Wonderful Revolving Neighbors

Besides being a truly beautiful tropical paradise, Secret Spot Park is also a plethora of amazing people from all over the country.  What a blessing to come into an environment filled with so much friendliness, kindness, and genuine kinship.  Some of our “neighborhood” consists of people who come and go in a weekend.  Others, well they come and stay for a season.  No matter how long they stay, so many make lasting impressions on my heart.

And now, my neighbors are over the anticipation of me getting ‘the call”.  The call that my Toy Hauler is ready to pick up.  I made my grand entrance into our campground with it the other day, and have been the non-stop topic of discussion about my experience ever since.

Whether they’re coming and going, or coming and staying, I’ve been introduced to literally dozens of RV experts in the last few weeks, and every single one of them is concerned and angry about my experience.  Most have been RV owners for years.  Seen it all.  Not one person believes my RV was set up correctly to pull.  I feel so ignorant.  I don’t know what I don’t know.  The technical details they bring up to me, well, how in the world would I have known to ask that, or know that?

But they stop and visit.  They check on me.  We have happy hours.  They compliment me, and my choice in RV’s.  They are supportive, consoling, and offer a wealth of advice and information.  I don’t know what I would do without the many people I’ve been blessed with meeting.

Jim and Deb from Georgia check in on me regularly.  Jim is adamant that he will help me with any questions I have once I settle down from the escape from Ocala.  His favorite discussion is in backing up.  His giant Allegra coach is a whole bunch of backing up expertise.  Especially when towing a car behind it.

Joe and Jean are the sweetest people!  Genuine and kind, with so much love in their hearts.  Although they are not staying for long, they are always ready to sit down and visit.  Joe builds beautiful wooden canoes. Jean has a specialty retail store back home that I am committed to visiting if I truly want to experience world class oysters.  Their cute little trailer is just the right size for quick trips down from the Florida Panhandle to visit Jeans mom a few days.

Cathy, the librarian from Oregon.  Wow, what an adventurer.  Cathy and her compact car, loaded with books and a pop up tent. Talk about traveling minimal. Reminds me of me, “before dogs”.  She left her home on Labor Day and has been traveling the country state by state ever since.  She is passionate about history and is documenting her trip for her family.  

Keith and Janet from Wisconsin are new to their RV too, but have owned other units.  Janet is another Kayak partner, and has joined Lois and me on afternoon water adventures.  Keith stops by daily while walking their gi-nor-mous Great Dane, Sadie.  Sadie’s head, alone is about the size of Sunny Girl.  She may be an old girl, but Buddy gets a rise out of her from time to time. She plays hard to get with my boy, and it about takes Keith’s arm out of the socket when she gets going and pulls on the leash.  

Norma and Bob from Alabama check in on me.  Norma stops by with her little gray posh pooch in pink and we talk for hours.  Bob is an RV expert and is still analyzing what is wrong with my set up.  “What took so long up there?” he asks about my time at the retailer.  I should be an expert on everything in that amount of time.  I can’t tell them squat.  I got here.  It was a miracle, that’s about it.  Dump?  I have no idea how to do that.

My new neighbors from Tennessee, Lyn and Ted, are equally eager to step up and offer consolation, help and advice.  Ted has also just purchased their trailer, and is finding out things that he didn’t know.  They spend time chatting, sharing their amazing bootleg Apple Pie (and let me tell you no forks are involved!  Woo-wee!), and we become great friends fast.

Ruth from northwestern PA pulled into camp in her new- gently used RV, determined to get out and meet some new people.  Married for 30 some years, widowed for three years, she decided it was time to stop waiting for good things to happen to her, and instead go enjoy life to the fullest.  She is always off somewhere on her bicycle.  We talk about being independent and not wanting to be held back. 

Lois and Boy Scout Buddy from New Hampshire are urging me to contact my Manufacturer VP guy, and I agree, but I just can’t do it until I can speak in a civilized manner.  That’s not today, or likely tomorrow either.  We recount the day to day insanity of that week over happy hours, and they are shocked and angry.  “Tell Maahhk, tell Maaahhhk” Buddy insists.  Yes, I will email him, once I can remove the piercing four letter words.  After all, it’s not his fault.

Carol and Dennis the Menace from Wisconsin are also very consoling.  The good news is, I made it back.  “Just chill for awhile and we’ll figure things out.”  Dennis says.  He sees all sorts of problems to talk about…set up problems….later.  For now, he’s giving me boards and levelers and helping with all sorts of hook-up things I am absolutely clueless about.  I need a what?  I’m supposed to do this when? 

Gee I suppose if I had a manual maybe that stuff would be in there?

Dottie and George from New Jersey stop over. What an amazing “on the go” couple! George is also very knowledgeable about RVs and what needs to happen.  They are shocked at my stories about the week with the retailer in Ocala.  In fact, everyone is.  Just don’t ever say that dealers name out loud.

Still, I proudly give “tour” after “tour” of my new home on wheels to all of my Secret Spot neighbors. I simply love my Toy Hauler, and they are all very impressed with it.  Just don’t ask me to pull it ever again.  I will live in this campground until I die.  I am overwhelmed with kind comments about how brave I am to take on this “challenge” to begin with. Virtually every female I encounter exclaims she could never ever have the courage to do what I’ve done. 

Well I don’t know that I had the courage to do what I did either.  I am thinking it may have been just plain stupidity at this point.

And it is so hard to hear, over and over, that I was taken advantage of because I am a single woman.  How does a person respond to that?  I am a single woman.  What can I do about it?  Pray for a miracle? Kidnap a man? Really, is it true that I have to be subjected to what I was, just because I am a single woman?  Really? 

“Hear ye, hear ye,  single female currently seeking a highly intelligent male to represent my interests and act on my behalf in major sales negotiations and service requiring knowledge in the areas of  mechanical and automotive  details, including but not limited to owning, operating, and towing a 28 foot RV Toy Hauler.  Said male needs to protect me from being taken advantage of.”

NO!  NOT fair!  Shouldn’t have to be that way! 

But if it is, I all the more cherish this fabulous group of people in Secret Spot Park who are helping me through it all.

For now, I will live at this campground and enjoy meeting new wonderful neighbors that come and go for the rest of my natural life, or until I die from over tanning, because I’m not up for pulling this trailer anywhere.  Apparently I am in shock.  I will never be able to pull this RV ever again.  How courageous is that?

Well my wonderful revolving neighbors seem to think I am pretty darn brave.  I am grateful that they are there to keep my spirits, and chin up, when I can’t do it on my own.