How long are you going to do this?

This is what Terri, the office manager of the refuge, asked me today.  She was referring to fulltiming, and volunteering at National Wildlife Refuges.  My answer was “Until I die in the traces, or can no longer drive the rig.”  I realize that things can happen, and my plans may change, but I really enjoy this lifestyle and hope I have many years left to enjoy it.  I’m a life time member of Escapees, and told her about that and the CARE program in Livingston, TX.  (If you don’t know about Escapees and CARE, let me know and I’ll do a post about that)  I’m hoping not to end up living with one of my kids in my old age and becoming a burden to them.

It was another day of working in the Visitor’s Center today, and the electronic counter on one of the entrance doors said I had 44 visitors today.  Since it counts people as they enter and leave, I probably really had only about 25 folks stop in.  There is another door without a counter, and some people enter and leave that way. 
Early on, I noticed one of the Lewis’s woodpeckers fly into one of the elm trees surrounding the VC.  I grabbed my camera and ran outside since that would mean he might be in the sun.  I’m not sure I’ll get a better pic than this of this dark colored woodpecker, but I’ll keep trying.  None of the red in his plumage showed up in this angle.  :(

I had a visitor today ask if we had a form to leave comments for the refuge manager.  We don’t, so she just wrote her comments on a piece of paper, and I took that to the appropriate person.  That resulted in a little project, thank goodness, for me.  I’m developing a comments form that will be available for visitors.  That sure beats playing spider solitaire all day long when no one is visiting!  The biggest challenge I face in doing this is working with an ancient version of Microsoft Word.  I told the volunteer coordinator that that’s why I always had a secretary in my former life.  They could have whipped up this form in minutes, where as it is taking me hours!
Once I got home, Emma was more than anxious to get out of the confines of the rig.  We sat outside for several hours, after taking a good walk around.  I just wish I could hear, smell, and interpret  everything she does.  Here she is on vigil status protecting our home!  :)

I have tomorrow off from the VC, and I’m going on a tour of the refuge with fellow volunteers, Jan and Karl.  They have volunteered here for 14 years, and are amateur (not really) archeologists.  They’ll be showing me petroglyphs and an authentic sod house among other things.  I’m pretty excited about that, as we will be going to areas of the refuge that are not available to the normal visitor.  Cool Beans!!

I leave you with tonight’s sunset….
                              on a drying Walla Walla sweet onion on my picnic table.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy