  Soon after we arrived someone in town said, “It’s so flat here the rain don’t know what way to run!”  They weren’t kidding!  A mere half-inch of rain will result in water standing everywhere a half-inch deep. It doesn’t really run off but rather soaks in eventually. Being in the crosshairs of 2 major hurricanes this season Georgia is pretty water-logged and rain takes its sweet time seeping in.

 

 

[caption id="attachment_1233" align="alignright" width="300"] Abandon Tenant Farm Houses[/caption]

The sad legacy of economic disparity along racial lines is still evident in the many old tenant farm and share cropper houses still standing along the road ways. In his book “An Hour Before Daylight” Mr. Carter writes in detail,  about his experience growing up as a farm kid in the segregated deep south during the Depression and WWII periods. It has been a good read and given this Yankee an insightful glimpse into how different the experience was growing up here compared to the experience of my parents and other family members of his generation in the north.  I have another 10 weeks to absorb as much as I can from the area and take many memories with me when I leave.

[gallery ids="1221,1220"]

With the exception of sugar cane the fields are short here. Peanuts, cotton and sorghum mostly. Crops are short. Not the 7' tall corn we see at home. The cotton fields intrigue me as they do most northerners. I remember many years ago a man came to our acreage with his son, who was around 6 years old. They were from the New Jersey and were fascinated with the combine that was harvesting corn from the field that abutted our property. They asked if they could watch. They sat on our back fence for nearly an hour waving at the farmer when he passed near the fence.  Just an ordinary thing to us, but the source of memories to take from their trip to Iowa for them.  I am almost that enchanted by the cotton fields. From the highway, they look like heavy wet snow that has fallen on green grass. I've read about the perils of picking cotton by hand and sharp the barbs are that hold the cotton bulb in place. I carefully pulled a small blob of cotton from a plant to see how it felt and despite my efforts still managed to get cut. They are razor sharp! I can't imagine the job of slaves harvesting cotton let alone picking out all the tiny seeds after it was picked.  Still today many people here acknowledge the cotton fields are a living symbol of the human atrocity that was slave labor in the south.

This weekend the Arts In Archery Festival will be held at the Boyhood Farm. It is the biggest event of the years. A period harvest festival. There will be a blacksmith, basket weaver, broom maker demonstrating throughout the day. The highlight will be the mule driven cane press as they make cane syrup. The weather is supposed to straighten out by the weekend, so we are hoping for a well attended, fun and sun-filled day at the farm.

Until next time...

Day 254 / 111 First Impressions of Plains

Plains, GA Rain – 73 Degrees

I haven’t answered to question, “What’s it like?” in a while. It’s like changing schools all the time. My poor son knows all too well that dynamic as he went to a new school every year from K-3 grade. You arrive feeling a little alone and tentative about what the people will be like. You meet and engage with strangers during your first few days and before you know it you are part of the group even though in your heart you know it will be short-lived.

Our first impression of Plains has been formed and we are getting used to the casual pace of this small SW Georgia town. I started my time here as I normally do with a recommended book that gives me a feel for the area we have landed in for the next 90 days. I am reading a book written by Jimmy Carter called An Hour Before Day Light. It is a memoir of his childhood. Aside from the stories of his youth it is a very good narrative of life in a segregated southern, rural community from pre-depression era to the Civil Rights movement. I highly recommend it if you are interested in the culture of this part of the country.

I’m learning quickly that southern culture in Georgia is very different from southern culture in Texas. The NPS dominates the commercial property here. Plains downtown district is a single street 2 blocks long that includes a women’s boutique store, a very good restaurant called The Buffalo Café, 2 souvenir shops, a pharmacy and two veterinarians. (Good since my Buster is due for shots) By far the busiest place in town is the Dollar General a block south of Main Street. Aside from two gas station/convenience stores it is closest thing to a grocery store in town. We’ve learned in our travels, and knack for ending up in small towns, that Dollar General is wisely improving and enlarging their stores in the very small towns. Goliad, our location last winter, had just opened a beautiful new one. The one in Plains is large, clean and has a nice variety of things that will prevent many trips the 10 miles to Americus where the larger stores are located.

The Plains Peanut store, that sells all things peanut and Jimmy Carter, is open daily till 6pm. They have PB Ice Cream which made Champ’s eyes twinkle when we were told about it. I think that will be a regular haunt for us this winter.

The people are laid back and friendly.  The dichotomy of the segregated neighborhoods is obvious, though now it is a sort of self-segregation rather  than legislated. There is a stark economic line in town that ironically seems to be divided by the rail road tracks the go East/West through town. The other side of the tracks is a literal thing here. The only apparent industry is the Peanut Plant and a seed cooperative.  With Secret Service and town police present, Plains is quite subdued and I think maybe one of the safest places in the United States. Given its population of only 800, the Cop to Citizen ratio is quite high. The other unusual factor is that there are often celebrities in town to visit the Carters, adding even more private security detail. I think it is one of the most interesting places I have ever been. Small town stereotypes are constantly dispelled by the fact that such a high-profile couple calls this place home and moves about town as if they don’t care how famous they are.   It is an interesting social dynamic, or dare I say struggle. The big fish in this small pond is very big!

There are 9 churches here, no bars. I chuckled at that since in the Midwest bars and churches seem to take up equal space in small towns. Plains is a proper town, ask anyone who has spent their life here. I learned from my book that when it was incorporated in 1896, decided by it's founders that it was to be a ‘good Christian community’ that would not sell alcohol or allow prostitution. The two convenience stores sell beer so in 130 or so years they seem to have eased up some. At least there are no hookers on the corner next to the Peanut Store!

We were told upon arrival that we would be welcome and any church we decide to attend. The statement implied an assumption that we would want to go to church each Sunday.  Church is the very center of the life here. I will go once this winter for my own selfish reasons. Hopefully, I don't burst into flames as I enter.

We have met most of the Ranger staff and other volunteers. Some of  whom are stationed here in our RV park area, and some local volunteers, who are quite engaging and open. One of the seasonal rangers is leaving this weekend and we were invited out to her going away dinner last night. We left the restaurant feeling welcome and in the midst of a very nice group of people.

When the rain stops this weekend I’ll get out and take some pictures for next time.

Until then…

 

Day 251 / 114 The First Day

Plains, Georgia Cloudy 70 Degrees

Today was our first day at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. https://www.nps.gov/jica/index.htm

As Full Time RV Volunteers first days are becoming quite common place. This is our first time with National Parks Services. We met Ranger Kevin, who took us on a tour of the Boyhood Farm that includes 27 acres of the original farm that was deeded to the NPA in 1987. It is still a working period farm. Two mules, Belle and Bird drive the plows for demonstration farming a few days a year and spend the rest of their days as “pasture potatoes’ as Kevin humorously put it. There are chickens and goats we well. The home where President Carter lived as a boy is now a museum and the rest of the farm that includes, farm hand houses, a blacksmith shop, barns and a small visitors center are connect by paved walkways, with interpretive signs and recordings to listen to along the way. The entire place is ADA accessible as proven by our ‘boss’ who uses a wheelchair. Champ will be working at the farm with the Rangers helping maintain buildings, greet visitors and take care of the animals.

After lunch we took a tour of the former Plains High School, now the Welcome Center and Museum of all things Jimmy Carter and Plains.  A small gift shop is there as well. I will spend most of my time working at the front desk greeting visitors and informing them about all the different sites to visit in town that encompass the NPS grounds and exhibits. After spending a couple of hours there getting an introduction that included several short films, we ventured over to the old train depot, that was converted into his Presidential Campaign HQ in 1974, and now serves as an exhibit for things pertaining to his political career.

Perhaps the most unusual thing about is gig were the instructions about do’s and don’ts about interacting with the former President and his wife Rosalyn. Secret Service are present in town, since the Carters live here just a mile or so from the Welcome Center. He moves about town like and ordinary citizen, except for the ever-present Secret Service of course. We already encountered one officer in our first hour here in the convenience store in front of our motorhome site.

We were told today, as NPS Volunteers we will receive front row reserved seats to Mr. Carters Sunday school class at the Baptist Church where the Carter’s are active members. Apparently several hundred people show up on the weeks he teaches Sunday School and most stand in the packed church.  It is quite an honor to get this VIP treatment.  Most of you know I don’t affiliate with any particular religion and tend to shun organized religion in general. However, I am most willing to participate when the occasion calls for it. Normally that means a wedding or funeral. I think a former President teaching a class qualifies.

I have admired Jimmy Carter’s humanitarian spirit and efforts for most of my adult life. I have always perceived his demeanor as  gracious and dignified and I am learning quickly from the local citizens that the image on television is quite genuine.  It will be a great honor to meet him in person while we are here. We are drawn to places with rich history. This will add a layer we won’t likely encounter again. This very different place is going to leave quite an impression I suspect.

We received our shirts and officially begin ‘work’ tomorrow.                          Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday will be our work schedule.  I am waiting impatiently for the sun to return to give some decent photography light. Hopefully before they harvest the cotton fields. They are quite beautiful right now and so different looking to this girl from corn and beans country.

Until next time…

 

Day 248 / 117 Plains Landing

Plains, Georgia – 70 Degrees

We arrived in Plains today after three long days of travel. No dilly dallying this fall. We did that in Dominican Republic two weeks ago. We are committed here for 90 days to volunteer at the High School that is now the official Welcome Center for people who visit the Jimmy Carter Farm where he grew up and is now a part of the National Parks System.

We are tucked away in a quaint RV Park ½ mile from the High School. To say we are in the midst of a huge culture change and change of pace is a gross understatement. The cool part is, there is a convenience store directly in front of us, so quick supplies, gas and a slice of pizza or beer is only a few paces away.

I came here with hopes of meeting President Carter, who lives here. Those wishes were validated by Bob Moss, the old boy who owns the park we will call ‘home’ till January 31^st. He said, “If you’re going to be here for three months, you’ll see him a lot”.  Good!

Our drive the past two days has taken us through areas we had not previously driven through. I was not surprised by the beauty of Alabama as we made our way from Tupelo to Plains today. I was surprised by how hilly it was. It was a nice drive. We were the beneficiaries of the end of a long season of resurfacing. Our roads were smooth all day today. Unlike yesterday when we endured 8 hours of rough state highways making our way through 5 states from St. Louis to Tupelo MS.

On Monday we will report to the Visitor’s Center to begin training. In the mean time we will acquaint ourselves with the area, the people in the RV park here, and a couple of nearby towns where we are told we will find anything we need.

Until Next Time…

Day 233 / 132 That's A Wrap Folks

Saylorville Lake 60 Degrees- Brilliant Sunshine

Yesterday, we completed our last official day of work here at Saylorville Lake for the 2018 season. What a glorious day it was.  I relish every moment I get to work out here, before and after I finish my in-town job for my friend’s store.

The day started out around 38 degrees with sun. It was like my favorite state of Colorado. Cool morning, sunny, no humidity, little wind and warm afternoon. I started out the work day in 4 layers and was down to my T-shirt by early afternoon. Judy and I couldn’t have asked for a better day to clean out the last few flower beds at the Butterfly Gardens. Of the 30 or so planting areas there were 8 left that needed cleaned out. We were thrilled to have it all done before our departure. Ranger Coty showed up in the afternoon with a chain saw and helped Judy cut a bunch of invasive Mulberry trees out of the fence line.  The two of us have big plans and vision for the area for next year. We worked and talked about things we want to do next spring when we return. It’s a gardener’s thing. We are never completely satisfied. There is always something else to plant, move or change.

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Champ and Will had a nice day of stump grinding with the kind of grinder that makes the job leisurely, rather than labor intensive. Everyone basked in the bright fall sun. As the day wore on we all knew it was the end of the season. Leaving at the end of the day, meant cleaning out lockers and saying goodbyes to the Rangers. One of the ladies in the office, surprised Judy and I with a framed picture of us that I took and had emailed to one of the rangers. A very sweet and heartfelt souvenir for us to take away from this year.

With the work done, we will leave on Saturday.  After a hiatus in the Dominican Republic to take a vacation. (Yes, we still take vacations!) We are looking forward to our winter gig for National Parks in Georgia.

That’s A Wrap Folks!

Until Next Time…

Day 224 / 141 The Wind Down

Saylorville Lake 71 Degrees – Rain

The season is coming to a quick end. I don’t know what is more stunning, how fast it went or realizing how much we crammed into our 6 months in Iowa. Yet, I feel like so much has been left undone.  We are ending on the same note as we arrived on. Unseasonable weather. I’ll just say what everyone is thinking, “The weather sucks”  It has not been normal anywhere in the U.S. this past 12 months or so. It’s been a rough year in Iowa in terms of flooding, extreme heat and then the end of days like plague of giant, voracious mosquitos that won’t go away till we get a hard freeze. Iowa has had a big year for West Nile Virus with 5 fatalities and dozens hospitalized. Not the kind of records we like to see.

A thought entered my mind as I watched the Weather Channel, showing the path of Hurricane Michael as it sets it’s sites on Tallahassee Florida, due south about 125 miles from our next gig in Plains Georgia. Last year we came in on the heels of Hurricane Harvey when we worked at Goliad. I wonder if hiring us to volunteer at a park is a bad omen for a hurricane to hit?  I watch the Dominican Republic anxiously as we near our departure date for our vacation with our friends in 13 days. Our destination has been skirted by the storms and an earthquake happened at the opposite end of the island but no damage to the area where our resort is, so far. Another storm, they are calling depression # 15 is developing. Fingers crossed.

The summer has included two weddings, a retirement party, lots of hard work and hard play with friends and fellow volunteers who are more like family each year, and sleep overs with grandkids. I made a successful transition to Paleo style eating and am happy to report am following it pretty much effortlessly. I feel great! I have dumped another 15 pounds along with my migraines and stomach pain issues. My foot is healing slowly but steadily.

We will evacuate from Volunteer Village again tomorrow. Another historic first. The Village has never been evacuated for flooding twice in the same season. This time we move to a vacated contractors spot in another campground at the south end of the lake. Campgrounds are starting to close, and some seasonal volunteers have pulled out to fly south with the Pelicans. Our neighbors Pete and Rena left on September 30^th for their winter digs in, you guessed it, the Florida Panhandle. They evacuated yesterday and are now in central Alabama sitting tight and hopefully high and dry. At least we only have to move a few miles down the road instead of 5 hours inland.

Our time here is coming to a fragmented end this year. As the village evacuates, our little neighborhood is being split up once again. Don and Sharon are pulling out for the year. With some serious health issues, Don has told us he will likely not be back. At 79 years old it's understandable but we are so fond of him and are sad that his time as a volunteer is coming to an end. Deb and Denny are moving into an apartment for the winter while they have extensive work done to their camper. Everyone is scattering to the wind like the falling leaves. Our village will look different next year with some new volunteers joining the team and what will likely be a huge hole left by Don, if he doesn't return. We will say our goodbyes and hope for the best. Ben and Rhonda and Pete and Rena will be in the same quadrant of the US with us this winter so we may well see them in a few months.

Here is a photographic snapshot of our summer. I left our wildlife pictures on purpose. I post plenty of them. For me this is all about the people.  It's been an adventure every day and I wouldn't trade this life for anything. The pictures both make me smile at the memories and all the new people we now call friends. The stark absence of some people also reminds me how much we didn't get done this year.

 

Until next time…

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Day 218 / 147 The Last Warm Day

Saylorville Lake 85 Degrees Humid, Windy

If you live in a 4 Season climate you are familiar with that 80-degree day that you know is probably the last one till spring. Today was that day here. These are tumultuous times here at Saylorville. The lake is rising rapidly again and threatening to encroach Volunteer Village once again. The first time in the memory of the long timers, that it has happened twice in the same year.

[caption id="attachment_1142" align="alignleft" width="225"] Judy standing in the debris field from July's flood watching the water rise today[/caption]

I spent today with Judy, working with her here at the lake. She and I spent the morning blowing off 10 miles of the bike trail that goes through here. As we rode along in the Polaris I couldn’t help but beam as she shared 18 years of memories working out here. She really loves this place.  She is 25 years my senior and everything I hope to be when we have been at this as long as she and Will have been. Every turn presented a memory. A kiosk she helped build, trees that she planted years ago, fence lines she has worked on over the years. A place where she slid of the trail in adverse conditions, years ago. The afternoon was spent in the Butterfly Gardens with her as she shared her vision for next year with me as we worked on cleaning out some of the leggy, bent over annuals that have run their course for the season. We watched the Monarchs and dreamed of what different areas can look like next year with some work. This afternoon, when I came home, I took advantage of the warm afternoon to unpot some of the annuals that will be killed by frost in the next couple of days. I am down to two pots on the patio, several things moved inside, that will go with us in a few weeks and many of the lawn ornaments put away. Better to do it today. A cold front is coming tonight, and the remnants of Hurricane Rosa will arrive with heavy rain over the weekend. Cold and wet is the forecasted theme for October 2018 in Iowa. Not unlike April. Champ decided this evening that it was time to take the motorcycle to his brothers 40 miles north of here. It was a nice evening ride for him. Anytime after tonight promises to be cold and wet.

People are starting to pull out of Volunteer Village for warmer climates. Two are gone and two more will leave this weekend. Another two couples will leave mid-month and we will pull out the day before we leave to go on our trip to the Dominican Republic late this month. The motor home will sit at a relative’s house, far from the flood waters that will revisit here. Our little house will be safe, and the cats will be cared for while we bask in the tropical sun on the beach for 6 days with our old group.

Time is winding down quickly. The excitement for our tropical vacation is building along with our anxieties about leaving everyone for 5 months. I spent yesterday with my good friend Joyce, all the while knowing it was likely the last ‘play date’ of this year. Every time I see my kids or grandkids, I hug them a little longer and a little tighter knowing the season is winding down. There is a long list of visits that we hope to get in before we pull out for the winter on the 31^st. Starting with our grand-daughter Nora, spending the night this weekend.

The rain is beginning to drum on the roof. It will likely continue more or less steadily for the next several days. The water at Saylorville will rise. There are several feet of water on the parking lot where I stood to take my picture for the last post. My big question is where are they going to dry dock all the house boats that are still on their buoys in the marina? The dry docking lots are under water and winter will be here before we know it. I won’t be around to see the solution.  I’ll have to look forward to the stories about it when we return next spring. Already a slide show of 2018 at Saylorville is starting to scroll in my mind. I’m looking forward to putting it together for next time.

Until then…

 

Day 188 / 177 New Jobs

Saylorville Lake 80 Degrees Muggy

“And All At Once, Summer Collapsed Into Fall”    ~Oscar Wilde

I found that quote while working on the lake newsletter the other day and it really resonated with me.

Iowa has been a demonstration of extremes this year. Record cold and late snow in April.  Unrelenting heat beginning in mid-May and record rain fall all summer.  Just as the lake was returning to normal conservation pool level, the torrential rains have returned. Our rain gauge has captured 5.75 inches since Saturday and we are currently receiving another heavy downpour projected to leave another 2-3 inches with little relief in sight.

[caption id="attachment_1110" align="alignleft" width="225"] The new tributary to the lake[/caption]

We have developed a sort of ravine behind the motor home. Constant run-off from the circle drive in front of our site has eroded a trough along the timber-line. Within a few minutes of a downpour, our little creek (crick in my Midwestern accent) runs with miniature rapids the length of our site and into the woods. The hurricane headed for the Gulf Coast will result in a continued wet pattern in this part of the world. Maybe we’ll install pontoons on the motor home and row to Georgia! It would certainly save on gas.

Champ and I are both doing some different things.  I signed up to start volunteering with Polk County Conservation at the fabulous new Nature Center just across the lake. My first gig was an annual festival event this past Sunday called Glow Wild. It began as a fund raiser when the Nature Center was still being built. It will continue as a fun event to bring people out to the facility that may not otherwise visit. The festival God’s smiled on the event and the rain held off long enough to have a well-attended, exciting event. People could canoe, take a pony drawn wagon ride, there was a lit climbing wall, live birds of prey, butterfly garden seed ball making a food tent and beer tent. My station was a kids craft table where I helped a couple hundred kids over the course of 4 hours make luminaries to decorate the perimeter of the parking lot after dark. It was great fun. I love doing crafts with kids. My grandkids always know I’m good for some sort of project when they visit. After dark when I was finished with my shift, Champ joined me and we were treated to live music from a regional country band,  (good thing I’ve acquired a taste for country music over the past year) and a towering 25’ bonfire. Free S’mores topped off the evening. A hot air balloon was there as a demo, but did not fly. It was a cool luminary though! Some of you know I have switched to a strict Paleo diet. Yes, I cheated on Sunday and ate the bun with my Brat and drank two Exile Brewery Ruthies that tasted heavenly after not having beer for three months. Sad to say I am still paying for it today in the form of terrible stomach cramps from assaulting my insides with grain and gluten.

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I am looking forward to getting involved in some more activities with them next summer. Night ranger walks looking for owls and any nature hike whether we are looking for butterflies, flowers or birds are on my radar. Rangers will lead but volunteers go along to help people identify and be an extra resource, while we expand our own knowledge. I'll be writing the newsletters again here and work in the butterfly gardens. Hopefully, the insurance industry in Iowa will get is act together and I won't have to work to afford my "affordable healthcare" If that happens I'll be able to put in more time here at Saylorville, my first love of volunteering. I would love to be able to spend more time with Judy working in the gardens during the weekdays.

Champ was offered a new job for next year. Saylorville is creating a new position for a volunteer to assist in inspecting playground equipment for needed repairs and structural soundness. In our litigious society it has become necessary to inspect the equipment throughout the campgrounds more often and in more detail and document all repairs and findings. They sought out someone who is thorough and agile. Champ was a natural fit and they offered it to him today. He’s excited that he gets to ‘play’ as part of his work next year. Part of the inspection is sliding down the slides, swinging from the monkey bars, climbing the walls and ladders etc. along with checking every detail of the construction. If you know Champ you can picture him now I’m sure. He's also pretty excited that he won't be continually exposed to poison ivy. Despite all the precautions he has been broken out all summer. We have decided he can get a breakout simply by standing down wind of the stuff.   He's been pretty miserable, though he never complains. 

The summer is indeed collapsing into fall. The sun is setting earlier and the days and weeks till we depart for the winter are starting accelerate, I think I even feel a tail wind.  I need to remind myself everyday to breath.

Until next time…

Day 181 / 184

Saylorville Lake 93 with Tropical Humidity

As I write this evening, the cold front has arrived. Cool, dry air is slamming into the dome of hot, moist tropical air that has dominated Iowa the past week. The weather station ticker detailing storm warnings has been ever present all day. In the hour since arriving home from work the temperature has dropped over 15 degrees. The windows are open and the fresh air is blowing through the motorhome.

Flood waters have receded for the most part. Saylorville Lake will officially conclude a summer season without the beaches officially opening. The spring flooding had almost subsided and the divers were schedule to come and inspect the lake bottom in the swimming areas when the torrential rains of late June inundated Iowa and resulted in flooding, the likes of which had not been seen here in nearly 10 years. Now, in August, shore line is exposed once again but the beaches will not open by official definition. It is quite something to walk down to the boat ramp and look at the water line on the light poles 15 feet in the air where the parking lot was lake bottom 30 days ago.

[caption id="attachment_1102" align="alignleft" width="200"] Red Bar is theWater Crest line at boat launch parking lot.[/caption]

Since then, Champ, along with the Natural Resources Team and the Maintenance Dept. at the lake have worked hard to bring facilities back to    pre-flood condition. The is damage caused by the awesome power of water moving when and where it wants. A sink hole under part of the bike trail developed and one of the parking lots is still settling after several weeks of water moving over and under it.  They are subtle things that go unnoticed by the visitor’s eye. Our maintenance team received a national service award for their hard, around the clock work to install pumps at the barrier dam that protects Polk City from flooding. I knew they were all busy that holiday weekend but didn’t realize how much they really did till I read the citation letter that came from the District Commander. Hat’s off to all of them for their dedication.

Three years ago, we were simply visitors, camping at Prairie Flower and launching the boat from Cherry Glen. We were blissfully ignorant to all that goes on behind the scenes when the water comes up.  We didn’t know beaches had to be inspected by divers before buoys and swimming area markers were placed. We certainly didn’t know the difference between beach and shoreline. If there was sand it was a beach! We didn't even care much about designated swimming areas. We swam off the boat where we dropped anchor or put on the shore line with out much thought to what was below us. Now we know better. The dangers that exist swimming on shoreline are sobering now that we understand them and realize how much we didn’t know before.

[caption id="attachment_1103" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sandpiper Beach with flood debris[/caption]

We had our late summer Volunteer Meeting last week where everyone talks about their departure date, and whether they want to return to the same job next year. This is the time where you make your wishes known if you want a change of scenery in your volunteer duties here. Champ expressed interest in a new job. We’ll find out soon if they decide to place him in it. I will write the newsletters again next year and work with Natural Resourses when I can depending on how much I work in town, to pay for my health coverage. That will not be known till November when I do my renewal. The meeting was a reminder of how quickly our time in Iowa is coming to an end. Summers go fast for everyone. You blink and the great grandchild you held in your arms in the hospital last week is starting 4^th grade! Summers in Iowa go something like this. School lets out in May.  Independence Day comes and goes. The State Fair has it’s 10 day run. School Starts. Blizzards Come. Somewhere between school starting and blizzards we get out of dodge. I can’t believe we are looking forward to our third winter away from the freezer that is Iowa in the winter. I struggle with the thought of leaving the kids for 5 months. It wouldn’t matter if I saw them every day, I wouldn’t feel like I spent enough time with them. Especially the boys, who both live far enough from Des Moines, we can’t just drop in on them on a whim or vice-versa.

We still have lots of plans before we leave. My brother-in-law’s retirement party. Our wedding anniversary and couple more birthdays and our much anticipated trip to the Dominican Republic in October with the group we used to camp with regularly. It will go by in a flash and before we know what happened we will be knee deep in rural Georgia, Interpreting Jimmy Carter’s boyhood farm and home town to those who visit.  Click on the link to check it out!  We're are pretty excited to spend three months there this coming winter.  https://www.nps.gov/jica/index.htm

It makes me dizzy thinking about it. For now, it's on with the week at hand.

Until next time...

 

Day 175 / 190 Passing The Baton

Saylorville Lake

We went to the wedding of my good friend’s oldest son this past weekend. This was the second wedding of a friend’s child this summer and a beautiful event.  These things make you realize you are moving up the ladder of elderhood. As if being a grandparent isn’t enough to make one feel old, watching all your friend’s kids grow up along with yours makes you realize you are quickly being swept up the generational ladder. All of a sudden, you realize there are more people behind you than ahead of you in the aging game.  The father of the bride used the analogy “passing the baton’ in reference to conceding his place as number one man in his daughter’s life to his new son-in-law. It made me start thinking about the hierarchy of seasoned and new RV volunteers.

As we spend time with our friends here at volunteer village who have been work camping for over 15 years we wonder what it will be like when they have traded their gypsy life for a stationary one once again. Volunteer Village at Saylorville will be strange without Will and Judy or Don but it is inevitable that one of these years we will return, and they will not. The culture of work camping is much like a family. Older more experienced workcampers mentor the newer workcampers and we learn from them. Tenured couples have a huge catalog of stories and the newbies dream of the time when they are the ones who are sitting around the campfire telling tales to the up and coming generation of workcampers.

In our first two years we have become friends with several couples who have been doing this for many years. In the modern world of full time park volunteers these people are perhaps the first or second generation. I imagine the original work campers were the circus people, or carnies. Before that, we knew them as the traveling show or medicine men selling magic elixir (aka, opium) back then they called them gypsies.  As camping has become more popular, campgrounds have grown and budgets to fund county, state and federal parks has shrunk. Enter the RV Volunteer. People like Champ and I who love the camping lifestyle as much as we love being in a nice campground fill in the gap of paid employees and the work it takes to make the campgrounds nice for the people who visit them. The subculture of park volunteers is a distinct sect of the work camping world. We don’t get paid except for our site and utilities. That’s fine with us.  We love what we do, and we love who we do it with. Our fellow volunteers become our family on the road and a certain respect is bestowed upon those who have been committed for years. It’s a little like a tribal hierarchy of respect. We aspire to be them and hope for the good luck and good health that it takes to look back on 20 years in the game.

Like parents or older siblings, we look up to the Will and Judy’s of the work camping world. We love them and dread the year when we are here, and they are not. Every job we go to we get to know the other volunteers, some newer at it than us and some like our friends here who are veterans. We share and learn from each other and make connections. Like parents watching their kids grow up, volunteers watch the years tick by just as fast and realize we will quickly become the old timers of the volunteer village.

It is truly the beginning of a new life cycle, when you embark on this wonderful journey. Who knows what park volunteers will look like in 15 years, when Champ and I are the old timers sitting around the campfire, telling tales of being flooded out of our site in 2018, going an entire summer with an ailing AC unit or having emergency surgery 1500 miles from everyone we know. In a decade we’ll have so many stories we won’t be able to remember them all and probably bicker about what year it was or where we were when this or that happened. I can’t wait. Just like being a grandparent, being the 15+ year RV veterans will be a lot like that I think.

As we look down the barrel of our third winter away, I shudder at how quickly time is moving. One of these years Will and Judy will ‘pass the baton’ to us, Someday, we will be ready to hand it off to people just like us and the wheels on the bus will go round and round.

I can’t leave without putting in some pictures from the wedding. It was such a special day for a family who lives deep in my heart.

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Until Next time…

 

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…

Day 118 / 247

Saylorville Lake Rainy 77 Degrees

This is the last mild day for a while.  We go right back to mid 90's with high humidity and storms continuing. It is a hot summer by Iowa standards. Random hot days are common this time of year but consistent 90 degree heat with 100 degree heat indexes is usually saved for July through about mid August. I know my friends in Texas are saying "oh whaaa, we have that all summer" After freezing in sub-zero temps all winter, Iowan's acclimate slowly to the heat.

Champ has been busy with natural resources placing water bladders around new trees to provide them with consistent moisture as they get established. (Who knew it would start raining everyday?) The latest project has been planting several hundred prairie plugs. What is a prairie plug?  I wish I had a picture. Neal Smith Wild Life Refuge in Prairie City provides them to the Corps for Prairie Restoration projects. They are simply a core root plug of a young prairie flower  or bit of native prairie grass. The plug is approximately 1" in diameter and about 6" long. Champ and the rangers take a small auger and make a nice clean hole to drop it in.  It is part of the very ambitious restoration work going on at Saylorville, that has included the removal of several hundred invasive tree species, 100's of acres of prescribed burning, planting nearly 1500 native tree saplings and now the flower and grass plugs.

If there is a silver lining to the record rain fall, it is that all the new saplings are getting plenty of moisture to help them get established and thrive in their new home. Flooding is the theme of the month here. Saylorville and the rivers that run through Des Moines headline the evening news and we watch everyday as areas go underwater.  Here are some comparison photos to give you an idea of what is going on here. The lake will continue to rise for another 7 or 8 days. Everyone involved is holding their breath and hoping for the best.

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Until tomorrow...

Day 114 Rising Waters

Saylorville Lake Cloudy - 71 Degrees

Iowans are letting out a big sigh as the rain stops for a couple of days and the temperatures moderate. We have a big weekend happening that we’ve been looking forward to since before we returned in April.  Our daughter’s boys 6 and 3 ½ are with us till Sunday.

The reservoir is doing its job this week. Even though it is a major boating and camping destination in central Iowa, its real purpose is flood control. With historic rain fall in Iowa the past 2 weeks and flooding occurring in Des Moines south of the dam the Corps of Engineers is holding back water so Des Moines has half a chance to keep its two major rivers in their banks as they meander through downtown. A perfect scenario for flooding is setting up. Northwest Iowa, where the Des Moines river that feeds Saylorville Lake on it’s way to the Mississippi, begins, has received feet of rain this past few weeks. That is translating to the lake levels rising at the rate of 4-6 feet per day. The boat ramp near us is almost to the top and there has already been one vessel casualty in the marina. A buoyed house boat’s bilge pumped failed as we got 3” of rain in less than an hour on Wednesday. When I drove across the dam on my way home from work, I saw it listing badly to the back corner. Only about half of the cabin and the front of one pontoon was above water.

Champ worked an extra day yesterday, helping the rangers place hazard buoys, remove docks and signs.  Gates were closed to the beach and launch area here at Sandpiper since the entire area will soon be underwater. The portable bathroom buildings were removed with a crane and all the picnic tables and canopies from the beaches are now sitting in Volunteer Village, where they should stay high and dry along with us.

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The lake is predicted to crest next Saturday and 884 MFS (mean feet above sea level ) Normal pool is 836 MFS and the lake goes over the emergency spillway at 890 MFS. Everyone is holding their breath hoping the forecasters have the rain prediction correct. It will be a close call.

The veteran volunteers are talking a lot about 2011 when Volunteer Village became lake bottom and all the volunteers were evacuated to the public campgrounds till the water subsided and all the clean up took place. Everyone learned to run a chain saw that summer! I remember that summer as well. We camped and boated here all summer. From our former perspective as visitors, we only noticed that most of the boat ramps were closed and the lake was nearly twice it’s normal size which made for some nice boating. The lake was so high we were able to get up into the river channel and went several miles north. Now, from our perspective as volunteers and residents here we see how much activity is going on behind the scenes to preserve property, make it as safe a possible for visitors and monitor the quickly changing conditions.

The weather has also changed many job descriptions for the volunteers. One thing we are learning quickly in this work camping life is that weather can and usually does result in ‘other duties as assigned’ .

We’ll enjoy the weekend with our daughters two boys here and watch the lake rise.

Until tomorrow…

 

Day 97 / 268 Will & Judy's Big Day

Saylorville Lake, Sunny - 92 Degrees

Today was a special day. One of the couples we have become friends with here at Saylorville over the past 2 seasons, were honored today.

[caption id="attachment_876" align="alignleft" width="300"] Commander Satinger, Judy, Will and Emma[/caption]

Will and Judy Carter have been full-time RV Volunteers for some 18 years now. They have spent every summer of those years here at Saylorville for the same reason we will, the kids are here and they love this place. We have had the privilege of getting to know them and consider them friends.In the summer they are our across the street neighbors here in our village.  They are the very model of what Champ and I hope to experience, both longevity in the life style and a variety of jobs over the years to keep it interesting.

Last fall the volunteer coordinator nominated them for the National Corps of Engineers Volunteer of the Year Award. She received word this past winter that they had been chosen. Will and Judy aren’t big fans of public recognition. It was hard to convince them that a lunch and formal presentation was an okay thing to do. The District Commander from Rock Island came along with Corps Foundation Officers to present the award to them and thank them publicly for their hard work and dedication over the years. Emma, the volunteer coordinator went to great lengths to be sure the other volunteers here at the lake could get away from their duties and come celebrate with them.

It was neat to see them be honored in such a way. They have both become very dear to us. I was also amazed to hear the commander share that the Rock Island District alone (basically the upper Mississippi Valley area)  utilizes an average of 900 volunteers working 50,000 hours collectively each year!  When people ask me if the parks use a lot of volunteers, I have always responded very confidently that volunteers are a big part of the efforts at most parks. I was stunned to hear that notion be quantified with such large sums.

My part-time job allowed me the day off to be able to celebrate with them. “Thanks, Alayna!” The informal festivities will take place on their patio, in the form of happy hour later on.

Until tomorrow…