I spent a solid hour this morning - well maybe more actually - going through the campsite software.  I saw the things I needed to change and started working on that. This is hardly my forte.  Just burdensome to me.  I couldn't for the life of me remember how to get to the refunds page. It took me almost the entire time I was perusing things and trying to get the software into my head to remember they have training videos - a LOT of them - and sure enough I found one.

And then remembered why I couldn't find it. It's only to be found on an existing reservation.  Yeah, no one is staying there - yet.

As it stands, the 7 year old was sick this morning begging me to stay home with him. But, the friend of Maria's was coming out to the property and I need the help.  Mom had already determined he could go with her so I was out of there.  Well, I sat with the boy for a while - he was just clingy, pretty much his nature.  

We spent a good portion of the day getting stuff done. Marc started on the fire pit but ended up getting the big trailer and working on cleaning up the west side of the property. Oh, how badly that needs to be done!  I just haven't had time for it and frankly, I was going to just let it pass even with the opening -whenever that will be. 

I dug out the other post hole for the gate, put the post in, cemented it, leveled it and done with that.  Then I put all 8 of the fire rings together - well mostly, some of the screws had damaged threads. In fact, some of the rings themselves were slightly damaged.  Nothing I'm going to report, I don't have time to be returning stuff and I got it all together. I just need to go to Lowe's in the morning, get some extra screws/nuts and finish those.  

I also put together a dump wagon - it's a thing with 4 wheels, a tub that holds whatever you want in it and tilts to dump it.  After that, I went to look at the picnic tables. I was going to start putting those together - but - I need a carpenter's square and clamps according to the front panel.  I don't have either, but James does have some clamps. I'll have to go get the square.  

I then looked at the firepit.  Put the second layer of stones on it.  I think it's going to need some mud to hold it together.  I need to look that up. I can't have them loose, they'll just get knocked over by people. It won't take much to cement them in, not a big deal. I need 25 more stones and the mud and that's finished.  

As I said, I got a lot done today and the friend got a lot done. It's really motivating to have someone out there with a good work ethic helping.  At the end, I was using the new dump trailer to pick up sticks in the doggy park. There are several roots sticking up out of the ground I need to cut with the chainsaw, but that is 75% cleaned up.  I'll be out there again tomorrow, of course. There is a 22% chance of rain- meaning if it does rain, it's not a death blow for working. I'll finish the rings, work on the picnic tables and if time permits, cut out the roots.  It does need to rain, tho.  The ground was wet today, I didn't bother to water the seed, it was clearly moist.

Some of the seed has popped out.  I'm not sure which batch it is that popped up tho.  

I can tell ya, if this seed doesn't want to play nice, I will end up opening the park with half-grass and screw it.  I need to get this thing going, waiting eternally for grass to grow isn't going to cut it. I'll give it another week - while I'm finishing everything else. It's really just everything else that I'm working on now before I go ahead and get the thing posted as open for business.  I'm not going to be dismayed if there isn't a lot of traffic coming in at first.  It's almost Christmastime. 

Oh. Well there is also cleanup to do in the walking trails. It isn't a lot, but it's just more time and energy.  

Oh yes.  I waved at the gas operator employee as he exited the property today. I mean, waving big and smiling big. What was his response? Ignore me, as is their want. These people are total jackasses.  Whatever. I'm going to just continue waving at these people, if they are miserable people, they can be miserable people.  I'm not going to be miserable with them and more importantly, now that they've said they won't communicate with me further, I'm going to do my thing. I won't be informing them of any changes or alterations or usage of going through "their" setup.

They are not going to stop me from having tent camping sites back there - excepting the driveway.  That's a sticking point.  If these cost overruns hadn't gone so high - inflation kicked my @$$ in this venture and it's still biting me - I would have easily had enough money to have the entire driveway dumped with fresh gravel and also have a boondocking site going with gravel as well.

I'm stuck at around 5 truckloads of gravel now.   That's close to 3k.  It's going to be one of the last things I do before I open the park. It would only take a few hours for them to deliver it and they can get it done without a lot of notice.  It doesn't matter about weather, either, it's an existing driveway.  

So what's left.  The grass, of course.  Cleanup - that's a big one and a lot of time and energy being spent on that.   Sign installation - about 8 signs that need to be put up . Wifi - totally spaced that out, I have been so busy with everything else.  Get the property cleared/bush hogged.  I dunno what else, missing a few things I just can't think of. Laundry will have to wait, unfortunately. Probably a deal breaker for some.  Picnic tables, finish fire rings and install them - which is just place them where I want them.  Corn hole - that's a trip to Walmart.  Benches - build a couple and order one for the doggy park. Good thing I just thought of that, I can order that one for the doggy park tonight.  

Every doggy park I've every been to has at least one bench and a dog waste station.  You might be surprised how much money they want for one of those stations - and I have endlessly looked. My answer is just a plastic bag dispenser mounted on a pole and a regular trash can.  I don't want to come off cheap - not trying to at all - but some of this stuff is just too much money and I can't deal with it right now. Put something out there to deal with it that actually works.  "Pretty" things will come later.

BTW, this guy that has been helping me? He's in his 60's, not in the best of condition but not terribly bad. He far outworks that 17 and 25 year old set of brothers I was having out there previously. I don't put any pressure on him at all, he can work at his own pace and quit when he wants to. But today? I got 5 hours out of him and that was solid work. There were breaks, of course, but I couldn't be happier.  He's coming again tomorrow and I hope he will just continue on with the cleanup he's been doing while I get the other stuff done. 

I need to get up early and get to Lowe's, get the blocks, the mud and the screws to be able to finish those projects.  I don't think the post concrete will be set, I'm going to let that go a couple of days.  It's a semi-permanent setup, I want that concrete solid.  

And with all of this going on - I need to get presents for people for Christmas! Dang!  Talk about spacing things out.  

Oh well.

G'nite.