Well, it’s been a couple of weeks but we have settled in nicely. Only one “nail biter” on the trip from DC to our summer home and that was in Baltimore. We had been seeing signs that vehicles with propane were not allowed in the Ft. McHenry Tunnel. We debated as to whether it meant RVs or not but took a detour at the last opportunity. Unfortunately, that detour took us into downtown Baltimore with its city streets and traffic. Next to a city bus, I was the biggest vehicle on the road. Lanes were narrow and traffic was pretty heavy. There was a lot of map reading and “discussions” with the GPS but we finally made it through.
The next item of interest is that it seems to me that all roads leading into New Jersey are free, but there is a toll to get out! Everywhere you go, there is a toll road. Tell the GPS to avoid toll roads and it routes you through some really small towns and roads. We finally made it into Absecon (our summer hometown--not pronounced as you would expect, but phonetically “ab SE con”) and found the next driving anomaly: it is difficult, if not impossible, to make a direct left turn from some (but not all) intersections! You have to either get in the far right lane before or after the desired intersection (no rhyme, reason, or consistency as to which before or after!), then make a curving right hand U-turn to the intersection traveling straight through to your destination. This takes some getting used to. The last thing that we have noticed is that it is illegal in New Jersey for you to pump your own gas! Not only is there cash or credit prices (usually about .10 difference) but you have to wait until the attendant sets it up and fills your tank. Takes some getting used to.
Anyway, we arrived at our new digs for the summer and met with our new bosses, Rick and Kate. We got settled in to our new site and started work on Monday morning, May 16th. We clean and care for the showers, bathrooms, and clubhouse areas. So far we have done some gardening and cleaning up to spruce up the place for the summer. Hostas grow like weeds here, so we have planted several of them in the flower beds. We also went out and bought some annuals for the bed around our site (which is right next to the clubhouse, a new record for shortest commute to work!).
Above is the Office and Laundry room. We usually do a quick clean around the Laundry room every day during our shift.
There is a nice pool that we can use when not working. It will feel nice during the hot days of summer, some of which we have already experienced. I don’t think Barb bargained for the heat and humidity here. She was hoping for cool Atlantic Ocean breezes to keep it cooler.
New here this year is the Dog Park. Right next to the pool, the shaded area is great to let the dogs off the leash and let them run. Misty really likes it here and she has met some new friends that she can play with.
Some of the park’s residents have park models set up for their year round residences. Some here come up from Florida and beat the worst of the heat and humidity, then travel south to escape the winter cold.
A couple of views of the clubhouse and showers. You can just see the nose of our motorhome just behind the clubhouse in the second photo.
Here is a shot inside the clubhouse. There is a full kitchen at the end, and a gas fireplace in the middle. That is an indoor shuffleboard table along the wall on the left.
Looking from beside the fireplace towards the back of the clubhouse. There is a piano in the foreground and a pool table sits along the back wall.
Showers and restroom facilities are a point of pride at Shady Pines. We work hard to keep them up to a very demanding standard. Just recently, we installed the full length vertical mirror opposite the sinks.
Our site is very spacious and well shaded. Above, Misty is trying to convince me that she needs to go for a walk and meet her friends at the Dog Park. We have a portable fire ring and picnic table at our site provided by the park. We set up our chairs and read or watch shows (so far mostly the NASCAR races) on the outdoor TV (located in a sealed alcove under the small window beneath the awning). The trees are a mixed blessing. They shade us from the heat of the day and keep the motorhome cool, but they block any chance of a satellite signal for Dish TV. Not to worry though, I found out that Dish will let you put your account on “Vacation hold” for up to six months. You only pay $5 a month and they suspend your account. You can start up again any time and get exactly the same service that you had before the hold. That allowed me to get cable installed to my site in the park and I pay essentially the same as I did with Dish. I can cancel cable at any time with no penalty so it is a great deal for our time here!
We haven’t done much in the way of touring. We needed to rest and recuperate some after the trip up here from Florida and our sightseeing in the south and DC. In the coming weeks we plan to venture out a bit and will share our adventures with all who read this blog. Hope you all have a great summer!!
No comments:
Post a Comment