They found their 1989 Wanderlodge Bluebird, and bought it two years prior to the sale of their Minnesota home and their ultimate retirement.
“Basically, we have a house that drives down the road,” Patti says. “We had to do maintenance on our house built in 1929, and we have to maintain our coach.”
Seven feline traveling companions are their first priority. “We didn’t want slide-outs because everytime we roll, we don’t want to take census to make sure one is not caught in a sliding room,” she continues.
Volunteerism is another thing the Marshes plan. “We try to line up volunteer jobs a year in advance,” Patti says, noting that she follows Workamper News forums, and also marks her issues with positions of interest. “I inquire about different possibilities and plan ahead. I save my issues and pull them out when I start looking ahead for volunteer roles.”
Workamper News caught up with Ken and Patti volunteering at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. After reading about the Missions on Workamper Forums, they applied at the National Historic Park, as well as the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park in Texas Hill Country. “We received calls from both places,” Ken says, “but we were committed for that year at the Battleship of Texas in Houston.”
Ken and Patti left the Battleship, a volunteer role in which Patti made good use of her fine arts education, at the end of December, 2008. They plan to return for 2010-2011 season and the curator is “…making her to-do list.”
Next, they took volunteer positions at the Sauer-Beckman Homestead-Preserve, a part of the LBJ State Park. “The place is a working farm, depicting life between 1915 and 1918,” Patti says. “Every day, workers cook a noon meal. When one walks into the kitchen, the aroma of baking bread fills the air.”
A mid-wife in the Sauer family delivered Lyndon Johnson, Patti explains. Growing up, the Beckmans were his peers. The last of the Beckmans lived on the farm when Lyndon Johnson bought the property and gave directions to make it part of the state park. All buildings are intact and the original cabin remains on the property.
The Marshes volunteered at the Homestead from January 1-March 31, 2009. “I did everything the rangers did, only I didn’t get paid,” Ken says, noting that after spending 43 years in a laboratory as a chemical engineer, he enjoys being outdoors. “We cut trees, painted, and cleaned restrooms.”
Patti interpreted in the cabin and wore period dress. “I shadowed the interpreters until I learned the history,” she says. “Rather than depict members of the family, the Farmstead portrays the time period—what it was like without running water or electricity.”
The Marshes lived on the premises in one of two sites for volunteers. At their assignment for the Missions, they lived in a nearby RV park with full hookups, arranged by the National Park Service (NPS) The NPS is building future sites for volunteers.
In training at the Missions, Ken and Patti shadowed rangers and docents to learn how to give the 45-minute tours, primarily at Concepcion and San Jose. They were given historical reading material. At San Jose Mission, Ken also trained to demonstrate at the grist mill. During their assignment in 2010, they spent two days at San Jose and one afternoon at Concepcion, making 24 hours per week.
“We’re only willing to volunteer 24 hours weekly,” Ken says, although they put in a long week building the façade of the house on the Battleship at Houston. “If we work beyond those hours, it negates our purpose of retirement. We like volunteering for non-profits such as federal and state parks, and historic sites. We don’t need the income, so we’d rather volunteer and pay back where people come to enjoy the resources. Also, the commitments are shorter. “Distance means little to us,” Ken continues. “We’re more interested in the places than a particular location. We consider ourselves professional volunteers and we’ve been welcomed and had fun every place we’ve worked.”