The Leprechaun Man (see previous post) was part of a large contingent of Canadians in the campground, all waiting for the weather gods to bestow them safe passage to their home lands. His campsite soon became the gathering place for them all.
One afternoon, I stepped outside and heard a rousing French rendition of Alouette. It took me back to my childhood as I remembered my Mom singing this little song and teaching it to my sisters and me. I was so very impressed that my Mom could speak French that I never thought to ask just what it was we were singing. As soon as I mentioned this to Sandy, she reached for her computer and made a quick google search.
Never would I have suspected that the whole song with its many verses, was all about plucking a bird, a Lark to be exact. It's comparable to the 12 Days of Christmas as it builds from verse to verse until the whole bird is plucked. Seems a gruesome way to teach kids the parts of the body. It doesn't take away from my memory though.
In memory of my Mom on this Mother's Day weekend.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
The Busy Leprechaun
There's a couple camping across from us in a large, beautiful motor home. I have dubbed the gentleman the Leprechaun. He's very tall to be a leprechaun but he is thin and wiry and a veritable bundle of energy.
From day one, he made numerous trips onto the forest bringing back load after load of firewood. He has a two wheeled dolly that attaches to his bicycle and he filled it several times a day to keep a fire going, even on rainy days. I have no idea how far afield he traveled in his efforts, but I'm sure he racked up many miles. He chopped and sawed and expended a lot of energy to ensure he had a fire for reasons known only to him. I did notice a tri-pod over the fire at one point and I assume he was cooking at least some of their meals over the fire.
He also used his bicycle to haul his honey wagon to the dump station. Most coaches like his have holding tanks for 60 to 80 gallons of gray water and waste. His honey wagon is about 12 gallons so that meant 6 or 7 trips to empty them out about once a week. And, to keep himself busy, he also helped his friends empty their tanks.
The cutest thing was watching him and his wife take a stroll. She uses a motorized chair to get around and he would pedal beside her on her laps around the campground.
Even though our conversations and interactions have been brief, I will miss the hub of activity when they leave tomorrow.
From day one, he made numerous trips onto the forest bringing back load after load of firewood. He has a two wheeled dolly that attaches to his bicycle and he filled it several times a day to keep a fire going, even on rainy days. I have no idea how far afield he traveled in his efforts, but I'm sure he racked up many miles. He chopped and sawed and expended a lot of energy to ensure he had a fire for reasons known only to him. I did notice a tri-pod over the fire at one point and I assume he was cooking at least some of their meals over the fire.
He also used his bicycle to haul his honey wagon to the dump station. Most coaches like his have holding tanks for 60 to 80 gallons of gray water and waste. His honey wagon is about 12 gallons so that meant 6 or 7 trips to empty them out about once a week. And, to keep himself busy, he also helped his friends empty their tanks.
The cutest thing was watching him and his wife take a stroll. She uses a motorized chair to get around and he would pedal beside her on her laps around the campground.
Even though our conversations and interactions have been brief, I will miss the hub of activity when they leave tomorrow.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
The Stories Begin
In February, Sandy and I arrived at Osceola National Forest in Northern Florida. There are several campgrounds on the forest but, only one of them has facilities for campers. The rest are more like hunt camps. We are staying in the beautiful Ocean Pond Campground.
We came here because I applied for and received a volunteer position as an office assistant in the district office for the Osceola NF. After our whirlwind trips across the US last year, I wanted to see what it would be like to stay in one place for an extended period of time. The job comes with a full hook up site, mileage and propane reimbursement, free laundry and free bottled water and ice. The office job didn't last for very long though because there was a critical shortage of hosts for the campground and I agreed to give it a try.
Hosting gives opportunity for meeting a lot of people from all over the United States and Canada (so far) and with people come stories. A very nice couple from Michigan made a batch of cookies on one of their first days here and shared them with me and one of the other volunteers. They were always smiling and stopping to chat and made sure we felt appreciated for our hard work. Today they were leaving to continue their journeys but made sure to find us to say goodbye. It was then we found out the husband has cancer. He is nine months past his treatments and doing well for now. They were construction workers who followed the jobs from place to place in their RV but never had the opportunity to be tourists and sightseers. Now they are RVing for pleasure with a plan to see as much as possible while his health holds out. They insisted we pose for a picture with them for their memory book and it was an honor to do so. Here's hoping they get to cross off everything on their bucket list and more.
We came here because I applied for and received a volunteer position as an office assistant in the district office for the Osceola NF. After our whirlwind trips across the US last year, I wanted to see what it would be like to stay in one place for an extended period of time. The job comes with a full hook up site, mileage and propane reimbursement, free laundry and free bottled water and ice. The office job didn't last for very long though because there was a critical shortage of hosts for the campground and I agreed to give it a try.
Hosting gives opportunity for meeting a lot of people from all over the United States and Canada (so far) and with people come stories. A very nice couple from Michigan made a batch of cookies on one of their first days here and shared them with me and one of the other volunteers. They were always smiling and stopping to chat and made sure we felt appreciated for our hard work. Today they were leaving to continue their journeys but made sure to find us to say goodbye. It was then we found out the husband has cancer. He is nine months past his treatments and doing well for now. They were construction workers who followed the jobs from place to place in their RV but never had the opportunity to be tourists and sightseers. Now they are RVing for pleasure with a plan to see as much as possible while his health holds out. They insisted we pose for a picture with them for their memory book and it was an honor to do so. Here's hoping they get to cross off everything on their bucket list and more.
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