We brought our camper to my parents' home and de-frogged, de-junebugged, and de-ant'd it. It was a little disconcerting after all was said, done and cleaned out that I still found crispy, crunchy dried out frogs in weird places. It was nice to sleep in a clean, sand-free bed for a change and to be in a climate-controlled environment.
Presley's Outing was recommended by several of Phillip's co-workers, but I wanted to check it out before I made a commitment for a month.
We went on a Sunday after church. We drove to the gate and there was Mr. Presley, all ancient and tobacco juice spilling out of him. I think the kids were kind of scared. We had heard stories about Mr. Presley being a no-nonsense kind of guy. Phillip got out of the car to chat with him. The first thing I heard was a lecture about not allowing alcohol, that this is a nice place, and how they don't put up with any 'funny stuff' around there. He was going on so much, that I thought that perhaps seeing me and the kids might make Phillip look a little less like a trouble maker, so we all got out of the car.
Sometimes you need respectable companions in order to pass muster! Mr. Presley's whole countenance changed. "So you're a family man, eh?" He told Phillip about how he wouldn't have to worry about us being safe while Phillip was at work, that they keep a good watch over everything around here, and they don't put up with any junk. Then he proceeded to show us his sheriff's badge.
I asked if I could look around to check the place out. The first place we stopped was the bathrooms. Sparkling clean! And air conditioned! And the lake was gorgeous, the place was spotless. It had an excellent, peaceful vibe. Despite the tough interview process, I was sold!
On July 23, Phillip called me around 1:00 and told me we were in! We could get our camper and arrive at 5:30 that evening and he'd meet me at Presley's after work. So I had about three hours to prepare for a month or two of camping. Not many people can make that happen. I couldn't either, because Phillip was most irritated that I arrived at 6:00. I had to plan food for the next few days, get the food, pack the clothes and beach items for four of us, and hitch up the camper.
I could tell right away that this was a different sort of place. Lynn Presley met us at the gate and helped us set up our camper, leveled it, and made sure our power and water worked. He was so considerate and welcoming! He even checked back in on us after a couple of hours to make sure we were doing all right! Despite having a full campground, it was so peaceful and quiet.
We didn't have an official spot because he had to make room for us with the campground being full. So we were in front of the row of camping spots. It was a great spot in that our front yard was looking over the back beach and it looked so 'southern' to me with the Spanish Moss hanging down from the Live Oaks. The picture below was the very first picture I took that evening, just after we finished setting up the camper. The kids were excited, and it was a gorgeous evening! That first night I slept so well. It felt kind of like being 'home' again after a two week vacation. Snuggling into bed, feeling all cozy and familiar. Everything felt...well...right with the world.
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