Getting Ready To Roll

Seems like it was just last week that we pulled in to Payne Lake Campground to volunteer for six months. Time goes by way too fast when the place is as beautiful as this. The Forest Service folks had a “Volunteer Appreciation Day” last week to thank us for our work here.

There was a cookout at the day use pavillion, and a lot of the guys and gals came out to say good bye to us and to Rob and Belinda, the camp hosts on the other side of the lake.

They cooked some hot dogs and hamburgers, there was some pasta salad and some baked beans, and I took some Kozy Shack Chocolate Pudding. Everyone had a great time.

Joe gave us all a T-shirt, and each couple received a nice throw with the Forest Service emblem on it. They also gave us a “coffee table” photo book of Alabama. They all said they were sad to see us go. And we are just as sad to leave. It is very hard to leave such a beautiful place:

But we’ll be leaving in the morning, headed west to Arizona for another season at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. And that is another beautiful place, one we can’t wait to get back to.

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Is It Just Me?

Ok, I have been either a volunteer or a paid worker in campgrounds for going on 10 years. I love what I do, and will continue to do it for as long as I am able to do it.  There are so many rewards of doing this work, that I know I shouldn’t complain. I COULD still be working the 9 to 5 in a stuffy office somewhere and being bored to tears. But….

The thing that really gets to me is when adults who are in charge of a bunch of children break the rules, and when you, as a volunteer or employee, have to say something to them, they almost always say something about it being “for the kids.” The reason this really bothers me is that these upstanding citizens, who give their time to help shape the upcoming generation, think it is ok to break a rule because to obey it would not allow them to do whatever it is they are doing “for the children.” To me, that is inadverdently teaching those children that it is ok to break a rule or a law if you do not agree with it. To me, that has far reaching implications that affect the way those children think and act as they become adults.

The thing that started me feeling like this today was that when I was out doing my rounds in the campgrounds, there was a group of about four men who were hiding Easter Eggs in the primitive campground.  Now, there was only one campsite occupied over there, a site across the road from where they were hiding the eggs.  The people who were camping on that site had gone off somewhere, so they were not on the site, just their tent and “stuff.” And there probably wouldn’t be any other campers coming in to that area today, seeing as it is Easter Sunday.

But, because the rules of the park indicate that people who are there for “day use” are not to be in the campground, I had to say something to them–it’s part of my job as a volunteer here. So, I asked “Are you camping with us today?” and the guy in charge said, “No, but we have a lot of children with us and we thought this would be a good place for the egg hunt.” I told them about the rule, and said they really weren’t supposed to be there, but because they had already hidden most of the eggs I would let them “this time” but they needed to pass the word to others that is it not ok to do this. Then he said, “well, I tried to call the forest service office yesterday to ask if it was ok, but no one answered the phone”, which sounded to me like he was making it the fault of the forest service that he broke the rule.

So, here is the question is, Is it ok to break a rule because you do not agree with it?  And the multiple choice answers are:

1. Karen, you are a hard headed stickler who is just out to spoil Easter for this family.

2. It is ok to break that rule because no one was camping over there, so what difference does it make?

3. Those people meant well, but they are teaching their children that it is ok to break a rule because they don’t like it.

4. If I was camping over there I would be a little ticked off if I came back and there were 20 kids hunting Easter Eggs all over my campsite. And who is going to pick up all their trash?

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We Had A Very Nice Weekend

This weekend was so nice! I saw the first sign of spring, daffodils!  There they were, blooming on the bank by the spillway:

Other signs of spring: Lots of campers in the campground, fishermen in boats on the lake, and teenagers wading in the creek:

And the redbud trees budding:

We spent some time checking all the electric hookups and water faucets to make sure they all worked, because the turkey hunting season starts next weekend, and that means the campground is sure to be filled up.  We picked up trash, cleaned out fire pits, and just made sure everything looks good.

I have been doing a lot of product reviews over the past couple of months, trying new gluten free things. This morning I cooked us some organic chicken sausage that was really yum! Tomorrow I’ll be trying out some sweet Italian sausage from the same company for dinner.

And as if I didn’t have enough to do, I have joined a group of writers doing a Write For Ten project. We are given a topic each day, and strive to write for ten minutes on that topic. You can see my efforts here. I’m learning that it is sometimes difficult to write for ten minutes, and sometimes my fingers just fly over the keys.

This afternoon, I did some more sewing: another tote bag in a gorgeous green and brown leaf print:

It has two pockets, one of them divided into sections with spaces for pens or pencils:

It is 18″ wide X 9 1/2″ tall, large enough to hold lots of goodies.  I’m going to be making some more this week, I hope. Only 5 more days until FabGrandpa has his eye surgery, and only two weeks before I see my grandchildren!

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Another Benefit of Volunteering

The Forest Service Resource Manager came by this morning with gifts for us: some real nice Gortex, fleece lined jackets from LL Bean. They have a patch on them that says “Forest Service Volunteer”, and are sooooo nice and warm! And they are ours to keep! Gotta love it!.

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A Work Day At Payne Lake

By the end of our shift, we had the place looking very nice! We’ll be doing this same thing in the campground in the coming weeks, to get it cleaned up, too. I love it when a plan comes together.

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Our Sweet Home In Alabama!

Today, Joe came over and took us on a tour of the place, showing us where to get supplies, what we are expected to do, and such as that. Tomorrow, we go to town to pick up some personal supplies, then the next day we’ll get to work getting things in shape for campers who will be coming in soon.

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