The Volunteer/Info/Lost & Found booth was a lot less busy today, as we had almost finished signing up all the volunteers needed to help with various activities by end of day yesterday, and we got the last few signed today. We downsized the 3 tables we had initially to only one for the remainder of the rally. You can see the one table in this pic of Don and me with our friends Dave and Brenda Neil who stopped by to chat.
Our primary function now is to receive assignment slips signed by the person in charge, verifying that the volunteer served his/her 3 or more hours on the task, and issuing a nice volunteer pin to each person.
Also, every volunteer is given a raffle ticket to be eligible to win a propane heater, with the drawing to be held during the closing ceremonies on Thursday evening.
Because of this reduced workload, we set up a schedule for each of the three couples - the Earnsts, the Kings and ourselves - to take a 4-hr shift on 2-3 days and have a full day off. Nice.
Mine and Don’s day off is tomorrow, but guess what I’m doing? Teaching two half-day lessons for RV Driving School. I don’t think of giving lessons as work, though, as I really get a lot of satisfaction out of working with students to help them learn to handle their RVs safely. Still, it takes a lot of energy, especially when we’re practicing backing and making turns in a parking lot, and the weather is warming up. But I’m so glad that we don’t (yet) have the extremely hot weather that’s gripping so much of the western part of the country.
Lisa must have been dreaming up some new HOP to offer Escapees!
Wayne is always up to something. I think he’s hiding it behind his back.
Debbie saw me sneaking up for a pic, but Tom ignored me and went on with his conversation.
Paul Evert’s RV served wine, cheese and fruit this afternoon. I had some delicious strawberries and melon bites, as well as a small glass of Black Box Cabernet, but I decided not to buy the Monaco Diplomat with a $460,000+ price tag. Thanks for the treats anyway!
Awww, what nice puppies! (To me, every dog is a ‘puppy.’)
The transportation directors seem to be intent on some mission.
It’s nice to have curbside service.
Molly invited us to attend the first-timers’ happy hour this afternoon to get to know some of the newbies in our midst. Miss Kay (Kay Peterson, co-founder of the Escapees RV Club with her late hubby Joe) was there, too. It’s great to see her still enjoying the fruits of her labors, and that of her successors. And don’t discount this octogenarian, who proudly stands at just under 5 feet – she entertained us as an experienced comedienne during the opening session yesterday and had us all laughing right along with her!
People lined up to partake of the goodies contributed by all.
There were some welcome comments, of course.
And everyone enjoyed conversation and socializing. We met several folks who picked our brains about full-time RVing, the various parts of the Escapees RV Club, travel tips, etc. And we were happy to give them some advice from our years on the road.
The door prize session was again well-attended. Pete, don’t watch me!
Boomers and Solos love sitting in the balcony above all the Escapade banners from years past. What is it that makes them so lucky to win more door prizes than the larger group sitting below? Maybe I should sit up there tomorrow.
It’s more fun to give out door prizes if you wear funny hats.
And change hats after a few minutes.
Alas, our names weren’t drawn. But there are some really nice prizes being given out, and you never know when it will be your turn. And you must be present to win. Maybe tomorrow.
Because I’ll be “working” tomorrow, we opted not to stay for this evening’s entertainment. So I’m hoping for some reports from others who did stay for the ventriloquist’s show.
Finally, our hearts and prayers go out to the families and friends of 19 firefighters whose lives were lost in the wildfire in Yarnell, Arizona. For your courage and bravery, just like our deployed military, we are eternally grateful that you and your fellow firefighters work fearlessly to protect others’ lives and property in this wonderful country in which we live.
