Time Flies

Colorado 

Less than 3 weeks left in Colorado. Working in a private campgound is different from the previous workamper jobs we've held during the last 2 years......(Yes, October will be 2 years since Joan and I moved into our MH fulltime!). Our job responsibilities are generally the same each day with the exception of a special project or odd-job every once in a while. When we go to work Joan knows that she will be registering guests, working in the store and/or house cleaning. I know I will be cleaning sites, trash and recycling pickup, and escorting/parking campers. The weather here is great, our co-workers are fun and entertaining to work with, and our work schedule is not overtaxing. For workampers that prefer routine, working in a private campground is the way to go.

Mt Hood - Oregon

That being said, the jobs Joan and I held in Mt Hood National Forest last year and Lake Mead NRA earlier this year were always varying and our schedule was always flexible and changing.

Lake Mead NRA

We really enjoyed the variety of places we were going, people we were seeing and things we were doing. Which one is better? Joan and I agree.....we like the variety.




We have our next job lined up for this fall back in Lake Mead....and no, it's not the same one we had last year. We will be located in a different CG; working for a different boss; and we'll have different job responsibilities. We will be road monitoring. "What is road monitoring?" you ask. Is it like being a Hall Monitor in school? Kinda' sounds like sitting beside the highway ensuring everyone has a pass and is being quiet! The answer is "No"

Lake Mead NRA encompasses nearly 3000 square miles of land and was the 5th most visited National Park in 2009. And while there are only a few hundred miles of paved roads within the park, there are over a thousand miles of unpaved and back country roads throughout the park for off-road and 4x4 vehicles. Joan and I will be given a 4-wheel drive truck and we will be driving the back country roads throughout the park monitoring the use of the roads, checking to ensure off-roaders are staying on the designated roadways and trails, and restoring any signs of misuse. And if we like the job (don't get bounced around too much), we've told our supervisor that we would return in January for another few months.

Last month I was invited to play in a softball tournament in Gunnison. A few weeks later I was invited to play in the Leadville Boom Days tournament with the same team. That made me feel good. After all I'm at least 15 years older than anyone on the team and probably closer to 25 years older than most of the players. I know I'm 40 years older than our 3 youngest team members. We finished 4-2 again. I pitched all 6 games we played and didn't make more than 1 out in any game...even went 5-5 in one of them. In our Salida league, our team finished in first place and won the post season tournament. In Buena Vista we finished 2nd in the league and 2nd in the post season (got beat by a walk off grand slam in the bottom of the last inning). I was not pitching at the time. More on that later. I didn't realize how much I missed competitive softball until after the tournaments were over. Last year I only got to play for about 7 weeks on a coed team in Oregon. It was fun at the time and I will do it again if given the chance. However playing on competitive teams in tournaments and/or competitive leagues still gives me a charge. I only hope I can continue to find teams in the communities we live in so that I can play . Shout out to the Cardiac Kids back home in Florida....miss you guys. Hope to see you when we return to Florida for Christmas.

Flowers Adjacent to the Softball Field

Our friends from NC, Richard and Susan, flew into Denver and we spent several days with them showing them around Colorado. We saw a Rockies game, drove through Rocky Mountain National Park, Breckenridge, Colorado Springs and took them to the top of Pikes Peak. We also got to take a gondola/ski lift ride. They managed to get in a little shopping while they were here and stayed in a nice Denver B&B their last night here. Maybe we'll get to see them again next year wherever we are!

I mentioned that I wasn't pitching when we lost the post season tourney in BV. That's because I was recovering from a visit to the ER earlier in the morning. The day before the tourney I was plagued with lower abdominal pain, headache and fatigue. I was only able to sleep a couple of hours that night and decided I needed to see a doctor the next morning. That visit resulted in a visit to the ER for blood work and a CT scan. They were prepping me for a worst case scenario (surgery) until they got the test results back. They were concerned I may have needed an appendectomy but to everyone's relief it turned out to be diverticulitis......an infection of the colon. I was sent on my way with a couple of prescriptions and assurances that the medications would have me back to normal within a few days. Well...as normal as I can be!

Today, 8/20 is my son and his wife's 3rd wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary to Doug and Erin. And on a more somber note, please keep my bride Joan in your thoughts. Next week she'll be sleeping with a 60 year old! And in September she'll be sleeping with a grandpa! Yep, next Saturday is my 60th birthday. And next month Doug and Erin are expecting their first child and my first grandchild. Yahoo! Poor Joan.

Stay tuned. More to Come.