Dec. 22 Sunsport Gardens

                I’m awake and vaguely aware that I’m in my tent, but it’s warm in here, so I cling to the night, unwilling to admit it’s morning already. Someone straight across the road owns several roosters, and they seem to be pretty excited about sunrise; much more so than I am. Time passes, an hour, maybe two. I jolt awake to footsteps approaching outside the tent, then a voice.

                “Good morning”

                “Uh, Good morning!” I push the sleeping bag down and fumble for the tent zipper. As it open a see the man come around the tent.

                “Would you like a cup of coffee?” He’s holding out a ceramic mug that’s trailing aromatic steam behind it.                 “We saw you out here last night and were worried about you.” I laugh.

                “I’m just a weary traveler on my way through stopping for the night.”

                “I figured that was it.” He holds out the coffee with a broad smile.

                “Wow! Thank you!” I struggle free of the cocoon and start to rise.

                “You don’t have to get up.”

                “That’s fine, I’ve been awake and it’s time for me to get up.” The mug is warm in my cupped hands. “That’s very thoughtful of you.” It’s delicious and refreshing.

                “You’ve been a long way?”

                Yea, I left Miami three days ago.”

                “Miami!” He flashes the same shocked expression that I’m getting used to. I nod with a smile and take another sip of the coffee. He introduces himself. I forget the name. I tell him the two-minute version of my journey. “Well, I have to head to work. Take your time there and just leave the mug here on the ground. I’ll pick it up when I get home.”

                “Thanks! I sure do appreciate it.” We shake hands and he walks fifty feet to the pickup parked at the end of his driveway.

                Back to my routine. While I wait for water to boil for another pot of oatmeal, I eat my last orange and a few granola bars. Provisions are low. Today will determine a lot. The campground is just a couple miles down the road. It should be open by now. The chances that they need an employee right now seem slim, but maybe if I just want it enough I can will a job into existence. When the tent is folded back into its bag and my things are all packed up I finish the last few miles. Just inside the entrance there’s a small parking area and a modular office. A red-haired girl in her late thirties greets me with a bright smile.

                “Hello!”

“Hi! I’d like a day pass please.”

“Is this your first time at Sunsport?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then I can give you your first day for free.”

“I appreciate that.” She takes down my registration information while we chat. Her name is Theresa. She gives me a map and points out the main features of the resort. There’s a clubhouse building with a restaurant, workout room, lounge areas and a pool table. There’s a heated pool and hot tub, several scenic ponds, tennis and volley ball courts, children’s playground, nature trails out back, and much more. I can find out about the job situation later; right now I’m going to explore the grounds and spend a little time resorting first.

For the next few hours I walk in large circles around the campground exploring the hidden gardens and getting familiar with the main features. Everyone I meet waves to greet me and I learn more names than I can remember. There seems to be quite a few children running around playing happily. Apparently there’s several families that live here. I’ve alternated calling it a resort and a campground, but neither description really gives the right mental image. Many people live here year round or stay months at a time, and there’s a strong communal atmosphere that draws everyone together like a close-knit village. It almost feels like a commune. I’m going to fall in love with this place. At noon I order myself lunch at the little restaurant in the clubhouse. The food is good and priced very reasonably. Then it’s time to check out that hot tub. It’s glorious! I sure could get used to this! A tanned old man joins me, and I recognize him as the owner who was pointed out to me from a photo earlier in the day. He’s been a professor at many big-name universities for many years, and I hear he’s got quite a few stories to tell.

“Are you Moorley?”

“Yes, I am.” He closes his eyes as he sinks into the steaming water, and then turns back to me. I introduce myself and tell a little of my story, intentionally ending on the part about looking for a job.”

“Well, we don’t have much here this time of year. Most of our grounds work and construction is done during the summer when it’s not so busy, but you can talk to Dave. He’s the grounds manager, and he would be the one to talk to about that.” I nod.

“Thanks, I’ll ask Dave about that.”

I switch to the pool, then stretch out on a patio chair to dry off and soak up the toasty rays for a while. It’s still early afternoon when I decide to go ahead and rent a tent site for the night. That will give me until tomorrow and 11am to stay on the resort. Hopefully I can figure out what I’m doing by then.

Back over at the office Theresa puts me down for a primitive tent site and radios Dave to escort me to the plot. Good, this will give me a chance to ask him about the possibility of working here. A few minutes later he pulls up in a battery-powered golf cart and introduces himself. He’s greying man but in very good physical condition. He’s got a peaceful smile and seems like an especially pleasant person. He leads me over with his golf car and, I follow behind to my spot on the bank of a large pond in the center of the grounds. I’ll set up camp later, so I just set my things down as they are, and engage Dave in conversation telling my story and again intentionally ending on the part about me looking for work. He tells me, they are fully staffed on the resort, but that there’s many farms and plant nurseries close by that always need extra laborers. As I tell Dave more about my journey he catches on that I’m a Christian, and explains that he’s an elder at the Presbyterian church just down the road. I remember passing it on my way up, and I was intending to try visiting there, so I tell him I’ll likely see him there on Sunday If I’m still in the area.

I was kind of hoping to work and stay right on the resort, but since I already knew that wasn’t likely, the prospect of working nearby and still living cheaply on the campground is an encouraging prospect! It’s late Saturday though; it will be hard to go job hunting on Sunday, and Monday is Christmas Eve so Wednesday is the next day I’d be likely to make any progress on that. If I knew I had a job in the area, I could get a long term membership for a reasonable rate, but if I just keep paying day fees all the way through Wednesday, I might still not get a job but be all out of money. I can’t let that happen, but I’m not sure quite what to do. Should I save my money by camping out in the woods until Wednesday or count on getting a local job and just put down for long term membership right now? Well, I have till 11am tomorrow to figure out how I want to handle this pickle.

It’s getting dark, so I head back to the clubhouse. They have a free wi/fi signal so I sit in the dining room and catch up on communications and other lose ends. I turn on my phone and plug it in to charge. I’ve got a voicemail message! It’s from Theresa and the front office. She says a lady named Mary Anne was asking about someone to hire to do a bunch of labor around her lot. That would be great! Theresa left the message several hours ago though and the office is closed now. I ask around for Mary Anne. Everyone knows her, but no one knows where she is now. I’ll have to see if I can find out more about that in the morning. Dave comes by the spot where I’m sitting with my computer.

“Would you like a ride to church in the morning?” I had forgotten that tomorrow was Sunday already!

“Sure! That would be great!”

It’s late when I pack up my computer and walk over to my campsite. The night air is unusually cold for Florida. They’re saying it will warm up again in a few days and be balmy the rest of the winter, but it’s quite chilly tonight. I’d like to set my tent up, but I feel secure on the campground and I’d really like to get to sleep as soon as possible, so I just roll my mat and sleeping bag out on the grass. Stretching out on my back I stare up at a million stars in the clear sky. It’s a half-hour before my sleeping bag warms up and my mind is busy with concerns about work, money, and living, but for tonight I’m safe, dry, and content.