June?
Really?
My inner time
keeper says it can’t be so. The calendar
tells me differently.
There’s a
seriously messed up cosmic clock out there somewhere!!!!
We’ve already
put in a tad over a month at Bernie & Sharon’s Riverfront RV Park in
Garrison, Montana, 4 months to go.
Full days of
sunshine are a much welcomed luxury here.
Summer, as we expect, doesn’t arrive until late June and sometimes warm,
lazy days of summer don’t find their way this far north until July. This reality check was proven to us a couple
of years ago when we were volunteers at Whitefish Lake State Park in Whitefish,
MT.
But it is
gloriously green and rivers are running bank full. In light of the deadly Texas floods and the
fact that the southwest could use this moisture, I try to keep the whining down
to a minimum.
Unfortunately
my trusty washer, which undoubtedly is the original motorhome washer and 11
years old, decided to die our first day here.
Upon finally pulling it out last week and doing some investigating we
discovered the part that likely needed replacing is no longer manufactured ….
of course. So, I’m grateful the
campground has a nice laundry room a short walk from my front door and cross my
fingers that the dryer holds out much longer than its partner. I have a couple of new washers bookmarked on
my computer from an RV supplier/dealer in Texas that offers free delivery. Cha-Ching!
Fortunately
that is the only inconvenience we’ve “suffered” through since our arrival and
if that’s the most traumatic event on our agenda then I’m countin’ our
blessings!!
Our freezer
already holds a couple of trout courtesy of fly fisherman Dave, one of the
benefits of living next to the Little Blackfoot River.
Little Blackfoot River |
We’ve walked
one of many trails that border the Grant-Kohrs Ranch, a working cattle ranch in
Deer Lodge about 10 miles east, that’s a National Historic Site and open to the
public for FREE! As soon as the weather
dries out a bit we’re planning to check out more of the trail system.
In a month’s
time we’ve revisited local mom & pop restaurants we enjoyed last year,
investigated future trout fishing spots, wandered thorough ghost towns, seen
elk, deer, bald eagles, Canadian geese, Sandhill cranes, egrets, every type of
duck and today I saw my first HUGE marmot starring at me from a campground wood
pile. He looked as big as Willy, wasn’t happy I was invading his territory and
let me know about it with an ear splitting high pitched chirp. I heeded his warning and did an about face. We’ve watched a nest of baby owls go from
nestlings to young adults to just being absent from the nesting tree one
day.
Goose On The Loose! |
Mama Owl and baby peeking out of the nest |
One evening
Dave & I watched a magnificent lightning display from the bedroom window
and when a clap of thunder rocked the motorhome Dave commented, “that one hit
in the park”. Early the next morning
while walking Willy I notice bark scattered all though the campground owner’s
front yard and sure ‘nough, 2 huge cottonwood trees had lightning scars ripped
through them all the way to the ground.
Ghost Town Garnet |
All
volunteers except one, who’s expected mid June, are on-site and ready to
go. Most of them we met last year and
we’ve enjoyed several get reacquainted happy hours already. Did I mention that the volunteer “duties” are
fulfilled by the men and us “ladies” are not required to donate our time? No wonder they’ve had the same volunteers for
many, many years!
Part of me
feels rather guilty but most of me doesn’t!
It certainly allows me the time I need to get my paying jobs done so we
have more play time and ya know how we love play time?!!!
It’s also a
bittersweet assignment since the owner of the campground was diagnosed in April
with a non-operable terminal cancer, which I mentioned in my last blog. He and his wife live on-site and she has
taken on his many RV park duties as well as being his principal caretaker. Their adult kids are often here helping to
mow the grounds and clean the little laundry/game room/kitchen/shower/bathroom
house.
None of this
helps my guilt complex but they are being firm about not adding on to the
volunteer’s duties but as we all know, everything is subject to change.
So, as this
next summer volunteer chapter unfolds I am thankful for the opportunity to
spend time in such a beautiful, unspoiled part of America. I am also thankful for the good health David,
I and Willy have been blessed with that also allows us to live this nomad
lifestyle.
To Be
Continued……
Enjoyed your post... feels like we just had a cup of coffee and a visit! Glad you could use the photo... yes, amazing that a month has flown by since we were there with you! So, keep on enjoying... summer weather really will arrive soon!
ReplyDeleteIt does seem like you were just here! In the blink of an eye it will be winter & we'll be meetin up in the desert!
ReplyDeleteYOUR SO COOL...AND YES, EVERYTHING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ReplyDelete🌻but you're Cooler!🌵
ReplyDelete