It was a typical day at work yesterday - I worked in case stock and Josie worked the HRV (High Retail Value) area once again. The difference though was that Josie finished the day at 280 % of her assigned goal. She doesn't achieve 100 % too many times but when she does, she blows it out. Sometimes there are situations where you get to stow many small items in bins that are readily available and she had a whole day with that scenario. The significance of the great day is that she is almost assured of completing the week (Sun - Sat) at over 100 %.
It was this time last year that we left the Nashville area to travel to Campbellsville. It's still hard to believe that we haven't reached the starting point yet for last year. It doesn't seem like we worked such a short time last year, but the calendar doesn't lie. Just about everybody is here that is going to work through the holidays. As far as we know, there is only 1 more group scheduled to arrive. Our jobs are made more difficult with so many people working and competing for the stowing space in the warehouse which is operating at about 96 % of its full capacity. Once the holiday purchasing season begins, the space will be plentiful. The down side is that we all get to work 11 hour days when that begins.
We aren't expecting any kids to come through the campground for trick-or-treat tonight, but we may be wrong about that. Last night there were a few kids trying to get a jump on Halloween by coming through the campground. They probably thought they could get the campground done a day early and then do their own neighborhood tonight.
Today is our final work day for this week. Hopefully, the warm weather will return and make it a nice 3 days off for a change. The temperatures are rising, so that's a good sign. Have fun tonight everybody...
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Frost on the Pumpkin
It was 34 degrees yesterday when I wrote the blog entry but it went down to 31 at 7 AM. We had to start the car 5 minutes before we left for work in order to warm up the inside enough to melt the frost on the windows. There were people scrapping the ice off their windshields as we were leaving. It's waaay too early for this to happen. I'm sure everybody has seen all the snow in the northeast so we shouldn't feel too bad.
This is the time of year when I always went on my hunting trips in Washington. I was never home for Halloween and Josie had to manage the candy duty herself each year. I miss those times but I'm sure Josie doesn't. Tonight is also mischief night which was always a fun night as I was growing up in Philadelphia. There were many a year when my brother and I would go out and cause harmless mischief in the neighborhood on this night. It is also the 92nd birthday of my mother, God rest her soul. We all miss her.
Everybody at work is waiting for the shoe to drop for longer days. We are still in a slow period but we are pretty close to having the full number of people working that will take us through the madness of the holiday rush. That is when the 11 hour days begin and merchandise is literally flying out of Amazon. It's hard to believe that we have been working here for 16 weeks now. Only 8 more to go...
This is the time of year when I always went on my hunting trips in Washington. I was never home for Halloween and Josie had to manage the candy duty herself each year. I miss those times but I'm sure Josie doesn't. Tonight is also mischief night which was always a fun night as I was growing up in Philadelphia. There were many a year when my brother and I would go out and cause harmless mischief in the neighborhood on this night. It is also the 92nd birthday of my mother, God rest her soul. We all miss her.
Everybody at work is waiting for the shoe to drop for longer days. We are still in a slow period but we are pretty close to having the full number of people working that will take us through the madness of the holiday rush. That is when the 11 hour days begin and merchandise is literally flying out of Amazon. It's hard to believe that we have been working here for 16 weeks now. Only 8 more to go...
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Upsets Everywhere
Everybody probably knows by now that the St Louis Cardinals upset the Texas Rangers in the 7th game of the World Series last night. The Cardinals weren't even projected to make the playoffs, let alone win the Series. They were once 10 1/2 games behind in the wild card race for the playoffs, and made the playoffs on the last day of the regular season. Good for them.
The other upset, and closer to home, was the loss by Austin's team in the state championship playoffs. They were the top seed and lost to the 16th seeded team, 14-7. Even though Austin scored the only touchdown, it appears that his team overall may have taken the 5-4 team that beat them for granted. That happens a lot in sports. You look past your opponent thinking it is a sure win. It is a good lesson for everybody on the team and I'm sure this loss will help them for next year. It was a fabulous year for Austin and his team and he, along with his team, should feel proud of their performance and accomplishments.
It is 34 degrees outside as I write this entry. With early snows in the higher elevations, it doesn't seem like a mild winter is ahead. Our high was only 46 yesterday with more rain. We are hoping it is just a freak weather front and will warm up again - soon.
We are heading into the busiest time at work and we remember the fast pace from last year. The good part of that scenario is that the time should go faster at work and the weeks remaining will sail by. The nice, warm days ahead in Florida are looking more welcome every day...
The other upset, and closer to home, was the loss by Austin's team in the state championship playoffs. They were the top seed and lost to the 16th seeded team, 14-7. Even though Austin scored the only touchdown, it appears that his team overall may have taken the 5-4 team that beat them for granted. That happens a lot in sports. You look past your opponent thinking it is a sure win. It is a good lesson for everybody on the team and I'm sure this loss will help them for next year. It was a fabulous year for Austin and his team and he, along with his team, should feel proud of their performance and accomplishments.
It is 34 degrees outside as I write this entry. With early snows in the higher elevations, it doesn't seem like a mild winter is ahead. Our high was only 46 yesterday with more rain. We are hoping it is just a freak weather front and will warm up again - soon.
We are heading into the busiest time at work and we remember the fast pace from last year. The good part of that scenario is that the time should go faster at work and the weeks remaining will sail by. The nice, warm days ahead in Florida are looking more welcome every day...
Friday, October 28, 2011
Dinner at Magic Wok
Essentially, we did what we planned to do yesterday - stay home, watch it rain and go to dinner with friends. I did more work on the computer to get the blog map updated with dates and Josie did her hair in the afternoon. We went to the Magic Wok for buffet Chinese and again it was excellent. I forgot the camera so I don't have any shots of Rodger and Sue or our dinner table. Usually the camera goes with us just like the keys to the rig, but we haven't been taking many pictures lately, so it was easy to forget it this time. We'll catch them next time. Yesterday was the only common day that we both have off together. They work nights, Sunday through Wednesday, and we are days, Friday through Monday. It was fun catching up on work details as we both worked the same shifts last year.
They worked at a campground in Maine this summer and are returning again this year. Most of their family is in the East, so they spend most of their time in the eastern states. They did work the Spring Training games this year in Mesa at Diablo Stadium however, and they gave us the contact name at ARAMARK so I will send her an email to find out what openings, if any, they might have for the upcoming season. If Josie works in the flower shop, I can work in some capacity at one of the stadiums. Their plan is to return to Amazon in Campbellsville again next year while we are tentatively going to try the Amazon location in Fernley, NV next year. We don't think there is any chance for us to return to Campbellsville again, but who knows.
There has been .7" of rain the last 2 days and, of course, it will clear up as we return to work today. With the temperature at 41 outside, it's probably too cold to do anything outside anyway. We heard there was already snow in the New York area, so we can brace ourselves for the cold months ahead. December 23 isn't that far off anymore, and we can make a dash for the warm weather in Florida...
They worked at a campground in Maine this summer and are returning again this year. Most of their family is in the East, so they spend most of their time in the eastern states. They did work the Spring Training games this year in Mesa at Diablo Stadium however, and they gave us the contact name at ARAMARK so I will send her an email to find out what openings, if any, they might have for the upcoming season. If Josie works in the flower shop, I can work in some capacity at one of the stadiums. Their plan is to return to Amazon in Campbellsville again next year while we are tentatively going to try the Amazon location in Fernley, NV next year. We don't think there is any chance for us to return to Campbellsville again, but who knows.
There has been .7" of rain the last 2 days and, of course, it will clear up as we return to work today. With the temperature at 41 outside, it's probably too cold to do anything outside anyway. We heard there was already snow in the New York area, so we can brace ourselves for the cold months ahead. December 23 isn't that far off anymore, and we can make a dash for the warm weather in Florida...
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Blog Changes
One of the frustrations I've had with writing this blog is working with the map of our travels. If you noticed, there is a new map in "FOLLOW OUR TRAVELS" on the main page. This replaces the awkward and cumbersome Google map that I tried to maintain over the last (almost) 3 years. Now, if you click on the Travel Map link, a nice, full page, single map pops up showing all the stops we've made since we started in Surprise, AZ in April, 2009. All of the stops can be accessed by the numeric number in the left margin, or by clicking on the actual "dot" representing the location on the map. I plan to include the blog reference dates with the brief description of each stop so that the blog entries while at those locations can be accessed. It is much easier to work with, and much easier to see all the places we've been on one page. Of course, you have to read the blog entries associated with those stops to know what we did, and where we visited during those stops, but it will be very easy to click on a location and find in the blog the descriptions of those activities. It kind of ties it all together.
Most of the morning yesterday was spent developing the map and more will be done today to plug in the referenced blog entries for each location.
We did take a trip to Louisville to the Costco store. The weatherman missed the forecast yesterday and starting in Elizabethtown, we had rain the rest of the day - all the way to Louisville and then back home. Following our visit to Costco, we stopped at the Kohl's store that was in the same area to check on "steals" we could make. Josie got some tops, but I didn't see anything that I had to have, so we got off pretty cheap. This is the second consecutive week now that we have had lousy weather on our days off.
It's still raining this morning, so we'll just get on with our plans for spending most of the day inside. We are going to a buffet dinner at the "Magic Wok" with our friends Rodger and Sue at 3 PM, so that should be fun. Of course, it is Chinese, and we have been there before to know that it is excellent. Throw in some laundry and that about sums up our plan for today...
Most of the morning yesterday was spent developing the map and more will be done today to plug in the referenced blog entries for each location.
We did take a trip to Louisville to the Costco store. The weatherman missed the forecast yesterday and starting in Elizabethtown, we had rain the rest of the day - all the way to Louisville and then back home. Following our visit to Costco, we stopped at the Kohl's store that was in the same area to check on "steals" we could make. Josie got some tops, but I didn't see anything that I had to have, so we got off pretty cheap. This is the second consecutive week now that we have had lousy weather on our days off.
It's still raining this morning, so we'll just get on with our plans for spending most of the day inside. We are going to a buffet dinner at the "Magic Wok" with our friends Rodger and Sue at 3 PM, so that should be fun. Of course, it is Chinese, and we have been there before to know that it is excellent. Throw in some laundry and that about sums up our plan for today...
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Shorter Days
We have been told that the people working the day shift during the peak season will go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. We're not quite there yet. Daylight Savings ends on November 6, so we have another week of at least coming home in daylight. Not that it matters, really. As long as we have the full day of light on our days off, we'll take it. Besides, when we're working inside it doesn't matter. We remember last year working the night shift that we slept through most of the daylight hours anyway.
The hype is building in the Naperville area for the start of the state championship high school football playoffs. Austin's team is ready and Patty and Mark forward articles to us about the team. Here is the latest article with this quote about Austin:
“Austin Guido is as good a running back as I’ve ever coached and that includes all-state back Tommy Koutsos who I coached at Marmion. I’m not a college coach, I don’t know what they are looking for but Austin can play D-1 football. MAC for sure."
We are obviously very proud of him and are rooting for him to do well in the playoffs. We hope his team goes all the way.
We will probably head to the Louisville Costco today to pick up a few things and maybe stop somewhere along the way to enjoy what is forecast to be a nice day. It was 75 yesterday, but we had some clouds and some wind, so today should be better. There's not much else to report except that we are enjoying our free time and getting the much needed rest between work days...
The hype is building in the Naperville area for the start of the state championship high school football playoffs. Austin's team is ready and Patty and Mark forward articles to us about the team. Here is the latest article with this quote about Austin:
“Austin Guido is as good a running back as I’ve ever coached and that includes all-state back Tommy Koutsos who I coached at Marmion. I’m not a college coach, I don’t know what they are looking for but Austin can play D-1 football. MAC for sure."
We are obviously very proud of him and are rooting for him to do well in the playoffs. We hope his team goes all the way.
We will probably head to the Louisville Costco today to pick up a few things and maybe stop somewhere along the way to enjoy what is forecast to be a nice day. It was 75 yesterday, but we had some clouds and some wind, so today should be better. There's not much else to report except that we are enjoying our free time and getting the much needed rest between work days...
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Taking VTO
We took the Voluntary Time Off option yesterday for the first time. Josie and I both were working in the same area all day in the case stock area of stowing and it was pretty slow. They posted a sign up sheet for volunteers to leave work at 1:30 PM - 3 hours early - so we signed up as it would add to our 3 days off which began following work. We had been very tired from the extra physical work we had done during the week, so it made sense for us to take advantage of this option while we can. Word has it that Amazon is planning to begin the "mandatory" 11 hour work days earlier this year. Last year, they began those at the end of November and now we hear that they will start in mid November for this peak season. You may recall that last year we worked 5 - 11 hour days for the last 4 weeks we worked. It looks like we may do the same this year. The time between Thanksgiving and our end date on December 23 is unbelievably busy and the time goes a little faster.
I used the extra time yesterday afternoon to follow up on a couple situations, including the billing dispute with Expedia over our charges for the Puerto Rico trip. Expedia can't find the extra charges in their records - that's a glaring example of incompetence - so I contacted our bank and they issued credits for the overcharges while they resolve the issue with Expedia. The other situation we had was obtaining some stain from Doubletree to use for some touch-up work we want to do in our fifth wheel. They had to order the stain and we took care of that yesterday.
We have talked about taking a trip to the Costco store in Louisville sometime while we're off. Josie uses some of their own brand lotions and, of course, that's the only place you can purchase them. We don't want to make a special trip for that, so we are looking into other things we might want to visit while in that area in order to justify the trip. It's only just over an hour away, so it isn't too bad. Most likely, we will do the trip tomorrow.
It was nice to sleep in a little bit today. We relish the first day off as a stay home and rest day, so that's probably the schedule for today...
I used the extra time yesterday afternoon to follow up on a couple situations, including the billing dispute with Expedia over our charges for the Puerto Rico trip. Expedia can't find the extra charges in their records - that's a glaring example of incompetence - so I contacted our bank and they issued credits for the overcharges while they resolve the issue with Expedia. The other situation we had was obtaining some stain from Doubletree to use for some touch-up work we want to do in our fifth wheel. They had to order the stain and we took care of that yesterday.
We have talked about taking a trip to the Costco store in Louisville sometime while we're off. Josie uses some of their own brand lotions and, of course, that's the only place you can purchase them. We don't want to make a special trip for that, so we are looking into other things we might want to visit while in that area in order to justify the trip. It's only just over an hour away, so it isn't too bad. Most likely, we will do the trip tomorrow.
It was nice to sleep in a little bit today. We relish the first day off as a stay home and rest day, so that's probably the schedule for today...
Monday, October 24, 2011
Last Hurrah for Warm Weather
Even though it was only 39 degrees yesterday morning, it warmed up to 66 by afternoon. The forecast is for temperatures to reach into the high 70's by Tuesday which is fine for us. That is about what we had this time last year where we enjoyed mild temperatures for the first 2 weeks, then winter arrived with a vengeance. I guess we will need to make all final preparations for the cold weather while we are off this week before winter does arrive.
We received the playoff information from Patty for Austin's high school state championship playoffs. His team is the top seed in its bracket and will have the first game on their home field which is a huge advantage. The team they are playing will have to travel 5 hours to get to the game which will probably be scheduled on Saturday. That's a long way to travel for a game and could mean a much longer ride home following the game. We hope so. This is where the rubber meets the road and we're rooting for Austin and his team to do well.
This week has shown us that there is a pattern developing for our work schedules. I have spent most of my time the last couple days performing what is called "stock case" stowing which is emptying and stowing product from boxes into bins. It is much more physical than normal stowing where the product is already removed from boxes and loaded onto carts for stowing. Josie has been spending much of her time in "putbacks" stowing for products that have been returned by customers for different reasons, and in HRV (High Retail Value) stowing of items in a secured area. She achieved over 100% for her work a couple days ago, so she is happy about that. I can also brag and say I received a notice and a gold coin for finishing last week at over 100%. These coins are valued at $1 and are used in the vending machines in the break areas. It's not a lot, but it's better than nothing.
We're looking forward to ending our work week today and will put week # 15 on the books at the end of the day...
We received the playoff information from Patty for Austin's high school state championship playoffs. His team is the top seed in its bracket and will have the first game on their home field which is a huge advantage. The team they are playing will have to travel 5 hours to get to the game which will probably be scheduled on Saturday. That's a long way to travel for a game and could mean a much longer ride home following the game. We hope so. This is where the rubber meets the road and we're rooting for Austin and his team to do well.
This week has shown us that there is a pattern developing for our work schedules. I have spent most of my time the last couple days performing what is called "stock case" stowing which is emptying and stowing product from boxes into bins. It is much more physical than normal stowing where the product is already removed from boxes and loaded onto carts for stowing. Josie has been spending much of her time in "putbacks" stowing for products that have been returned by customers for different reasons, and in HRV (High Retail Value) stowing of items in a secured area. She achieved over 100% for her work a couple days ago, so she is happy about that. I can also brag and say I received a notice and a gold coin for finishing last week at over 100%. These coins are valued at $1 and are used in the vending machines in the break areas. It's not a lot, but it's better than nothing.
We're looking forward to ending our work week today and will put week # 15 on the books at the end of the day...
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Dealing With Incompetence
Already this morning - before 5 AM - I have been on the phone with a representative of Expedia trying to fix a problem with the transaction for our Puerto Rico trip that we booked on Friday. It seems that we have been charged for 4 airline tickets instead of 2. The nice representative tried to explain that 2 of the charges were only temporary authorizations, but my bank statement shows them all as charges posted on 10/21. The bank doesn't apply temporary authorizations to your balance since the final amounts can change. She asked that I call back again on Tuesday after the extra charges have a chance to disappear. The point is this - there seems to be an increasing occurrence of instances where we have to spend time (actually, waste time) in telephone conversations regarding errors that have been made in processing transactions of all kinds. It is becoming a problem of epidemic proportions. I can't ever remember so many times where we have had to waste time fighting for what is right, when the people that provide these products and services can't, or are not able to, perform their jobs competently and thoroughly. Another example is the problem we had with the people at Verizon Wireless where we spent months to right a situation that was caused by their incompetence in the first place. It makes you wonder why, in the year 2011, we are going backwards instead of forward with making life easier to do business. Has anybody else noticed that, or is it just me?
Sorry to go off on that tangent, but it is frustrating to have to deal with these unnecessary situations.
Day 3 of our work week is today and that means that right now we are halfway to free time once again. We have heard of situations where people that have started to work at Amazon have left after only a short time as a result of the physical work involved. It's the kind of work that is difficult to describe unless you actually go through the experience yourself. The people that have left early are the ones that thought it would be like workamping at another campground somewhere. That's why we always look so forward to the free time. The end is in sight though - only 8 more weeks after tomorrow...
Sorry to go off on that tangent, but it is frustrating to have to deal with these unnecessary situations.
Day 3 of our work week is today and that means that right now we are halfway to free time once again. We have heard of situations where people that have started to work at Amazon have left after only a short time as a result of the physical work involved. It's the kind of work that is difficult to describe unless you actually go through the experience yourself. The people that have left early are the ones that thought it would be like workamping at another campground somewhere. That's why we always look so forward to the free time. The end is in sight though - only 8 more weeks after tomorrow...
Saturday, October 22, 2011
A Taste of Winter
Winter is not too far off. It is 37 degrees outside this morning and we aren't even into November yet. It seems like winter has arrived early this year since the weather was much warmer when we arrived here last year about this time. Although this time last year we were planning our departure from Patty's home in Naperville and one year ago today, we went to the casino in Aurora, IL, and introduced Patty to the slot machines. She didn't fair too well but overall we won some money and had a good experience there. It was also the end of the regular high school football season as we had an opportunity to watch Austin's final games. We missed that this year.
Austin's final regular season game was last night and his team won again, 32-8 to finish 8-1 on the season. The information I read this morning indicated that he had 2 touchdowns in the victory, and they are now waiting to see who they face in the first round of the playoffs. What a season for Austin and his team. It will be fun to follow the playoffs as his team has won home field advantage for the first game.
The couple (Theresa and Larry) that we worked with in Grey's Point, VA, and is now working at Amazon is struggling to adjust to the physical nature of the work. Theresa was in a lot of pain yesterday and was looking for ways to shorten her days. She is the one that had health issues before they arrived and we are sorry, but not surprised, that it is not a pleasant time for them. We hope that it works out for her.
Day number 2 of our week is today and it's time to get ready, so we'll see 'ya tomorrow...
Austin's final regular season game was last night and his team won again, 32-8 to finish 8-1 on the season. The information I read this morning indicated that he had 2 touchdowns in the victory, and they are now waiting to see who they face in the first round of the playoffs. What a season for Austin and his team. It will be fun to follow the playoffs as his team has won home field advantage for the first game.
The couple (Theresa and Larry) that we worked with in Grey's Point, VA, and is now working at Amazon is struggling to adjust to the physical nature of the work. Theresa was in a lot of pain yesterday and was looking for ways to shorten her days. She is the one that had health issues before they arrived and we are sorry, but not surprised, that it is not a pleasant time for them. We hope that it works out for her.
Day number 2 of our week is today and it's time to get ready, so we'll see 'ya tomorrow...
Friday, October 21, 2011
Firm Plans for the Summer
The arrangements and details are all finalized for next summer. After speaking with the owner - Roland Zimmerman - yesterday, we will arrive in Creede, CO around the middle of May. He indicated that we were welcome to come anytime from May 1 on, but most of the work the first couple weeks is outside getting the park ready for the summer crowd. They are in the process of expanding the park now and he had work crews there that he was trying to coordinate, so we didn't have a lot of time to chat on the phone. He indicated that Josie will be working entirely in the office with the Campground Manager Reservations System that we have the most experience with, so she will be comfortable doing that. I will be doing some computer work, some painting of new structures and some security work. He is not a computer type person - in fact he says he detests computers - and would like me to help him learn more about using them. They use Quickbooks for their business and that is the software we used for our floral business when we owned the shop in WA, so I am familiar with that and can provide some help in that area. He doesn't even like using the computer for emails, so he really is in need of some help to feel more comfortable with them. He said there is lots to see and do in the area which we already knew, and we all are looking forward to spending some quality time there next summer. The timing is perfect and gives Josie a chance to work the Mothers Day season in May at the flower shop before we leave the Phoenix area.
It was another cold, wet and windy day yesterday. All 3 days we had off this week were lousy, weather wise. We had a total of 1.2" of rain but the wind and cold made it a stay-at-home kind of week. We had visitors last night for a couple hours - Roger and Sue - who were celebrating their first day off for their work week. Thursday is the only common day we both have off, so we made tentative plans to go to the Chinese Buffet in town next Thursday. They still work the night shift as we all did last year. The difference is that they try to keep the same hours on their off days as they do during working days. We could never do that as we were always too tired to stay up until 3 or 4 in the AM watching TV or walking around WalMart for a couple hours. We also couldn't see wasting half a day sleeping until nearly 1 PM on our off days. But it works for them.
We're down to single digit work weeks left - 9. That is a sign that maybe we will make it to the end. The busiest time, and happiest time is still ahead, so it should be more fun than the first 15 weeks. We hope so...
It was another cold, wet and windy day yesterday. All 3 days we had off this week were lousy, weather wise. We had a total of 1.2" of rain but the wind and cold made it a stay-at-home kind of week. We had visitors last night for a couple hours - Roger and Sue - who were celebrating their first day off for their work week. Thursday is the only common day we both have off, so we made tentative plans to go to the Chinese Buffet in town next Thursday. They still work the night shift as we all did last year. The difference is that they try to keep the same hours on their off days as they do during working days. We could never do that as we were always too tired to stay up until 3 or 4 in the AM watching TV or walking around WalMart for a couple hours. We also couldn't see wasting half a day sleeping until nearly 1 PM on our off days. But it works for them.
We're down to single digit work weeks left - 9. That is a sign that maybe we will make it to the end. The busiest time, and happiest time is still ahead, so it should be more fun than the first 15 weeks. We hope so...
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Plans Falling Into Place
We made some very good progress yesterday in finalizing, or firming up, our plans for the time following our Amazon stint. It took quite a bit of time to research all the options for Puerto Rico, but in the end, we opted for the same hotel where Patty stayed on her trip there during spring break with the boys earlier this year. It is very nice - Rio Mar Beach Resort - and is on the beach with nice amenities and at a reasonable price. We booked the entire trip through Expedia and spent probably 1 1/2 hours on the phone with them to finalize everything. The dates have changed slightly - departing from Orlando on Saturday, Jan 14 and returning on Friday, Jan 20. Our reservation at the Orlando Thousand Trails goes from 12/31 to 1/20, but we decided to move our fifth wheel into the on-site storage facility while we are gone on the Puerto Rico trip. The reason for moving the trip back a week is that we heard from Phoenix Flower Shops and they would like to have Josie back by Valentine's Day in February. That means we would have to plan to arrive in the Phoenix area by February 1 in order to get settled into a campground and give Josie time to begin work at a shop in time for the Valentine's rush. So, we will be in Orlando by New Years Eve, go to the Tampa RV Show between 1/10 and 1/13, visit Josie's sister sometime during those 2 weeks, fly to Puerto Rice on 1/14, return on 1/20, drive to Phoenix between 1/22 (?) and 2/1. Sounds like fun.
We had a message from the owners of the campground - Mountain Views Resort - in Creede, CO, and we will finalize all those arrangements today for the summer months between May and October. The details for that workamper assignment will be available to report tomorrow.
I will also try to contact Aramark today for possible openings in their Phoenix Spring Training operations for the month of March. There is also the possibility of getting short hours to work for our site if we go anywhere besides Happy Trails in Surprise to stay during the time in the Phoenix area. Those details also remain open at this point.
It is beginning to get exciting and all this planning activity gives us renewed energy to complete our commitment here in Kentucky. It is very cold - low of 41 this morning - and we will again be happy to leave this weather behind in December...
We had a message from the owners of the campground - Mountain Views Resort - in Creede, CO, and we will finalize all those arrangements today for the summer months between May and October. The details for that workamper assignment will be available to report tomorrow.
I will also try to contact Aramark today for possible openings in their Phoenix Spring Training operations for the month of March. There is also the possibility of getting short hours to work for our site if we go anywhere besides Happy Trails in Surprise to stay during the time in the Phoenix area. Those details also remain open at this point.
It is beginning to get exciting and all this planning activity gives us renewed energy to complete our commitment here in Kentucky. It is very cold - low of 41 this morning - and we will again be happy to leave this weather behind in December...
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Almost Full
As far as we know, there is only one more class of workampers arriving to be trained at Amazon. There are only about 5 spaces left in the campground and they are going to be taken within the next week or so. Here are the shots of the before and after of the campground, from the time we arrived in late June (6/26):
until yesterday (10/18):
There are 130 spaces in the park and the owners are (financially) healthy again. Amazon will pay the owners $400 per month for each space used by the workampers. That totals $52,000 each month. Amazon also pays at least 5 other campgrounds in the area for spaces taken by workampers, so the investment that Amazon makes in the workamper program is huge. We've heard a number of 600+ workampers for the peak season this year.
So far it has been relatively quiet in the campground. That is a result of the mixture of night shift workers and day workers. Most people are considerate of the others who are working different shifts and the noise is kept to a minimum. The biggest problem we have discovered is the noise from occasional barking dogs whose owners are working and can't shut them up.
It's a good thing we didn't plan a trip for yesterday. Thunderstorms arrived in the afternoon and dumped almost 1" of rain on us for the day. We lost power for a brief time and the satellite signal a few times for short periods. Other than that, we relaxed and did very little besides catch up on recorded TV shows for the week. We did make some progress on cleaning chores, but the laundry duty was postponed until today.
We are looking more seriously at a trip to Puerto Rico in January. The trip can almost be entirely paid for out of our year end bonus from Amazon. The only holdup from planning the trip for sure is waiting to hear from the Phoenix Flower Shop on when, if at all, they would want Josie to work during the winter. All of our planning can go forward once we hear from them. That's about it for now...
until yesterday (10/18):
There are 130 spaces in the park and the owners are (financially) healthy again. Amazon will pay the owners $400 per month for each space used by the workampers. That totals $52,000 each month. Amazon also pays at least 5 other campgrounds in the area for spaces taken by workampers, so the investment that Amazon makes in the workamper program is huge. We've heard a number of 600+ workampers for the peak season this year.
So far it has been relatively quiet in the campground. That is a result of the mixture of night shift workers and day workers. Most people are considerate of the others who are working different shifts and the noise is kept to a minimum. The biggest problem we have discovered is the noise from occasional barking dogs whose owners are working and can't shut them up.
It's a good thing we didn't plan a trip for yesterday. Thunderstorms arrived in the afternoon and dumped almost 1" of rain on us for the day. We lost power for a brief time and the satellite signal a few times for short periods. Other than that, we relaxed and did very little besides catch up on recorded TV shows for the week. We did make some progress on cleaning chores, but the laundry duty was postponed until today.
We are looking more seriously at a trip to Puerto Rico in January. The trip can almost be entirely paid for out of our year end bonus from Amazon. The only holdup from planning the trip for sure is waiting to hear from the Phoenix Flower Shop on when, if at all, they would want Josie to work during the winter. All of our planning can go forward once we hear from them. That's about it for now...
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Thinking About January
The next 3 days of our time off are not scheduled as far as taking any trips. One of the things we talked about was trying to solidify our plans for the next year. We are just about set for our summer - Creede, CO - but the time between the end of January through the end of April is still not firm. Patty is talking about a possible trip for her and Mark in late February and we would like to go to Chicago for that week to stay with the boys - if they go and if it's possible. The problem with that is that if we are working somewhere, we will not be able to take the time off. Another possibility is the chance for Josie to work at the Phoenix Flower Shops sometime during those months but that is also still up in the air. It would be nice if we can solidify some plans for those months while we are off this week. Another possibility if Josie can work in the flower shop is for me to work the Spring Training games in some capacity, probably through Aramark who advertises for help all the time. That is always a fun activity - planning for the next phase of our travels.
Another option for January while we are in Florida is to consider a trip to Puerto Rico toward the end of the month. We have already planned to take the entire month of January off to relax from our 6 month duty at Amazon. It would provide an opportunity for Josie to visit her brother who lives there and is getting up in years. More on that development if we decide to pursue the trip. We could leave our fifth wheel in the storage area of the Thousand Trails park we will be staying in the first 3 weeks of the month. As you recall, we did that last year for a week while we stayed in one of the cottages (free) that Thousand Trails has in the park.
So, there will be some planning along with some rest and performing necessary chores such as laundry, housecleaning, etc. It is already nice to know that there is no schedule for today...
Another option for January while we are in Florida is to consider a trip to Puerto Rico toward the end of the month. We have already planned to take the entire month of January off to relax from our 6 month duty at Amazon. It would provide an opportunity for Josie to visit her brother who lives there and is getting up in years. More on that development if we decide to pursue the trip. We could leave our fifth wheel in the storage area of the Thousand Trails park we will be staying in the first 3 weeks of the month. As you recall, we did that last year for a week while we stayed in one of the cottages (free) that Thousand Trails has in the park.
So, there will be some planning along with some rest and performing necessary chores such as laundry, housecleaning, etc. It is already nice to know that there is no schedule for today...
Monday, October 17, 2011
Dragging at Work
This must really be the calm before the storm at work. Once again the VTO (Voluntary Time Off) option was offered to anyone that wanted to leave work early. Once again, many of the regular workers took the option and the place was noticeably thinned out with workers from about 1 PM to the end of our day at 4:30 PM. Evidently, with the warehouse operating at about 96 % capacity, new deliveries are lower and therefore the total work requirements are less. That is expected to change following Halloween as the holiday season begins to increase the business. Many people do early Christmas shopping starting at that time, and the whole atmosphere changes at Amazon. That's when they open the gift wrapping function and staff-up the outgoing packaging department for increased production. That's when the fun begins. It seemed like that all started shortly after we arrived about this time last year and started working in early November.
Our final day of the work week is today and we are looking forward to having 3 days off. Our assignments have been in areas that are particularly tiring, physically, and by the time our last day rolls around, we are ready for some relaxation. Right now we having nothing planned but that can change on a moments notice. It all depends on the weather and on our energy level. Right now, neither one is very good. There are a few more chores we need to do to get ready for the colder weather so that will probably top the list for our free time. Until tomorrow...
Our final day of the work week is today and we are looking forward to having 3 days off. Our assignments have been in areas that are particularly tiring, physically, and by the time our last day rolls around, we are ready for some relaxation. Right now we having nothing planned but that can change on a moments notice. It all depends on the weather and on our energy level. Right now, neither one is very good. There are a few more chores we need to do to get ready for the colder weather so that will probably top the list for our free time. Until tomorrow...
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Medicare Options
The real significance for yesterday was the beginning of the open enrollment period for Medicare plans. Every year we are given the opportunity to either sign up for optional coverage, renew existing plans or do nothing. For the last several years I have been on a plan that is best for my needs as it covers me for all states that we may travel through. The best part about it is that the cost is zero to me. Well, that is except for the monthly deduction from my medicare benefit that goes directly to the insurance company. I never see that small amount anyway so it's the same as being free to me. Josie doesn't have Medicare yet so it doesn't apply to her. This year will be like the last 4 years - I'll just let my plan renew itself. The government sends an annual handbook to all Medicare recipients outlining all these options and I just received mine last week. The thing I'm anxious to hear about is the increase - if any - in the monthly benefit. There has been no increase the last 2 years and that is a first in the history of the system. Politicians are all walking on thin ice as it is so I can't see going a 3rd year without any increase. We'll know very soon.
Once again the opportunity was given to people at work to leave early yesterday. Workampers have a real advantage in that leaving early is an option for us whereas regular employees may be asked to leave, whether they want to or not. That's probably one of the reasons some employees resent the workampers. I can tell you that the local merchants and the local economy really appreciate the influx of workampers.
Day 3 of our work week begins in just over an hour, so it's time to get breakfast and get moving...
Once again the opportunity was given to people at work to leave early yesterday. Workampers have a real advantage in that leaving early is an option for us whereas regular employees may be asked to leave, whether they want to or not. That's probably one of the reasons some employees resent the workampers. I can tell you that the local merchants and the local economy really appreciate the influx of workampers.
Day 3 of our work week begins in just over an hour, so it's time to get breakfast and get moving...
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Dinner With Friends
We were home from work, refreshed and out the door by 5:20 to meet our friends at a restaurant near Columbia, KY- Betty's Country Restaurant - to have a buffet dinner. There was a slight mix up in the plan as we thought everyone was to meet at the restaurant, but we were suppose to meet at the site of Roger and Sue who just moved into our campground. By 5:45 though, we were all there - 12 of us - and sat down at three tables that were together. This was a major event for us since the specialty of the house on the Friday buffet was catfish, and we couldn't ever remember eating it before. It was delicious and we will not hesitate to have it again sometime. The buffet was excellent and, for $7.50 per person, we will come back again.
It was windy yesterday but mostly dry. So far, this month has been cooler than the same period last year. We don't care how it is while we are working as long as it doesn't freeze.
There was another VTO (Volunteer Time Off) day yesterday where people were asked if they would like to leave work early. Once again, mostly regular employees take advantage of that as workampers are mostly here to make some money and want to work every hour possible. Especially now that the year end bonus is tied to the total number of hours worked.
The report on Austin's football game last night was that his team won again, 68-0. The only information I could find about the details is that Austin carried the ball 6 times on the opening drive of the game for 38 yards on the 57 yard drive and got a touchdown on a 5 yard run. Their team is now 7-1 on the season and the playoffs start after next week's game. Patty will provide more details, I'm sure, and I will pass them along. There was also an article by an Illinois sports columnist about Austin being a high school player to watch for college recruiting for the class of 2013. He is most definitely on the radar for colleges everywhere.
That wraps it up for a Saturday morning as it's time to get ready for work...
It was windy yesterday but mostly dry. So far, this month has been cooler than the same period last year. We don't care how it is while we are working as long as it doesn't freeze.
There was another VTO (Volunteer Time Off) day yesterday where people were asked if they would like to leave work early. Once again, mostly regular employees take advantage of that as workampers are mostly here to make some money and want to work every hour possible. Especially now that the year end bonus is tied to the total number of hours worked.
The report on Austin's football game last night was that his team won again, 68-0. The only information I could find about the details is that Austin carried the ball 6 times on the opening drive of the game for 38 yards on the 57 yard drive and got a touchdown on a 5 yard run. Their team is now 7-1 on the season and the playoffs start after next week's game. Patty will provide more details, I'm sure, and I will pass them along. There was also an article by an Illinois sports columnist about Austin being a high school player to watch for college recruiting for the class of 2013. He is most definitely on the radar for colleges everywhere.
That wraps it up for a Saturday morning as it's time to get ready for work...
Friday, October 14, 2011
Real Rain Arrives
It's a good thing we took our trip on Tuesday and Wednesday since the real heavy rain arrived yesterday. We had .80", and the high yesterday was 66 with a low of 59. It rained off and on all day, sometimes heavy. It was such a lousy day outside that Josie didn't even get out to do the laundry. Still, the day zoomed by and we are back to work today.
We sent an email to our HR people at Amazon to get clarification on the year end completion bonus. Last year, everyone got a flat $500 bonus at the end of the commitment in December. We heard back from them last night and this year, in order to make it more fair to people who arrive early, the bonus will be $1 for each hour worked from the start of the workamper program (August 15) until the last day, which is now scheduled for December 23. That also includes any hours of overtime that are worked. It should be a substantial amount for us since we were already working on August 15 and have a lot of overtime hours thrown in. That was welcomed news.
Our friends, Roger and Sue, stopped by last night to invite us to go with them to a buffet dinner tonight at a local restaurant that is known for good seafood. They are moving to this campground today from the State Park (where we all stayed last year) for the same reasons we are here - the 50 amp service and full hookups, not to mention the convenience of being across the street from work. They are still working the night shift and had the same complaint we had with the honey-wagon service - the folks who came at 9:30 AM to empty the holding tanks while we were in a deep sleep.
We start another week today and haven't decided anything about overtime, if it is available. We have heard that all overtime is eliminated until the busy season starts in November, so we'll find out for sure today. We enjoyed having the 3 days off anyway, so it looks like that will be the norm for the next couple weeks...
We sent an email to our HR people at Amazon to get clarification on the year end completion bonus. Last year, everyone got a flat $500 bonus at the end of the commitment in December. We heard back from them last night and this year, in order to make it more fair to people who arrive early, the bonus will be $1 for each hour worked from the start of the workamper program (August 15) until the last day, which is now scheduled for December 23. That also includes any hours of overtime that are worked. It should be a substantial amount for us since we were already working on August 15 and have a lot of overtime hours thrown in. That was welcomed news.
Our friends, Roger and Sue, stopped by last night to invite us to go with them to a buffet dinner tonight at a local restaurant that is known for good seafood. They are moving to this campground today from the State Park (where we all stayed last year) for the same reasons we are here - the 50 amp service and full hookups, not to mention the convenience of being across the street from work. They are still working the night shift and had the same complaint we had with the honey-wagon service - the folks who came at 9:30 AM to empty the holding tanks while we were in a deep sleep.
We start another week today and haven't decided anything about overtime, if it is available. We have heard that all overtime is eliminated until the busy season starts in November, so we'll find out for sure today. We enjoyed having the 3 days off anyway, so it looks like that will be the norm for the next couple weeks...
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Cumberland Falls
The weather almost held out for the entire trip but, alas, we had overcast skies and drizzle most of the day. It didn't prevent us from having a great day anyway. We start with a shot of the Belterra Casino from our hotel:
The walkway from the hotel to the casino is on the left, and the casino is actually a riverboat structure with 2 levels of gaming. As mentioned yesterday, we liked this casino and probably will return before we leave here in late December.
Our departure from the hotel was at 9 AM and the drive from Florence, IN to Corbin, KY was beautiful. Even though it was overcast and drizzly most of the way, we were able to get some decent shots of the fall colors. We decided that we probably missed the peak colors by about a week, which was very early for this part of the country. Anyway, following are some of the better shots:
We arrived at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park at around 2 PM after stopping for lunch at another Cracker Barrel along the way. The added significance of these falls, is that it is the only place in the Western Hemisphere where you can view a "moonbow":
Anybody can see a rainbow that a falls produces, but a moonbow is unique. Yesterday was one of the dates that we could have seen the moonbow, except it was overcast number one, and number two, we were not going to be there at night.
The falls were beautiful and we could see, from the diagram that was in the visitor's center, that the falls were created millions of years ago, about 45 miles downstream from its current location. The boulders that have broken off the falls from weathering and erosion are all along the shores of the falls for this 45 mile stretch, and none are seen upstream which supports this conclusion. Following are some pictures of the falls:
And one of Josie along the viewing area:
And some different views from other viewing areas in the park:
A picture of the downstream area - notice the boulders on the shore:
And finally, an upstream View:
We headed home and arrived at 5 PM at the conclusion of our two day anniversary trip. It was a wonderful trip and a great way to celebrate our anniversary.
It's one day to relax - today - before starting week number 15 at Amazon.com...
The walkway from the hotel to the casino is on the left, and the casino is actually a riverboat structure with 2 levels of gaming. As mentioned yesterday, we liked this casino and probably will return before we leave here in late December.
Our departure from the hotel was at 9 AM and the drive from Florence, IN to Corbin, KY was beautiful. Even though it was overcast and drizzly most of the way, we were able to get some decent shots of the fall colors. We decided that we probably missed the peak colors by about a week, which was very early for this part of the country. Anyway, following are some of the better shots:
We arrived at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park at around 2 PM after stopping for lunch at another Cracker Barrel along the way. The added significance of these falls, is that it is the only place in the Western Hemisphere where you can view a "moonbow":
Anybody can see a rainbow that a falls produces, but a moonbow is unique. Yesterday was one of the dates that we could have seen the moonbow, except it was overcast number one, and number two, we were not going to be there at night.
The falls were beautiful and we could see, from the diagram that was in the visitor's center, that the falls were created millions of years ago, about 45 miles downstream from its current location. The boulders that have broken off the falls from weathering and erosion are all along the shores of the falls for this 45 mile stretch, and none are seen upstream which supports this conclusion. Following are some pictures of the falls:
And one of Josie along the viewing area:
And some different views from other viewing areas in the park:
A picture of the downstream area - notice the boulders on the shore:
And finally, an upstream View:
We headed home and arrived at 5 PM at the conclusion of our two day anniversary trip. It was a wonderful trip and a great way to celebrate our anniversary.
It's one day to relax - today - before starting week number 15 at Amazon.com...
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Anniversary Trip
As we discussed options yesterday morning for our anniversary, it developed into a long trip. While researching the casino near Louisville, I discovered that there was another casino - Belterra Casino - that was between Louisville and Cincinnati. Since we were going to the Horseshoe Casino outside Louisville, and since we wanted to try the other casino in Florence, IN, and since we wanted to see the fall colors in southeastern Kentucky at Cumberland Falls State Park, we decided to make it one huge trip and stay at the hotel at the Belterra casino.
We rushed around to get things together for the trip and finally left the fifth wheel at around 10:30. There were some pretty fall colors along the way while driving to the Horseshoe Casino outside Louisville, but none of them were real sharp, vivid colors, so we will wait for better shots today. We arrived at the Horseshoe Casino right around noon:
We rushed around to get things together for the trip and finally left the fifth wheel at around 10:30. There were some pretty fall colors along the way while driving to the Horseshoe Casino outside Louisville, but none of them were real sharp, vivid colors, so we will wait for better shots today. We arrived at the Horseshoe Casino right around noon:
parked in the garage, and went directly to the casino. It was not crowded at all which we thought was strange for any casino. This one is not a good-paying casino, so that is probably why. We took just a small amount of cash to play the slots as we wanted to use the bulk of our stake for gambling at the new casino. We actually played for a longer amount of time than previously, won a few very small pots, and played for about 2 hours and left.
There were, again, some nice colors along the leg from the Horseshoe Casino to the Belterra Casino, but again the pictures were taken from the moving Jeep and were not real clear. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel along the way to have some dinner before arriving at the hotel and we pulled into the parking lot at around 5:30 PM:
Both of these casinos are on the Ohio River on the Indiana side across from Kentucky. The Belterra ended up being about 40 miles west of Cincinnati. It is a very nice hotel as can be seen from this shot of the entry and lobby off the hotel and casino walkways:
This is a much better casino than Horseshoe. We played all evening and left with $100 that Josie had won on a penny machine. That pays for our room which was only $89 and about $40 less than the room we had when we stayed at the Horseshoe. We returned to the room at almost 10 PM and turned in for the night.
We have a long trip today to get to Cumberland Falls which is about 140 miles from here. Then, we have the drive home from there which is about another 115 miles so it will be a long day. Hopefully, we will get to see some beautiful scenery with great fall colors and we can get some shots to share with everybody.
That's about it from the Belterra hotel room where we are drinking Starbucks Latte's, munching on coffee cake and enjoying our 40th anniversary...
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Taking the Three Days Off
While looking at the calendar, I discovered that we haven't taken our normal Tuesday day off since September 20. We have been working the Tuesdays's as overtime so it's been awhile. It has come at a good time since our anniversary falls right in the middle of the 3 days off - Wednesday - so we will plan something special for that day and not worry about going to work the next day. It will be 40 years on Wednesday.
One of the goals during our time off is to see some of the beautiful fall colors that are just about in peak at this time of year. While talking to some locals at work, it seems the best place to view the colorful trees is at Cumberland Falls State Park which is about 115 miles from here, in Southeastern Kentucky. It would be almost a 3 hour drive, so we would need most of a full day to go but it would be worth the trip according to these people. The other place we would like to go is to the Casino in Southeastern Indiana that we already spent time and money to visit. The question is - is it worth one more try to make that trip worthwhile. Remember, the last time we went our money went faster than the speed of light. It is in the opposite direction of the fall colors trip, so we probably are talking about separate trips. We also heard that the bridge that we used to cross over Into Indiana from Louisville is closed, so I'm not sure how far out of the way we would have to go to get there at this point.
At any rate, the weather has been very good. We've had no rain so far in October, and the temperatures have been very comfortable. If it will only hold out for the next 3 days, we'll be very happy...
One of the goals during our time off is to see some of the beautiful fall colors that are just about in peak at this time of year. While talking to some locals at work, it seems the best place to view the colorful trees is at Cumberland Falls State Park which is about 115 miles from here, in Southeastern Kentucky. It would be almost a 3 hour drive, so we would need most of a full day to go but it would be worth the trip according to these people. The other place we would like to go is to the Casino in Southeastern Indiana that we already spent time and money to visit. The question is - is it worth one more try to make that trip worthwhile. Remember, the last time we went our money went faster than the speed of light. It is in the opposite direction of the fall colors trip, so we probably are talking about separate trips. We also heard that the bridge that we used to cross over Into Indiana from Louisville is closed, so I'm not sure how far out of the way we would have to go to get there at this point.
At any rate, the weather has been very good. We've had no rain so far in October, and the temperatures have been very comfortable. If it will only hold out for the next 3 days, we'll be very happy...
Monday, October 10, 2011
Closing in on Fall
It must be absolutely beautiful now in the northeast as we can see the fall colors are appearing in this area. This is no match for New England, but it is still pretty with the rolling hills and wooded areas we saw while driving to Elizabethtown last week. We took some pictures of the fall colors but they were not impressive enough to publish here. Maybe while we are off over the next few days we will drive to an area where the show is in full color.
The weather is sure starting to feel like fall. Instead of regular highs in the 80's, we are now getting mostly highs in the 70's. It still isn't cold enough to have the heat on all night, but we are not too far away. One thing is for sure, and that is the hot and humid days of summer are gone, and we aren't sorry to see them go. The chances of our coming back to this area - at least to work at Amazon - are probably slim at best. Who knows where we will be or what we will be doing at this time next year. We are planning to at least be someplace out west.
Yesterday was another day that I did case stowing and was very tired at the end of the day. Josie did mostly stowing in the usual areas with just a short time spent in the "putbacks" area. It also was another day where people were given the option to leave early - at 10:30 AM, and once again we passed on that option. There were lots of folks that did leave as the warehouse was noticeably empty by the afternoon. We are sooo glad today is our final day this week. It has been a more physical week than normal and we are looking forward to the next 3 days of relaxation...
The weather is sure starting to feel like fall. Instead of regular highs in the 80's, we are now getting mostly highs in the 70's. It still isn't cold enough to have the heat on all night, but we are not too far away. One thing is for sure, and that is the hot and humid days of summer are gone, and we aren't sorry to see them go. The chances of our coming back to this area - at least to work at Amazon - are probably slim at best. Who knows where we will be or what we will be doing at this time next year. We are planning to at least be someplace out west.
Yesterday was another day that I did case stowing and was very tired at the end of the day. Josie did mostly stowing in the usual areas with just a short time spent in the "putbacks" area. It also was another day where people were given the option to leave early - at 10:30 AM, and once again we passed on that option. There were lots of folks that did leave as the warehouse was noticeably empty by the afternoon. We are sooo glad today is our final day this week. It has been a more physical week than normal and we are looking forward to the next 3 days of relaxation...
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Plodding Through the Week
It was another day filled with different assignments for both of us. I worked in a couple different areas where the stowing involved opening and emptying cases, some of them pretty heavy. Josie worked in the "putbacks" area where all items returned by customers are stowed. The only problem with our working in those areas is that our stow rates are lower as a result of so many single items being stowed. The best stow rates are achieved when there are multiples of each item and they usually can be stowed together. Not that it really matters.
It was also another day where people were asked if they would like to leave work early. Again, we told them we would lose overtime hours if we cut the normal work week short for any reason, so we passed. Yesterday was the key day for us to solidify the Tuesday overtime day. Every hour we worked yesterday was time and a half for us. Thankfully, there are only 2 more days left for this week and week number 14 will be history.
We received another call yesterday from a Resort in the Palm Springs area asking if we would be available to work the winter months there. Once again, we had to pass on that as a result of the timing. It is still a great area to be during the winter, but with our commitment here until late December, our options are limited.
That will wrap up the short entry for today as we prepare for our 3rd work day of this week...
It was also another day where people were asked if they would like to leave work early. Again, we told them we would lose overtime hours if we cut the normal work week short for any reason, so we passed. Yesterday was the key day for us to solidify the Tuesday overtime day. Every hour we worked yesterday was time and a half for us. Thankfully, there are only 2 more days left for this week and week number 14 will be history.
We received another call yesterday from a Resort in the Palm Springs area asking if we would be available to work the winter months there. Once again, we had to pass on that as a result of the timing. It is still a great area to be during the winter, but with our commitment here until late December, our options are limited.
That will wrap up the short entry for today as we prepare for our 3rd work day of this week...
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Unusual Day
It was 7 am when someone came to get me while I was stowing my second cart for the day to go work in the Prep area. That was not so unusual, but moving me to do prep work without Josie was unusual. She looks forward to being called to work that duty as she prefers that to stowing as a nice break from the normal routine. That was the way it was all day - I worked in Prep, and Josie stowed product all day.
Occasionally, the work force catches up on all the work to be performed for that day, and management will ask people if they would like to leave work early. That happened yesterday, and by 2 PM yesterday the place looked like it closed down entirely. It appeared that the only people still working were the workampers who work as many hours as they can. We've never seen the warehouse with so few workers. We probably would have considered leaving early except that it would have been costly for us to leave. With the overtime day we worked on Tuesday, any hours that we didn't work yesterday would take away from the time we worked overtime on Tuesday. There was no way we would allow that to happen. See, the work week is from Sunday to Saturday, so the overtime day really isn't credited until the end of work on Saturday when the total hours for the week are calculated. We really have to work all day Saturday, a normal work day, in order to get credit for the extra hours worked on the overtime day. In other words, our 40 hours for the week were completed yesterday, and today is actually the extra 10 hours for overtime.
We saw the couple we worked with in Grey's Point yesterday - Theresa and Larry - and they really lucked out with their job assignments. They will be performing jobs that are probably the most sedentary jobs you can get at the company. It is in the Quality Control area where they will spend each day performing bin counts to verify content. There are no heavy carts to deal with, walking long distances during the day, or pressure to perform against established goals. They also were assigned to the day shift on Wed - Sat, which is another great shift to work. It's all in the timing I guess. We do enjoy working the weekend days though, as there are fewer people working the weekends, and they are more enjoyable and less stressful days.
Yesterday also saw us get neighbors in the campground. A couple arrived in a fifth wheel and proceeded to set up their rig - 3 feet over the line and into our space. We had to point that out to them so they had to disconnect everything, hook up the fifth wheel and move it another 3 feet away in order to be within the boundary. Their slide out was almost up against our awning before they moved to the proper location. They seem like nice people though, and they indicated that they had the exact same spot last year and it wasn't nearly as level as it is this year. The work that the owners have done to this park during the year has had a major impact on the quality of the campground.
The report on Austin's football game last night, from what I can read on the Naperville link, has his team beating their nemesis, Neuqua Valley (Michael's old team), 27-21 in overtime. Austin was instrumental in the win with a clutch, 16 yard 4th and 11 catch to keep the tying touchdown drive alive late in the 4th quarter. He also had an 80 yard touchdown run in the first half. Way to go Austin!
It's nice to know that we only have the normal 3 days remaining this week. Working 5 ten hour days each of the last 2 weeks has taken its toll on us and we are ready for an extra day off...
Occasionally, the work force catches up on all the work to be performed for that day, and management will ask people if they would like to leave work early. That happened yesterday, and by 2 PM yesterday the place looked like it closed down entirely. It appeared that the only people still working were the workampers who work as many hours as they can. We've never seen the warehouse with so few workers. We probably would have considered leaving early except that it would have been costly for us to leave. With the overtime day we worked on Tuesday, any hours that we didn't work yesterday would take away from the time we worked overtime on Tuesday. There was no way we would allow that to happen. See, the work week is from Sunday to Saturday, so the overtime day really isn't credited until the end of work on Saturday when the total hours for the week are calculated. We really have to work all day Saturday, a normal work day, in order to get credit for the extra hours worked on the overtime day. In other words, our 40 hours for the week were completed yesterday, and today is actually the extra 10 hours for overtime.
We saw the couple we worked with in Grey's Point yesterday - Theresa and Larry - and they really lucked out with their job assignments. They will be performing jobs that are probably the most sedentary jobs you can get at the company. It is in the Quality Control area where they will spend each day performing bin counts to verify content. There are no heavy carts to deal with, walking long distances during the day, or pressure to perform against established goals. They also were assigned to the day shift on Wed - Sat, which is another great shift to work. It's all in the timing I guess. We do enjoy working the weekend days though, as there are fewer people working the weekends, and they are more enjoyable and less stressful days.
Yesterday also saw us get neighbors in the campground. A couple arrived in a fifth wheel and proceeded to set up their rig - 3 feet over the line and into our space. We had to point that out to them so they had to disconnect everything, hook up the fifth wheel and move it another 3 feet away in order to be within the boundary. Their slide out was almost up against our awning before they moved to the proper location. They seem like nice people though, and they indicated that they had the exact same spot last year and it wasn't nearly as level as it is this year. The work that the owners have done to this park during the year has had a major impact on the quality of the campground.
The report on Austin's football game last night, from what I can read on the Naperville link, has his team beating their nemesis, Neuqua Valley (Michael's old team), 27-21 in overtime. Austin was instrumental in the win with a clutch, 16 yard 4th and 11 catch to keep the tying touchdown drive alive late in the 4th quarter. He also had an 80 yard touchdown run in the first half. Way to go Austin!
It's nice to know that we only have the normal 3 days remaining this week. Working 5 ten hour days each of the last 2 weeks has taken its toll on us and we are ready for an extra day off...
Friday, October 7, 2011
Elizabethtown
It looks like the last gasp for summer has arrived. It was 83 degrees yesterday with calm winds and clear skies, and was too nice to just stay around the rig all day and waste the nice day - so, we went to Elizabethtown. There were some things we needed from Sams Club, so it seemed like the perfect time to go. The fall colors are almost at their peak and it was a beautiful day to take a drive. I'm sure there won't be many more days like yesterday - at least that we have off.
We took extra time to walk around Sams Club and actually did well to keep our bill around $200, which is a major victory anytime you go to these warehouse stores. We also stocked up on snacks for breaks at work and bought a ceramic space heater for the upcoming cold weather to supplement our propane use which was very high last year. We had already gotten a small heater to use in the bedroom, and yesterday we got a small, revolving floor unit for the living area. This extra heater has a timer so that it will come on while we are at work and have our rig nice and warm by the time we get off work, and will save on propane. Our electric fireplace is also a good alternative source for heat that we use all the time, but that doesn't start up until we get home to turn it on.
It was late afternoon by the time we got home and Josie went to do our laundry before settling in for the night. It is now time to begin our 14th week here and we have 10 more to go. This week will be a 4 day week as we have already decided to pass on the overtime day on Tuesday. We feel that working 1 extra day every other week should work fine - at least until it gets to the busy season following Thanksgiving. Come to think of it, Thanksgiving really isn't that far away...
We took extra time to walk around Sams Club and actually did well to keep our bill around $200, which is a major victory anytime you go to these warehouse stores. We also stocked up on snacks for breaks at work and bought a ceramic space heater for the upcoming cold weather to supplement our propane use which was very high last year. We had already gotten a small heater to use in the bedroom, and yesterday we got a small, revolving floor unit for the living area. This extra heater has a timer so that it will come on while we are at work and have our rig nice and warm by the time we get off work, and will save on propane. Our electric fireplace is also a good alternative source for heat that we use all the time, but that doesn't start up until we get home to turn it on.
It was late afternoon by the time we got home and Josie went to do our laundry before settling in for the night. It is now time to begin our 14th week here and we have 10 more to go. This week will be a 4 day week as we have already decided to pass on the overtime day on Tuesday. We feel that working 1 extra day every other week should work fine - at least until it gets to the busy season following Thanksgiving. Come to think of it, Thanksgiving really isn't that far away...
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Just Relaxing
It was just another day that was great to just sit around, catch up on (recorded) TV shows and do a few small projects. We ended the day with a simple dinner - hamburgers on the grill - and we didn't go out anywhere except to walk down to the office to pick up some mail.
Our cell phone contract has expired and Verizon is throwing all kinds of incentives at us to upgrade our phones and commit to another 2 years. I did a lot of research on other options for us and we are going to continue to look at those options before deciding anything. Verizon really messed up our account with all the problems we had with the devices we purchased last year and are looking hard at maybe switching to AT & T. Verizon still has the best network in our opinion, but we need to feel comfortable with their customer service. More on that as we get closer to making an upgrade from our very basic phones.
The potential opportunity at Malibu Beach RV Resort is just about gone. The difference in time zones and work schedules has made it difficult for us to communicate with them. The person performing the hiring works the morning shift there while we are working, and she is home when we are not working. So far, she hasn't wanted to give out her cell phone number and when we tried to contact her yesterday, she didn't return our call. She probably has filled the job and after checking the reviews on the park, we aren't going to lose any sleep over it. Evidently, the staff that they have has a reputation for being rude and uncooperative. That could be why they indicated that "no previous applicants need apply" in their request for resumes. Also, the park reviews indicated that even with the spectacular views on the ocean, the spaces were very close together and they try to squeeze in as many customers as they can. Everything happens for a reason.
It was sad this morning to hear about the passing of Apple founder Steve Jobs. You never know about all the accomplishments of an individual until they pass away. He was quite an innovator and, like Bill Gates, was a college dropout. He will definitely be missed.
Our final day off this week is today and once again there is nothing special planned. It's nice to have some days like this once in awhile...
Our cell phone contract has expired and Verizon is throwing all kinds of incentives at us to upgrade our phones and commit to another 2 years. I did a lot of research on other options for us and we are going to continue to look at those options before deciding anything. Verizon really messed up our account with all the problems we had with the devices we purchased last year and are looking hard at maybe switching to AT & T. Verizon still has the best network in our opinion, but we need to feel comfortable with their customer service. More on that as we get closer to making an upgrade from our very basic phones.
The potential opportunity at Malibu Beach RV Resort is just about gone. The difference in time zones and work schedules has made it difficult for us to communicate with them. The person performing the hiring works the morning shift there while we are working, and she is home when we are not working. So far, she hasn't wanted to give out her cell phone number and when we tried to contact her yesterday, she didn't return our call. She probably has filled the job and after checking the reviews on the park, we aren't going to lose any sleep over it. Evidently, the staff that they have has a reputation for being rude and uncooperative. That could be why they indicated that "no previous applicants need apply" in their request for resumes. Also, the park reviews indicated that even with the spectacular views on the ocean, the spaces were very close together and they try to squeeze in as many customers as they can. Everything happens for a reason.
It was sad this morning to hear about the passing of Apple founder Steve Jobs. You never know about all the accomplishments of an individual until they pass away. He was quite an innovator and, like Bill Gates, was a college dropout. He will definitely be missed.
Our final day off this week is today and once again there is nothing special planned. It's nice to have some days like this once in awhile...
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
New Experience at Work
It was a long day for our overtime day yesterday. The one good aspect of the day was that we were able to get some experience in an area we hadn't worked before. The day went along as a normal day until about 2 PM when both Josie and I were asked to stop stowing our existing cart merchandise to go to the high security HRV (High Risk Value) area to stow the most valuable items in the warehouse. This is an area that is on the 4th level of the warehouse and very secure with locks and gates that require a special clearance to access. All of the items that exceed a certain retail value are stored here to prevent employee theft which is always a problem. We went to the security area, filled out special clearance forms, had our manager sign the forms and then proceeded to the area. They even require all personnel that are working the area to remove all jewelry that they are wearing and place them in a lock box at the entry until they finish. The items we stowed were mostly expensive watches or rings, some of which were multiple carats, and necklaces of all kinds that were valued in the thousands of dollars. It was a very interesting experience that showed us a completely different side of the business. It is difficult to comprehend the total value of all the merchandise that is inventoried at this location. Then, consider that Amazon has several of these distribution centers around the country. Amazing.
We also saw some familiar faces yesterday of people that were just beginning their training sessions for the peak season. The couple that we worked with at Grey's Point in VA were among them. The RV parks are all filling to capacity, and we are told that all of the parks have a waiting list for workampers coming in. There will be many more working this year than last.
There are several projects we have to complete while enjoying our next 2 days of relaxation. There are some that we have been putting off for awhile and the time has come to complete them. So, it's nice to sit back and take it easy for now...
We also saw some familiar faces yesterday of people that were just beginning their training sessions for the peak season. The couple that we worked with at Grey's Point in VA were among them. The RV parks are all filling to capacity, and we are told that all of the parks have a waiting list for workampers coming in. There will be many more working this year than last.
There are several projects we have to complete while enjoying our next 2 days of relaxation. There are some that we have been putting off for awhile and the time has come to complete them. So, it's nice to sit back and take it easy for now...
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Overtime Day Today
It was a difficult day yesterday, physically. For me, it was the 2nd time this week I had to work in the case stowing area where I have to move boxes - some of them heavy - from a storage bin onto my cart (usually between 15 - 20 boxes on a larger than normal cart) to break open, remove the contents, stow the contents in a warehouse bin, break down the empty boxes, toss them in a trash area and move more storage bins using a heavy dolly into the area to repeat the process. Doing this for 10 hours is not easy work. Of course, when we schedule an overtime day we don't know which area we will be assigned to work. I wish we hadn't signed up for the extra day this week.
It was also a frustrating day for Josie who, for the second day this week, was assigned in a "putback" area to stow product. This is frustrating because the content of merchandise on each of her stow carts is returned merchandise from customers and the cart is filled with single products. This means that the stow rate is very low as a result of wasting time to find empty bins in which to place one item, where the normal stow process would be for multiple, duplicate items that allow you to empty your cart much faster. The rules for stowing allow for only 3 different items in a bin, but you can place as many like items as will fit into a bin.
So, knowing all that, it will be a long day for us today. One incentive, aside from the extra money, is knowing it will be the last day of work this week, and there is no way (right now at least) that we will sign up for another overtime day in the next couple weeks. If we have any thought of signing up for the extra day, I need to come back and read this entry. The problem is, we don't know which area we are assigned to work until we show up and read the schedule for the day. We are hoping for a "normal" day today...
It was also a frustrating day for Josie who, for the second day this week, was assigned in a "putback" area to stow product. This is frustrating because the content of merchandise on each of her stow carts is returned merchandise from customers and the cart is filled with single products. This means that the stow rate is very low as a result of wasting time to find empty bins in which to place one item, where the normal stow process would be for multiple, duplicate items that allow you to empty your cart much faster. The rules for stowing allow for only 3 different items in a bin, but you can place as many like items as will fit into a bin.
So, knowing all that, it will be a long day for us today. One incentive, aside from the extra money, is knowing it will be the last day of work this week, and there is no way (right now at least) that we will sign up for another overtime day in the next couple weeks. If we have any thought of signing up for the extra day, I need to come back and read this entry. The problem is, we don't know which area we are assigned to work until we show up and read the schedule for the day. We are hoping for a "normal" day today...
Monday, October 3, 2011
More Cold Weather
This is way too early to be in the 30's. Yesterday's low was 39 and today will be close to that since it is 43 right now, and the low doesn't seem to occur until after we leave for work around 6 AM. We ordered a small space heater from Amazon - Lasko 7542 - to help with keeping down the propane costs. Since electric is free, it makes sense to use it as much as possible. Last year, we were filling our propane tank about once a week. This year we hope to stretch those refills to at least every couple weeks. Propane costs have risen along with the regular fuel prices and the small space heater will more than pay for itself in a couple weeks use. Watch now, it will go back up to 85 next week. We hope so, but we'll be ready for the cold weather in Nov - Dec.
We had a surprise message yesterday when we got home from work. About a week ago, we had inquired about a workamping opportunity at a place in Southern CA - Malibu Beach RV Resort. The message was from them asking us to contact them about coming to work there. Our plans right now for the winter months - at least beyond Jan - are still up in the air. Our commitment here precludes any job starting before the first of the year. The folks at Malibu Beach probably need to fill the openings before Jan, but it is nice to think about going there for a few months. Who knows, it still could happen. We'll talk to them today as soon as we get home.
The overtime day that we scheduled for tomorrow is looming very large right now. We're both tired and ready for more time off. For sure, next week will be a 3 day break with no overtime. It is important to pace ourselves with this overtime and not get caught up in the extra money. Our health is obviously more important. Besides, there will be plenty of overtime once the peak season begins in early November. That's about it for now...
We had a surprise message yesterday when we got home from work. About a week ago, we had inquired about a workamping opportunity at a place in Southern CA - Malibu Beach RV Resort. The message was from them asking us to contact them about coming to work there. Our plans right now for the winter months - at least beyond Jan - are still up in the air. Our commitment here precludes any job starting before the first of the year. The folks at Malibu Beach probably need to fill the openings before Jan, but it is nice to think about going there for a few months. Who knows, it still could happen. We'll talk to them today as soon as we get home.
The overtime day that we scheduled for tomorrow is looming very large right now. We're both tired and ready for more time off. For sure, next week will be a 3 day break with no overtime. It is important to pace ourselves with this overtime and not get caught up in the extra money. Our health is obviously more important. Besides, there will be plenty of overtime once the peak season begins in early November. That's about it for now...
Sunday, October 2, 2011
BBQ at State Park
Following our normal workday yesterday, we went to a BBQ that our friends Sue and Roger were having at the Green River State Park where they are staying. It was close to 5:30 by the time we took showers and headed out to the park which is 5 miles away. It brought back some memories - mostly good - about the time we spent there last year. It is definitely better to have the grassy sites vs crushed rock where we are, but we sure like the convenience and 50 amp service plus full hookups that we enjoy at our park this year. The BBQ was great fun and was attended by several other folks, including a couple ladies that are traveling alone and waiting to start work at Amazon this week. We saw the deer family that we saw regularly last year while traveling in and out of the park, but the pictures we took of them were blurred, so we won't publish those. Below are a couple of pictures I took while there. The first is of Roger cooking:
Sue was inside getting things ready for dinner. The others in the picture are Valerie (Scott's wife), Vicky (single lady starting at Amazon this week) Josie and Scott. Scott and Valerie are friends from last year and are staying at our park until their other friends arrive later in the week, after which they will move back to the State Park. The second picture is at the table, eating:
Roger and Sue are at the end of the table, and the second single lady joined us (the blonde haired lady next to Vicky). It was very cool - in the 50's - so that's why we were all bundled up. That's Vicky's motor home in the picture in which she travels alone (along with the little Chevy that she tows behind). It was a fun evening, and we left shortly after 8 PM to come home.
It was a little later going to bed last night, but not enough to cause a major problem for today. We decided to work another overtime day this Tuesday, so we will sign up for that today. It is again cold this morning - 41 degrees - and it is still dropping. What happened to Fall?
Sue was inside getting things ready for dinner. The others in the picture are Valerie (Scott's wife), Vicky (single lady starting at Amazon this week) Josie and Scott. Scott and Valerie are friends from last year and are staying at our park until their other friends arrive later in the week, after which they will move back to the State Park. The second picture is at the table, eating:
Roger and Sue are at the end of the table, and the second single lady joined us (the blonde haired lady next to Vicky). It was very cool - in the 50's - so that's why we were all bundled up. That's Vicky's motor home in the picture in which she travels alone (along with the little Chevy that she tows behind). It was a fun evening, and we left shortly after 8 PM to come home.
It was a little later going to bed last night, but not enough to cause a major problem for today. We decided to work another overtime day this Tuesday, so we will sign up for that today. It is again cold this morning - 41 degrees - and it is still dropping. What happened to Fall?
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Goodbye September
We can't say we're sorry to see September end. Aside from getting us a month closer to ending our commitment, it was a wet and windy month. The month ended with 6.50" of rain over 19 days. That's a lot of rain days for a place that isn't in the Pacific Northwest. Of course, we had a hurricane and a tropical storm contribute to that total, so it probably isn't a normal month. It is like a switch was thrown though, as today - the first day of October - is very cool (47 degrees) and it looks like the hot days of summer are officially gone. We actually turned the heater on this morning for the first time.
The big news on the football front from Naperville is that Austin and his team had another stellar game. They won their game 55-7 and Austin ran for 197 yards on 16 carries and had 4 touchdowns. What an exciting year! He is running up some awesome stats for the year. We wish we could be there every week to watch him play.
Tonight after work we go to the State Park to have a BBQ dinner with some friends. It will be nice to see the park again as that's where we stayed last year while working here. We aren't sorry we are here though. The 50 amp service and full hookups make a huge difference here, not to mention the extra convenience of being close to town and directly across the street from work. Speaking of work, it's time to get ready...
The big news on the football front from Naperville is that Austin and his team had another stellar game. They won their game 55-7 and Austin ran for 197 yards on 16 carries and had 4 touchdowns. What an exciting year! He is running up some awesome stats for the year. We wish we could be there every week to watch him play.
Tonight after work we go to the State Park to have a BBQ dinner with some friends. It will be nice to see the park again as that's where we stayed last year while working here. We aren't sorry we are here though. The 50 amp service and full hookups make a huge difference here, not to mention the extra convenience of being close to town and directly across the street from work. Speaking of work, it's time to get ready...
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