6/4/06 (Sunday): Yesterday was just an ordinary day—laundry, grocery shopping, housecleaning and errands. It was cold and rainy (and it is again today).

Today was the first day of training for both of us. Wiley had a whole day, I just had a half day in the afternoon. Tomorrow through Wednesday is a full day of training for both of us. Wiley learned the procedures for cleaning the bathrooms, location of circuit breakers, cleaning the swimming pool and some other outdoor routines. I learned how to take registrations over the phone, run the credit card machine and cash register, opening and closing procedures and assigning campsites and cabins. It suddenly occurred to me yesterday that I was going to be learning something entirely new and either might not like it or might not be good at it. I guess I must have been doing okay today, though, because they left me alone twice—once for lunch and once when they had to run an errand. Of course, both times when they left, something I hadn’t learned yet came up. I just wrote down all the information I thought I’d need and told the caller I’d call them back in an hour. Then I checked into how to do it when they got back. I figure there’s nothing life threatening going on here, and people aren’t going to freak out if I ask to put them on hold or tell them I’ll check on something and call them back.

One area where I think I really shone was talking to people about things to see and do in the area. That’s one of the reasons we wanted to get here earlier, so we could check things out. Campers are mighty nice people, and part of my job is to make sure they have a good time. One of the campers today was talking with me about things to do on a rainy day, and I mentioned that we’d been to the Down East store right next door to the campground. Down East is a magazine about Maine, and their offices have a little gift shop. Lori overheard and came out and was telling us that our office/store, which is in an old stable (circa 1900) was originally the stable for the polo ponies for a large estate, and the Down East offices are in the original estate house. The polo fields stretched between the two. She had some old photos and a couple of polo sticks that they found in the barn. The estate owner went bankrupt in the Depression and sold the property off.

Monkey is having a second childhood. For the past two nights, she’s hunted down pens and played with them, something she hasn’t done for years! She likes to chase them across the tiled part of the floor and then hide them under chairs and in corners. It’s especially funny when she gets on her back juggling the pen with all four paws in the air! I’m so relieved that she’s taken to this lifestyle!

I’m so sick of rain and cold—tomorrow is supposed to be nicer, but I’ll be in training all day.

Got to fix a quick dinner now and get organized for tomorrow.