OUR FELLOW WORKAMPERS 9-6-09

I thought I'd introduce you to all the workampers we "worked" with this summer. As you read about them, you will see what a diverse group of people make up the workamper community. This is a picture of the "valley" where we have our pot lucks and picnics.

Sally and Ian, owners of the Jellystone Park of Larkspur, formerly Castle Rock RV Park. On Labor Day they hosted a "Workamper Appreciation and Birthday Party" for all the workampers and families in the valley. Ian formerly owned several automobile dealerships in the area. Ian is from South Africa and Sally from our midwest .

Ian's nephew, Sam, made a delicious concoction in a dutch oven consisting of oxtail, carrots, potatoes, onions, squash, and cabbage. He cooked it for about 7 hours.

This is Janie and Bruce. They have been fulltimers for about 6 years, wintering in Mesa, AZ. They grew up in the Dakotas and raised their family in California before opting for the RV lifestyle. Bruce is a former HVAC technician. They will be joining us in Oregon next summer at Diamond Lake RV Park.

Kathy and Dave have a home in Dallas, TX and come north for about 3-4 months in the summer to escape the Texas heat. They left a few days after Labor Day. I never actually worked with Kathy as I worked mostly days and she and Dave had the evening shift. Kathy worked in the office and Dave escorted campers to their sites.

Danny likes to joke that he "came with the campground" when Sally and Ian bought it several years ago. He lives fulltime in an apartment on the campground property. He knows a lot about the campground and is fun to work with. He's quite the joker and doesn't mind getting dirty!

"Doctor Dan" and Nancy joined us mid season and were a great help. Dan is a chiropractor and Nancy's a nurse. They live fulltime in their RV and like to spend the summers in Colorado to be near their daughters. They have a son in Texas and sometimes spend the winters there. This year they are headed to Florida.

Andy is another one of our single fulltimers. This is his first workamping job and he really likes to run the equipment. He does a great job keeping the grass mowed and the roads graded. Here the guys were replacing a broken sewer line. He will be spending the winter here in the park in his RV.

This is Jan and Jan. Really! That was way too confusing so Jan changed his name to Kevin. Said he liked that name. So, here is Kevin and Jan. They are from New Zealand and have been in the US for about 14 years. They are applying for their citizenship. Love their accent! They are living in their RV and building a home just north of Colorado Springs. They, too, have children in the area.

This is Karen and Ed with Yogi. They have a home in Pueblo and spend the summer workamping. They are our "clean team". Ed is a former engineer and helped develop the DC-10.

John and Teresa also joined us mid-year. John works at the Centennial Airport as a Meteorologist and Teresa is a retired teacher. When they sell their condo in Denver, they will be fulltimers again. They are presently living in their Motor Home here at the campground.

That's Isa with them, a Great Pyrenees.





Anisa (our activities gal) Kira, Phil, and Alea.

Kira has helped in the office and Phil is our Marketing Manager. Phil and Kira cook up some great pancakes and sausage on the weekends for our guests.

Lee with Yogi. Lee helps around the campground and office as needed, sometimes even getting in the Yogi costume! She lives in the campground year round and has a day job at a laboratory.

Yogi playing with Andy.

Can't forget Sarah. She was our first Activity director and learned how to build a really great campfire! She left mid August to return to college in Denver.

So, you see, we have met a lot of interesting people this summer!