Summer Saturday Survival

It’s known as “turnaround day” here at Sandy Point Resort. Cabin renters checkout by nine in the morning, and we have guest-free grounds until 4pm, which is when the new weekly renters show up. It’s the most peaceful AND the most hectic period of the week.

Today’s turnaround went smoothly. We managed to get a jumpstart on two of our cabins, which we cleaned on Friday evening. The guests, who had young children, wanted to get on the road early to beat a forecasted storm, and make it back to their homes with a full weekend ahead of them to return to normalcy on Monday morning. And while we were sad to see them leave, we silently thanked them for giving us a leg up on our turnaround.

We also said goodbye today to two sets of personal houseguests—my nephew (a former whipping boy) and his girlfriend, and our dear, dear friends, The Rumbles. Johnny Rumble, aka John Pecunia, and his beautiful wife, Melissa, come each summer along with their adorable sons, Andrew and Nick. They couldn’t be more courteous, enjoyable guests and are helpful around resort. Johnny is like an ambassador—always getting to know all the guests on property. A noted professional disc golfer, this week he even took time to give lessons to a family from Madison. Imagine their THRILL when he drilled an ACE on hole 22!

This morning Melissa was up before my daughters—the actual cleaning staff—and helped do the heavy cleaning in each of the cabins. Her laugh is infectious and it gave us time to share (in person) stories and concerns that we normally can only relay by email. I forgot I was working because being with her was like working out with a friend.

Meanwhile, Johnny—who never ceased to entertain us by promising (among other things) to dance after dark—installed two ceiling fans and shared his tools with me all morning. Mike has always said Johnny is his hero, but no one is a bigger fan of Juan Carlos than I. Well, perhaps my admiration falls in line some place after Mel‘s and the boys’ (!)

So it was with a heavy heart that we said goodbye and thus began the 365-day countdown until their return to Sandy Point. We do have a few things planned in the near future, including their taking care of Willow’s soccer camp pick-up, Johnny’s return to the Northwoods Open and hopefully a spring trip out to Arizona. Whatever our future holds, we will look forward to it, enjoy it while it happens and feel sad when it comes to an end. All of it will come . . . and go . . . and come . . . and go.

Such is the revolving door that defines summer Saturdays at Sandy Point Resort.