Life as Camphosts in Northern New Mexico

This new blog contains new photography from our now two years as camp hosts for the Army Corp of Engineers in northern New Mexico. Working for the Corp is like being in a family. We work 7 days, then have 7 days off so we go exploring all the time. At work, we meet people literally from around the globe! Since Abiquiu Lake is the 3rd largest lake in New Mexico, we also have our regulars that come from the little town of Abiquiu and a lot that come from Los Alamos–especially those who work at the Los Alamos National Labs (LANL) who get away for a weekend to ski, fish, enjoy the quiet and a campfire evening. For me, it is an opportunity to share friendship, be available if someone needs a chaplain, and most of all understanding that we each have our quirks–our “warts and pimples” as the old adage says, and yet we are all God’s children and deserve respect for one another. No doubt working in a campground will either give you joy or break you. It depends on your welcoming spirit–if you don’t have that, don’t take a job like this! However, the rewards of working in this kind of environment are precious indeed. We have already made fast new friends and learned from a variety of cultures. It’s like “God’s great community” bundled up in a little town called Abiquiu on a lake that has stunning sunsets every night, hooting owls, singing coyotes, and people relaxing and embracing their “ah-ha” moments. Life doesn’t get any better than this! For Al and I, this our dream for retirement and we love it so very much.