Sanford, Florida near Orlando
An amazing thing happens here in Florida when people find a place to park their recreational vehicles. People stay. The don't come in for a day or two or a week or two. They come in, park, make friends, hang around, walk their dogs and become social within the social confines of the campground. Which makes for pleasant living, and accounts for the bulletin board notices like Pot Luck Supper Tuesday Night at 5:00, Healthy Dishes Suggested. And Come Say Goodbye to Doris as she heads to her grandchildren's house in Minnesota.
And another phenomenon occurs concurrent with the expanded social life: the RVs, meant for mobility and scaled for simplicity, begin to grow roots.
Here, an example of the early stages of rooting. Note the gracious pathway, tended lawn, mulch (!) and American flag. Then note the shed with handsome plant masking its cold, hard aluminum corner. Remind you of your garage?
Stage Two: Exterior Enhancement
There is a very limited amount of space inside an RV for decoration, but the outside is virtually limitless. Note the storage shed, boot bench with side storage units, small wrought iron table in the rear, various wire sculptures, hanging things and I'll let you count the plants yourself. And of course some do it better than others. But that's just my opinion.
Stage Two and a Half: Car Port and Unique Signage
Stage Three: Vehicle Proliferation
You need a truck to pull your house, a car to drive around, and of course a golf cart to ride within your new community. Plus maybe a bike if you're young enough.
As I said, some do it better. And some are ... well, relaxed.
Stage Four: Root Development
Like that darned avocado pit that sits in that paper cup for ages without doing a thing, then overnight throws out first one protuberance, then another, RVs have their own growth cycle. One day they're mobile, then next day they sprout these little fences, designed to cover up those ugly wheels and anchor their homes into the earth, as homes were meant to be anchored. Do you think Adam and Eve settled into the mobile life after Eden? I'll bet they built a little lean-to just outside the gate and over time refined it into a two-story Cape Cod with maybe a little pool in the back. Definitely a barbeque anyway. Witness:
Yes, that is a hot tub.
Final Stage: Expanded Landscaped No Longer Mobile Home
And so the cycle is complete. Having set out for a simple, unstructured, move-at-will life, we finally achieve our goal: a complex, rooted, I-belong-here existence. Roots. Love 'em or hate 'em, we never can leave 'em.
Betty
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