by Phyllis McCrossin
King and I arrived back in Michigan late Wednesday afternoon. It wasn’t what I’d call a leisurely trip home, but we didn’t over exert ourselves either.
Some days we drove seven hours; other days we drove five. What I’ve discovered is when you don’t stop to eat the trip goes much faster. When we stopped for gas I’d slip into the trailer and make sandwiches for the two of us. One can only eat gas station sandwiches for so long before the body revolts.
So now we are parked at our favorite west Michigan campground – Kal Haven Outpost in South Haven. This week we are the only trailer here. Over the weekend there were three trailers (including ours) and a few people staying in the cabins. Heather, a campground co-owner, said they will continue to see more and more people as the weather warms.
King and two of our sons played golf Sunday and I babysat our second oldest son’s daughters, ages 5, 8 and 11.
It’s been six months since I’ve seen the girls and we made up for lost time. We made piggy banks out of Clorox bottles, played on the playground, explored the woods, rode our bikes to the campground store and bought pop.
(Our 8-year-old granddaughter tried cream soda for the first time. She took her first sip, her eyes got wide and she said, “O.M.G. This is so good.” The other girls tried it and I now have three converts).
We had pizza, carrots and watermelon for lunch, roasted marshmallows and made s’mores, road our bikes some more and then went back to the playground. By that time all I could do was lie on the picnic table bench and stare at the driveway, willing King and our son to come home.
On Monday I started my summer job.
That’s right, at age 64 and six months, the same month I apply for Medicare, I’m also taking on a summer job. I have returned to the clothing store where I worked five years ago before we started our epic travel adventure. It’s time to replenish the coffers.
One would think after spending the winter chasing 7-year-old twin boys and a day spent chasing three girls that seven hours in a clothing store would be a piece of cake. If one actually did think that, they would have thought wrong. My feet hurt, my back hurts and I am going to need my next two days off to recuperate.
And I think I’m the youngest employee in the store. It’s going to take a while to get myself back into retail shape. And to add insult to injury, in my absence the dog laid claim to my “chair” in the front of the trailer — the one where I stretch out and read, or knit, or play solitaire on the computer. He looked at me when I walked in and raised an eyebrow then promptly went back to sleep. I’m not certain I’m going to get my “space” back, as he seems quite content.
King does not seem overly concerned. It is not, after all, the place he uses to relax. He is not going to like my solution… We live in a travel trailer. Space is limited. He’s going to have to learn to share his “space” with me.
Or help me stand up to a dog.
