Category: Campground Life

When we took over the campground more than 28 years ago, reservations often came in envelopes through the mail and we wrote each one onto a huge grid of cardboard and mailed back confirmations. How I wish we had saved one of those monthly grids just for the curiosity factor! But those huge poster boards got so grimy by the end of the summer that it was sheer relief to watch them burn in a bonfire when we no longer needed them.

Now we’re often asked why we don’t succumb to the current trend of encouraging guests to make reservations on line, completely circumventing the need to talk with me or anyone else on the reservation desk. I like to think that we can make your vacation nicer by helping you choose just the right site.

Our campground was developed on a 19th century farm where we enjoy a lovely mix of old pines, towering oaks and sunny garden sites. We treat the reservation grid with as much attention to detail as any wedding planner would for a formal dinner…we make site choices with the intention of maximizing serenity and compatibility: not too many dogs in any one area, no toddlers on sites where they could bound toward the ocean in a blink of an eye or avoiding a site with great shade but shallow rooted pines for someone with a cane or wheel chair…that sort of thing.

As long as we’re able, we’ll continue to ask guests to give us a call or send an e-mail so that we can try and choose the perfect spot. But like everything else, there’s a real skill to making reservations and I wanted to share this e-mail from Kristen…she’s a genuine communications pro! Take a look:

—–Original Message—–

From: Kristen

Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2019 4:08 PM

To: relax@campocean.com

Cc: a friend

Subject: Reservation Request July 13-20, 2019

Hello there!

We came across your campsite during an online search and it looks wonderful!

We would like to request 2 neighboring campsites with an oceanfront or an ocean view for July 13-20. We both have pop-ups.   Our info is as follows:

Family #1

Mike and Kristen

Madison age 18

Keelin age 15

Address: 51 HollyRock

NH 03333

Email: thanks for the reminder

Family #2

Eric and Becky

Emily age 14

Dakota 10

Address: 66 Horses Gallup

Notyouraveragedairy, NH

Email: Beckys e-mail address

A couple questions…

The 3 girls (ages 18,15,14) may want to sleep in a tent on our site. Is that allowed? Is there an extra fee.

We like to face our pop-ups toward each other if possible. Is that allowed? I saw it was possible for pull through sites but I’m assuming that’s for big RVs. We both have the wheel on front which makes them pretty easy to swing in place by hand.

Would you possibly allow both campers on one site if we park both trucks on the other?

*Having an ocean view is more important than any of the above things, so even if there are sites elsewhere that we can do some or all of the above things we’d prefer to see the ocean.😊

From pictures I found on-line we really liked site 2 if it makes a good neighboring site with 1. We trust your judgement though if you think there is a better pair of sites for us.

I’ve “CC’d” Becky on this do she may have other questions I haven’t thought of.

Kind Regards,

When you’re looking for a reservation with us or anyone else, providing this level of detail saves so much guess work and a multitude of e-mails. When any of us are planning vacations, we all have a vision of perfection. Tell me all of that when you’re making the reservation so that I can be your ally. Sometimes we can give you exactly what you ask for, sometimes we need to modify a bit but I promise, we can work as a team to make the best possible arrangements AND then when you get here, ask if there are other options you can consider…we’re happy to give you a list.

Hi friends, it’s really been a long time since I wrote and I apologize. First resolution of the New Year: (ok, second if you count my promise to eat less sugar)  I will settle back into the pleasure of blogging more often…it should be easy because it’s been a brutally icy winter so far and my knees are getting sore from falling down on the ice. Technology keeps making things easier too and I’m going to use my phone to stay better in touch. You’ll be the judge of my success.

For the pleasure of a good recap~ last fall, we hosted the Fiber College, Bluegrass Jam Camp and the Old Time Music Campout in September. For our small campground, that’s a lot of events when 1/2 of our help has gone back to their real lives.  The upside to the extra work of hosting is the energy we gain from being surrounded by so many fantastic people…and we’ve begun the work to plan for 2019.

As September was winding down we harvested everything from the gardens (at the time I grumbled under my breath about being too tired, now I do a little Martha Stewart dance every time I pull out the green beans, tomatoes, potatoes and squash from the freezer).  When the garden was put to bed, I sheared our little flock with Jessie’s help and Steve supervised putting in a new septic system for the dump station.  We’re particularly proud of the new system because a) it was a major financial investment that our past summer successes allowed us to achieve and b) we chose a Japanese system that while more costly, ends in a water outflow that is as pure as rain water…very important to our coastal environment.

And then it was time for our vacation!  Steven, Dad and I went to Mexico for Mariachi music, margaritas and fantastic food…and we got so much more!  We traveled by plane, bus, car, ATV and boat while we explored St. Miguel de Allende, Guadalajara and the fishing village of Yelapa.  People were incredibly kind and friendly, we ate the very best food and spent time with artisans who were making a living with a craft.  Between the colors, flavors and smiles, we came back energized, relaxed and ready to go back soon.  Really, I love our Maine home but everyone should visit our friends on the South side because the Mexican spirit is magical.

We got back just before Christmas to a mountain of holiday cards and more mundane correspondence.  We cut a tree in the woods across the street, piled our cards on all of the branches and called it good while we lit a candle and made apple cider bourbon drinks (we pressed apples in October, fermenting just enough to get us through these cold months).  We have some of the best guests in the world…in between the lovely greeting cards there was a jar of dried bolete mushrooms from Henry and Olga, a bottle of dessert wine from Linda’s New York State winery and a calendar filled with images from Jim’s vacation here at the campground!

As we slide towards the end of January (literally because of all the ice that has built up on the trails and roads in the park) we’ve been spending more time in the workshops and in front of the computer.  Steve’s been reworking the parts of the website we never get to and I designed new rack cards for both the campground and Fiber College.  It’s absolutely true that there’s no separation between our lives and our work…we’re making plans for all of the things we want to accomplish this year, fully knowing that we won’t tick everything off but we’ve found that doing a regular “brain dump” helps us sleep at night.  We’re also taking time for projects…for me that looks like weaving, knitting and sewing, for Steve it’s woodworking, music and maintenance.  The two of us love to cook so while Steve’s perfecting his ciabatta recipe, I’ve vowed to try two new soups every week.

And that’s our life in a nutshell.

Be well, Astrig