But one week later, I realized I wanted to go and needed to find a work around. So I emailed the host coordinator, Ranger Angela, with my request for a week off in the middle of my hosting responsibilities. She replied "Of course - family and personal care first - we will cover for you while you are gone". So off I go now on an adventure that will make Carletta and me happy, I'm sure. More on that later.....
Since I wrote last, I've allowed myself some rest and relaxation time. Some alone time. Some time to do nothing but knit and watch movies. That is not exactly true - I've also been biking, cooking and eating well, attending to my camp host duties, and (when I feel like it) visiting with the other camp hosts.
I am definitely not alone. There are 10 other sets of hosts on duty at South Beach State Park in Newport, OR - it is a big park. Some hosts I remember from past years - this park is similar to South Carlsbad State Beach in that the hosts tend to schedule themselves year after year because it is a nice park and a nice town. Last year when we were here Mike stayed at home
while I went out for camp host duties, so the other hosts didn't really know him until he came out with me for a mid-month camp host potluck dinner.
Every day after that dinner they asked me "how's Mike?" So this year, on my first day back I was able to get a welcome back hug and really good cry when I told a couple hosts who asked about Mike - he is not here in person this year.
A normal day for me often goes like this....
- Sleep until I wake up naturally.
- Ride my assigned golf cart to the hospitality center where camp hosts gather for their daily assignments and campers come in for ice, firewood and fresh brewed coffee.
- Work the assigned list - litter pick and sweep/rake the recently vacated campsites. A busy day includes 40-60 campsites and a light day only 10-20. Just depends on how many guests check out each day. On the light days I do some self directed landscaping related work to pull Scotch Broom ( a non-native fast growing invasive species).
Small plants can be pulled by hand, but if allowed to grow to bush size with a trunk of 1/4 inch or more, I use the special scotch broom tool from the ranger' work shop. I really enjoy both types of work because it is outdoors and independent of others. I can listen to the ball game or podcasts/book on tape while at work.
- return to MT often during work for food and rest
- after work, do house chores
- head out at dusk for a beach walk and end up at Scott and Diane's camspite for a fire.
A really interesting day went like this:
While I was making my morning rounds with my pick stick and bucket, a camper crossed the road from his campsite to where I was working in another site to ask me a question. This is not unusual, but his question was! He initially asked "Do you speak Spanish?" I was so excited! I said "Si un poco" and proceeded to answer his question of the moment in Spanish. It was just like getting back up on that horse! He was a young adult with English about as good as my Spanish. That is all I knew. I thought about the encounter all day. I knew where he lived. I knew I wanted to do some more speaking in Spanish. So at sunset time I returned on foot to see what was going on. He was sitting at the picnic table with two other young adults - one guy, one girl. When the first guy recognized me, he introduced me as "la mujer de esta mañana" and they welcomed me in. Jesus and his friends Sandra and Gabriel where from Spain. They had just come from summertime cherry harvest work in Vancouver and were starting on a west coast driving tour all the way to Mexico. They were learning English and were happy to have me join them for the evening at their campfire. In Spanish I told them my story of Eric, Claudia and Mike, and encouraged Jesus to continue his English learning with DuoLingo - it is working for me! I enjoyed the experience completely. We exchanged Facebook contacts and Jesus suggested I look him up when I go to Spain ( I didn't have that on the list, but maybe.....)
Wednesday and Thursday are off duty days. I've been staying pretty close to home (for rest and relaxation) rather than venturing out (to explore the larger area like Mike and I always did in prior years. Here we are last year out to an off-day seaside lunch in Depoe Bay- about 20 miles north of Newport).
I am still coming to grips with the fact my life has changed. I am in a lovely place to "simply be" for a while as I contemplate my options for the future. I am not accustomed to the concept of "simply being" so I am struggling with letting myself do this, too, but I'm enjoying the learning curve:). I wrote to my PEO friends that I was feeling very unproductive. One of my sisters replied that this is "vital" down time. I understand because I can feel it is true and I like the sound of "vital". What I'm doing here and now is definitely not unproductive, but vital time for my adjustment into life without Mike.
