Tuesday January 22nd 2024

Dear Journal:

Its been a while since I sat and wrote a blog, we are sad this week because we had planned to be visiting Tom & Kathleen this week but the weather is not co-operating. But instead of spending a cold rainy week rushing from coach to coach we have postponed our visit for a week. We were ready to go, we knew what we were going to pack to go and what would stay here at our site. The wine was purchased and ready to be sampled, dinner plans were made, excursions planned and then a week of rain and cold temperatures spoiled it all.

Ok now that I’m done whining about the much needed rain here in the Arizona desert, Miss Laurie decided to make the best of a cold wet week with an adventure around the arboretum, and rock hunting adventure, so this is will be more of a photo blog than anything else.

Living this lifestyle means having the ability to adjust and roll with the punches that come our way, being able to change plans in a moment has so many advantages. Imagine planning a week long vacation to sunny Arizona and arriving to a week of cold wet weather, there was a time in our life when that could happen to us as well, now we just say, next week looks good. Plans have to remain flexible in our world. that is why we do not normally book campsites, when you are able to boondock you don’t need any hookups and usually there are no reservations required at all.

Blog 506

Wednesday January 17th 2024

Dear Journal:

Some days there just isn’t a lot to report and today was one of those days, the weather is about normal for mid January days a normally sunny and warm but the evening temperatures drop like a rock, and as strange as it may sound while cloudy days are cooler an overcast sky holds the overnight temperatures higher by holding the warm temperature down. This week has not been a real sunny week but it is winter so the days are still short, as you can see my most of the group below it is not real warm.

This years host volunteers have been getting together once a month for a pot luck dinner and this month our dinner theme is Hawaiian, and after a group photo we enjoyed a number of yummy treats and as always there was way too much food for us to ever consume. This has been a good group to work and we would have no problem working with any of them again. After dinner we sat around the fire pit and exchanged stories of the last months Arboretum experiences, and of course there are always a few stories of adventures and travels that make their way out after a couple of beverages.

After the evening temperatures drive us back into the coach early and the warmth of the heater is welcomed as we settle in to watch some television before tuning in. Volunteer work is not for everyone, and over the years we have seen all kinds of attitudes as well as all kinds of approaches, and as much as everyone’s idea of what volunteerism is. We had no idea what would be expected of us the first year we volunteered, and if someone had tried to explain what I would be doing now, I don’t know if we would have taken the position, but not having any experience we walked in with an open mind. Where as some people come to the position with expectations and get disillusioned when the task doesn’t match, ending in either disappointment or in some cases ending in totally breakdown and volunteers leaving.

Many volunteers approach their positions of what they will and will not do. Where as we approach volunteer positions with what does the organization need us to do? Of course there will be limits to what any individual can do, but unless the task is physically beyond our capability or beyond our level of understanding, we just do what needs to be done. And claiming physical limits on the task should represent your real capabilities. we have many volunteers claim items to see them doing the same back at their site. If your lazy just say your lazy and then move on to position that fits your level on participation. Don’t expect a free ride as that is not how the world works!

Blog 505