“Not My Circus...Not My Monkey!”

September 22, 2015

Okay, this is my second go at producing an appropriate blog post about our summer of work camping at Geneva Point Center on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. The first was WAY too long and consisted of rant, rant, rant, bitch, bitch, bitch, and generally massive cathartic release!


So I decided that since family had already been subjected to stressful e-mail updates throughout the summer, I would try to spin this into something positive for the blog. So here goes-


“What I Did On My Summer Vacation” (School flashbacks anyone?)


Greg and I after much discussion, research, and interviewing accepted our first ever work camping jobs at a camp and conference center that had a staff of over 60, 400+ guests, and over 60 buildings on 200 acres. We arrived on May14, and were scheduled to depart at the end of October. Our package included full hook-ups for the RV, cable TV, free laundry, meals, and hourly pay just above minimum wage for a 40 hour work week. In return Greg would work in Buildings and Grounds (B&G), and I would rotate between Guest Services in the main office, working in the ice cream shop, and occasional food prep. Just what we both wanted. Worker bee jobs. (And no toilet cleaning for me!)

Our quiet campsite in the maple woods

Looking at the Inn from one of the footpaths

Soon after arriving we learned that things were not as they seemed. Our charismatic Director who had convinced us to come, was micromanaging a campus too big to be controlled by one person. The theme for the summer became not acting, but reacting to every crisis that came along on an almost daily basis. Greg spent his days dealing with blocked toilets, exploding showerheads, dead squirrel clogged septic lines, malfunctioning water pumps, fires, power outages, squirrel chewed above ground water lines, dead golfcarts, electrical issues, cease and desist orders from the health department, and an erratic boss who scheduled too many projects that were impossible to complete before the first guests arrived. He wound up leaving in a blaze of glory near the end of the summer.

The good part of Greg's summer was the great camaraderie he had with his fellow B&G workers. Without them putting out fires (sometimes literally), the place would have collapsed. He got to drive the tractor, and the dump truck and just be the grunt he wanted to be with no supervisory responsibilities.

Greg and the little dump truck

Greg on the tractor

I thought I would just be a laborer too, but found myself managing the ice cream shop, gift shop, guest laundry, vending machines, starting a new coffee cafe, and all with a too small staff. The mission creep started with phone calls from the Director shortly before we arrived. I agreed over the phone to take on a few extra responsibilities but didn't know I had gotten myself in so deep until we arrived. Micro-managing Director gave me the responsibility, but no authority, no help, no instruction, no invoices, no lists, and a dirty ice cream shop left to the mice over the winter. I was not allowed to order supplies for the ice cream shop, or the gift shop, and inherited a laundry in a state of disrepair. Everything had to go through him, and he would unexpectedly leave for a few days a week when I needed ice cream, register change, or other supplies. (Okay, I know. I did some rant, rant, rant...)

The Ice Cream Shop patio

Looking down on the back of the Ice Cream Shop from the Inn

Left over merchandise in the gift shop

The interior of the Ice Cream Shop after much cleaning and painting

Good part of the summer for me? Hmmm...after I finally dropped my diplomatic demeanor and confronted my boss on my inability to do my job without the freedom to do my own ordering, wasn't going to run the coffee service, and needed to schedule enough staff to make things work, the last month was less stressful. Things calmed down on my little part of the campus, but the drama exploded everywhere else, and staff conversation became gossip sessions as we all shared the day's crazy events.

Private fireworks are a big thing in New Hampshire, especially on the lake

The lakeshore at dusk

People are what got me through until Labor Day and we left. Greg agreed to a compromise and we declined to finish out the Fall. (We also discovered that there would be very little paid employment for the rest of our time there.) Besides I was going crazy missing the new granddaughter back in Maryland. My youthful little crew in the ice cream shop saved my mental health. The teens worked hard for me and supported each other. We kept the shop ship-shape and provided great customer service. My assistant Ollie from Scotland, a recent graduate from university was the glue that held us all together. He modeled amazing work ethic for the teens, and jumped in to support me any way he could. I can honestly say that my best friend from the summer is a 21 year-old Scottish lad.

The Ice Cream "Dream Team" on duty with our buddy Gary as the only customer

Ollie and Kathleen during final cleanup

The Ice Cream crew out for a fun dinner on a night off. Kathleen wouldn't have made it without them!

Our resident bear was not as cuddly but was often near. (Not a monkey!)

There wasn't much time to make friends with the rest of the staff. Everyone was stretched thin, and I retreated to my oasis in the RV when I could. The title for this post comes from my new friend Brenda a retired pastor who efficiently ran the housekeeping department. When I was at my wit's end I asked her for some pastoral counseling. She told me to remember, “Not my circus...not my monkey!” Feel like I've been working in the circus, and now that I've gone, the monkey is no longer on my back!

The end of summer

The next work camping experience we go into will be easier to cope with since I've already experienced the circus! No job is perfect, but next time I'll know to hold my boundaries, say no on occasion, and let someone else take care of that darn monkey!