Saturday, January 21, 2012

A Busy Week and A Little Fun

 Well, today was the end of my 6th working week here at the swamp.  I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly.  This is definitely the kind of living I was thinking of when I signed up for work camping.  Good place.  Good pace of life.  Good folks to work for and with.  I'm having a great time. 

This week the mornings were cool so we didn't start until 10 most days to let the temps warm up some.  The big projects right now, while bookings are slow, is maintenance on the cabins.  Herman and Carl have been working on the decks for the luxury cabins out in the back wooded area while Linda and I took on the day cabins out front.  First we had to take all the screening down around the decks.  Note I said screening, not screens.  We had to pull all the splines out carefully for reuse and then remove the screen pieces and store them while we stained some areas of the decks that for some reason weren't stained.  Then after the staining was done and dried we had to respline all those screens.  I have a whole new skill set to add to my resume but by the end of the second day of splining I know I'll be listing that skill low and in small print.  Ugh.  It's not that much fun.  Still there's a certain amount of pride in seeing the job done and how much it adds to the finished appearnce of the cabins.  And I think the guys were surprised to see that us gals could do it all without their help. 

So what do worn out workcampers do at the end of a hard week?  Well, if you're across the street from a great swamp like Okefenokee you put your kayak in the water and go for a paddle.  Finally.  Can you believe I've been here 6 weeks and just now paddling?  Only the cooler weather and work and holidays have kept me off the water.  But those days are behind me now so look out swamp! 

This was Linda's first time in a kayak so we went out after lunch and only went about a mile up the canal and into the swamp.  I think she was nervous at first but by the tine we got back she seemed pretty proud of herself.  And she should be.  She did great.  She learned how to get in, launch, paddle forward and backward, turn around, get out of the way of the tour boats when they were passing, and most importantly after a successfull venture on the water - she got out again without falling in the water the whole time.  In fact, I don't think she got her feet wet.  Great job Linda!  Hope you're not too sore tomorrow.

We didn't see any gators today.  I think they all know a storm is coming in tonight and they headed to the muddy islands in the prairies where they can stay warm during the rain.  We did see a pair of red shouldered hawks going after something and a very pretty water plant sprouting some new growth.  And of course there was a woodpecker but I didn't get my binoculars up quick enough to see if he was an RCW.  Next time I guess.

After working this morning and paddling this afternoon and then putting all the boats and gear away, I am pooped.  Time to take a shower and hit the sack early tonight.  Will try to find some new trouble to get into tomorrow I guess. 

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Reflecting on my first month at the swamp

It's hard to belive that a month has already passed since I pulled into site 12 at Okefenokee Pastimes.  I guess the old adage is true - time does fly when you're having fun.  And while there's been plenty of work to get done I can truthfully say that this first month has been a great time.  Of course it did start off a little rocky.

I was less than 100 miles away when I learned that the battery in my tow car was cracked which explained why it kept losing a charge.  I was able to buy a new battery and get it installed in Tifton and head on down Highway 82 to Folkston.  For a small town there's a lot to offer.  We've got a McDonalds, a Burger King and a Dairy Queen Chill&Grill.  Harvey's is the local grocery and while I'd never heard of this chain (have since seen several in other small GA towns), it reminds me a lot of the old Food Town chain that Mother and Daddy used to work for in Nashville.  There's also a local restaurant and a barbecue place, but all the talk around town these days is about the new Thai restaurant that just opened up on Main Street.  Yes, Thai.  That really surprised me.  I've eaten there twice (they even have Singha) and it's quite good. 

And of course we have the trains.  People come quite literally from all over the country and beyond to visit the Folkston Funnel and watch the trains go by.  I've only been by there one time that there wasn't at least one person sitting there waiting to watch the trains.  There's also a train museum at the Chamber that runs a segment about the funnel that aired on the Sunday Morning TV program about 2 years ago (it loops over and over again).  But I'm not in town, so if you want to find me you have to follow the alligator signs along Highway 121 south.  It's just an 8 mile drive on straight road with a few houses and the middle school scattered along the way.  Just as you get to the east entrance to the National Refuge take a left instead into our drive. 

I won't bore you with lots of flowery prose about how wonderful it is here because it's not that great all the time.  In fact the last few days have been cool and cold at night (well, in the 30s which I didn't sign up for).  And I'm sure at some point I'll be blogging about heat and bugs.  But it is a peaceful, laid back atmosphere where we work together and help each other and share tidbits of food and info and adventures.  There's no hot tub or shuffleboard tournaments, but we put together an outstanding covered dish/pudgie pie party for new year's eve.  Yes, for me it's just right.  I'm learning about UPers from Carl and teaching Linda and Herman about geocaching.  Gus has taken a liking to everyone except Tequilla the host cat.  The two of them just keep a respectful distance.  I think Gus and I have found a place to call home for a few months.  Come on down and see us!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Baby It's Cold Outside


OK, I know I'm not in Florida, but I'm close enough to spit on the state line (if I was the spitting kind of girl) so I really thought the weather would always be as warm and wonderful as it has been for the first 2 weeks here.  And then a cold front blew in and brought me abruptly back to the reality of winter.  Granted, it's not as cold here as it is back in Campbellsville.  And I was expecting maybe low 40s high 30s, but last night it got down to 24.  Brrrrrrrr !!

The owner had all us workcampers meet him just after dark when it was still above freezing, albeit barely, and we followed him around learning the procedure for protecting the pipes in freezing temps.  I personally vote for just not having any more of this nonsense but no one listens to me on these matters.  So we turned off pumps, set faucets to dripping, disconnected our rv's from the water lines, and tucked ourselves into our respective homes for a cold night.  Luckily I have a warm dog to help me keep warm.

The only bonus to all this cold weather is that we couldn't go to work until the temps rose this morning so I had till 10am to just goof off and sleep late.  Good thing about the sleep since Gus really thought he had to make a restroom walk at 2am.  Once we were outside he decided to make it a quick walk.  I meant to check out the sky for the quadrantids but it was tooooooo cold.  I'll see shooting stars another night.

Late this afternoon I had to check one of the basic cabins before the guest checked in and just as I was closing the door I noticed an anole.  He was moving kind of slow so I just picked him up and closed the door.  I took him back to behind the office where I found Steve, our owner and highly knowledgeable source on all local flora and fauna.  While he schooled me on anoles I warmed the little critter in my hands but decided if I just put him on the ground he'd probably freeze outside tonight (which is why I found him in the warmed cabin) so I placed him on a shelf just outside the workshop.  I'll check on him in the morning.  If he's still there I think I'll name him Ralph.  He just looked like a Ralph to me. 

Lows tonight are in the low 30s so perhaps Gus will wake me in the wee hours again for a restroom walk and I'll get another chance to look for the meteors.  At least it will be warmer.