2012 May 12

Although the ‘official’ camping season (Memorial Day through Labor Day) has not begun yet, the great weather has brought the weekend campers out in droves, the season long campers and the snow birds are also finding their way to Cutty’s Des Moines Camping Resort.

Ella has been workcamping for several years now even through the winter months.  I did workcamping a couple of years ago in exchange for our seasonal site.  I wasn’t happy with the arrangement which required me to work through the summer season of 2010 to pay for our seasonal site during the summer of 2011.  At the same time, people on non-seasonal sites had their sites paid for at the time they worked.  Plus they had their electricity paid for while we had to pay for ours.  It was my own fault for agreeing to it without paying attention to the ‘fine print’. 

They have amended the agreement since then and it now includes a partial payment of the yearly dues.  However, it still requires a “work now” for “benefit later”.  Because I just celebrated the third year anniversary of my heart attack (a complete blockage of the Rear Corinary Artery, which would have been fatal had I not already been in the hospital), I am not inclined to delay payment for work done any longer than every two weeks. Last year I boycotted the workcamping. 

This year I am working for wages instead of camping privileges.  I am working security at the gate.  In reality it is more ‘fee attendant’ than ‘security’.  Most of the time I am inside the gate house and working with people checking in or out or paying their electric or storage bills.  Some afternoons I also ride around the park on the golf cart and do a physical count and site check.

Because I am working for wages rather than site recompense, I will most likely work fewer hours than those who are not working for wages.  They are required to work a proscribed number of hours to ‘pay’ for their sites.

I’m hoping to save enough money during the summer to pay for our winter stay in Texas.  If not, I’ll have to find some gainful employment for the winter.

Oh, if you are looking for us ... we are right here ... the X marks the spot