May 16, 2019. This is for our friends who are interested in knowing what life’s like living in a campground that lies within a national recreation area. In fact, Hillman Ferry’s the largest one managed by the U.S. Forestry Department.

Memorial Day weekend isn’t for another week, and already the campground is filling up with campers jockeying for a good place to settle in for the inaugural summer holiday. Most of the hook-up sites are occupied, leaving just a few tent sites available. Our little Shangri-la has been infiltrated.

Birds are abundant, and I often see Eastern bluebirds, bright yellow American goldfinch and occasional red-headed woodpeckers. Hummingbirds have been at our feeder for weeks now and show no indication of moving anytime soon. I even look forward to spotting Flower (the skunk) when I go to work! It’s really quite amazing being surrounded by nature. Toads and lizards and mice don’t freak me out as much as they used to. Poison ivy and ticks still do, though.

With the exception of one, our grandkids have spent every weekend with us since we’ve been at LBL. I imagine they’ll spend most of the summer with us as well, and that would be okay. I can’t think of a better way for a child to spend the summer than in the woods. Especially these days.

Now that they’re tweens they’re able to participate in a lot of the kid-centered activities that happen here at the campground. In fact, the summer interns reported yesterday, and part of their job is to plan programs for the kids. The local hangout seems to be the basketball court which starts attracting kids early in the day. It’s nowhere near our campsite, but our grandkids can find their own way there if they want—skateboard, scooter, or bicycle. Or, old-fashioned walking!

Our being here at this particular point in time is a godsend, particularly because it enables us to help our daughter, who’s busy being a single mom as well as a business owner. The funny thing is that a year ago, I had no idea that this sort of workamping opportunity existed so close to home. And yet, here we are with more than a dozen other retired “seniors” doing the same thing we’re doing: retired from work but not from life.

One of the workampers abruptly quit Sunday, and for the rest of that day, things were uncertain and tenuous. But as it turned out, it wasn’t hard to replace her. A single woman ‘our age,’ who’d recently come down from Pennsylvania in her RV, had previously applied for a workamping position at LBL, and just like that, it presented itself.

She is one of several women I’ve met in the past year (both here at the campground and on the road when we were traveling last fall) who are RVing single-handedly. I admire them for their courage. Imagine the nerve it takes to tackle this lifestyle by one’s self!

It takes courage to step outside one’s comfort zone, but it’s usually worth it—at least that’s what we’ve discovered. The characters one meets along the way and the experiences that present themselves are far beyond anything that can be imagined. Some are real doozies! But that’s the beauty of it. You never know what to expect. And that’s what makes life so interesting!

Until next time, xo! ☺️