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Making new Friends

Friends at Fort Mountain State Park

A Week of Firsts

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My five-year-old great-niece and I went camping in my tiny house this week. We picked Fort Mountain State Park because we had been there twice before. (See No More Pretending) Since I booked a site only days ahead, we didn’t get our favorite site 68. This would be our first time at site 13. It turned out to be a week of firsts.

Since I forgot to pack our brushes, it would also be our first time to comb her hair. She wasn’t happy with me, but we combed through it. After an hour of tag and climbing at the playground, we played seventeen holes of miniature golf. Hole eighteen doesn’t return the ball. She scored a two, three times—pretty good for a first-timer.

Another reason we chose Fort Mountain was because the lake is within walking distance of the campground, and she is not ready to say goodbye to summer. The overcast skies made 70 degrees feel like 55, yet the child played in the water. After stepping in the icy water, I agreed to help make sandcastles with my sweatshirt on. We had the beach to ourselves—another first.

After a warm shower (her idea) and a cup of hot chocolate, we returned to the playground hoping to meet new friends. Two couples I knew from teaching their children at Adairsville Elementary were there with four of their grandchildren. What are the odds? My niece and the grandchildren were instant friends. The adults caught up as we watched the children play drop tag—another first.

Later that night at our friend’s sites 68 and 67, my niece played a game she had never played, ate her first s’more, and painted her first rock. The next day, she hid hers at our campsite. While playing with two of the grandchildren, she witnessed two other children finding the painted rocks and rehiding them for others to discover.

As we climbed to the top of Fort Mountain to see the fire tower and an overlook, she saw an entire city from a whole new perspective. My little niece wanted to climb over the railing and “go there.” Seeing farmland, ponds, roads, cars, buildings, houses, and hawks in flight may have been the most mind-blowing experience of her young life, but her new friends? That’s all she has talked about since we left. What a joy to experience so many firsts through the eyes of a child. It was truly a week of firsts.

Joy M. Walker
Joy M Walker

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Joy M. Walker

Pool Volleyball

The people here are great, eh?

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Isn’t it fascinating how little of a connection we need to become friends with people? This story begins with my new Canadian friends. Myrna, I met at pool volleyball at Outdoor Resorts at Long Key, Florida (ORLK). A couple of days later, when I arrived at the St. Patty’s Day party, she invited me to sit with her. She grabbed a chair for me and introduced me to her husband, Ernie, her cousin Anita, and Anita’s husband, Tom, all from Ontario. I told them I visited Ontario on my first trip in my motorhome and that my dad had relatives there. 

When I said I could remember Tom’s name because that was my brother’s name, Tom said, “and he’s your favorite brother, right?” 

I said, “yes that’s what I tell him all the time.” 

Then, of course, Tom said, “he’s your only brother, right?” 

Somehow, in all the laughter, Tom became my “other favorite brother” and the other three became my “Canadian cousins.” After the usual questions of where are you from, when did you get here, what’s your story, and how did you find out about Outdoor Resorts?, Anita said, “the people here are great, eh?” I had to agree! My new cousins got me dancing (I don’t dance) and we exchanged pictures and phone numbers. They showed me a great time at the party. After that, we saw each other nearly every day, playing volleyball, ping-pong, bocce ball, pickleball, and even went to a play together at the Marathon Community Theater. We also enjoyed sunset chats and neighborhood walks until the night before they left.

Another friend I met at pool volleyball is Sheila. Sheila is Beautiful with a capital B, inside and out. She is from Michigan, so having been born in Michigan myself, it was an instant connection. Despite enduring the recent tragic deaths of three loved ones, Sheila maintains a cheery, infectious disposition. Everyone loves her. Sheila went home to snow a few days later, but we will certainly stay connected.

When I met Dave, he looked at me and said, “You need to know, I’m legally blind, so if the volleyball comes to us, go ahead and hit it. Don’t assume I’m going to see it.” 

Dave told me he is from Bloomington, Indiana. Because I got a master’s degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, I knew we would be friends. One day I stopped at Dave’s lot, and we talked about writing, riding, his eyes, ownership at Outdoor Resorts, family, you name it. He and his wife, Sally, took me to church on Easter Sunday. They introduced me to Pastor Brad, who baptized me in the canal of the Atlantic by the church the next week. Such special people!

Everyone I have met at ORLK has been over-the-top friendly. Even though some have wintered here for 5, 10, 20, or even 30 years, they have included me as one of their own. Snowbirds could be cliquish, but they are the opposite, as they welcome everyone. 

Thanks to Ray (A Ray Of Sunshine) for inviting me to Outdoor Resorts; I have a park full of new friends. As I prepare to leave, two weeks after my original departure date, I say a big thank you to all who made my stay so special. Because of you, not only do I not want to leave, but you also have me seriously considering coming back. You are truly special people. 

Yes, Anita, I must agree, the people at ORLK are great! Beautiful inside and out, eh? (PS, I know you told me Canadians never write out that word, but it’s my new favorite word. It will take me a while to learn when and how to use it. Maybe I can get some personal coaching on Canadian speak when I come visit you via Indiana and Michigan, eh?)