Some days are just better than others, this last two weeks has had quite a variety, great days, not so great days, hot days, humid days, cool days, rainy days and some sunny days. But we are closing in on the middle of our term as work campers, and the weeks are just skipping by, we pulled in April the 22nd, and we are done October 25th so being July the 24th means we are at the half way point and have to start the preparation to head south again, I think we are going to miss these busy times, after a month or so of rest. Laurie has been checking the work camping spots available in Arizona, so we may end up doing a three month stint as a camp host for some free camping, but just a couple days a week and just light, simple tasks…as I think we will both need some down time.

Considering we had rain four of the last seven days, it actually quite amazing we got as much accomplished as we did, it’s Wednesday morning and it appears we are in for a week of sunshine at temperatures that will be good to work in. I have lots of items on my todo list, and we seem to be adding every week, lots of outdoor projects, many that should have been done some time ago. I had the chance to pull the pump on the honey wagon apart last week as I picked up too much sediment on the bottom of one of the tanks…this was a well learned lesson that I will be careful not to repeat. I got my Scuba gear out and spent an hour on the bottom of the pool vacuuming up the sand, and other disgusting things from the pool bottom, the pool has never looked cleaner and I have my buoyancy almost perfected, the pool was a warm 25 or 83 degrees so no wet suit was required…lol

We had a torrential down pour on Friday morning and washed out some of the beach walkway so Sunday we had to take three yards of gravel down the hill and repair the washed area, we also cleaned the drains again to help prevent more washes. The park is busier during the week as groups on holiday are using their summer vacation times, so more families, and more grandchildren running the grandparents to near breaking points, it’s been fun to watch the energy of the kids and the slowing pace of the seniors. The office has been busy preparing for the renewals as the new contracts are available in just a few days. As with any thing there are going to be increases, to reflect the cost of business, nothing gets cheaper whether it’s the cost of fuel for the honeywagon, or chlorine for the pool, and let’s not get us started on the new Canadian carbon tax on electricity, propane as well as fuel. There will always be a debate as to how to approach an increase in lot fees, do you try to justify it with details, or just explain it as necessary, my opinion is that fees go up steadily no different than the park costs, as a park owner you need to cover cost increases, remain competitive, allowing for improvements, and maintaining a return on your investment, I’m sorry profit is not a dirty word and if there is not profit from your investments why do it. So the new rates may spark some conversation but at about $3000 for a seasonal lot including electric seams like a pretty good deal to me it’s around $18 per day.

We were able to get a little gravel for our lot, which will help on those rainy days. No more floating mat, or wet feet when we step out of the coach. It was one of those things that we were going to do when we had time and yesterday was the day, so I moved the Clam about a foot so that the awning will go out fully. Yesterday was Laurie’s Birthday so there were a few extra cocktails and a couple of shots of Pecan Whiskey and ended with some cheesecake as dessert. It is cool this week but sunny, no humidity at all so it should be good for work and great for sleeping. I am gathering parts to prepare for a new inverter install which I believe should be done before our journey south, I also want to be prepared for the new batteries to make that exchange as painless as possible in the dessert in Arizona.

If you know me or have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I don’t usually mince words. I have stated before that in a park of two hundred sites there are going to be a couple of north ends of a horse running south…if you get what I’m saying! They come in all shapes and sizes and sooner or later they all will raise their head and expose their true character, last night we had a sighting of a large one, short stocky, bald headed, pot bellied, and spoke of himself in the third party…true to form this one was fuelled by some sort of recreational medication, not alcohol I have seen enough drunks, and didn’t act like a pot head (I know a few of them to), no this one was a glassy eyed goof that I found outside pissing on the shrubs beside his neighbours trailer with his rottweiler leg cocked pissing on the bushes beside him, how cute I thought a bitch and her master marking their territory!

Let’s just call this this goof Jack Anderson in fact let’s call him Jack A. for short and in changing his name I’m just trying to protect his identity, after all I don’t want him feeling bullied. So the encounter starts Jack A. I said calmly some people in the park have voiced concerns with the volume of the music you are playing, Jack A’s instant response was I should tell them to go home (I have got to admit I didn’t see that one coming, and that wasn’t one of the solutions I had even thought of), so I tried to explain to him that did not seem like a viable solution, so I suggested maybe just turning the volume down might be easier, hell I even said please, to which I got the “who the hell are you to tell me to turn my music down?” So I explained that I was the park manager, and that was when he started the whole third person thing telling me Jack could play his music untill 11 o’clock, I said no you can’t play Jacks music so loud that people three rows over are complaining, and then the line I love the best Jack A. rolls out the “I know the owner” line, I said Jack A. so do I which seemed to be a lot for Jack A’s little drug induced mind to handle so when he recovered enough he wanted to speak to the owner well Richard and Bonnie were not in the park, but through the wonder of modern technology I was able to get the Richard on the phone so Jack A. was able to hear from the owner that this was not an acceptable form of behaviour in the park.

Of course after the call Jack A. still had to act defiant after all he had just marked his territory, so I just headed down the road to give the drug induced mind of Jack A. a little time to try to understand what was happening, and when I did my next drive by about thirty minutes later the volume was much better, and with my next trip by the drug induced Jack A. had left the park. That’s great, well no, not so much as now I’m feeling bad about not just called the police at the beginning of this encounter, now Jack A. is out there driving impaired risking the lives of innocent people, now I am second guessing my self, I followed the directions given to me but here is a case of what could I have done different. If I had seen him leaving I could have reported it to the local police, then Jack A. who is to my understanding a truck driver would probably have lost licence and his livelihood, but after a little pause for thought at least everyone would still have been alive and well….I think that this one has to go down in the books as a failure on my part….it definitely will be an ahh ha moment and I will handle it better next time. A few quick photos for documentation, licence plate number to report to the police, and some proof of Jack A’s interactions with me, yes next time I will be better prepared, and may take a second person for videoing the incident or a dash cam operating on the cart would make it much easier when it comes time to renew Jack A’s lease agreement…or not…just thinking.