Community Forums

nevercamped · 03-17-2014, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFNM

I'm usually grumpy too. Extra grumpy if there is someone within 100 yards of me, super-duper grumpy if that person includes noisy little persons or noisy pets (noisy = can be heard).

I'm grumpy.....

I like Grumpy, and Oscar the Grouch.

My 2 cents, OP was there and we weren;t so I would not second guess his experience with the gentlman. Maybe it was an opportunity missed and maybe not.

MoeBelly · 03-17-2014, 11:21 AM

Have you ever noticed that confidence men are never grumpy?!

usdave1t · 03-17-2014, 11:24 AM

This reminds me of a T-shirt I saw yesterday, it read 'I am grumpy because you are dopey', maybe you should have been smiley and he would have been happy.........just my 2c

PushedAround · 03-17-2014, 11:29 AM

Some people just have a bug up their butt. The last place we stayed there was a 5th wheeler next to us, apparently a longer termer, who was not interested in making our acquaintance in any way. After the 3rd "Hi, how are you doing?" was met with a blank stare I gave up. It wasn't like he was a total curmudgeon as he did have friends show up and drink outside of his trailer. He just had no interest in us. I passed him on a number of times during our 2 week stay walking my Springers (who attract tons of positive attention, to the point that people remember us because of them) and he would not even make eye contact. If that "grumpy fellow" at least offered to help you, I would have worked on him a little harder. Sometimes that's the way it goes though.

b22mundo · 03-17-2014, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred1609

Maybe the fellows solo and quiet is because he recently lost his partner, or he's suffering a medical condition. The quick to judge and avoid routine doesn't work for me when I'm camping. I bet if you tried to talk to your neighbour, maybe offering him an adult beverage or soda he would have eventually come around.....Maybe he's shy? Usually folks with dogs are good people, especially when the dog is well behaved and friendly.

One thing I learned from 7+ years (so far) of practice and treating thousands of patients is that you canNOT quickly judge. Believe me, my wife (breast cancer research physician) and I named off ALL the differentials, including recent family death, a terminal condition, social personality disorder, and what not. Also, some of my schizophrenic and substance abuse patients own dogs, so those may be possibilities as well.

BUT we're OFF work. I tried to be friendly. If you get irritated because you have to move your tow vehicle out of a campsite that's not yours and PRETEND you want to help, I won't be grabbing a beer for you and offer medical advice for your problems. Too much alcohol is unhealthy anyway

Passin Thru · 03-17-2014, 11:44 AM

Funny! Maybe you should extend a hand and offer him dinner. Maybe he lost his wife and is now alone. Maybe he did'nt feel well. I judged a guy once, turned out he wore Khaki shirts and pants and dirty cowboy boots and had around 20 million dollars and a Beech Bonanza as he was a cow buyer for a packing plant that killed 700 head day.

cj23andout · 03-17-2014, 12:02 PM

Is sounds like he was on your site or a common driveway to two sites??

Either way:

He was wrong.

He should have been apologetic. Now, no rule says he has to be chipper and friendly. He probably would have been grumpy even if you hadn't started off this way.

greatlakes · 03-17-2014, 12:50 PM

This is an interesting but common scenario. Often times when people set up camp and find the next site is open they spread out. Only to have people show up and feel weird about asking them to move their stuff back to their own site. It can be awkward asking and awkward being asked.
However campgrounds with small sites and especially ones with lakes where people often have an RV and a boat finding a place to park everything can be a challenge.
I've found that when I've had to ask someone to move (anything) and I've been pleasant they almost always are nice about it too.
I don't enjoy having that tension on my vacation weekends. So a little effort sometimes goes a long way.

njs42 · 03-17-2014, 01:59 PM

I like serenity when I am in the MH as well, and same with our home. It takes all kinds to make this world.

I have been regaled to the gills by folks overly friendly and overly impressed with their accomplishments who are overly eager to share themselves. I am confident also that I a normally gregarious person has been deemed "grumpy" or "anti social" because I faded out of one of these assaults or avoided it all together because I thought I could see it coming.

Leaving a neighbor to themselves is not a bad idea at all. It says enjoy yourself I'll not intrude.

Giving the benefit of the doubt is just that, but it seems not to apply in this situation. So far I cannot match the actions of this person with what he has been quoted as saying.

We each would do better to look at ourselves in the same critical eye we reserve for others.

That includes me.

Move on.

Steve N Sal · 03-17-2014, 02:07 PM

I most certainly wouldn't let it bother you. You will run in to these situations from time to time. He shouldn't have really been parked on your site anyway. You did the right thing by avoiding him as far as I'm concerned.

BFlinn181 · 03-17-2014, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njs42

I'll offer a devils advocate response.

I speak from experience and it has taken me time and seasoning to not be quite so judgmental. One thing it has brought me is the chance to meet many people who on first meeting seemed stand offish even unpleasant but after a trifle effort on my part I found them later to be quite interesting and enjoyable.

I had a hard time discerning why this was such an issue. He made offers to help which you rejected. You avoided him; not the other way around. Using facial contortions and voice inflection to make such a determination about a person is fairly superficial.

Frankly, my assessment is you squandered an opportunity to know him better. You may well have been pleased and surprised by what you found under a gruff exterior.

If his dog was friendly and not harbored by him away from you that says something about him that to my way of thinking is more positive than your reflections.

When you tie this discussion to your occupation it makes me feel you may be a tad too impressed with yourself at this time in your life to be entirely charitable to others. I know I have been there, I like where I am now.

Experience is a dear teacher, much to be learned from your post.

According to the OP, the 'grumpy' guy said, "Oh, Great." moved his truck then offered to help you set up. I hope to meet 'grumpy' people like that when I go camping!

TexasTom · 03-17-2014, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b22mundo

An older man came out, without a smile or greeting, just mumbled loudly "Oh, great".

Oh this one is easy....he was probably thinking about the fact that his wife told him he shouldn't park there, and now he has to "eat crow" when he faces the DW after!

nomad297 · 03-17-2014, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njs42

I have been regaled to the gills by folks overly friendly and overly impressed with their accomplishments who are overly eager to share themselves. I am confident also that I a normally gregarious person has been deemed "grumpy" or "anti social" because I faded out of one of these assaults or avoided it all together because I thought I could see it coming.

Here, here.

murphysranch · 03-17-2014, 04:05 PM

The OP is an emergency room Dr. He sees it all! and mostly not good. A little R&R on the seldom days off can be life saving, so to run into a neighbor who is less than friendly is just not worth dealing with. I do hope that inspite of this gentleman, you did have a nice time and enjoyed the weather, your wife and your baby.