Tick Tock and there it goes, time is slipping by, no actually now it really seems to be racing by, we are on the final count down to the closing of the park for the 2019 season.
We just received our schedule for October…and it’s looking a little sad, the majority ot the tasks are winterizing, a couple of days of tree removal and trimming, some regular yard maintenance, maintaining equipment, oil changes, stowing away out door furniture, a final power wash of equipment before being stowed away for the winter.
Cleaning up and organizing the shop, getting tools put away, stowing the split and bagged firewood in the shop, preparing for the oncoming blowing snow, and anticipating the spring rains to avoid any damage of equipment.
It is kind of like the spring rush in reverse, but seems to be a much more controlled pace, almost like it’s in slow motion, I spent yesterday in the shop because of the rain, sharpening mower blades, stacking lumber, organizing, hanging tools, all the things I just didn’t seem to have time for all summer.
It is a time of mixed emotions for Miss Laurie and I, on one hand it is sad to see the park empty out, rigs with all the slides in, closed up for winter, some empty sites where they pulled their rigs for indoor winter storage or to head south, and the list of units for Rich and I to winterize growing daily. And on the other side the anticipation of our next adventure, as we make our way south for the winter, looking forward to some long naps in the sun, exploring some new hiking trails, visits with our RV family, reading for me and painting for Miss Laurie, and a few cocktails well ok a lot to cocktails, happy hours, tales of travel, just catching up with friends and family.
As we are shutting down the park, we are also packing the coach, and preparing to head out, I have a week of appointments the last week of October, where I will be poked and prodded and Miss Laurie and I are going to get some new glasses, visit family and friends, and plan a route to Arizona.
I think it’s going to be difficult to just stop the routine that we have developed over the summer, we will miss the busy times, and the quiet times on the beach, the guests of the park, that have been ever so welcoming, Richard and Bonnie who just let us do our thing, it’s almost like we were the owners of the park. And when we see something that was wrong we just fixed it or had it taken care of, oh don’t think for one minute that I haven’t had some screw ups, but I didn’t have to be reprimanded as I was already beating myself up. It’s like they are on the same thought plain as I am, “the only people that don’t make mistakes are the people that are not doing anything ” I came from the world of hard knocks, but I learned early in life that “Shit Happens” so deal with it.
I also fear for our livers a little, as I know there will be many more cocktails, and Miss Laurie free pours when she mixes, I also fear that the time away will disappear as fast as this summer has. It seems strange to say I will miss the work but I fear I will, having spent thirty years in management and then owning my own small business, planing and scheduling as what I do, so just planning what day is best for mowing the lawns, and when to split wood to work around the rain or the heat of the day may sound petty, but it’s what I have always done, now it will be planning regular or spicy Ceaser, scotch or vodka, IPA or wheat beer, these are still important decisions but not quite the same…
The Buchanan's Rolling Down The Road 