Park Maintenance

The projects just keep on coming.
As I stated last, the park manager is doing his best to get the shop area in some kind of order, where we know what tools we have and what we need to get to get this park in better shape for visitors.
Last week I was asked to build a work bench along one wall so that our tools could be organized on a shadow wall. That job was completed and an area above that bench was marked and painted. Our tools were located and organized so that they can be hung on the wall.
There was a peg board in that spot and it was relocated across the shop area. many of our small general items are hung on that wall and now we can see what we have and easily replaced as they are used.
I am now in the process of closing up a large window in the north wall that used to be outside. There is a room there where our cleaning supplies are kept and the window was not useful anymore.
I am also building a 24' bench and bin area for our plumbing and electrical parts. There will be many large and small bins.
I have made a deal with one of the rangers to teach me how to operate a tractor with back hoe in exchange that I teach him some basic carpentry skills. He is willing to learn and takes the initiative.  He is going to help me build that bin area.


We have a work force from the local state prison, who come 1/2 day M-F. There is a guard with them and they are very helpful in getting some of the grunt work done.
They was a large area for fire wood that was in disarray to say the least. They moved and organized multiple cords of wood and some various length logs and it looks so much better and consolidated.
There is a burn ban on in East Texas, and this wood cannot be used. The park manager wants to get out of the firewood business altogether, as all of the monies go to the general fund and not to the park.
The wood is without cost except for the labor required to get in shape to sell. He thinks it is not cost effective for the park to sell it.

Brenda works up at headquarters and will be given more responsibilities as time goes on.
She doesn't much care for the field work or working in the shop, but she likes to clean up the litter here in our loop and really enjoys working in the office.
She helps with traffic control on Friday evenings as people arrive and go into the office to pay the entrance fee.

We went into Houston last week, but saw no one as everyone was busy and we gave no notice that we were coming.  
We did get to Costco for our vitamins and other drugs. The closest Kroger is in Huntsville, so we stopped at Kroger in Spring while we were there.
We tried the HEB cola zero, but didn't much care for it so we stocked up on Big K brand. It is the Kroger store brand and is pretty good. We even like it better than Coke Zero.

We are off today and we will go over to the Escapee park to do laundry and pick up our mail.
When I get all of the parts I need, we will have a washer and dryer on the park grounds. There is a stackable  set at one of the bath houses in the pipe chase. We will be sharing the laundry facilities with the other camp hosts as they arrive next month.

There is a monthly meeting and luncheon for the park tomorrow and we are having pot luck.
Although it is our day off we think that our presence could only be helpful in our relationship with the park staff.

Ta ta for now.

1st full week

We have been here for about 10 days now and we have had a pretty full week of activities. We have done site maintenance (litter), started to try to organize the shop area, site patrol throughout the park, etc.,  a lot of different activities as needed by the staff.
This park has gone through several years of benign neglect, and is in need of some good management.
The problem of good management appears to be fixed.
The new park manager arrived just 2 months before us and has started programs to improve the park with the staff at hand.
Smiley, as he is called by his friends, has a gentle touch with the staff and volunteers and it seems that improvements are on the way.
The assistant park manager, is a go getter. He is very visible in the park and is available when things need attention. You may see him at all hours.


As opposed to Washington State Parks, all paid staff here that work in the field are called rangers.
The park manager, assistant manager and the volunteer coordinator are all law enforcement officers, the rest of the field staff are not peace officers. They maintain  the facilities much like the senior park aides do in Washington. They also have seasonal staff.
The volunteer coordinator was on vacation last week and was extremely busy during her shift on the weekend. She appears to be a go getter and is available whenever we have a question. We have not spent much time with her, but i am sure we will get to know her as time moves on.

Last weekend, in our loop, we had 35 sites reserved for 35 kindergarteners and their families. It was neat to see all of the kids outdoors and enjoying the great weather, riding their bikes and scooters, throwing balls with some of the adults and just doing what I remember kids did when I was small.
This loop has water, electric and sewer, but I saw no electronics at all during the weekend.
There were other campers as well as all sites were occupied Saturday night. There was a boy scout troop next to us and when they left their sites looked better than when they came.
During the day, the kids were doing kid things loud and boisterous, but at night you could here a pin drop.

We had an issue with the bath house in our loop, Saturday night and the problem was so severe that it had to be closed. The people here handled the situation well with little or no complaints as they were directed to other bathrooms in the park by maps and signage.

This time of year, the park gets pretty empty during the week. We are the only ones in our loop, the last 2 sites were vacated on Monday.
It is very dark out here, with the tree cover and the only lights on the bath house which is a couple of hundred yards away. We don't even close the curtains during the week. It is very private.

We are off today and tomorrow and we may go into Houston today or tomorrow. Or we may drive up to Lufkin to see what is there. We just don't know.

Ta ta for now.

Lake Livi ngston State Park

We arrived here mid afternoon on Sunday and was sent to our new home.
It is nicely paved with many trees in a 49 site loop. The camp sites are close together and we were told that this loop was designed for groups who like to camp close to each other (IE: boy scouts).
There was one camper here when we arrived, but they left Monday. Another arrived after dark on Monday night and they left mid morning on Tuesday.

Monday, the assistant park manager came around and introduced himself and gave us a tour of the park introducing all of the staff that we happened to see during the tour.
Most of the park is on the lake except our loop. We are behind a subdivision but we are secluded. There is a stable at the entrance to our loop. It is a concession and offer horseback riding for a fee through trails in the park.

We attended a 7am morning meeting with all of the rangers (all paid personnel are rangers). We were welcomed and given an assignment for the day.
Brenda and I worked for 7 hours that day and I returned the next morning and worked 7 more hours.
The park has a new manager and this park has been in need of a 'manager' for several years. He is organizing the staff and giving assignments and trying to find and identify the state owned equipment.

Our insurance company does not offer non-owner liability insurance, so neither Brenda nor I can drive any of the state owned vehicles. We can operate a golf cart or a gator, but no trucks or cars.
Our insurance company and I feel this is a silly rule, as we should be covered in any vehicle we are given permission to use, but that is a state rule and no exceptions are allowed.

Tomorrow will start our full weekend here, and if the weather is nice we should have a full park Friday and Saturday.

Ta ta for now.