Happy New Year!
When we decided to get into work-camping, I never thought much about a place’s effects, such as “living where you work” on your everyday life. The people you work with become family, and the grounds on which you live become home. The hardest part with this type of living is drawing that line in the sand between work and everything else. It makes it even more difficult when your management background wants to take control because you see things that can be fixed but don’t have the power or are paid to do so. In some ways, it is part of the reason we are still here after being asked to stay a couple of times. Here at Smithwoods, we have workers without managers, which has contributed to a lack of direction and guidance, difficulty in decision-making, lack of accountability, limited development, and, most importantly, the ability to manage conflicts. With Smithwoods, the current owner more or less inherited the park ten years ago, and they don’t live on the grounds. They took over the park to keep it in the family while also trying to live the lives that they had made. Unfortunately, managing a business this way normally has a devastating effect, and honestly, I don’t know how much life is left in Smithwoods. I would love to stop the bleeding and fix things around here, but I also know that I must be asked to do so. In some ways, I can understand how the owners looked at Smithwoods when they took over since most RV parks and campgrounds were never much more than a camping spot, and most folks accepted what they had to offer, so they were fairly easy to manage. In today’s world, though, things are different. More and more parks are offering different amenities and are being upgraded to accommodate guests. For the parks that have fallen behind, like Smithwoods, the reviews from the guests are not positive, and the customers see the flaws. I try to go above and beyond, but seeing the park deteriorate is also hard.
California… We grumble at our 50-degree winter days since we hardly get any sun and everything stays damp, but it’s still better than the Pennsylvania freezing temperatures and snow. I guess I shouldn’t blame California since these big majestic redwood trees block the sun for us, although I still have a hard time accepting “California.” You might ask why and even though I don’t like their politics, I believe a lot of it was inherent while living in Pennsylvania. You have either seen or heard on some form of media that California was one of the bad states to live in for what they were doing. In some ways, I was expecting people in California to be like green aliens since it seemed that everyone in Pennsylvania thought that California should fall off into the ocean. I haven’t seen any aliens, although on the news here, a “cookie monster” hangs out on the wharf you shouldn’t talk to. In general, most of the people we have met are no different than those from anywhere else.
As for living in the RV, we should have done it long ago. Even though the travels were a bit nerve-racking, the smaller living space made life simpler and more comfortable once we got situated. That comfort will keep us here in Felton, Ca. until October 2023; after that, we are not quite sure yet. We miss the sun and are always up for warmer temperatures in the winter, so maybe Arizona or even southern California. There is always that possibility that we might hang around longer since we keep getting asked to stay, so time will tell. In the year 2022, we traveled to Vegas a couple of times, although we haven’t seen much locally because of being occupied with other projects. There is a lot to see in this state, and you can spend a lot of time doing so. What surprises me the most is the beauty of the pacific coast. The views are amazing and majestic. On the flip side of the coin, the bums are destroying the cities and outskirts with their garbage collections, tarps, and tents. It’s a sad sight to see, but just like feral cats, the more you feed them, the more they will come.
Overall, we are doing good. I guess what I find interesting the most is that when you are in the work-camping realm, you see the rat race a lot of customers live in. You see the truck, camper, or RV that they are paying for or the complications in just trying to tackle to have a vacation with the family. A lot of folks that come here are first-time campers which even adds to the stress of getting off that hamster wheel. I understand so I try to be accommodating as much as possible which is another reason I would like the park to be the best it can be. I guess in reality, time will really tell the future.