Fulltiming Road Runners

We’ve been here since May 5th. and I’ve complained that I’ve only seen a deer from afar, clear across the pasture under a tree… looked about ant size.  Today that changed.  We had a spike buck visit us for breakfast.  He was out in the front yard enjoying tender rose shoots & wild geranium flowers and leaves.  Most of the pics I got were of him just 10 feet or so away.  The bar you see in this first pic is the awning support on our trailer.

Here he is enjoying the tender shoots & leaves on the wild roses.

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned the 2 black ‘n white feral cats we have.  Here is one of them stalking the birds in my yard.

This shot is a Goldfinch that visited this morning,  Notice his fine feathers are looking a bit motley now.  Mating and nesting season is over and he’s in the middle of his pre-migration molt.  (the  out of focus bird in front of him is a Pine Siskin)

Still no rattle snake.  I did get several photos of a plant I’ve been watching and waiting to bloom for ages.  It finally blossomed, I got pics and discovered I had inadvertently adjusted the shutter speed to overexpose the pics.  I have to go out and shoot again.  The plant is the Sissal.  I’ll get shots tomorrow and show them to you.

Stay healthy and happy!

Toodles!

Yesterday we took the day off after Thom did a quick bathroom cleaning round. We left around 11:30 a.m. We were going to stop at the trailer place to see how our order for the flatbed trailer was going, then back to Ogden to WalMart and then just whatever we wanted to do, like take a ride or something. First we stopped at a place at the mouth of the Canyon called Rainbow Gardens. I’ve been wanting to check it out since we got here in May. It’s nothing more than a restaurant and a huge tourist trap gift shop.

When we got to the trailer place (around 1:00 p.m.) we discovered that everything was there and ready so they talked us into letting them pull the car into the service bay and install the hitch and all. They said it would only take about 1-1/2 hours, so we walked next door to a Chinese Restaurant for lunch. About 3 hours later they were finished, the trailer all hooked up, and we could leave. We didn’t get our errands in Ogden done, so we will be going back today after Thom is done with the bathrooms, and I’ve done my walk around to collect.

It’s afternoon now and while Thom was out doing his thing in the campground one of our campers told him there were boys in Perception Park across the river throwing rocks at a couple of young teen girls tubing by.  They started this yesterday afternoon.  Once as the girls were going by, the father was standing there.  The boys threw rocks, the girls asked them to please stop and the father just watched and said nothing.  This morning one of the rocks hit one of the girls, so Grandma told Thom about it.  We went to Perception Park and the hosts were gone (3rd day in a row) so we went down to talk to the family.  They were packing up fast to get out of there before they could get in trouble.  We did talk to them and the mother said her innocent boys were only trying to splash the girls.  We left shortly after that to go to Ogden to finish our errands.  On the way we stopped in Anderson Cove to call the sheriff’s office about the rock throwing.

While we were there we talked to Barbara, our manager and I pretty much vented at her again.  Early, early this morning 2:55 a.m.) we had a camper pound on our door asking for an emergency phone.  Her 83 y/o granny had rolled over and dislocated her artificial hip.  We tried our walkie talkies to call Perception Park and also Willows.  Neither of them answered.  Thom chose to drive the cart to Willows, because he knew Jesse, the host’s dog would bark and wake the host.  From the time of the lady pounding on our door, to contacting emergency services was about 12 minutes…. then another 5 to 10 for them to arrive.  If this had been a heart attack, or profuse bleeding or stroke, or snake bite, the patient would have been in dire straights by the time help arrived.   So much for the walkie talkies being a reliable means of communication in an emergency.

The same camper whose grandaughter was being bombarded by rocks told us yesterday afternoon that they were visited by a rattlesnake.  It went into the bushes right by their site.  They shot bee bees at it, threw rocks at it and even tried to drive over it.  We couldn’t find hide nor hair of it, but this morning it was apparently back.  It had gone under a very large rock and is using that as it’s home.  It’s been out twice now curled in the shade of the rock… but by the time Thom can get down there with his snake stick, it’s gone back under it’s rock.  We’ll let ya’ll know if he ever gets it and if I get a chance to shoot it, and what we’ve done with it.

I’ve started my attempt at making a seed bead 3-D hummingbird.  I’ve gotten 4 rows and the eyes done.  The beak is next.  I’m going very slowly, step by step, following the color coded pictures.  As soon as it starts looking like it might be a hummingbird, I’ll start sharing pics.  Of course, with me, there’s always the chance it will never look like more than a pile of beads.  In that case, I prolly won’t be sharing pics.

I think I will now go and work on something for dinner.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy!

Toodles

The last time we were in the grocery store I bought a cheapo hummingbird feeder ($4.00) to put in the yard.  The hummers are flocking to it and the little one on my window.  It’s fun to watch their antics.  They buzz each other, they fight, they “flair” to scare each other, they even buzz me.  Once in a while they’ll even share the feeder.

This is a shot of two females (wings out) and an immature male (not flying), all Broadtail Hummingbirds.

This is a shot of a female broadtail “flairing” to look BIG to scare the others away… not real effective, but pretty nontheless.

I like this shot because of the way the hummer’s head peaks out from behind the wing.  I’m not sure  what kind of hummer it is though, I can’t see the throat.

The last I looked, the Upper Meadows is empty and we only have two sites taken in the Lower.  I’m loving the quiet.  Thom’s out in the 96F weather cleaning sites in the Upper Meadows.  I probably should do a walk about in the Lower to see if  anyone has come in while I wasn’t looking.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n Happy.

Toodles!

It’s been HOT here. Temps in the mid 90’s and humidity in the 50’s & 60’s. For those of you in the South, that’s a piece of cake, for me it’s a melt down! I’m on the verge of telling our managers that since the company furnishes means for everyone else in the canyon to have A/C, they can furnish diesel to us so we can run our A/C! Of course their pay is determined by the profit of the campgrounds so they, for sure, aren’t going to want to spend money on diesel. We were told that at 5500′ elevation the temps were very temperate and comfortable. Yeah right! I don’t even go for walks around the campground after 10:00 a.m. anymore because I have no place to go to cool off. We’re running the little generator a lot so we can run the fan in the trailer and we’re running the sprinkler outside in front of the trailer to cool off our area with the chairs out there. (we’re also trying to keep it green and less burnable).

I’m thinking that unless we have unusual happenings or really great photos I probably won’t write about our camp hosting much anymore. It’s all the same ol’ thing. I will try to at least say “all is well, we’re happy” every few days.

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n happy!

Toodles.

A few days ago I was in front of some heavy brush taking photos of flowers and apparently stepped a bit too close… with a huge noise this large ball of rusty colored fur burst out of the brush and ran up the road.  I tried to get him to stop, turn and pose, but he wasn’t listenin’ to me.  He’s a Yellow Bellied Marmot.

The wild geranium is still blooming here.  Most of it is light and dark lavender, but this one  is white.

Last, but not least is the Showy Milkweed.  This plant is the host plant to the Monarch Butterfly, which means they lay their eggs on this plant.  I keep hoping to see the Monarchs show up, but haven’t yet.  It would be fun to get a caterpillar and watch it change to a butterfly.

It’s already rained once this morning and  is cloudy and dark with a few sun breaks.  I need to go around to sign up new campers and note which sites have emptied this morning, but I’m afraid I’ll get caught in a rain squall.I guess I’ll have to bite the bullet and grab my umbrella and go.  Thom has the cart and is cleaning bathrooms.  I’d rather walk in the rain than clean bathrooms!

Ya’ll stay healthy ‘n Happy!

Toodles.

Today is a holiday exclusive to Utah.  It’s called Pioneer Day and is a major holiday in Utah.  We expected things to be wild this week, and to be full by yesterday afternoon.  As of this morning we weren’t even half full in either campground.   Come to find out, one of the online phone numbers to check campground status is the Ogden Ranger District office.  One couple called that number and were told by whomever they spoke to this morning that the Lower Meadows campground was full but they could come up and check for cancellations.  We weren’t full, we weren’t even half full.  I’m guessing part of the reason we weren’t full is  because of what the ranger station is telling people!  Sheesh!

I can’t say I’m unhappy the campground isn’t full though, and is pretty quiet tonight.

We’re finding that we aren’t dealing well with the late nights and lack of sleep.  We seem to be barking at each other more and more.   I’ve heard that after Pioneer Day week, things really slow down in the campgrounds… kids go back to school and we won’t be as busy.  I hope so.  We need a couple of nights where we can go to bed without worrying about the folks in site 7D in the Lower Meadows, or those in 9 in the Upper Meadows being problems.  Last night Thom got out of bed around 11:30 to tour the Upper Meadows because he was worried about some of the campers creating problems.

We have some friends we made here in the campground coming up the weekend of Aug 2nd, and one of Thom’s old co-workers coming up the weekend of Aug. 16.  Marvin and Debbie are hoping to come up in August also.  It’ll be so nice to see all of them.  We’re hoping Misty, one of Thom’s Lab Aides at the college, will come up before we leave also.

It’s almost 10:00 and I still have to take a shower, so I best get it in gear.

Ya’ll stay healthy and happy!

Toodles!

I guess we’ve pretty much experienced all the things that can happen to a campground manager for American Land & Leisure, so now we’re in the groove and flowing along nicely.  We  know our backup is next to none at all, so we make executive decisions and don’t worry about it.

The campgrounds have been relatively quiet this week/weekend.  Luckily we were filled up with families before the party crowds cruised through looking for sites.  It was really nice to have that “Campground Full” sign up when the young people with radios booming bass drove through!

I learned this week that a big part of my blogging is to let my Mom know what’s happening and that we’re just fine.  Her computer is giving her fits and she hasn’t been able to get into her email or my blog.  I think that’s a big reason it’s been 4 days since my last blog.  I need to change my thinking!  I’ve got a lot of family and friends out there who want to know what’s happening and how we’re doing.

I think we’re doing fine.  It only took 1/2 the season, but it feels like we are settled in and finally know what’s expected of us and what we are doing.  The further into the season we go, the more I’m convinced I would never recommend someone come manage a campground in the Ogden Canyon.  We just don’t get the support we need here.
I’ve heard that American Land & Leisure is great to work for in other places, but we’ve not found that to be so here.  We have great support from our fellow campground managers, just not from our area managers and their assistant managers.  Will we be back next year?  No way!  Not unless some big and dramatic changes are made.  I love the area, I love the wildlife and nature here, I love being so close to my precious grandson, Coen.  Unfortunately, I don’t love the job.

I’ve been getting a lot of photos, just haven’t had time to sort and edit them.  I got a new order for one of my Wire Sculpted Trees, so I started that one today after the campground filled up again for the weekend.  It’s almost done.  A lot of people have seen me working on it outside in front of the trailer and asked about it.  Several of them are very interested and wanted my card and website.  I don’t have my website created yet, so I guess I better get it done & get it known!  I’ll let ya’ll know when and where it is.

We’re 99% sure we’ll be going back to Quartzsite, AZ this winter.  We just can’t afford California’s gas prices and haven’t been able to come up with a campground to host that pays at least a stipend so we can afford gas to get to our next summer site.  At least we have our Saturn Vue now so we can drive into California and visit my Mom and other family a time or two.

I feel like I’m not doing a good job of giving ya’ll the pros and cons of camp hosting/management because I always feel so limited in time to explain how we feel, what we’re doing, etc.  If anyone has questions, please feel free to email us at judy@jggrafx.com or thoma@bigfoot.com, we will answer you.

Ron of Hitchitch fame…. I’m probably going to be emailing you in a day or so.  Our inverter seems to have quit.  We have to run the generator to do online and all.  Maybe you have a quick, obvious, something we need to check?

Ya’ll stay healthy & happy!

Toodles!

I don’t remember if I mentioned my allergies lately, but something is blooming that had my nose and eyes running like the river.  I woke up Saturday sneezing my head off, and the minute I got out of bed my sinuses let loose!  I couldn’t go anywhere without the box of Kleenex.  Of course the corners of my eyes and my nose got chaffed and sore.  When I went to bed I put antibiotic cream on my nose and lotion at the corner of my eye and woke up my nose and eye feeling pretty good.  Sunday my sinuses were still overflowing so we got the inverter going and turned on the air cleaner in the bedroom and the air cleaner in the living room and I stayed inside as much as possible.  When I had to go out to do rounds I made sure to take enough Kleenex with me to get me through.  Yesterday I woke up sneezing, but my sinuses were finally not running rampant.  I still had that nasty headache, but could at least take the day off and go down to the valley.

Today was much the same as yesterday.  It being my birthday and no new people in the campground I stayed in bed and slept as much as possible until about 9:00 a.m.  Still had the sinus headache, and sleep is my way of making it better.  I stayed inside doing my email and internet stuff, as well as the dishes, then finally got brave and walked the campground to check things out.  Still no new campers.  The only sign of allergies was the sinus headache so whatever it was flying in the air has gone away.  The headache is still with me so I’m hoping a good nights sleep tonight will ease it some.

We were really relaxed today.  Thom cleaned the upper meadows and did checks in the Lower and I pretty much just did rounds and signed up 4 new campers.

We left at 4:00 to go to dinner in Roy at the ABC Mandarin Restaurant for my 60th birthday.  Oh my gosh!!  YUM!!  We ordered egg rolls for appetizers then Thom ordered Moo Shu Chicken and I ordered Sizzling Seafood Platter.  Thom isn’t big on Chinese food, but he told me we could go to this restaurant any ol’ time I want.  He loved it all.  Our orders were served family style so we got to eat some of each.  We both stuffed ourselves and still had enough to bring home for a full meal tomorrow.

I got a couple of e-cards saying happy b-day and several emails from friends.  I know my Mom sent me a card and I’ll have that to look forward to when we get our mail again from my son, Mike.  All in all, except for the headache, it was a great birthday.  It’s a good life.

We still have tomorrow before things start getting crazy for the weekend.  We are planning on taking a couple of hours and going back down the canyon to visit more trailer sales places so we can make a decision on what we’re gonna do and get it in the works.

Ya’ll stay healthy and happy!

Toodles.

Yesterday when our managers were here to pick up our money and paperwork for the last week, I mentioned that Thom and I would be away from here for most of the day. They said “GO… Stay away, have fun, you deserve it”. Unfortunately, the main reason for going is dental work for Thom… poor dear. We left here around 8:20 a.m. and didn’t get home until around 5:45 p.m. This is the longest we’ve been away from the campground……. guess what! It was in fine shape when we got back! Gonna hafta do this more often!

After Thom was done with his root canal and temporary crown I drove us further south to look at flatbed trailers to tow beind the VUE. We currently use two portable tanks for our dirty water dump tank and a fresh water tank. We use the diesel 3500 Pickup to haul these. With the Saturn VUE we can now do the portable tanks on a flatbed trailer towed by the VUE. Just think of the savings in fuel (diesel vs. gas). The price for what we want is really reasonable, it’s just hard to say okay to another expenditure that big. I’m sure we’ll do it, but we’re going to check all options first.

I mentioned we had friends who follow our blog in our campground this last weekend. They are such neat people. Saturday night Marvin and Debbie cooked and we ate like royalty! You wouldn’t believe the spread… much more than I could eat! AND… it was all yummy! They can cook for me any ol’ time they want!

Here’s a pic of Marvin at the grill. Sorry, no faces, I was standing on the road outside his campsite and thought this was good enuff.

And this is Marvin handing the perfectly cooked chicken to Thom. Thom said it was perfect and he knows his chicken. Marv certainly knows what he’s doing!

Back to stuff that’s not quite so idealic. Last night when Thom did rounds he found the first bathroom, mens side, fouled with human feces in a pile and spread around. This time he decided not to get uptight, and clean it at 10:00 p.m., he just locked the door and left it. He cleaned it late this afternoon after we got back from our day off.

We’re learning that we can’t be and don’t even want to be perfect camp hosts. We want to see that our campers have a good time and still keep them within the bounds of Forest Service rules. So far, we have “happy campers” here. We’re satisfied.

PS. Tomorrow is my 60th birthday. I don’t feel that old, but I guess I’m there. Thom is taking me out to a Chinese Restaurant tomorrow… I’ve been dying for Chinese since we left Salt Lake City last Sept. 2007.

Gotta go… almost 10 p.m. and time to shut down.

Ya’ll stay happy and healthy!

Toodles!

Sorry it’s been so long.  We’ve been busy!  It’s felt like the weekend starting last Tuesday.  We’ve had people coming in and taking sites since then.  By Thursday afternoon we were full in both campgrounds.  Since we had some people leaving today, it was like musical sites today.  People in sites that were too sunny moving to better sites when they were vacated.  It was like a Chinese Circus trying to accommodate everyone.

We’re learning to take the hassles as part of campground host life.  We have complaints and we deal with them the best we can.  Thom is quite an arbitrator and usually has both parties eating out of his hand.  And I’m learning to be tough and not worry about hurting feelings.  I was able to tell a camper this morning (after a complaint they were drunk and loud until 4:00 a.m.) that they would NOT play their music so their neighbors could hear it, they would NOT talk/laugh/scream loud enough to keep neighbors awake, and if we had to speak to them tonight, they WOULD be out of the campground within 10 minutes.  So far they are being very very good.  My only worry is they bought 4 bundles of wood and they are leaving tomorrow morning early… 4 bundles is usually good for 2 nights for bon fires and 3 nights for good warming fires.  Are we going to be burnt down tonight??

We’ve become good friends with a couple who’ve been here twice now for 6 days each time.  They have a 13 year old son who is so personable and comfortable with adults, it’s a joy to be around him.  It’s a joy to be around the whole family.  They leave Sunday, but will be back the 2nd week in August.

We have a couple who have been following our blog for a while and they drove thru and visited for a day in May.  They are here camping for two nights.  They joined us at the campfire tonight.  It was very enjoyable.  We’re going to BBQ tomorrow night.  I’m very much looking forward to it.  Ron & Terry… if you’re listening, it’s Marvin and Debbie.  They intend to be in Quartzsite for a big part of the season this winter.  Probably not until after the election though.  We hope to be there this winter too, but just don’t know what’s going to happen.  We’ll share more on that when we know more.

It’s nearly bedtime, Thom should be back from locking gates soon, so I’ll sign off for now and share some photos (if they’re good) in the very near future.

Ya’ll stay healthy and happy!

Toodles!