The Gnome Cafe is our center of operation for the next few months. We’re working Thursday through Sunday from 7 am until 2 pm. I work the grill and prepare all the food, while Robin mans the cash register, takes orders, whips up the milkshakes and dishes out the cones and ice cream. For our first hour, preparation is intensive. It begins by firing up the grill and fryers, ice cream machine and the multitude of coffee pots. Some of the breakfast meats need to be pre-cooked as the grill isn’t large enough to do three or four meals at one time. This means that I need to make enough bacon to get started in case I get a run on it. It’s time consuming to make and patrons want their meals within minutes. While this is going on, we whip three vats of pancake mix, french toast coating and beat enough eggs to feed the breakfast rush. The doors open at 8 and we serve breakfast until 11 am. Just like any other cafe there are lulls when I get a chance to catch up, slice veggies or start preparing some lunch items. However, much of the time the customers come in droves in a short spanse of time. I’ll look up at the orders and there may be six or seven tickets waiting to get filled in the next few minutes. That’s when the pressure is on and I’m at my best, trying to get the best product out in the shortest time period. All the while Robin is going like mad, making sure orders are correct, pouring beverages, continually making coffee and giving me orders. Some things never change, huh. All joking aside, this time the orders are written. By 10:30 , we begin making preparations for the lunch items, making sure hamburgers are thawed, quesadilla contents are in the bin, ice cream is ready to go, and back ups are ready for every bin that might go empty during a rush. 
The upper doors open to the pool at noon when the cafe becomes a madhouse of activity. We may get two customers in fifteen minutes and in the next ten minutes a dozen orders are bedazzling me hanging in front of the grille. It makes the time go fast and there is no better satisfaction than a customer coming up after their meal, telling you how much they’ve enjoyed what you prepared. And Robin’s smile and endless ability to converse seems to make them keep coming back. It’s also an added bonus by her keeping them busy as I’m trying my best to get their order out in a timely manner. Thank goodness for her gift of gab.
Gnome Away from Home
Unique Accomodations
I’m not trying to do an advertisement of any sort but the LIW campground has some unique lodgings that I’ve not seen to this degree of variety in one place. For the most part, at least 300 of the 400 sites are cut into the existing flora and native foliage, disturbing only enough to establish a site. This provides for total privacy between sites since the indigenous greenery is left intact. As you can see in this photo, the Bakker family has provided us with a cozy site that is a pleasure to just sit and enjoy the surroundings. Its deep within a wooded area and looks remote, yet our neighbors are just a stone throw away if we want to visit.
There are also several park models throughout the park that have been purchased over time and sales for new units continue.
But if you’re looking for something different for you or the family check these venues out, ranging from two to six sleepers. There is the English Double decker bus, (circa 1950’s) with an added porch and upgrades:
Moving right down the road from the London bus is a former cedar structure that added a bath, some amenities, and and altitude adjustment for camping high into the treetops. This one isn’t for the faint of heart or those with any fear of heights:
Continuing my jaunt down the road near the lake, I came upon the Lake House of which I was able to snap a shot of the inside:
Winding one’s way up and around the myriad of sites to the east side of the campground you’ll pass through a series of well-manicured sites, mostly paved concrete until you come to a triage of these unique abodes, the first being the eye catching caboose:
And just across the street from the rail crossing you step back into time to a Frontier lodge which one may see on the Great Plains:
Making a right turn and heading north up the hill is the complement to the Frontier life with the native Indian style LIW Tipi:
I then headed down toward the lake to find the last of what I thought would be unique rentals and found more than I expected coming first upon the Presidential Suite which is divided into two units of the Red and Green barns respectively, with all amenities included within:
Around the corner and down the road a bit you’ll find an antique yacht looking as if Gilligan and Ginger might just be onboard:
I thought I was done until I happened upon the Pirate House. As I said the native greenery lends to the privacy of these places. And when a tree dies here, there’s no removal or cutting it down, they just turn it into a work of art, much like the oak turned Lighthouse
And then walking down to the edge of the lake to see the fountain and find out how the fishing was you come into view of the Yurt:
As I walked over I saw one of the other workampers readying the place for the weekend. She allowed me to go in to snap a few shots. I didn’t do the place justice as I didn’t have a wide angle lens on this walk and you couldn’t see the immense living area inside this Yurt. It comes with it’s own private dock, boat, deck and grill. I’m sure that campgrounds around the country have one or more of these items. I’ve just never seem so many on one place. It gives one a sense of ownership to the campground and making is such a pleasant experience to work here. I’m sure as the summer goes on there will be more eye candy for your pleasure.
More Oddities for us…
We had two things planned for today; get Robin’s hair trimmed and do some golfing. She asked other workampers about venues for her to get this done. Our setting is a beautiful pastoral setting, high on a hilltop, in a very rural setting. Henceforth, we need to inquire of the whereabouts of almost everything we need to find. She was referred to the nearest local town, New Holland, which is a short 12 miles down route 23. By late morning we drove through Blue Ball, (yes, Virginia, there is a village with this name) and right on into New Holland. The first suggested hair dresser was closed for the day. This may be understandable since it was a Monday, however walking down the street we found the other suggested coiffure closed for good. Perplexed, we sauntered down Main Street, taking in the horse and buggies leading lines of autos awaiting a passing lane. New Holland is best known for their huge farm implements and machinery, but the Mennonite and Amish farms imploring horse drawn cultivators and plows is quite the contrast. Finally she spotted a hair dresser that was open and took walk-ins. 
She asked for a trim but not too much. I guess the girl didn’t hear her quite well as this is the shortest she’s ever had it. We’ll get used to it, whadaya’ think. On to the golf course. We found the Hawk Valley Course off route 625 just outside of Bowmansville. It looked rather well kept and was in a relatively new housing development. The aesthetic beauty of the place was well apparent. We pulled up to the parking lot and I asked a man standing next to a grill selling hot dogs where the clubhouse was. He stated there was no clubhouse as it was torn down years ago. I asked how do we get a tee time. You don’t he stated, you just go over there and get a cart and start to play. Well, how do I pay I asked. I was told not to worry about it. 
It would be $20 for the cart and 18 holes and a man would eventually find us on the course and collect our money. I was aghast at the trust and honesty put into this system. But it works. The course was well maintained, the greens were great and by the sixth hole a cart came rolling down the fairway toward us. It was the manager welcoming us and collecting our fee. No checks, no credit cards, just plain cash. Plain and simple, remaining in tow with the rest of the county. Back at Lake in Wood, we walked to our place of work, the Gnome Cafe and met Mike, the Porkmeister. 
Mike showed us the ropes, explained the processes of operation but also said that new ideas and methods were a welcomed addition. Mike has been chef-ing here for about a year now and is the master griller for outdoor barbecue events. In getting to know him, it seems as if we’re going to hit it off well. His demeanor is laid back and unobtrusive with a large dash of comic relief thrown in. So far, this looks like a good stop for the summer.
GypsyLarry
