Working at Gulf Pines KOA

Reflections on our 5 months at Gulf Pines KOA in Milton, Florida

It was a beautiful, sun-shiny day when we arrived on December 2nd, with weather that was 15 degrees warmer than the temperatures we had left behind in North Carolina.  This made us happy!

The RV sites here are all pull-through.  All of them!  This, too, made us very happy.  One of the challenges at our previous campground had been the pain of watching an inexperienced driver back into his RV spot.  As a guide to arriving campers, John already knew that his job here would be more pleasurable and less stressful!

The covered pool

This is a beautiful park, with a lot of amenities for campers.  I mentioned the pool in a previous post.  It was covered for our first 3 1/2 months, and it's been uncovered (but still heated) since March 16th. It's a 20 yard pool, and so far I've swum 80 miles in it.  And taught approximately 45 water aerobics classes in it.  Needless to say, I LOVE this pool!  It has helped me stay on track with my fitness goals.

How many workampers does it take to fix a bike??

And we have mini golf!  Free for all our guests.  We've had fun playing while we've been here.  There are also a mile's worth of paved roads for walking, running and riding bikes.  And we have a nature trail, a game room, and clubhouse, 3- and 4-wheel bikes to rent, basketball hoops and horseshoes.  It's a fun family place!

The staff here have been great.  Managers Steve and Willa Maxwell are wonderful to work for, and the overall attitudes of the other workampers are those of cooperative teamwork.  The monthly "snowbird" campers, many of whom were here all winter, are very friendly.  Many of them return to this campground year after year.  There's a real spirit of community here.  We've been invited by Steve and Willa to come back and work here again.  We'll certainly keep it in mind!

The weather, for the most part, has been really nice.  I mentioned that the temps were warmer here than those we'd left behind in NC, as would be expected.  Sometimes they'll see snowfall here.  I'm happy to report that we saw no snow here this winter!  Last year, they had experienced a lot of flooding in April.  This year, while we've had ample amounts of rain, I'm thankful to say that we haven't had any flooding.  We had plenty of nice days all winter for walks and bike rides, swimming and beach-going.

Sunset on Navarre Beach

A windy day on the beach

                     We love the beaches here.  And though we're headed to the Outer Banks in less than a week, and the wonderful beaches there, we'll miss the sugar-white sand and the emerald-green waters.  We'll miss watching the pods of dolphins, jumping rays and diving pelicans, though we expect to see some of this in NC.  But we'll miss the culture here, too, with its Cajun flavors and New Orleans flair.  And the Spanish Moss, which reminded us that we've been in the "deep south."
We've enjoyed the "military" town feel, also, as both active duty and retired members are nicely recognized with discounts and specials.  I've mentioned the medical benefits of being here in a prior post, but                               we've also been thankful for the Commissaries and Navy Exchanges.
God is good, and has shown us much kindness here in Milton, FL!

Happy AnnRVersary to Us!

Happy AnnRVersary to us!

One year ago today, we picked up our RV from Camptown RV of Benson, NC and began living in it!  I've chronicled those early days in previous posts, so I won't repeat it all here.  

But I thought this day was a fitting occasion to reflect on the past year.

• We're still loving this way of life more than even we'd thought we would. 
• We're still enjoying the time we're privileged to spend together.

A beautiful day at Navarre Beach!

• We still marvel at God's directing us to this way of life and to the ideal RV for us.
• We're loving meeting all kinds of people from all over the country (the world, actually).
• We're loving the time we've spent with friends and family members, some of whom we        hadn't seen in a very long time!

Cousins Marcie & Marc, John, cousins Barb & Dennis, and friend Debbie at Canoe Club in Danbury, OH 

John, Barb, Aunt Nancy, Jim, Herb And Christine at World of Beer in The Villages, FL

• We're loving the activities that we've had time to enjoy together -- lately it's been mostly bike riding, swimming and going to the beach.
• We're enjoying the nomadic lifestyle very much, much as we did when John was in the Navy and we moved 9 times in 13 years.
• We're enjoying the different foods and customs of the various places we've been.

  

  The iconic Joe Patti's seafood market in downtown Pensacola
  

  While John had been in the Navy, we were able to spend significant time overseas -- 3 years in Italy and 6 years in Japan.  We found that the most valuable aspect of actually living in a different place for a time, rather than merely whipping through on a fast-paced holiday is the thing we're most enjoying about full-time RVing and workamping -- as we stay in one place for several months, we're able to enjoy many aspects of the culture in that particular location, meeting people and really getting the flavor of the area.  To God be the glory as we enter our second year!