Camping Season Begins, Day 1: Friday

[bjarvis]

The drive to Roseland Resort was less eventful than feared; with ugly weather moving into the region, we were afraid we'd get caught in a lot of ugliness during our drive, or worse, as we attempted to unwrap the trailer and unpack the minivan. Rain was encountered but it was mostly light and while the skies were overcast upon arrival, we had plenty of time to work around the outside of the trailer before the rain returned.


De-winterizing included:
- removing the canvas wrapper;
- reinstalling the battery;
- checking and opening the trailer's propane tanks;
- running the stove for a few minutes until we were sure propane was circulating and all air was flushed out;
- reconnecting the outside electricity;
- extending the slide-outs;
- re-installing the water heater anode and the system water filter;
- reconnecting the water supply and pressurizing the system;
- flushing the non-toxic antifreeze from the plumbing;
- starting the water heater and the refrigerator;
- checking the deck barbecue and its propane tank;
- unpacking the stored linens;
- unpacking the food items we brought;
- extending the radio antenna;
- parking our butts on the couch with a cold Coke.
In all, prepping the place took about one hour. It just occurred to me that we didn't check the furnace but since it's comfortably warm today & tonight, I'm less worried about that.

The rain returned, sometimes as light showers, sometimes as intense but brief thunderstorms. I do so love the sound of raindrops on the roof, especially when we're comfortable indoors.

During one of the breaks in rain, we did a quick walk-through of the campground. Astonishingly little has changed since closing last October, especially since so many big projects were promised. The five new cabins are built but only one is fully complete and ready for occupancy. The new swimming pool is barely started; when we left last fall, there was a graded area but now it's just the graded area with some cinder block construction for the accompanying bar & restrooms. The observatory on the hill behind us seems complete but then again, it was 95% done when we closed up last year. The rec hall has had a wall extended, allowing the check-in office & store to be rearranged & enlarged and for the rec hall bar to be extended to make space for draught beer. And still no wifi; none was promised, but one can always dream.

I'm a little surprised how many people are here this weekend. Roseland is not at all busy, but I'd guess at least 60% of the trailer owners are here and there are a handful of tents on the transient sites --I hope they like rain. Our neighbours one trailer removed from us on each side here on Rose Hill are settling in, as well as Bob & Bob below us and a number of trailers further up the hill above us. I know George from the ridge is here, along with Ben from the Ruins camp area but we didn't walk around to see much else because of the rain & mud.

cuyahogarvr has been reading a great deal and contorting himself to find some relief to unrelenting back pain. A soak in the hottub before dinner (barbecued chicken with yellow rice and mixed veggies) seems to have helped and he's been snoozing peacefully for a few hours as I write this. kent4str is reading as well.

I read for a while, then resumed working on A1 practice figures to send to tdjohnsn and rlegters. I've just done a series using 'chain reaction,' starting several iterations with the standard application before moving on to more convoluted variations (a wave with boys in the middle & girls on the ends, a wave of all boys, a wave of all girls, etc., then variations of turning the star 1/2 or 3/4, then doing it all over again left-handed, all with extensive verbal cuing). I've already written a similar set for 'transfer the column' and 'cast a shadow,' although I still need to triple-check it all. Now that my cold has largely ended and my voice has returned, I'll try recording some of these next week.