It is time to pack up and head to Arkansas in a week. Where does the time go??? We have wintered in Georgia, probably for the last time. Last winter was cold and broke some records but this year winter records are really being challenged. As I sit here looking out our picture window the snow is falling at a fast clip. Yesterday the temp was 55 and today around 25 degrees. About 1 inch of snow so far with expected accumulation of 2-4 inches by midnight. We are toasty warm though and just fine. Bob's 65Th birthday is in two days and it usually snows where ever we are around that time!
It has been an adventure being here. We have had duck hunters here in the park (illegal) and quad runners (prohibited). Bob's had to call the sheriff for the hunters since they gave him some grief but it was all straightened out in the end. The quad runners were able to give Bob the slip since our CR-V is not really an off road vehicle (I don't care what Honda says!).
One morning, about 2 AM, we got a call on the park phone that the police and Search and Rescue Squad needed entry into the park. They were looking for a woman, about 52 years of age, who had left home on foot just up the road from us. She was allegedly inebriated and an Alzheimer's patient. Since the floods in September and October littered the park with huge trees and limbs and debris washed up from the lake, it really was impossible to do a good search for her in the dark. Thank goodness they found her somewhere else and the search was called off. So it can be real exciting, this life of ours! When dealing with the public, you never know what can happen.
We have spoken to other contractors with the Corps that have been doing this for several years. They say we will be amazed at the situations that arise when running a campground. We should have plenty to write about in the coming months!
We've also had very sad things occur. Our co-volunteers, from Florida, had some ill health. The Mrs. went into the hospital around Christmas with breathing issues and she passed away in January. Her poor husband was barely able to function. Neither one of them had any family and now he is all alone. He stayed here until last week and then headed back to Florida and some friends they had there.
My Dad has been very ill. He was diagnosed with lung cancer last July and the prognosis was not good. He has outlived the doctors estimates and continues to fight the battle. He is living in south Georgia and I have been able to see him several times since we have been here.
My Mom became very sick right before Thanksgiving and was rushed into emergency surgery during the night. Her colon had twisted (something that can happen to people of a certain age) and created infection in her intestines. This quickly turned to gangrene and we would have lost her if they hadn't operated when they did. She was in ICU for 10 days and in a rehab facility for 4 weeks. She is doing spectacularly well and is also fighting the good fight. I come from sturdy stock and I am most proud of both of them!
I am very thankful we are going to be in Georgia through the summer. This will allow me to see all my family a little bit more than I usually do!
So on to Arkansas for doctor visits, etc and then back here in April to start our latest adventure. I am looking forward to searching for our new "location" for the fall and winter months. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination!
