I have some medical tests at the VA clinic here in Bradenton this morning, and in preparation I had to fast for 17 hours. 17 hours? Seriously? Usually I’ve been told not to eat anything after midnight, but 17 hours? I’m going to be one hungry fat boy before everything is finished!
Fortunately, it’s only a short drive back to the campground, so I won’t have far to go to get back home to some of Miss Terry’s great cooking.
In yesterday’s blog I wrote about organizations for solo RVers and I said that in our time on the road we have met many single RVers and they have always been welcomed with open arms in any gathering or campground we’ve been to. My friend Al Hesselbart, himself a solo RVer, posted a comment to the blog saying that as a solo you must be willing to introduce yourself and that if you’re not, a wallflower will stay a wallflower.
Very true, Al, and that applies to everybody, not just solos. The Escapees RV Club is known for its friendliness, and it’s much more than an RV club, it’s one big extended family. But years ago we were at their main campground, Rainbows End in Livingston, Texas. At the time we had a reader who was pretty much a curmudgeon who seemed to go out of his way to be grumpy about anything and everything. He and his wife were in the park and we stopped to say hello and ask them how they liked the place. His response was that all of the hype about how friendly Escapees were was just that, hype. He said they had been there five days and not one person had so much as said hello to him.
Being life members of Escapees, I found that hard to believe. I told him that we had been welcomed at check-in, a couple of folks had said hello while we were getting set up in our RV site, and when we walked over to happy hour at the activity center we were greeted warmly by a couple dozen people. His response was that he had not been outside of his motorhome since they had arrived because, “Why would I want to go out and try to socialize with that bunch of snobs anyway?”
Trust me, you can make lots of friends out here whether you’re married or single, young or old, fat or thin, gay or straight, or whatever. But you do have to at least open the darned door and give folks a chance to get to know you!
Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Maximum Security, the third book in my friend Carol Ann Newsome’s very popular Dog Park mystery series. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.
Thought For The Day – Sometimes the first step toward forgiveness is accepting the fact that the other person is an idiot.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Funny you should mention that. The longer I’m single, the more Wallflowery I become. Is that a word?? It’s hard for some of us to mingle in a group of strangers. We’re always the odd man out, leaving an extra seat at the table, taking up two seats on the tour bus, etc. So if you DO see a single who’s out and about, say hello and invite them to your table. They will appreciate it!!
I agree. We are working on our second year as traveling full-timers and we have found it hard not to feel welcome at Escapee Parks and, for that matter, any park. If you want to isolate yourself…you can. But all it takes is a smile and a word and most RVers are real friendly.
One way to appear to be social is to set out (if you have them) 3 fold up chairs to drink your tea, read a book, watch nature, etc. This indicates to the solo or couple walking by your RV that you are open to fellowship. Also, leash your dog outside with you….if you have one. Most people love dogs; even Nick would probably wave at your dog.
My wife (of almost 55 yrs & on our 7th RV) does not like to go to Q, AZ; Ozarks Mtns; Winter Park, CO or Cloudcroft, NM in our RV off-seasons (weather is 74F high average-40F low) for 4-13 weeks each; but WE go to all of these places for several days to 2 wks in a car & stay at hotels which turn down the covers at night. Ha
Also, I have 6 library cards in 5 states and Libraries area always a good place to meet/say hello to staff, readers, wifi-ers……
Outside washing the windshield and someone walking by always says “watca doin'”, great opening for conversation.