Several years ago my husband and I embarked on what some people said was a foolish adventure. After a time of raising children, fighting the rat race of the American dream we decided that life was too short to spend the rest of ours in the same way we had spent the previous twenty or so years. Don't get me wrong we love our children and enjoyed raising our family, but that job was over and we wanted to see the country. We discovered the world of "work camping" and off to Wyoming we went. We worked just outside Jackson Hole for four wonderful summers and saw much of the west at the same time. It was so different from Florida where I had always lived. I loved the west and never thought about or wanted to return to the south or the east. My husband was not as crazy about the west as I was, consequently when an opportunity in South Carolina came our way he was excited. I, on the other hand, was not so thrilled. Not only was the job in the southeast, where it is hot and humid more than half the year but it was in the Myrtle Beach Area. I had had my share of the beach, sunburns, sand and salt air and didn't care to repeat that scene. However, I reluctantly agreed to consider the job offer and visit the construction site of a new campground. From the first time I saw what would become "WillowTree" I knew it was going to be a very special place. I think my first words to my husband were "I'm home." It was a beautiful piece of pristine forested property full of wildlife. And it had two lakes for fishing. I would like to share some of my experiences here at "WillowTree".

        
        I love to fish and often fish as therapy. When things are troubling me I think best if my hands are busy and fishing is generally less expensive than a therapist. One evening I had received some troubling news and my husband was out of town so down to the lake with the rod and reel I went. Man, the fish were hungry and with each catch I was feeling better. The bad news was still not good, but it was not so heavy anymore and then it happened. The top water plug or floater as some folks call it was really doing the trick. The bass just couldn't leave it alone. Then something happened that was not in the plan. I was taking a bass off the hook of a top water plug, he flipped the wrong way and the second set of hooks on the plug found my thumb. Ouch! Well I thought I will just pull it out and the fish flopped, the hook went deeper and there was no getting it out. Now, I was in a real fix and wondering who had caught whom. In one hand I had a death grip on the fish because every flip or flop he made, made the hook move and that hurt. In the other hand I had the plug attached to me. I sat for a few seconds trying trying to figure out my best course of action. Then I leaned over and bit the line so I could be free of the rod. The next step would be to find some help. So, I got up and started walking toward the rig of the only other people on site. I knocked on their door with my foot. As the door opened I pitifully asked for help. An hour or so later and a trip to the emergency room I was hook free. The fish didn't make out quite so well. We left him flip flop on the asphalt. About now, you are probably thinking that I should give up the fishing and see the therapist, but nope I still fish and a good thing too. The next week I was back on the banks, rod and reel in hand. A few casts later, a bass hit. When it surfaced the way bass often do, all I could see was mouth. Wow what a fish! This was the biggest fish I had ever had on my line and now the trick would be to get it on the bank. The drag on the reel was not working and I was concerned that my line would break and then all I would have is another fish story. So, I adjusted the drag, oops, too much adjustment. The fish took off and now I had a birds nest of tangled line. So in desperation I threw the rod down, took hold of the line and began pulling in my trophy fish and in just a few minutes he was on the bank. After a time of picture taking and gloating I put my trophy fish back into the lake to live another day. So many people have asked me why I let it go. They ask why I didn't have it mounted. Well, it's like this, "fish" don't swim on walls very well and I wasn't fish hungry.

         One of the other perks of living and working here is the abundance of wildlife. I see deer regularly, feeding in the early morning and late afternoon. They are such pretty animals and I'll never grow tired of watching them. One afternoon I spotted the black bear whose tracks I had seen and that was a real treat until he came and stole my bird feeder and tromped down my flowers in the process. I was a bit put out with him at that moment, not so much that he took the feeder, but my flowers. How dare he step all over my flowers. And then there is the fox that trotted past the trailer with a small rodent in his mouth. It is not an everyday occurrence to see a fox where I come from. There are some large funny looking squirrels here, but they are quite shy and are easily spooked. They are almost black in color with white noses and their faces resemble monkeys. Turkeys feed on and around the property and I hear quail call to each other daily. Sometimes when I am riding over the campground I just stop for a few minutes and look and listen and think how we came to this place and how happy I am that we are here.

I feel blessed to have been able to become a part of the team and know that each day I go to work in a place I really enjoy.