The “campground” at Tiffin was a bizarre sight. There were about 200 motorhomes camped parking-lot style, most waiting for service. The Goose was dwarfed by the giant Zephyrs and Phaetons with four slides, washers and dryers, giant-screen televisions, and more. The folks parked next to me had been waiting two months for completion of their repairs. Almost every motorhome had at least one large or two small dogs. The only amenities the campground provided were full hookups, hot showers, and a very clean laundry room. My neighbors advised me that Gracie barked the entire time I was gone to take a shower. She’s never done that before, but I’m attributing it to this cramped location.
The repairs and servicing took seven hours. I pulled into a giant bay, and the service guys rolled humongous jacks up to the Goose. Gracie and I were ushered out, and they lifted my home about six feet up in the air! After the oil was drained, they lowered her gently and I was able to breathe again. My repairs were not major—figure out why the Goose randomly won’t start and why I don’t have heat or defrosters in the front. Change the oil, check the anti-freeze and tire pressure completed my list. The conclusion was I needed four new batteries ($120 each plus labor) and a heater valve. The total bill was just over a thousand dollars.
I left Red Bay around 4:00, and oh, the Goose ran well. I didn’t have a reservation for Monday night. I figured we’d stop at a WalMart or a rest stop for the night. We never saw a rest stop the entire way, and the WalMart was posted with No Overnight Parking signs. We finally pulled into a gas station in Buckatunna, MS (you can’t make this stuff up) and parked for the night. Tuesday morning, the Goose would not start. Fortunately, I now know the jump-off-the-generator trick. It was rainy and chilly, so I turned on the heat and nothing but cold air came out the vent. So much for the repairs.
One more stop at WalMart. We’ll be in the next location for a month and I don’t want to have to make continuous runs to the grocery store. Green bananas, a bottle of wine, extra dog and cat food; I’m set for the month. We pulled into the Island Retreat RV Park Tuesday afternoon. Nice park, large lots, very level.
Wednesday we hiked to the beach, five miles round trip, on a really nice bike trail. Beautiful white sand, crystal blue water, gentle waves and big NO PETS ON BEACH signs. I was really disappointed. But on our walk this morning we found a public boat launch just across the street that will provide Gracie with a nice place to swim.
Thanksgiving luncheon was today at the clubhouse. The park provided the turkey and ham, and everyone else provided side dishes and desserts. It’s a long time since I’ve eaten at a potluck. The food was delicious. I went mostly just to meet people, but it looks like the whole park is couples, most of whom know each other. I sat with two couples who will both be here until April. I’m not ready to stay in one spot for six months.
There is so much I am thankful for this Thanksgiving I cannot begin to list everything. The best way to sum it up is to say I’m thankful for the opportunity to live my dream.
Phyllis was my mentor and only friend when I was first promoted into management. I went from a temporary employee in Arizona to manager at AT&T headquarters in New Jersey in seven months, and I had no clue what challenges I would face. She helped me discover my moral compass amid the glory grabbing and back stabbing that is corporate reality. And there were times that, living in outrageously expensive northern New Jersey, I would not have had lunch had it not been for Phyllis; “Girl, I made the best chicken and rice last night and I brought you some for lunch.” I went to her wedding to Jack 13 years ago, and although that was the last time I saw her, we’ve kept in touch through promotions, downsizing, illness, crappy jobs, and personal drama.
Our reunion was joyous and fulfilling. We talked privately in her finished attic for two hours as we shared the most intimate details of our lives. Phyllis is a breast cancer survivor. She is currently working in a call center on the phone, being managed by supervisors who do not have a third the knowledge or ability she has as a manager, trying to be grateful she has a job. Her grown son and two grandchildren have moved in with her and Jack.
We joined Jack downstairs for cake and soda. Jack is as laid-back and calm as Phyllis is dynamic and outgoing. Jack walked me out to the Goose, parked in the driveway. Phyllis is afraid of dogs (even gentle Gracie) and allergic to cats, so she said goodbye at the door. We copied the directions from Gypsy on how to get to the campground, and Phyllis promised if she could scrape the gas money together, we would see each other again before I leave. I drove the 20 miles back to the campground feeling warm inside.
This is officially the worst campground I have ever stayed in. The laundry room (two partially working washers and one working drier) and shower/bathroom need a thorough scrubbing and fumigating. The water smells like kerosene. The owner, a chain smoker named Pam, says it’s well water and she has to treat it. With what, I wonder?
The good side? We woke up this morning to deer outside the front windshield. There are more cardinals and bluejays than I have ever seen in one place. The campground is spacious; my only neighbors are a free-roaming flock of chickens and ducks (which drives Dylan crazy). There are several horses in a corral outside my window.
With no television reception at all, I have gotten so much done on my writing website. I uploaded all my articles, created the home page, added a picture, and got the feature, humor, and travel pages completed. Two of the pages I created (product reviews and club profiles/meeting coverage) apparently did not build, so I have to redo them, but I have all the elements in place, so that shouldn’t be too difficult.
Saturday I am going to get propane early, gas up, go to the WalMart in Lewisburg and drive to Red Bay, AL. I have an appointment to get some work done on the Goose. Then on to Gulf Shores.
Leaving Lebanon sounds like the title to a play. I’m not sure if it would be a comedy or a tragedy. Julie and Terry took me out to eat at a steak house Friday night. We had a great time talking and laughing, although the specter of me leaving the next day hung over the festivities. Saturday morning. I secured everything, put in the slide, disconnected the utilities, jumped in the driver seat, and—nothing. The goose would not turn over. I called AAA. They sent a boy from “OOPS! Collision”. He had never seen an RV battery (“I usually work on, like, Honda Civics”) much less worked on one. I figured out that there is a way to jump the battery from the generator, and got it started, and it ran fine all the way to Tennessee.
So we left Lebanon, Ohio, two hours later than planned. I wanted to get into the campground before dark to set up, so we stopped only once briefly in 370 miles for a necessary break for Gracie and me. I followed Gypsy’s directions all the way to what I thought was the campground only to find I was in the state campground next door. I called the campground and the owner came in her car and led me in. By then it was dark; really dark.
I got the sewer line set up, and found the electricity. But the water faucet is in a wooden box, and I have a plastic protector on the end of the hose, so the hose would not fit down in the box. I finally remembered that I have a spare length of water hose that came with the Goose when I bought her that I determined wasn’t long enough. So the short piece is connected to the faucet, and my regular hose is connected to the short piece. All assembled in pitch black with a flashlight held in my mouth. So I solved three crises in one day without breaking a sweat. I’m getting better at this.
Kentucky is an odd state. There are big billboards with biblical passages on one side of the highway, and WalMart-size stores of ADULT books and videos on the other. And I have decided that even the back roads in Tennessee are better than the highways in Kentucky.
I had an epiphany one evening in Lebanon, while walking through the cemetery at dusk on a full moon. (I should explain that the cemetery provided a major shortcut from the campground to downtown Lebanon. I wasn’t just hanging out in the cemetery.) I have been wondering why my emotions are so close to the surface these last few months. I have shed tears of joy at the sheer beauty of some of the sights I have seen, and tears of gratitude for the emotions I have experienced. I think it is because this is the first time in my adult life I am not depressed. My depression was never severe enough to prevent me from fulfilling my responsibilities, just enough to blunt my emotions. I think of how much joy and beauty I missed because I was numb with depression, but I am so grateful I have the opportunity to catch up for lost time.
I can’t wait for daylight to check out the park. This is a horse camping ground and there are trails everywhere. Gracie should be thrilled. I put the slide out, but I haven’t really unpacked. I want to go visit my friend Phyllis tomorrow. Exploration and friendship; sounds like a good Sunday. .
What a fantastic month! Julie and I did a whirlwind of activities. We did some highbrow activities: a performance of the Dayton Philharmonic playing the score to the 1935 movie Bride of Frankenstein on the Thursday before Halloween; a community performance of the play ‘Almost, Maine’ at the Middletown Lyric Theater; the comedy play ‘Basement Ladies’ at La Comedia dinner theater in Springboro. We went shopping: Jungle Jim’s International Market, Trader’s World swap meet, Treasure Aisle swap meet. We drove around the area: Caesar Lake State Park, King’s Island, The Beach WaterPark. We ate great food: The Golden Lamb in Lebanon, Chinese food in Springboro, Italian food at LaRosa’s. And we hung out: walking the dogs, sharing simple dinners, watching television, soaking in the hot tub with a glass of wine. I met Julie’s wonderful friends, who readily befriended me. I don’t have siblings, and never realized what I was missing until now.
Yesterday we had early Thanksgiving with all the trimmings and the whole family—three nephews, Del, Chris (who arrived later after working all night), Bruce, Del’s lady Cassie, and Bruce’s sons (my great nephews) Chance and Braden. Only Terry, Julie's husband, who was on the road, and Mackenzie, my great niece, who was spending the weekend with her mother, were missing. I hadn’t celebrated Thanksgiving for several years, and it gave me time to give thanks for all the wonderful things I have experienced this past few months. It was lovely.
I had some luck with repairs to the Goose. The lights in the slide were not working, so I called the mobile repair man to the park. He fixed the electrical problem, helped me with the awning, showed me where the switch to the water pump is hidden, and gave me a referral for the repairs to the side of the Goose (from the unfortunate encounter with the cement post in California). A quick trip to Cincinnati, a fair cost for the repairs, and the Goose is patched up!
I have had my frustrations, too. I explored getting my dental problems fixed, but found it is either too expensive or too time-consuming or both. I tried to get a secured credit card to facilitate renting a car, but since I don’t have an income I was turned down. I thought that was the whole point of securing the credit card. I have had the use of a vehicle while here, and it is a great convenience I will surely miss.
The best part is we had a good time, everything we did, and I have a wealth of good memories and experiences to last a lifetime.
Unfortunately, it’s getting cold. There are a couple days this week when it will be Indian summer warm, but nights are getting close to freezing. It’s time to get going south. I have my reservations secure for my next spot, Chapel Hill, Tennessee, starting Saturday. A week or two there, and then I think I will head to Gulf Shores, Alabama.
