New Hampshire Redux

Thought I'd start off this post with a delayed photo of a VERHY important picture.....the map that Johnny of Marblehead made us to escape our cruel destiny. Love it.
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9/13/11

After the quality time we spent with Johnny in Marblehead, we traveled just a short trip to Weare, NH. The purpose was to get the RV worked on: oil change, wiper fixed, step replaced, headlight replaced. Like most well-laid plans, we change ours repeatedly; it’s the natural progression. Even though the trip was short, it became anxiety ridden because of the damn job of finding cheap, yet luxurious RV parks. We are in quite a conundrum over our camping fees, pools that aren’t heated, questionable cleanliness when the web page makes it look like a five star resort, paying .25 for a five minute shower when you’re already paying $40.00+ a night to camp, the endless “seasonal” trailers/RV’s/park models that take up about 75% of the park’s space and club rates that don’t apply because of the moon didn’t align with the hemorrhoids on the owner’s ass…..it’s very frustrating for us and a problem that needs to be resolved, if we can.

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, we do a lot of cross checking and research on www.RVParkReviews.com before we commit to heading to one park. I told TC today that I’m not sure that’s enough, after what we’ve experienced. My new idea is to find 3 – 5 parks in one area, find a place to park, unload the car, then take a little tour of each park so that you can really weigh the pros and cons. It sounds a little over the top to preview parks, but I’m sick of getting into one, then finding that the showers are gross! I can’t take a dirty shower!

We just left Weare after four nights at the Cold Springs Camp Resort. After our Marble-mess I wanted a little luxury, and we got it. A little, that is. Yes, the showers and bathrooms are spotless; yes, the staff are friendly and organized; yes, there was free Wifi (makes me so happy!); yes, our space was very nice – shaded, yet with a touch of sun; yes, they had four pools and a hot tub. On the other hand, we paid premium for this place because of all the niceties - $46 - $56. That is a lot of money for camping and a range we are not comfortable with continuing to pay. The pools were excellent – but they stopped heating the two biggest ones – an adult and a kid’s – because it was the end of the season. They didn’t care that we would have like to swim each day, and had to use the urinator pool that the little kids were in - it was warm because of kid pee! That’s not true but it makes us laugh when we say it. The hot tub was great, but it was 75 – 80 and who wants in a hot tub when it’s hot? Cripes.

Now granted, they did provide bingo (or, as my friend Brenda the Jungla Mujer says in Spanish, bee’ho) one night – sparsely attending I might add; and the horseshoe pits were hopping Friday and Saturday, morning, noon and night. These guys, mostly guys I heard shouting “Get it Mahk!”, and “Ringuh!” were “shoe” fanatics! Clinkety clankety clink for hours every day; betting a buck or a beer, having a great time. Since we were facing the shoe pits, it was distracting, but not annoying. And the fucking golf cars. Every large park you go to, EVERYONE has a personally decorated golf cart. These folks wouldn’t walk to pick up a million dollar check for winning their shoe game; and, in such a big place – 300 sites – who can blame them, I guess.

My favorite pastime, though, was listening to our neighbors. We had a rundown POS to our left, and the next two spots were full of older couples just having a blast. They laughed and laughed late into the night, with a big old fire going, their chairs all cozied up next to it. Near the end, they were trying to sing harmony, but kept cracking up. We believe alcohol was involved in their jollity. I hope so or they just sounded like nincompoops. The beauty, though, was their cadence. Sounded like they were from Jersey, so everything you’ve seen on TV is true. I felt like, being from the bland old Pacific NW, where we hold tightly to each word’s letter that we pronounce, enunciating to be clearly understood by one and all, somehow we’re missing the boat on making our own beautiful language. Or maybe we do have our own syllabic temperature and I’m just too close to the source to really know. These folks, however, were all over the English map, lengthening words that I thought had enough girth in their own right: chowduh, Mahk, pahk, whuddayoumean, fugetit, dahlluh; lots of banter between the couples, “Hello!!! Did I not tell you that? Hello!!!” “Yes! You did tell me that, but I wanted to see for myself! Hello!!!” It was just lovely for me, half lying on the couch in my writing and reading comfort position, the window screen open behind me, listening to their lives unfold around me, like a warm fog of language. I loved, loved hearing their loud and natural laughter, wrought from imbibing or not. It was beautiful.

So, Fri and Sat very busy days at Cold Springs, then everything winds down to nothing on Sunday, as the campers go back to their lives again. We talked with one neighbor who lives ten minutes away, but it still feels like camping to them – she goes home to feed the cats, brings her kids to their sports events, then back to the trailer. The “seasonal” folks leave their homes their year round, enjoying it most in the summer. I’ve not seen that phenom in Washington, Oregon, California much, but here it’s what many people do for an affordable vacation. Some of them are very permanent looking, while others have an air of being drug down the road any moment. Despite their camping mode, the majority of folks were gone, baby, gone by noon on Sunday.

Oh! I forgot to mention “Security” at Cold Springs. Looks like retired military/police/fire dept men, stand by the gate and do your initial check-in before you’re allowed to go to the office and register. They are so serious about their jobs, and I appreciate that, I really like seeing people do the best they can at any occupation. I think these guys probably volunteer and/or get free space. They are serious. And their golf carts are appropriately decorated with cammo or like a fire truck, brother. Sunday, 9/11 remember, we’re still in our jammies and robes at noon, when we hear a security guy come to our door. He insists we were leaving that day, and by God it’s 12:01 pm, no shit. Tony tells him, “No, we’re here until tomorrow.” Yikes, the guy argues with the Lecturebot 2011, insisting we were to leave by noon. Oh boy. TC grabs our site pass that shows the 12th, forcing security to tighten that brown eye and get back on his little go cart. Buh bye! We did make it a point to leave at 11:00 AM the 13th, however.

Monday there is no one in sight anywhere, peace and quiet reigns. Roku happily wanders our territory all day, jumping back in the RV for a quick bite to eat and a stroke. Such a good camper, he is. Tony spends the day picking up our new step and installing it! So now…..open door, step slides out; close door, step slides in. I LOVE it that he can accomplish all these tasks. Unbelievable. Works like a charm.

I, having been awoken from my slumber at 5:30 AM, by He-Who-Is -Black –But Shall-Be-Nameless, went back to bed and slept until 11:00 AM! Then stayed in bed reading (The Help, love it) until 1:30 PM! Slight Norwegian/Mother guilt, but I pushed that feeling aside like a side of greasy fries, and read on. Having availed myself of some new pretty healthy recipes from a magazine, I’ve decided to plan a week’s worth of healthy meals for us. I discuss this with TC and have him look at the pictures of the dishes I plan on making, commenting on which he would like and which not. We were pretty in sync, although he always comments in favor of some kind of meat to be put in any meal that doesn’t have it. I can do that.

Today we shopped. I love to shop for groceries. It calms me, checking the items off my electronic list, finding the best buys, negotiating my way through an unknown store. TC, however, in the last several years, has become a lurker in my shopping bliss, and it makes me cranky! I scan the list looking for stuff he can get for me – hopefully across the store – so he’ll leave me alone with my happiness. I got all the items for the seven + recipes I’ll be making, and he smirked “Where are you going to put all this stuff? We don’t have much room.” I then told him that he didn’t want these meals made, he didn’t want me to succeed in enlivening our eating geography, that it was none of his bidness where the items were going, now was it? Ruined my blissful state.

Got home, after once again not remembering how we got from Loudon to Concord and going a different, yet more scenic way. Put all my groceries neatly away, no problem whatsoever. It was now 7:30 PM, but I decided to try one new dish – Basil/Lemon Linguini with Cannellini Beans, and sweet Italian sausage balls. It was delicious, and while eating this delight, talked through the store fight. Hey, that sentence could be my first rap throw down –I’m so cool. Got through the intricacies of our argument, he cleaned up and all is well. Sweet life.

Oh, also, big news! My nephew Jason and his girlfriend Greta got engaged this last weekend! Welcome Greta and kids to our warm and crazy Plourd family.

Alex and roommate Cindy are doing great in their apartment. Alex is antsy to get paid tomorrow so that she can continue to fix it up.

Ms. Holli Hunter, our seven year old granddaughter, entered second grade this year and loves it! Loves her teacher too! She’s also busy with 4H and Girl Scouts AND soccer. Busy parents too.

And one more bit of gossip that all you SNL fans will understand, not sure if this is a spoof or not, but friend Julie tells me Ben and Jerry’s is making a Schwetty Balls flavor! Chocolate covered rum balls, to be exact. I hope it’s real! Made me laugh and laugh, anywho.