I’m currently in central Florida in a combo mobile home/RV park. There is 1 street that has only RVs and that’s where I’m at. The sites aren’t huge but they’re not the smallest I’ve seen either. There’s probably about 20 feet between RVs and all the sites are full hook up (water, electric, sewer). We’re right on the edge of a metropolitan area with a fair-sized hospital only 2 blocks away. I say all this to provide the groundwork for the following story:

I was watching TV the other night and about 8:30 PM I took a book up to the bedroom so I would have something to read in a little while. The weather was absolutely gorgeous that day and one of my bedroom windows was open with the shade all the way up. I noticed that there was  a lot of light coming from the site next door and glanced out the window. What did I see? Some guy peeing on a tree about 10 feet from my bedroom window! I couldn’t believe it. After a few deep breaths and assuring myself that he couldn’t be doing anything else (he had his back to me but was talking to his buddy that next time he shouldn’t hold it so long) I had a few words for him through the window. After that, I called the park office to report the incident and request they talk to him the next day. I went back to watching TV and heard the neighbors putting things away for the night and at least one vehicle leaving.

The next morning I decided to share my experience with the fine folks on rv.net. I’ve been a regular reader/contributor on their forums for years and rants about campground/RV park/Walmart behavior are fairly common. Well, I made my post, then went on with my life. A few hours later I checked in and was dismayed. It seemed that many people were siding with the urinator!

I guess to allow the benefit of the doubt, it seemed like some folks thought I was in a forest campground but once they started in a mob mentality broke out and it was open season on poor Joe.   So, here’s what some of the responses were like.

“It’s natural for guys to pee on trees in the wilderness.” Absolutely right but this happened in an urban RV park.

“Dogs pee on trees all the time and you don’t get upset about that.” Right again but dogs also hump in the middle of the street at high noon and stick their noses in your crotch to say hello. Standards of behavior are different for humans and animals.

“It’s god’s will.” This guy probably shouldn’t be out of the house without a caregiver.

“It’s a common practice in Europe.” Last time I checked Florida was not a member of the European Union.

“That’s the way we always did it on the ranch/farm.” Again, not a crowded urban RV park.

There were also a few suggesting it was my own damn fault for looking out the window. 1 poster suggested that I shouldn’t get upset unless someone is peeing directly on my steps in broad daylight. One guy said it was my problem for being in a mobile home/RV park. I quickly put that snob on my block list.

There were a number of people who agreed with me and came to my defense and I thank them. Hopefully all the ‘pro public urinators’ will stay in their own campgrounds.

For the record I’ve peed on trees from the Everglades to southeast Alaska and in woods all over West Germany. I’ve even peed on the side of the highway during emergencies. In all of those cases, there were no other options. This guy could have taken 2 steps in the other direction and used the facilities inside his RV.