by Phyllis McCrossin
Another week has flown by. There is not much to write about when time marches on and the routine remains the same.
I added some Halloween decorations to our campsite.The campground will be host for two fall festivals. The first one was this past weekend and the next one will be Oct.19. There are a lot of kid-related activities planned. I felt the need to add to the festive atmosphere.
I purchased a flock of pink plastic flamingos and added some skeleton riders and placed them throughout the campsite. I got my inspiration for my campsite Halloween creation from watching countless bareback equitation classes at the Van Buren County Youth Fair over the 10 years our daughter (and one year our youngest son as well) showed horses during fair week.
I grew up with horses. Back then I showed horses at the Allegan County Fair and a few other 4-H horse shows during the summer. I didn’t like showing horses very much. I much preferred going on horseback adventures through the Allegan State Game area which was about a mile from our home. When our daughter indicated she might be interested in horses, it never occurred to me she might be interested in showing them. But she was interested… and in a big way.
Summer months found us spending at least one day on the weekends at local horse shows. Anyway, I observed a lot of different skill levels when it came to 15 young people riding around a show ring without the benefit of a saddle and stirrups. My decorations reflect that skill (or non-skill).
As I was writing this, I watched a young child examine the yard decorations. It has garnered the type of attention I had hoped. “Look Daddy! That one is falling off, and the one over there is riding backwards.”
Yes, dear child, and that is exactly what those long-ago classes at the fair looked like. My mission was accomplished.
Anyway, back to the pending fall weather and the march to the end of the Michigan camping season.
The trees surrounding the campground are still green, but there is the beginning of color peeking though. It won’t be long until fall colors will be upon us.
With the dry weather we had up until last week there hasn’t been much need for King to cut grass – other than on our own site, which King waters with religious devotion. With no grass to cut, he and the campground maintenance person, Scott, have been busy splitting wood. There is a huge pile of logs the campground owners purchased from the DNR last winter when trees were removed along the Kal-Haven Trail.
The trail, a former rail line which runs from South Haven to Kalamazoo, remains very popular. We have a lot of campers who stay with us because of our very close proximity to the trail – as in it actually borders the campground. We also have people who bike in from Kalamazoo and pitch tents. On any given weekend, day riders stop in at the store to purchase pop, chips or ice cream and then enjoy their rest under the pergola outside the store.
Last week we had a couple who camped with us in a conversion van. Though King and I are not campground hosts, our site does have a rather permanent look because we are there for the summer (and our youngest son built some stairs for us to use after King had open heart surgery this summer).
So we often get people who stop by and ask directions. I’m always happy to oblige. This couple asked for directions to the trail and asked how long it would take to walk to South Haven. (Since they were staying in their van, they were not interested in unhooking and driving to town and then driving back and hooking back up to water, sewer and electric). It’s three-and-a-half miles from the campground to the trailhead on Wells Street in South Haven (behind the courthouse). It’s about another mile to town from the courthouse.
They wanted to walk to town, have dinner and then walk back – hoping to be able to do it before dark. They assured me they walked six miles a day and could handle the walk without problems. I looked at her strappy sandals and had my doubts, but who am I to judge? I did not see them again for the rest of their time with us, but on the day they were supposed to check out their van was gone, so I’m assuming they made it to town and back.
I think it’s the mother in me that makes me tend to worry about people, but I’m slowly learning there is a difference between concern and simply being a busy-body. I told them what to expect and they were adults, the decision was theirs, not mine.
Sigh. It’s a lesson that has taken me a long time to learn.
Be kind, don’t post nasty memes and don’t forget to vote.
