Published in WorKamper News, Jan/Feb 2015, Page 58
In 2010 Michelle and I took an extended vacation across the US pulling a pop-up. After 80 days and 11,000 miles, we did not want to go home. That was the realization that we wanted to become full-time RVers. I was 73 years old; she was 62.
Financially we are OK but sure not rich; so roaming the country and paying commercial camping rates every night is out of the question. While we want to “roam”, we do not want to travel every day or even every week. We want to go to new places and stay there long enough to explore the area, see the sights, and meet the local people. Workamping is the natural answer and it quickly became part of our planning.
It took a couple years to make it happen. We had a house to sell, a lot of stuff to get rid of, and personal affairs to put in order. We also had to move up from a pop-up to something more substantial. Finally, we had a lot to learn about RVing and Workamping.
We chose a Fifth Wheel as our RVing vehicle. I am still satisfied with that choice. However, I wish I had bought a bigger truck. We bought the truck first, with no RV experience. Then we had to fit the 5er to the truck. If I could do it over, I would buy a 250 or 2500 diesel with 4WD.
Attending the Workamper Rendezvous was a very positive learning experience. I should have done that at least one year earlier. If you are reading this and contemplating attending – just do it!
We have been workamping for about four years; volunteering with non-profit organizations, serving as Camp Hosts at a National Park, doing campground work for a private campground. We seek out the unusual. So far that has been dry camping for a week in an industrial parking lot while decorating a Rose Parade float as volunteers.
I think we have succeeded as Workampers. We have gotten every situation we sought. Frankly, I don’t know how we could have done it without the internet. There is so much information within easy reach. Almost every workamping opportunity has a website. There are more websites on RVing than you can count and there are an increasing number of sites on Workamping. Workamper News is the best but not the only one. I do extensive research or “data mining” for opportunities.
I will claim an almost perfect resume. It has been refined over and over. It is packed tight with relevant information. There are no superfluous words, and no spelling or grammar errors. The font is clearly readable. No superlatives and no back slapping about how great we are. I update it frequently to keep it at the top of the pile.
While our resume tells who we are, the cover letter tells what we can do for the employer. I restrict it to one page and pack it as tight as the resume. I concentrate on the cover letter, tailoring each one to the situation. Again – no spelling or grammar errors and a clearly readable font.
I believe our age is a positive factor in workamping. Our behavior and attitude is tempered with maturity and an abundance of life experience. We’ve had our careers. We are comfortable with ourselves – no longer striving to prove something, or to climb the corporate ladder, or get that next promotion. We have achieved some level of financial independence, so we don’t have to chase the almighty dollar. Kids are grown and gone and so are all those obligations.
Our motto is: “Don’t do the same thing twice until you have done everything once”. RVing and Workamping has made that possible beyond our wildest dreams. We love the travel and variety of experiences and people. When “Hitch Itch” strikes we move on.
The one down side to the lifestyle is lack of “hobby space”. Michelle is a quilter and I am a flytyer. Both hobbies require space and equipment that is hard to fit into the RV lifestyle.
We’ll continue our roaming as long as health permits or until our rig gives out. We winter in Florida and roam the country during the rest of the year. I do not expect to replace our current rig and I do expect to have another stix and brix house at the end of this adventure. Right now, I don’t want to think about that.
Daily Chores at Panhandle Pioneer Settlement
Dressed for Pioneer Day at Panhandle Pioneer Settlement
Feeding Wild(?) Horses at Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary
Dry Camping at Fiesta Parade Floats
Decorating a Rose Parade Float
Michelle and Park Manager Becky at Yogi at Shangri-La Campground
Dressed for work on The Haunted Trail at Yogi at Shangri-La Campground
GC4652A,The Camo Bug Inn
Titusville, FL
GPS: 28.552499, -080.854722
My mission is to carry the Project Healing Waters message to flyfishermen in all 50 states.
Zachary the Purple Zonker
This is a second life for Zachary the Purple Zonker. This time it is a laminated business card with the tracking code displayed prominently on the face of the card and a message on the back. In the first life, this travel bug was a piece of paper inside a film canister, yellow body, blue top, attached to an actual TB. I launched Zachary the first time in Myrtle Beach, SC in June 2010. It disappeared sometime in 2012 after having logged 4,736 miles and 215 posts. I pulled back the travel bug number and relaunched Zachary in GC4652A, The Camo Bug Inn, in Titusville, FL on 14 Dec 2014. I guess there is some slim chance that the original might show up.
Dan Byford of Colorado came up with the design for the Purple Zonker in 1974. It is one of the modern American Rabbit-lure patterns taken from the original Rabbit flies introduced from New Zealand. The Zonker is used for all species of trout as well as large and small-mouth Bass. It can be used in either lakes or streams.
The Purple Zonker
Zachary is one of twelve characters created by artist Kirk Werner for three books designed to introduce children to fly fishing.
Book Series by Kirk Werner
I have created a Trackable for each character. If you would like to see them all, here are the Geocaching Travel Bug Numbers: TB3E3X5, TB3E3Y2, TB3E3X7, TB3F6AD, TB3F69B, TB3F6AW, TB3F69V, TB3F69Z, TB3F6AV, TB3F6A3, TB3F6A5, TB3F6A0.
MEET MY FRIENDS
TB3F69V – Andy the Adams
TB3F6AD – Billy the Blue-Wing Olive
TB3F6AW – Ernie the Elk Hair Caddis
TB3F6AV – Gilbert the Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear
TB3E3X5 – Mr. Muddler the Muddler Minnow
TB3E3X7 – Olive the Woolly Bugger
TB3F69B – Pete the Prince Nymph
TB3F69Z – Polly the Partridge & Orange
TB3F6A3 – Randal the Royal Coachman
TB3F6A5 – Sally the Yellow Sally
TB3F6A0 – Stan the Stimulator
TB3E3Y2 – Zachary the Purple Zonker
Pictures of all of us – just pictures
LINKS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
Geocaching (and other GPS games)
Project Healing Waters
Miami Valley Fly Fishers
Kirk Werner
N. Apollo Blvd & Sarno Rd
Melbourne, FL
GPS: 28.121442, -080.638535
Today we went to Melbourne, FL (about 45 miles south of The Great Outdoors RV Park) to visit with Burt and Dori Staman at the christmas tree lot they operate between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We met Burt and Dori during our 2014 summer workamping job at Yogi at Shangri La Campground in Milton, PA. We resolved to meet up while we were all in Florida this winter.
Last summer Burt gave me the address. I used Google Maps to pinpoint the intersection and get the GPS coordinates which I included in my contact list as part of the address. When we reached the intersection there was no mistaking their location. Wolf Pack (the name of their Fifth Wheel) is always easy to spot.
Wolf Pack is always a prominent landmark
Operating a tree lot is a 24/7 job, but most of the traffic comes in the afternoon and evening. The job at night is to protect the inventory. Their dog Pepe is in charge of that. They advised us to come in the morning and join them for an early lunch. We did.
About noon, customers start showing up
Hauling the tree to the car
is part of the job
The tree lot is owned by a North Carolina tree grower and the supply of trees is refreshed every couple days.
Tree prices range from $20 to $350. $350!!!!! Yep – and they sell. People with really big houses and businesses such as auto dealers and banks buy the big trees for their lobby and don't even blink at the price.
The Stamans operate the tree lot from Thanksgiving to Christmas eve. They spend January to March at their home in Lake Placid, FL before heading back to Yogi at Shangri La Campground in Milton, PA for their summer job.
Dori made a delicious chili for lunch. Michelle brought a really good cherry filled Rugula pastry that she picked up at the Farmers Market in The Villages yesterday. Since Burt and Dori were "on duty" we ate outside amid the aroma of freshly cut Christmas trees. It was cold.
Chili, Cornbread, Rugula, and good company
makes a cold damp day feel just fine
It was good to see Burt and Dori again. We had a nice visit.
Dori, Burt, Michelle
A thorn between two roses
Fayetteville, NC
Do something that will make thousands of people stand up and cheer ...
... 100 years after you are dead
Every Christmas I realize that Peter Tchaikovsky is one of very few people to achieve such stature. He is hands down my favorite composer. No one else even comes close.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 -- 1893) was a Russian composer whose works included symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets, chamber music, and a choral setting of the Russian Orthodox Divine Liturgy. Some of these are among the most popular theatrical music in the classical repertoire. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally Wikipedia. His piano concertos and ballet music are known world wide. Even those who don't know his name or his work recognize the tune to such pieces as the 1812 Overture and of course the Nutcracker.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The complete Nutcracker has enjoyed enormous popularity since the late 1960s and is now performed by countless ballet companies, primarily during the Christmas season, especially in the U.S. Major American ballet companies generate around 40 percent of their annual ticket revenues from performances of The Nutcracker. Amateur ballet companies and dance studios do the production as a fund raiser and as their major event in celebration of the Christmas season.Wikipedia
More than a few youngsters begin dance lessons after marveling at the ballet's swirling snowflakes and flowers, mischievous mice and regal Sugar Plum Fairy. Generations of dancers have emerged from the ranks of these students to play the ballet's children and then, as professionals, principal and character roles. Kids who will never become dancers will carry that music in their brain for the rest of their life.
Our annual reconnect with this wonderful music happens in Fayetteville, NC where our granddaughter's ballet studio joins with two other studios to become The Dance Theatre of Fayetteville to put on their annual performance. We have this event carved in stone on our calendar and happily look forward to the visit and her performance each year. Ava, our granddaughter, has been at this for four years – each year growing in the number and complexity of the roles she dances.
This was an important year for Ava. She reached the age, size, weight, and strength to get her "Toe Shoes". I did not realize how big a deal this is in the world of ballet. She is very proud and we could see an obvious increase in motivation as the year progressed.
Getting toe shoes is important
All the kids start as one of the children guests at the party
Some start as one of the mice
This year Ava had four parts
Act 1, Scene I, Christmas Party
Act 1, Scene VII - the Battle Between the Nutcracker & the Mouse King
Act2, Scene X - the Magic Castle on Candy Mountain
Act2, Scene XII - Divertissement, Mother Ginger & the Clowns
Our daughter Tricia, Ava's mom, has been a closet Thespian (pronounce carefully and check the definition) since high school. She has been supporting this annual production as Costume Mistress (Chief Seamstress) for the last couple years. When she told the boss (Miss Leslie) that Mother Ginger needed a new costume, Miss Leslie agreed to buy it if Tricia would wear it. Oh my, a star is born!
The Costume Mistress morphs into Mother Ginger
Peter does it again. All three performances got standing applause during the curtain call.
and this year the Costume Mistress got special recognition.
After the performance was time for staged photos ...
... some fooling around ...
Performance tensions evaporate and everyone relaxes
... and parental pride.
Dad's job is to be proud. Tony does it well.
Thank you Mr. Tchaikovsky for another chance to stand up and cheer.
