The sounds of nail guns and saws hang in the air here at Palmdale. The owner’s rehabbing of the facilities continues all for the good, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few temporary inconveniences. I’ll not provide any photos of the work. I can’t see what’s going on on top of the clubhouse — I know they are doing roofing “stuff” up there — I can see bales of insulation, etc., but I can’t see the project itself just because of the angle. And I won’t be doing flash photography in the clubhouse where they are midway through converting the old bathrooms into modernized and ADA compliant bathrooms/showers. Suffice it to say that work is progressing. I’m sure it will be finished before the winter texans return.
I am quite amazed at how construction progresses here. I admit to being of an age and physical condition that I could not work effectively in the heat here. By Northern standards it takes longer to get things done here — but then it’s not northerners working in northern conditions either.
I observe guys here on road crews. A lot of them are wearing long sleeves and long trousers. In the heat. Most of them have wide brimmed hats. Many of them are working all day long with what looks like a whole head cloth helmet liner and face mask on — to keep their skin out of the sun and protect themselves. It’s bad enough that it’s so hot, but bundling yourself up for protection on top of that has to make working outdoors quite uncomfortable. I can’t even imagine what it must be like.
Ted, the new owner, is doing a lot to to improve the campground. I doubt that many people will appreciate the expense or effort being put into their comfort. But I have to say that to watch the process is difficult. These guys are working hard in really difficult conditions.
I’ve also been wondering what the presence of pipeline workers will do to the social mix in the campground this winter. The pipeline project that has brought so many workers to the Rio Grande Valley will continue a full 2 years and some of the workers will be here for the entire time. That means that part of the park will be occupied this winter not by Winter Texans, but but transient pipeline workers and I’m sure that will have repercussions. Not necessarily negative repercussions — the people we have met thus far have been wonderful people. But they are not retirees. They are hard working folk I’m sure their take on life will be a bit different than that of some of the folks we know to be returning this fall.
It’s not a case of class. The Winter Texans are from all sorts of backgrounds — it’s not like they’re snobbish. This IS a very friendly park. But retirees live on a different schedule than workers. And retirees have a different aesthetic. I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone mingles and rubs shoulders.
I had heard at the beginning of the bathroom remodel that the project would be done in 3 weeks. That was kind of like the promise that the roads were going to be done in 3 weeks too; the roads took significantly longer, and so are the bathrooms. It doesn’t matter, there aren’t that many people here to be inconvenienced and it’s not really a matter of practical inconvenience. The clubhouse bathrooms don’t get much use this time of year — all the residents have their own bathrooms. The roofing is a bit noisy but it’s not like you can’t do what you’re doing because of a few nail guns and saws.
On another note, the palm trees that were planted on Palmdale road seem to be doing nicely. As hot as it has been I had some concern that they might not make it and transplanting 13 foot tall trees isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. But they appear to be tolerating the change in environment just fine. Fingers crossed.
From the Far Side of '70 