“The only constant in life is change”-Heraclitus.

I love that the RVing life is always full of changes, some slow and some very very fast. The year 2019 brought about several changes for me. A new car, a new RV, and some added income. I turned 60 (okay, I said it out loud) in June, which meant as a widow I could start collecting my late husband’s social security benefits. One of the stipulations with that is you can only make a certain amount of money throughout the year. By the end of September I had reached my limit so I figured I would take the next three months off. I left Hot Springs Arkansas and I arrived in Knoxville Tennessee on October 1. I stayed at the Raccoon Valley Escapees Campground in Heiskell, just north of Knoxville. My mom and younger brother and his wife live in the area, so I was there to spend some family time.

My good friends Bill and Bob are also close by in Blaine. I have known them for years. We go way back to when we all lived in Fort Lauderdale. Now they have a beautiful piece of acreage on the Holston River.

About halfway through the month my best friend Shirley flew up from Boca Raton Florida. Mom, Shirley, Bill, Bob, and Linda (a friend of theirs) took a day to go to a balloon festival near Dandridge TN.

At the end of the month Shirley and I said goodbye to everyone and headed south to Florida. I was going to be staying at Villa Margaret campground in Okeechobee. This was a no frills campground (no pool, no cable, no activities except for a weekly bingo session at 10 cents per game). My friends Chris and Diane had arrived a week earlier. I have known them from working at the Mount Rushmore KOA and the North New York City/Newburgh NY KOA. I settled in for the winter. It was nice to be less than 2 hours from Shirley and her mom Norma (my sister-in-law). We were able to have a great Thanksgiving and Christmas. With no job, I was getting a bit bored and broke. I was having to pay rent for the first time in a long time, and now with the new RV I had a house payment. I worked on crafts and tried selling them at the flea market, but I really wasn’t having much luck. I knew at the beginning of the year I was going to have to have to find work. Okeechobee is a small town but has a Walmart, Home Depot, Publix, and an Aldi’s. I would hit them up after New Year’s. On December 31 I got a phone call from my friend Kay. She asked if I was looking for work. It appears someone working on the activities crew at the Orlando SE/Lake Whippoorwill KOA had to leave. I had applied each year for a winter job at this beautiful KOA but never had any luck getting in. After another call with Denise, the manager, I eagerly accepted the job. When asked when I could come up, I said tomorrow! My rent in Okeechobee was due on the first, so this got me out of having to pay another month of rent. I said goodbye to Chris and Diane and headed to Orlando, which was an easy hour and a half drive. This was probably the fastest change I’ve had since RVing, but one of the best. I have an income coming in again and not a big chunk going out for rent. I will be here until April. And after working the front desk at 6 other KOAs and Catherine’s Landing, it is turning out to be a lot of fun working on an activities crew. I am working under the leadership of Dave and Mary Ann Nichols. I worked with these guys in 2016 at the Virginia Beach KOA. You never know when you’re going to run into folks on the road. Another thing I love about this life!

Until next time, from Lake Whippoorwill!

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