We parked at the back of Casa Dea, and set up for two nights of boondocking. Early evening another motorhome pulled in, with an older couple & their cute dog. The winery had closed, so the husband came around to our side of the RV to ask if he was in the right spot, and we assured him he was (seemed nice enough).
A bit later we saw a deer feeding in the field beside us, and being city girls, we got all excited. I went over to tell our neighbours so they wouldn’t miss it, which they appreciated.
When you book a Harvest Host, you have to check what they do and don’t allow at each property. Many don’t allow pets, or slide-outs, or ask that you not run your generator after a certain time. Casa Dea has the last rule: no generators after 11pm. No prob.
We did need to run my generator for about a half hour or so, so I started it up at 8:20, planning to let it run until 9:00, while we played Rummikub. At ten to nine, our neighbour came over, and asked me to turn it off as it had been running for an hour (?). I told him that at 9 o’clock I would turn it off. He did not seem pleased. Now to be clear, they were parked about 40’ away, were sitting inside their rig, and were not yet going to bed (I know that, because at 9:30 they sat outside watching the sunset). The generator is not that loud, and the winery allows it until 11pm (which you can see in its HH profile). Honestly, something as small as this can put a damper on an evening and we all felt it – very disappointing. (MW may have given him a nickname after this, but this is a PG blog, so I won’t repeat it here.)
*Update: yes, I am petty, what’s your point? The next morning, the neighbours left Casa Dea before the winery opened – in other words, they never spent any money. (The whole idea of Harvest Hosts is that you are expected to purchase something at each venue, usually around the $20 – $40 range.) So in my mind, this is their 2nd HH transgression. Well then, what does a petty, wanting-to-get-even girl do? Does she take the high road and let this go? No, Elsa, she does not. Instead, that morning, when I went in to buy my two bottles of wine, I very disingenuously asked, “What is Casa Dea’s generator policy? Really? Oh dear, I think last night’s other guests – you know, the ones who left before you opened – must be new to HH, because they came over before 9pm to complain. It was most disappointing – I hope they don’t make reference to it when they give Casa Dea its HH review.” Meow.
I don’t care – you play the game right, or go home, dammit.
Love the post and most importantly, the last paragraph. Meow