"Winter" as a verb

Now that we have been full-time rv'ers for a year, we felt confident enough to decide where we wanted to spend the winter. We've lived in Wisconsin and Alaska in winter and, in Winter 2019, the hills of southern Virginia as our first winter in our new home. All had their good points but Bill decided he had enough of snow, sloppy rain and freezing water pipes. Wanting to stay near the East Coast but a bit further south, we decided to head to Florida. On the way back from Las Vegas in 2018, we stopped for two weeks in December at a Gulf-front RV resort near Pensacola and thoroughly enjoyed it! Sand and water, warm temps (for December) and no snow! It was a small park and we talked with the camp host/work camper who stayed on the property in his RV for free in exchange for working in the park. Bill and I had discussed camp hosting/work camping before, an idea that was explained to me by my employer in Alaska who camped frequently. When our new friend from the park called over the summer and asked if we would be interested in staying in one warm place for a few months, we jumped at the chance!

Playa del Rio is a small RV park sandwiched between the Gulf of Mexico and the Old River and is on the barrier island of Perdido Key, Florida. One bridge from Pensacola, Florida, gets one onto the island and one bridge to Gulf

Shores, Alabama, and you are off the island - it is, indeed, paradise! The Playa was small as resorts go, only 26 sites instead of the usual 100+ site resorts up and down the Gulf Coast. A private boardwalk to the Gulf of Mexico's white sand beaches was just a short walk from our trailer on one end and the community spaces of the Rio Room, boat marina and dock and waterside fire pit on the Old River was at the opposite end of the park. The Rio Room was a shared space for all to use and included a plethora of pots, pans, crockpots, cooking/grilling/eating utensils and a cupboard full of seasonings. There is a full kitchen with microwave, refrigerator and freezer, counter top prep space, everything you would need - even the kitchen sink! Outside, under cover, the Rio Room boasted glass-topped tables and chairs, three big-screen TV's and space used for impromptu live music. There was a big fire pit with Adirondack chairs, a swinging gilder, hammocks and a small "beach" area primarily used for launching kayaks. An older dock was still

used by fishermen to drop crab pots or pull up bait fish (they fished on the Gulf from the sandy beaches) but rarely housed any boats and was in a bit of disrepair. However, it was "home" to the familiar sight of Great Blue Herons and Pelicans who didn't mind sharing the space with us! A bath house and small laundry room completed the grounds.

Let me explain work camping - it is working while you camp. Work camping is only slightly different than camp hosting - the phrases are interchangeable for the most part. Generally, you are asked to "volunteer" to perform duties as directed by the campground owner in return for a free site and amenities while living in your RV. At Playa del Rio, we were considered work campers and had an obligation to do 5+ hours of work each per day for three or four days at a time. Work consisted of (but not limited to) site preparation and maintenance, cleaning of common areas and bathrooms, accepting/delivering mail and packages to the many who "full-timed" on the property, weeding/trimming/mowing on the property and greeting guests while helping them park their rigs. At our location, it didn't involve any office work that some places require. We didn't

have a camp store, either, but did assist with sale of ice and exchanging rolls of quarters for the laundry machines. We shared the responsibilities with the couple we had met the winter prior so our shifts were four days "on"/four days off then three days "on"/three days off. So, 7 days of work in a 14 day period. In exchange, we received our site free of charge including water, electric and sewer. The park also offered (for all their guests) free wifi and cable TV.

On our work days, which started about 9 a.m., we used the provided golf cart to drive the grounds, checking on things that might have changed overnight - usually, that meant downed palm branches! We used the private boardwalk to check the beach on the Gulf of Mexico (yup, still there!) then started our daily routine of cleaning the Rio Room and grounds, checking and cleaning the grills, raking and yard maintenance, cleaning and servicing the bathhouse and laundry area including garbage collection and cleaning/maintaining the three small dog parks on the premises. There were other jobs as well - setting up for larger events (usually including live music) in the Rio Room and mechanical or carpentry work needed around the property. While time was needed to complete these tasks, it was pleasant to greet the guests everyday and make sure that everything was shipshape!

The Gulf was gorgeous here - miles of uninterrupted sand and waves. Sometimes, before or after storms in the area, the surf was pounding the shoreline and other

times the cooler weather made walking on the beach a solitary thing. Some at the park enjoyed day-long beach fishing (or was it napping? Somedays it was the same!) and we enjoyed tasting the fruits of their labor if they were successful. Shell gathering was another activity that kept us occupied on our off days.

We were lucky to have family travel to the beach over Thanksgiving weekend. My sister and bro-in-law (yes, the same from our trip to Oregon and with whom we visited most of the summer) and their daughter and family rented a gorgeous ocean-front condo just blocks from our place and we had a traditional turkey-day feast with football-watching with them as well as some days on the beach and a visit to the local pizza place. So fun!

With family rather far away (we did travel to visit everyone at Christmas time and again in mid-February), we were lonely to start. Not knowing anyone, and being a bit shy (what??), we slowly got to know all the nice people who lived either full or part time at the park. What we didn't expect was to call these people friends by the time we left in early March! I guess that is what the RV lifestyle is about - it seems like we've known these people all of our lives and find our life richer because of meeting them.

In-between working and sunning on the beach, we did take some "day trips" around the peninsula

and neighboring Gulf Shores, Alabama. One trip, in particular, was fun - we drove one hour east to Destin, Florida, to view the strip of ocean called the Emerald Coast (water color, I found out) and to see alligators. Since we were too far away from the Okefenokee Swamp to see these animals in the wild, we went to Alligator Alley - a bar/restaurant and viewing area. While not quite the adventure I was looking for, we did see plenty of them sunning themselves. And the drinks and food were good. Another time, we did take an overnight to go see our good friends, the De Rocher's (from Alaska), who were attending a seminar in Eastern Florida. We watched the Packer game together and, with wine and pizza, got all caught up on the "news" and hugs!

I especially was missing my girlfriends, both in Wisconsin and Alaska, but these "Playa" ladies filled my days with fun activities - I learned how to play Canasta, we beaded wind chimes using the shells we found on the beach (funny story - we went through so many drill bits drilling holes in the shells that the men in the park cringed when they say us coming, thinking we were going to ask them for their supply!) and took rides to the local hobby stores and fish markets, usually stopping off for a quick "fancy coffee" at a newly-discovered coffee shop. We watched movies in the Rio Room (our favorite was Lucille

Ball's "The Long, Long Trailer") and planned potluck-style meals for all sorts of occasions.

At the end of February, we celebrated Mardi Gras with boat parades, HUGE float parades and bead catching. The famous Florabama ocean-front bar was walking distance away and all of us spent time there listening to music and drinking Bushwhackers. It was sad to see them, one by one, pull out for their own adventures!

Our plan was to leave Florida in time for the arrival of our new grand baby by the end of March but the virus helped us out by hurrying us along the road sooner than planned. We wanted to do our "stay at home" experience close to the kids so we pulled out March 6 for Roanoke, Virginia, and our favorite Chantilly Farms RV Park in nearby Floyd.

I'm not sure I am a "Florida" person, but I do ok with the beach. I prefer mountains over sand but one thing I know - I'll forever treasure the friends I made this winter!