RV Adventures, Part 1

This week began a new phase in my life, so to speak. My friend, Laurie, bought an RV this past year, something that I also have always wanted to have. With both of us having grown children and a yearning to travel, we've decided to go through this adventure together. This week we set off on our first "real" RV trip (the only other one having been a 1-night shakedown trip to Gettysburg).

We left Monday morning for Niagara Falls, Canada, with a stop the first night at a sweet little campground in Woodland, PA. I'll get into the details of the trip in a later post. What I want to tell you about today is how friendly, helpful and wonderful the people have been that we've met along the way.

After three nights at a wonderful KOA Kampground in Niagara Falls, ON, we left this morning for Cooperstown, NY (and a stop at the National Baseball Hall of Fame). We're staying at the Cooperstown Family Campground and, honestly, when we finished going down the third country road and turned into a gravel road with a small, unassuming sign, we were a little concerned about this place. Boy, were the first impressions wrong! This turned out to be a beautiful place, quiet and friendly, with nice neighbors and a family running the camp that couldn't be nicer! As I checked us in, Laurie was checking "Rosie" (the name we gave the RV) and discovered one of the dual tires on the driver's side was flat. What to do? Well, before we could even figure it out, the woman in the office had called the owner and asked him to come take a look at it. He did and said he could change it to the spare without too much trouble. He came by our campsite after dinner and, as I write this, Chris (the owner), two of his friends and our camping neighbor are all gathered around Rosie changing her tire. We've become the party site of the campgrounds! LOL!

And while they're visiting and changing the tire, they're all laughing, sharing war stories (literally -- Chris was in the Navy and served in Desert Storm; Laurie was in the Army), and talking car talk....which is why I'm sitting here at my iPad typing and listening to them. I don't know much about machines, so I'm staying out of the conversation!

While we ate dinner, the owner's daughter came by with her dog to say hello and see if we needed anything. She stayed and chatted with us as Phoenix sniffed around.

The point is this: each of the places we've stayed this week has had people who were friendly, helpful (especially to us RV "newbies"), kind, etc. We've had wonderful experiences and have enjoyed every minute, in spite of the flat tire. This is the best part of the adventure and what we've really been looking forward to -- meeting new people with common interests.

The adventure has just begun...but we're planning to have it go on for a long, long time! Next big trip: Grand Canyon this fall. Come back and visit and follow us as we tour the country!

There's one more thing I forgot to include in my last post, but was reminded of it when I rode on the Metro Thursday and Friday...

Why is it that so many people totally ignore the rule that says no eating or drinking on the Metro?  (For those of you not in the DC area, that's the name of our subway system.)  This was such a beautiful system when it first opened, but it's been totally trashed by people eating, drinking and chewing gum!  I've seen it all in the past six years of tour guiding -- from people drinking water to those eating an entire meal on the train!  Yes, I actually saw a woman eat her whole dinner while riding the subway.  No wonder the train cars are such a mess!  Yesterday, I was riding up the escalator to the train platform in the morning and a woman ahead of me was carrying a large iced coffee (full) in her hand to consume while riding!  Unbelievable!

Once again, it comes down to that little, but powerful word:  RESPECT!  Respect for the rules.  Respect for other people.  Respect for the trains and the people who have to clean them.  Don't look right at the sign that says "NO FOOD OR DRINKS" and totally ignore it!  ARGH!!!

Here's another one....I took my group yesterday to Arlington National Cemetery.  I spend a lot of time talking to them about this hallowed ground and how we must behave in a respectful manner.  I also tell them there is no food, drink (other than water) or chewing gum allowed.  I remind them again when we've gone through the Visitors Center that they must get rid of gum....and then, again, as we start our walk and pass a trash can.  So why is it that just before we went to the Changing of the Guard Ceremony I found one of the girls chomping on gum right in front of me?  I called her out on it -- you bet I did!  I looked her right in the eye and said "Why are you chewing gum when I've already told you three times to get rid of it?"  She was totally embarrased.  GOOD!  It makes me wonder what she's being taught at home...that rules are for everyone else?  Yes, I know that part of this is just being a teenager, but I don't care how old you are -- if you're told a rule, just follow it.

Well, my frustration should subside for a little while.  I finished my final tour of the season yesterday evening.  It was a great season with lots of wonderful students and adults (and a few clunkers thrown in here and there).  I enjoyed it, but have to admit that I'm glad it's over.  There are so many other things going on in my life that I want to concentrate on.  Come back and visit again and you'll see what I'm talking about! 

R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

Let me start by saying this: OMG! Has it really been more than two years since I posted on this blog? Unbelievable! Where does the time go?

Well, I'm still working as a tour guide in DC and I'm wrapping up the 2012 season this week. I have a great group of two middle schools from the Chicago area and have enjoyed the past couple of days with them. It's been a fairly easy schedule, so I've had some time to reflect on this year's groups...and that has me thinking about life and the world in general.

So, here's my question: What ever happened to the concept of "respect"? I'm referring to respect for other people, respect for property, respect for laws and rules, respect for our Nation's Government and leadership...just respect for everything! Have we become such a society of "entitlement" that everyone thinks they are the only person or thing that matters on earth? Do they think the rules only apply to everyone else and not to them?

I know...I'm ranting. Let me give you some specific examples. Let's start with the simplest of issues, but one that I deal with every day that I'm leading a tour.

One of the first things I do with a group is introduce myself and tell them that I have a couple of simple rules that I ask them to follow, the most important of which is that when I'm talking, they not talk. Common courtesy, right? Apparently not! I expect to still have some students whispering while I speak, although I will ask them to stop if the chaperones don't step up and do it. But what am I supposed to do when the adults are the ones who are being rude? Last week I had a group of Girl Scouts here for the "Rock The Mall" celebration on the National Mall. As I was speaking on the bus, two parents who were one row behind me and across the aisle continued to talk at full volume, even as I was asking everyone to be quiet! How do I straighten them out without having them lose face in front of the girls? I put up with it or a while, then finally addressed it in a humorous way, but I shouldn't have had to deal with it at all!

Then there are the students I take to the many memorials and monuments who have no respect for these beautiful structures that are there to thank our heroes, both of war and of peace. Last weekend, it was incredibly hot during Rock The Mall. Following the event, we went to the World War II Memorial, which has a beautiful fountain in the middle of it. There were dozens of people wading in the fountain up to their knees, despite the numerous signs that clearly say "NO WADING". This is a MEMORIAL, for crying out loud! The wall of stars there represents almost 500,000 American casualties of the war! Show some respect for those people who gave THEIR lives for YOUR freedom! Come to the memorial to celebrate, enjoy its beauty, but stay out of the water!!

And I can't tell you how many times I have to tell one of the boys in my group to not jump off the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I'm not talking about him walking down to the last step and jumping; I'm talking about boys (yes, it is always the boys!) running across the plaza in front of the building and taking a flying leap from the top of the 7th step! One fell when he landed and could easily have broken an arm or leg! And stop walking/climbing/siting on every wall/step/rock/ramp you see. The memorials are not your personal playground or jungle gym!

I recently took a group to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. The Archives does not allow photography, so I always tell my students to leave their cameras on the bus. While waiting to get through the security check, an 8th-grader from another group stepped up to the sign that said "NO PHOTOGRAPHY", pulled out her cell phone and took a photo of the sign! I was incensed! I looked at her and said, "Why would you take a photograph of a sign that clearly says 'no photography'?" She actually looked at me and had the gall to respond, "I wasn't taking a picture." What am I, an idiot or something?

Finally, one of my biggest pet peeves: referring to the President of the United States by his first name or without using his title, such as "is Obama at home in the White House today?" I always correct the students and explain that he should be addressed as President Obama (or Bush or Clinton or whomever), Mr. President or the President out of respect for the office. It doesn't matter if you voted for him or not. It doesn't matter if you agree with his policies or like him. The leader of the free world has earned the right to be addressed properly! And what about the adults who do this? What kind of example are they setting for the next generation?

I won't even get started on drivers who have no respect for other drivers! I think you get the point by now.

What's a person to do? I was raised to respect others, respect property, respect and celebrate the history of our glorious country. I have this nagging fear that the next generation isn't going to get it -- they won't know how to behave respectfully in public because they're not being taught by their parents. What kind of a world will we be living in then?