A Lesson from a Daffodil

Here at Lost Lake RV Resort we have an old, moss covered shelter that used to be a community picnic area, and is now used to house the workampers' golf carts. One day, being snoopy, I looked into a Chiquita banana box stored there. I saw that it was filled with bulbs — dry, sunless, waterless, abandoned, and I wondered why someone had not planted them last fall. Recently, looking into the box once more, I noticed that many of the bulbs had put out sprouts. I felt really badly. It bothered me. What could have been a whole garden of glorious spring flowers were sitting there wasted. So, I took one out and brought it home, curious to see what would happen if I planted it in a little dirt, watered it and gave it some light. I didn't expect much. The bulb was a tad soft, its one sprout was pale and thin, and the poor little thing had no roots whatsoever. I had no idea whether it might be a tulip, a daffodil, or some other spring flower. To my great surprise, almost immediately after I planted it, the sprout multiplied, put out a stem with a swelling that I knew was the flower, and literally within 7 days it put forth this little miniature daffodil, just a bit deformed but outdoing itself with that strong, wonderful daffodil fragrance! Amazing!

As the days have passed with no sign yet that the flower is fading, I kept thinking that there is a lesson here. In this world there are many, many people who have gotten a bad start in life, or have perhaps had a devastating experience in their adult lives. They've been abandoned, left without nourishment, perhaps abused, uprooted, neglected, and most of all, bereft of love, the sunshine of the soul. God looks into the box where they may be imprisoned, and knows what it will take to bring them out so they can fulfill their potential and be all that they were created to be. He puts them into the soil of His Word where their roots can grow down deep, finding nourishment and comfort. He waters them with His healing Spirit and brings them out into the brilliant sunlight of His indescribable love. He holds them and watches tenderly to see that they have all they need. As a result of His care these "people flowers" grow and have the beauty and the lovely fragrance they were destined to have, bringing joy to God Himself and to those around them.  

I was so encouraged by my tiny daffodil's new life that I took the whole banana box, dumped out the other bulbs under a fir tree beside the shelter, set them all upright and shoveled a fair amount of dirt around them, making sure the sprouts were above ground. I trusted the frequent rain to do the watering, and now I'm watching to see what will happen. My prayer is that I may be used by God to respond to need, especially among the "people flowers" I may encounter in my work or in my travels, expecting to see wondrous blossoms, always the work of God!

Seeing Beauty Everywhere

 My job at the Lost Lake RV Resort takes me on about a 2 mile circle riding my little golf cart from building to building. I check everything and clean what needs cleaning. At this time of year there are leaves and more leaves to sweep up, not to mention millions of fir needles coating the walks, steps, porches, etc. On this day I ran out of things to clean till I passed by the little playhouse on my route. I thought to myself, "Surely that needs sweeping". It did, and I enjoyed "playing house" for a few minutes.

 While down at the lake checking the clubhouse and the library I spied these two happy fishermen admiring their catch. They were glad to pose for a picture. The man on the right is Harvey, our fellow workamper, and on the left his proud son, showing off his rainbow trout.

 Driving around the far edge of the resort property I was lucky to catch a rare glimpse of Mt. Rainier on this sunny autumn day. Usually in fall and winter the elusive, mysterious mountain is hiding behind clouds. When the clouds and fog do depart, the sight of this glorious mountain is awe inspiring. It  reminds me that though I may not see God I always know He is there and He will reveal Himself in special ways when I need Him most.

 Putt-putting on down Fir Lane I happened upon this sharp and shiny restoration of a 1939 Chevy owned by one of the resort residents. He usually keeps the car covered, so I was happy to get to see it unveiled. Wouldn't want fir needles and leaves coating this car!

 All life is precious and beautiful, no matter how small. Coming up the walk to one of the resort restrooms I became fascinated with this tiny snail as he made his way across the pavement. Many times I've seen tiny empty shells, which look like seashells, but I think this was the first time I had seen an inhabited "house" with its tiny creature moving it along, antennas waving. I placed a leaf next to him, watched him creep onto it, and put him safely on the forest floor out of the reach of giant's feet.

 Growth of green stuff is rampant in the wet, rich and dark soil of the old forest. After our recent rains, myriads of seeds are sprouting, though they may die off again with the coming frosts. I found tiny seedlings growing in a minute amount of soil on this rock. Where there's a will, there's a way!

 I remember as a child finding little ferns growing in the abundant, thick moss on the forest trees. Someone told me they were licorice ferns and showed me how to dig into the soft moss, pulling the ferns out by the roots. Biting into these roots does definitely produce a licorice-like flavor. The road here is the exit above the lake, seen as a patch of blue in the photo. It seems that there are more trees in this area covered with beautiful moss than in some of the other parts of the park, and I've noticed that the moss prefers the alders, maples and oaks, while the firs, hemlocks and cedars have very little.

At the end of my working day, heading up the hill from Lost Lake in my trusty little golf cart,  I am thrilled and impressed once again with the beauty I see everywhere; rich green Douglas firs and cedars, alders reaching to the sky, maples raining down huge leaves covering the road, the sword ferns, and everything else in their path. I am so fortunate to be here. The forest brings peace and healing to my weary soul, along with joy, gratitude and clarity in my prayers! One can hear the voice of God here!

Lost Lake Residents

 As workampers we've mostly worked at regular campgrounds that cater to overnighters or short-term campers. Here at Lost Lake RV Resort the lots are for sale. The owners usually stay here in the summer and go elsewhere in the winter, though we've found that winter time is gorgeous, too, if you don't mind the rain!. This building is the Clubhouse, fully furnished for dinners, potlucks, etc. It sits right on the edge of the lake. You can see how big many of the Douglas Firs and Cedars are.

 Here is an example of an RV lot. The big 5th wheel is sheltered from the weather and the addition to the left is completely open on one side, allowing the campers to barbecue and to live in comfort, perhaps feeling like they are really "camping".

 A simpler version.

 Some owners have used paving stones to cover the ground around their dwellings and they've added landscaping other than the natural forest plants and trees to their lot. These folks have a regular log cabin with an RV "garage" next to it.

 This unoccupied lot either denotes that the owner is gone for the winter, or else it is prepared for sale. My guess is that it is already owned, since there is a little storage shed in the back. There are many lots in the park that have a much rougher look to them. They are waiting to be developed.

 What a gorgeous tree these two residents have between them! It looks like it is on fire!

 Some of the shelters just barely seem to fit in between the forest trees.

 This one is almost a forest mansion! Most of the lots do not have a view out between the trees, but there are a few on the edge of the park that might, if they're lucky, catch a glimpse of Mt. Rainier on a clear day. Others can see a part of the lake below them. Of course, these lots are the most expensive!

 This cabin is right near the workamper area. It looks like the owner is gone for the season.

 I can remember the last time we were here five years ago I raked and raked many of these lots, which were full of branches fallen from the trees. Let there be a wind, and we are going to be doing it again, at least in the still unsold lots! Needless to say, there is a large burn pile on the outer edge of the park where the prevalent vegetation is the Scotch Broom.

 

This is an example of a very simple lot. All, or most, of the owners have landscaped their properties, some elaborately and some very basically. They are all beautiful. We feel very much at home here!

Lost Lake Scenes

 It has been 5 years since we last worked, for a year, at Lost Lake RV Resort near Lacey, WA. The park is as beautiful as we remembered. This resort is not for overnight campers, but instead the lots are for sale for either RVs or for park models with a log cabin theme. In another post I will feature some of the prettiest of these lots. Today, as I was housekeeping, I used my trusty camera to capture some of the gorgeous scenery here. I love the vine maples, glowing red, a shrub we haven't seen for a long time, especially in our jobs out on the prairie!

 Yes, this is a restroom! It is sheltered by an umbrella-like maple of some unusual variety, simply one of the prettiest trees I've ever seen. The builders have cut a hole into the porch to allow the maple to grow unhindered.

 The yellow leaves look like stars sprinkled on the ground among the sword ferns, and on the porch and the steps leading to the restroom.

 The last time we were here I thought I'd discovered some redwood trees growing down by the lake. I researched and found that these three are indeed redwoods, probably brought here by a traveler. They are not native to this area at all. Judging from the size and height, they are quite old.

 Lost Lake, a jewel set in a circle of firs and cedars, alders and maples. It was a beautiful day for a clear reflection. The lake itself is small in size, but is filled with very large fish and overlooked by a resident eagle. Around the edges I saw colonies of pond lilies. I imagine they display some gorgeous flowers in the spring.

 This log cabin, an original building from the late 1800s, is now used as a library and sitting room. I don't know the history, but I intend to find out! It overlooks the shores and boat dock along Lost Lake.

 The maple tree hanging over the cabin, seen in the above picture to the left, is shedding some huge leaves. I was amazed by the size of them so I put down my glove for comparison.

 Here is another view of the ancient log cabin, seen from the exit road above. I love the setting, the abundant trees, and the sun and shade dappled surroundings. The forest here is dense and actually has many firs that I believe are old growth, never logged. It is strange to be inside the resort, surrounded by deep forest, quiet, lovely, peaceful, and then to go out the gate and be right off the incredibly busy I-5 corridor! What a contrast!

Home, sweet home for us for the next few months. The firs here in the workamper area are very tall but they let in enough sunlight on a bright day. The rainy season has set in — we are lulled to sleep and awakened again to the soothing sound of rain and fir cones dropping on our roof most mornings. We will love it here!

I Meant To Do It!

 Yes, I meant to write a blog post every day of our trip from Cheyenne to Wenatchee, but I didn't quite make it. I did post about Casper WY and about Custer's Last Stand, but I hardly even took any photos after that. We spent 6 days out and traveled just over 1200 miles. After Hardin MT our next stop was in Bozeman MT. We were particularly excited about this stay because we have a job here at the KOA for next summer. We met the managers and paid special attention to the facilities and the beauty of this park. We will love it here! The downtown is beautiful and picturesque and the surrounding mountains are awesome!

 One of our favorite parks is the KOA at Missoula MT. We worked here for 2 summers in 2009-2010. The park itself is big and beautiful, but an added perk to being here is that we still know and stay in touch with some of the folks who work here. It was a joy to see them and to go out to dinner at Applebee's with some of them.

Our 5th night out was spent at the Spokane KOA. I failed to take a photo of our rig in this very nice park. We met an interesting couple here when they brought their little boy over to see our kitties outside in their kitty tent. It turns out the man is a writer and a pastor, and they are living simply in their RV while he writes another book. We bought his latest published book and are enjoying it very much. It is "Keys to Your Future" by Dan Hayne.

 Sometimes when we come across Washington we stay a night in Ephrata so we can visit my sister and bro-in-law. This time we left our rig in the church parking lot next door to their apartment building and spent a couple of hours with them, including lunch. My sister is a health food aficionado. She put together this gorgeous salad with flowers and other more unusual greens from her garden. Yum! We really did enjoy this meal!

 Home at last! After we set up we grabbed a granddaughter and took her out to our park for a few hours. Here is Natalie by the Wenatchee River. We had not seen the kids and grandkids for 14 months, so they were sights for sore eyes.

 Love!

We've stayed in many, many RV parks in our 8 years as workampers, but we can truthfully say the Wenatchee River County Park is the most beautiful. Of course, it always helps that we seem to be here in September or October when we get to see the gorgeous poplars, locusts and other trees in full autumn glory, with the Wenatchee River flowing serenely by. The layout of this park is unique, too. The RV spaces are in a circle going out like spokes in a wheel. It makes each space seem farther away from the next one while still getting maximum use of the available ground. We love it here!

Well, we have a few more days to visit and share our love with our family and friends. We're also getting some much needed RV repairs, then when that's completed we're off again. We'll be crossing the Cascade Mountains over Snoqualmie Pass and journeying on to Lost Lake RV Resort near Olympia WA for our winter work. I'll post again soon!