Laugh Of The Day ......

I was chastised this past weekend for not posting more often ........... I am trying, but the weeds are taking over with this hot humid weather and I have been in a garden all day!! When I close my eyes at night I see weeds and hear the door chime that signals a customer has come in. You would think I could sleep like a log, but my muscles ache from all that bending and pulling. I swear I have a charley-horse in my butt muscle!

Got a call from my competitor across the interstate awhile ago. She was calling to give me a laugh. I needed one since I had just stepped on this wicked tool with tines and stuck it in my foot and as I tripped forward the handle came up and slapped me in the back. I am sure it looked like a slap-stick comedy routine and I admit that the first thing I did was check to see if anyone saw me. Try, though I might, I could not blame this on he who leaves tools scattered about. I was using it and I left it laying on the ground, tines up. I was tired and eager to finish mulching the bed I spent the whole morning weeding and I was careless. Let this be a lesson to us all ...... I continued to work with my foot bleeding in my shoe and I finished the job. Well, I ran out of mulch, so that was the end of my work for the day.

So, now, as I sit here with my injured foot propped up, I will regale you with a stupid camper story. Seems that he who is loathe to answer the phone took a call from a camper who wanted a drive-thru site with 500 amp service. She no doubt meant a pull-thru with 50 amp service. Any how, I don't know if this was the camper who could not find us and ended up at the other park where he tried to turn around and made a muddy mess of his rig and told that camp owner that he was going to bill ME for it, since it was my fault for not having any signs up. I do have signs, I pay a pretty penny to have those signs and I even have a new sign up at the end of our road with a nice green frog pointing my way with our name and an arrow on it. I would love it if I got a bill for this ......... I would frame it and hang it in the store.

You can see my efforts of this day in the picture. I filled the wheelbarrow THREE times with weeds and grass. It was the bed that really needed the most attention. I started at 8 this morning and finally ran out of mulch at 4:30, thank heavens. It still needs more mulch, but that will be for another day. You can see that the apple tree is so full that I had to prop her up. She is sooooo pregnant with fruit!

Payback........

The temperature has been in the high 90's and the humidity is killer. Even so, the pool hasn't seen much action. Every July is like this. They can't wait to swim, then enthusiasm fades, but as the stores fill up with back to school supplies and the reality that summer won't last forever sets in, the pool goers will be back in force.

When we bought the campground the pool hours for day swimmers was set at 1 pm til 5 pm; and the previous owners were very strict about the time frame. I have heard tales of them shouting that your time was up and that you must leave. Awful! However, I am beginning to appreciate the need for some private time. Being new and eager to please our customers we let them swim from 9 am til 9 pm. That meant that sometimes they would arrive a bit early and then some would not want to leave the pool when I would try to lock up. Last year I started to wear thin and decided that this year I would change the pool and the store hours. Twelve hour days 7 days a week is just too much ......... even for me.

The new pool hours for day swimmers is 11 am til 7 pm. That is eight hours. I still have people show up as early as 10 and stay later than 7, but it is not as big a deal when you haven't been stuck inside that store for twelve hours. At first, those regulars who had been accustomed to a twelve hour day arrived too early and were told the new hours. I let them swim early anyway, since they were already here. Most everybody now knows the hours and they are fine with it and agree that I shouldn't have to be open twelve hours. Today, though, a young mother came in at almost 6. I would never want to charge full price for only one hour of swimming and have become so accustomed to reminding people of the new hours and said to her, "You do know that the pool closes at 7, don't you?" (She looked really familiar). She looked at me like I am somehow beneath her and said, "No, it doesn't." I told her that it did indeed close at 7. She proceeded to argue that I had told her it closed at 9 the last time she came in and I recall with clarity my last encounter with her. I charged her half-price and let them swim until 9 because they got here at 7 and I didn't want her to leave with a bad impression. Well, no good deed goes unpunished, does it? I remind her that I let her stay until 9 last time because she had been unaware of the new hours....... "Oh, yes, I remember you now and I did let you swim until 9 since you had come out thinking the hours were the same as last year. But, now you know the new hours." She huffed and looked at me like I was of a lesser life form and said, "So, you aren't going to let us swim even though you told me that the pool doesn't close until 9....."

I did let her swim. I charged her full price, though. She didn't stay til 9, though. The horse flies got her. Cosmic justice.

Nature's Beauty

It is Monday once again. The days seem to fly by and I am always busy doing three things at once. It was a good weekend and I spent Saturday evening on my knees pulling weeds out of a flower bed. The evening was perfect, a cool light breeze, I could hear families enjoying the pool and the smell of campfires drifted my way as I pulled all the crab grass out that was choking my tiny marigolds as they tried to push themselves higher. I got the whole bed done and was quite happy with the results. I went on to clean the restrooms as dusk made it hard to see and then fell exhausted into bed after showering.

Sunday morning I dragged my old bones out to the kitchen at 5:30 and prepared the sticky for the buns, got the cinnamon and the sticky buns in the pans rising and went out to clean the restrooms and admire my handiwork of the last evening. Saw some weeds I missed and attended to them. If I clean and stock the restrooms as night falls, you would think that the morning's cleaning would be easy. It was this weekend, except for a Friday afternoon event of finger painting the wall with poop..........

It has finally happened .............. I sold out of pastries Saturday! That is why I dragged myself out of my comfy bed so early on Sunday. Sunday sales were good, too. Only three buns out of the dozen I cooked were left and the muffins went also. The muffins this week were healthy. I put out a sample tray Sunday morning and every one agreed that they were as tasty as they were healthy, with carrots and coconut, raisins and walnuts. They were really good warm, if I hadn't been so busy I would have slathered one with butter, but I had to eat it plain.

Rain threatened and fell a little yesterday and I got a lot more gardening done, until I realized how very weary I was. I spent a few hours staring dumbly at the TV when not dozing. So, all rested this morning I was ready to tackle the world. I worked in my garden all morning in the heat and humidity ( my youngest used to call it humility......... I guess sweating is humbling .......). I was standing in the shadow of my peach tree leaning on my rake watching the hummingbirds feed at the feeders on my front porch; a gentle breeze against my back cooled me as I marveled at the beauty of nature ................ that is when the horsefly bit me and I got myself inside with air conditioning and a window between me and the nature's beauty!

Fourth Of July........Kan-Do Style

What a beautiful day it was! The sun was shining and everything ran smoothly. It was actually July 3rd that we had our celebration. Many of our weekenders had to go home on Sunday to go to work on Monday. The parade started a little late due to some confusion and the fact that I had to stop and check campers in .......... if only I had a clone ............

Everyone got into the patriotic spirit and decorated the golf carts.

Even the bikes were decorated!

Crazy Tom and Miss Martha went all out!

Cody says, "Hey, wait for me!"

There they go rounding the first bend ........

Hope they are hungry when they come back! We had quite a spread of delectable dishes. I was expecting lots of the standard beans and potato salad. The baked beans were a tasty creation involving Dr. Pepper. There were lots of salads and some really yummy marinated vegetables. I ate a hot dog and a lot of little spoons of everything on the table. I must confess that my eye was on the desert table, though.

Part of the crowd of hungry campers. We invited all those that just happened in off the road for a night, too. I met some lovely folks and chatted with them. I could not tell you their names if my life depended on it, but I will recognize their faces should they drop in again.

This is what my mouth was longing for and when I got to the table it was gone!!!!

This wasn't, though. This dish involved Mountain Dew and apples, along with biscuits and was phenomenal. Fortunately, I only got a small bit, I would have eaten the whole dish if others had not beat me to it.

Very well behaved dogs! These folks were just passing through. I hope they come again, I liked their dogs!

Hanging out waiting for fireworks to start. These cuties brought a blanket, just in case the cool wind picked up.

Friends and families, pets and people. All with happy faces.

OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH, AAAAAAAWWWWWWWW!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA!

And, The Winner Is..............

It was a very long weekend and my computer was down. I would have posted this sooner. I just know that you all are at the edge of your seats, heady with anticipation! I encouraged all my overnighters to drive or walk through the park and give me a vote. I actually said it was a part of the check-out process and was required. Some people obeyed my command and the ballot jar was filling. Along with your votes, I finally had something to count! I waited until after closing Thursday night and counted. Site N was definitely winning in the land of blog. Out of 18 votes Sweet Miss Nan got 11 and site 28 got 7. I emptied my jar and counted 2 votes for N and 7 votes for 28. Not a landslide victory, but 28 won by one vote!

Marcy didn't get here until Saturday and found her site like this! Really appropriate, since it was 4th of July weekend and her theme is red, white and blue! Thanks to husband Rusty for the picture, since I never got out of the office on Sunday. Congrats to Marcy............ she did all the work and gets all the credit! Rusty came out on Friday and kept the secret so that she could be surprised. He also jumped right in and helped he who repairs picnic tables get them ready for our big BBQ. This family is truly an asset to our little community of seasonal campers and I think I speak for everyone when I say we are happy they decided to plant their camper here!

Time to Vote!

Okay, the time is here. I had a couple more sites, but they haven't had a chance to make any changes, so I will add them to next month's competition. I have about 6 ballots in the jar and I will add those to your votes and see who wins. This is so exciting!! I will post a picture of the winner.

Busy weekend ahead. we are having a parade, cook-out, and a fireworks display on Saturday. I am off to get all the supplies necessary for the event. I am figuring about 150 people. We are providing the hotdogs and hamburgers, buns and condiments. All you need is a side dish, beverage, plate and utensils. I like to troll the side dishes. All the cooks will try to out-do one another. The parade will be golf carts and bicycles all decked out in patriotic gaudiness! If you don't have wheels, you can decorate your dog and walk. That should work up your appetite for the cook-out. After the cook-out everyone will have time to put the food away and then grab a lawn chair and stake out your spot in the grass to watch the fireworks display. The forecast for Sunday is rain and that will be perfection! Rain means a day off for me. I can lounge in front of the TV and read in the land of blog.

Now, go vote!!!

Even More Sites.............

It was a wonderful weekend here. Very busy and very few problems. No bathroom tales to tell. A few of you have asked questions and I would appear to have ignored them. Sorry about that, but I get interrupted a lot and then lose my train of thought. One question was about our pool and if we allowed folks other than campers to swim. We do. The nearest town is very small and there is not a lot for families to do. We open our pool daily from 11 am until 7 pm for "day swimmers" to pay and swim. My competitor across the interstate does also. Her pool is deeper, while mine has a huge shallow area great for small kids. We each appeal to different ages. It is a friendly competition and if someone doesn't find my park to their liking or I am full I am more than happy to call over and get a space from her and she does likewise. We also share information about problem campers and swimmers to warn each other. It is a win-win situation. The state park is just down the road from my park and they have a camping area also, but no full hook-ups. They don't have a pool and will send their campers here to swim and shop in my camp store. They do have beautiful hiking and biking trails, though.

Another question was about recommending other parks that I might know or be affiliated with in other parts of the country. Since we are privately owned and not under a franchise of any kind, I really don't have any basis on which to recommend a park. I would say to do a little research for the area you will be stopping at. There are RV review sites. Just keep in mind that some reviews might be written in anger or by someone with unreasonable expectations. Not all my reviews are good. One in particular was written by a man who got stuck and had to be pulled out by a tow-truck. He got stuck because he turned way short. I had warned him to stay on the gravel road because we had had so much rain and my husband even offered to guide him in the site. He was, shall we say, disinclined to follow the suggestions of others........ and he got stuck. His efforts to get himself out only made it worse and he who got more than a little annoyed with the man and expressed himself. We paid for the tow truck, but the customer felt that we should have also comped his stay. I have good reviews, too; but, I admit that I don't like seeing the negative in print. I guess I am saying to keep a good perspective while reading the reviews. Some of my followers are full-timers and would no doubt have a better idea of good parks than me.

Not the best picture here of this really cute bench. This is the area between sites 24 and 26. This is shady and they always have the leaves cleaned up. The white rock looks almost like a beach if you walk over at dusk.

The little areas of plants add a nice pop of color, too.


Sites 24 and 26 are hard to even think of separately, as the tend to hang out between the two in this little oases. Good thing they are close friends! Actually, they are related by marriage.


Now, on to the land of garden gnomes! This will be site N. The sweet little lady here loves her statuary in her gardens.

Looks different when occupied, but I never have time to get out on the weekend. I need to go mow this site, too. When it cools down and the pool is empty.....

Site N is on the end of the row and boasts a bigger area in the woods.


Always know the temp and what time it is on site N!


Just chillin ............ on site N.

Always ready for a crowd on site N. I have been treated to a small feast more than once here myself.

Site N is so far back in the park .......... they have transportation. This was the very first golf cart to make its appearance in our park.


Pots of flowers adorn every nook and cranny on site N.


This site 29. This site is situated at the end of a row and boasts a nice shady odd shaped lot. They have raked and cleaned it up. Check out how neatly they stacked the wood!
Site 29, different angle. Big fire pit.


This little garden is from site 34 ....... totally out of sequence here. I will be adding to this garden tonight, since right next to it is the water hydrant that has been hit three times in two weeks. I am adding another BIG rock and some nice dirt and flowers. Now if someone cuts too close the damage won't be mine.

Pink flamingos will welcome you to site 37.


The fire pit at site 37 is a favorite gathering place for those inclined to listen to tall tales from Crazy Tom! I was going to call him Tommy Boy, but Crazy Tom just suits him!


Long shot of site 37. We refer to sites 30-37 as "the hill". They are all out in the open with no pesky trees to block satellite reception. We had intended these to be the only sites we kept open year round and I was a little surprised that my seasonal campers didn't all want shade. This does eliminate any worries of a limb falling on your camper in a storm, though.

Site 36 is also a good place to get a free meal from time to time. I put in a little garden there last year and now they have enhanced it and even added a small tree. Competitive bunch there on "the hill". I must confess that I stopped for a moment from my photo shoot and dead headed the marigolds and even pulled a weed or two.


Site 35 also boasts a garden due to the generous efforts of a nice man who will soon make an appearance on my blog.


Long shot of site 35. That is the infamous barn of he who tinkers there-in in the back ground.

This is site 34. The grass is lusher here. They did indeed sow a little seed!



Site 34 is on "the hill", but this is the only site with a couple of trees. Still gets an open sky for satellites, though.


I mow all these sites, so if they would all decide to eliminate any hard to get to areas I would be sooooo happy! Site 34 concludes my tour for today and I have but a few sites left to post tomorrow, maybe tonight if I can leave the office on time. I would love to have the plaque on a site by next weekend for all to see and one proud site holder to gush over.