More Prep

We gathered up the things we wanted to take to storage and emptied the small shed that we used here at the site. It was one of the quickest trips we have taken to storage and we were in and out within 10 minutes. We went and visited Carole in her new home here and said our goodbyes to her. Josie then spent a good part of the day cleaning out the Jeep and washing it, and I took the truck to TNT Carwash in Surprise for a mini-detail. The truck needed a good cleaning, inside and out, so the carwash was a better option with its size. It is now spick-and-span and ready to go after I stopped at Fry's and filled the gas tank with diesel that I got for .30 off per gallon with the Fry's rewards. Even with the discount, the fuel was $3.59 per gallon. Two hundred dollars later I stopped the fueling and was still 17 gallons short of filling both tanks. There is plenty to last us for at least the first two legs of our trip.

The last full day, today, will be spent putting away our things inside the fifth wheel, plus packing up the grill and we should be ready to go. We plan to leave around 9 or 10 AM tomorrow, so there is still no rush to finish up the packing.

Happy Easter Everybody !!

Slammed!

We were excited to be putting in our final day of work for spring training yesterday. I took the camera, expecting many opportunities to take some photos during our anticipated easy ballgame. The projected attendance for the game was only 2300 fans for the final game between the Cleveland Indians and the KC Royals. I arrived at the stadium at our prescribed time (9 AM) for the final game. There was a truck loading vehicles from some of the ballplayers to be shipped to wherever they were headed following the game:

This was the second day in a row where these trucks were located with many of the vehicles sitting there to be loaded and transported. This area is where we enter the ballpark to work and is also where the ballplayers enter their clubhouses.

The walk to our check-in station is a short one, and Joanne Raines was sitting in her usual seat checking in all the workers for the day:

This is where we pick up our shirts and clock in for the day. Jo is also one of the cashiers that works in our stand.

As I am always the first one to the stand for the day's setup procedure, I had lots of time to snap a couple shots of our stand. The first is of the kitchen area where all of our food is prepared:

followed by the front, sales area:

It's pretty obvious that the stand is a huge one and is the largest in the stadium, located right behind home plate.

It takes quite a bit of preparation each day to get ready for the game. We usually have about an hour between the time we are ready for the game until it actually starts. There were some special procedures to follow yesterday for the final game so that the management could come into the stand and take a final inventory following the game.

The game started and we were ready for the final day. Here's one last shot of the stand as the fans began lining up for the food:

Then it happened. We got slammed! The light crowd of 2300 that was expected turned out to be almost 7,000 fans, and we were not prepared for the long lines that developed and remained throughout the game. It turns out that following the third inning, fans were admitted free, and the crowd swelled to the unexpected total. We ran out of several items - peanuts, pretzels, water - and some other small items and we were working non-stop the entire game. The casual and fun day that we expected turned out to be our toughest test of the season. We were happy to see it end, and fortunately, it only took 2 1/2 hours for the Royals to beat the Indians, 5-1.

It's on to the next chapter for us. There are some chores to complete before we leave on Monday morning and we are looking forward to heading out for Laughlin and a little relaxation. It's hard to believe that our 5 months in AZ is coming to a close...

Diamondbacks Visit

The estimated crowd for yesterday's game between the Diamondbacks and the Rangers was 4500 fans. The actual attendance was over 7200, and we wondered who comes up with these projections. With the area home team (Diamondbacks) playing, you would think that the they would get the attendance estimate closer to reality. Anyway, the game went pretty fast - won by the Diamondbacks, 9-3, in just over 2 3/4 hours - and we were both home before 4:30. That was the next to last game of the season and we are starting to run out of key food items. We have received our last supply of peanuts and we will definitely run out of those during our final game today between the Cleveland Indians and the Royals.

The final game today starts one hour earlier - 12:05 PM - so we expect to get home earlier this afternoon. The season will end, and we will get our food service cards back and the deposits back that we left for our visors which we will return following the game. Josie will also get $10 back for the deposit she gave for her shirt so that she could wear her own each game. I chose to use a different shirt each day which Aramark has laundered, so I didn't have to leave a deposit. Our final paychecks will be mailed to us next week.

It's still too early to determine if we will return again next year. Since we are planning to stay at Lake Pleasant, we would most likely change to the stadium in Peoria if we return next year. Also, we decided that if we return, we would only apply for working 4 days per week instead of the 5 that we worked this year. All of those plans are subject to change.

We are about ready to leave as most of our chores are done and we only have to make one last trip to our storage unit before our departure on Monday. We will gas up the vehicles and probably get them washed before Monday and we will also try to wash the fifth wheel so that we can start out with a clean rig. The winter season is rapidly coming to a close for us...

Night Game

The last night game of the schedule was last night. It was a game between the Cubs and the KC Royals that ended in a 9-9 tie, and took 3 1/2 hours to complete. I mentioned previously that our stand closes down after the 8th inning because we are the largest stand and it gives us more time to count inventory and close than the other, smaller concession stands. As a result, I was finished all of my duties and out of the stadium before the game was called at the end of 10 innings. The game started at 6:05 and I was home by 9:45. It was just another game with all offense and very little pitching. It's hard for me to understand how any of these teams are going to fare well during the regular season with such poor pitching. At this time of the spring training season, the teams should be in regular season mode to get a feel for their capabilities with the regular, starting players.

Two games to go and we are already running out of some foods. Last night, we ran out of soft pretzels and ice cream, and we are told that there will be no more for the remaining games. They did, however, surprise us with a new offering - Cracker Jack. How can you explain a new food offering with only a few games remaining? It makes you wonder why we were not given this product earlier in the season.

We are working with the fun crew these last few games so it is a joy to go to work. The final game tomorrow will start one hour earlier than normal. Maybe the teams are as anxious to get back on the road as we all are. Actually, the season is ending just as the heat is beginning to rise into the not-so-comfortable range. It has been in the high 80's all week, and the 90's are not far away...

Disappointing Progress

I was only able to complete one box for shredding yesterday. The one box was one that contained documents from our homes in WA and old Univac documents. They all required lots of reading before deciding whether to keep them, shred them or just tear them up and discard them. Josie went to the Salon to get some work done while I struggled with the shredding chore. I had really hoped to get through at least half of the five or six boxes that are remaining. Of course, we also took time out to go shopping for groceries that took us to Sam's Club and Fry's and that took out another hour and a half from the day. I will have to step it up today to get more done and closer to completion.

Our game today is a night game which means we have until 3 PM to get things done. Josie will get some laundry done while I make another attempt at consolidating our old files. I'm also thinking about doing some more work on our taxes but that thought is just a fleeting one. I think I'll wait until we get closer to the 15th of April before finishing that unpleasant task.

We only have two more full days off before we leave here on Monday, the 1st of April. The three games remaining on the spring training schedule should be average attendance with no surprises. At least that's what we are told by the manager, and we work with our fun crew the rest of the way which sure helps make it more enjoyable...

Another Visit to Storage

We took stock of what was left in our little storage shed here at the site and began the final disposition of everything inside. We also sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful day while going through all the magazines and other material we have been collecting inside the fifth wheel to make sure that only recent and necessary material would go with us. The added weight that all these magazines, pamphlets and other printed materials results in an unnecessary load to haul. There are only a few more areas that we need to clean and that chore is completed.

There are still four boxes left to shred and everything else was taken to our storage unit, including extra chairs that we have been hauling around that contribute to the excess weight. We figure that one more, final trip to our storage unit will end the clean-out process and we will be traveling lighter than we have since we acquired the rig. If we could only get rid of everything in the storage unit and save that cost every month. We keep threatening to get rid of everything and eliminate the unit, but we keep adding stuff to it which is like saying you are going to lose weight while eating ice cream every day. It won't happen unless we get serious about it. Someday.

We'll try to take advantage of another day off today by eliminating as much of the shredding as possible. Josie will do laundry while I tackle that job and we should be able to relax for our final days off this weekend before heading out...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PATTY !!!

Better Outcome

We finally had a "normal" game yesterday. It only took 2 1/2 hours for the Rangers to beat the Cincinnati Reds, 7-2, in front of over 7100 fans. Business was brisk, but not overwhelming, as Josie was able to leave by 3:30 and I arrived home before 5 PM last night. It was also our final weekend game which means we are done with that crew. The only games remaining are a night game on Wednesday, and two day games on Thursday and Friday. The weekday crew is much better to work with and we will enjoy the last few games because of that. We leave Surprise, headed for WA and our summer schedule, one week from today.

There are chores to do and some last minute organizing before we can say we are ready to go. Mostly, it is taking more "stuff" to storage and getting our closets ready for the warmer weather. There really isn't a whole lot more to do, so maybe we can also throw in some fun times and relaxation during our remaining days off. There are a few things we need to get from Costco or Sam's Club and we will get back to doing our regular workouts at the fitness center which have been lagging during our work days. With only one week to go, there isn't a whole lot of time left for much else...

Another Donnybrook

Just when I think it is time for a low scoring, pitchers duel, we get another donnybrook. The game yesterday was won by the Royals over the Diamondbacks, 11-10. That now makes a total of 63 runs scored in the last three games. It was more like a batting practice session than a serious game. No pitcher that played in the game was able to get the other side out 1-2-3 in any inning. All that does is drag the game out to a long, tiring day for us. You would think at this part of the Spring Training season that teams would be playing their starters to get a feel for how the team will play at the starting gate for the season, which is little more than a week away. If they are playing their starters, it's going to be a long season for the pitchers.

The attendance was listed at over 6600 fans and they were hungry and thirsty the entire game. We did a very good volume of business - nearly $10K - and that's what our employer wants to see. The game today between the Reds and the Rangers will not be as large a crowd and we are hoping for a quick game, an old fashioned pitchers duel. It is also our last Sunday of baseball, and the last day I have to work with this crew that is so different and inferior to to the weekday crew. Four games to go, and it's sayonara.

No Pitching

For two consecutive games now, the pitching has taken the day off for each game. We had 23 runs scored yesterday and 19 the day before for a total of 42 runs in two games (10-9, 14-9). As a result, the games went almost 3 1/2 hours each, resulting in longer days for us. I would like to know where the pitching got to as both teams were spending way too much time changing pitchers in what seemed like every inning. Maybe it's a conspiracy so that the fans will have more time to buy beer and food. It was difficult going into work at 9:45 yesterday after not getting home until 10:30 the night before. This has been the longest week so far and there are still two games to go, today and tomorrow, before we get a break for our days off.

The final games are next week where we have a night game on Wednesday, followed by normal day games on Thursday and Friday to end the season. In some ways it seemed like a long Spring Training season, and in other ways, the time seemed to go fast. It always goes fast when you look back on time, but never is fast while you are living it. We only have just over a week left before leaving.

There are some things to do regarding boxes remaining in the shed here on the site. I have just a couple more to shred and there are boxes we need to take to storage that contain clothes we won't need for the next 7 months. We will be just about ready to head out once we get that job completed...

First Night Game

We left for work yesterday at 2:45 PM. That is normally the time we are looking to end the game. Josie and I drove to work together for the first time since she doesn't like driving at night and we thought we would be leaving pretty close to the same time last night. The game was a near sellout, and the Rangers pulled out a 10-9 victory over the LA Angels in the bottom of the ninth. Because so many runs were being scored, the game dragged on and on and on. It didn't end until after 9 PM and it was 10:30 before we got home last night. The long game produced our biggest night of the season at the registers with nearly $13K in sales. I ran all night long making sure we didn't run out of any food item, and the night was a success from that standpoint.

There are only six games to go, so it gets easier to go to work. It could be a very enjoyable time if we only had a complete crew of good workers. Our problem every shift is that we have a couple of young kids that don't want to work and we have to keep a fire lit under them to get any kind of help. It's a sad state of affairs to know that every young person at our work needs a lesson in work ethics.

Spring is definitely here. The temps routinely go into the mid to high 80's now, and the 90's are just around the corner. We will be "heading out of Dodge" just in time for the really hot weather to arrive. It's tough to get ready to go back into work following the late night game, but we will survive...

Back to Work

It was another busy game at the stadium yesterday. The game between the Dodgers and Royals brought out a medium size crowd. The official attendance was 5709, but it seemed like 15,709. The people that were there sure were hungry. We did a lot of business. It was another game that was slow and didn't end until after 4 PM. That meant a late departure for us, with an arrival home - for me - at around 5:30 last night.

Josie went to visit her brother following her earlier departure from the game. We had wanted to visit him before, but he hasn't been doing too well and was recently moved to an assisted living facility. He has had several more, smaller strokes within the last few months. He is to the point where he requires constant care and therapy so he was moved there for that purpose. We both will try to visit him again before we leave on the 1st of April.

We received another jolt this morning when we learned that a friend of ours, June Pinkston, has died suddenly. You may remember when she and her husband, Dave, came to Jackson Hole last summer to visit us from Cody. She was much too young to pass away. We don't have any details yet, but saw the announcement from another friend on Facebook this morning. We did see where she was ill the last several months but never thought it was that serious. One never knows when it's time to leave this world of ours.

Our game today is the first of two night games that we have remaining on the schedule. I go into work at 3 PM and Josie follows at 3:30. The game begins at 6:05 PM and will probably mean that I will get home after 9 PM. That's OK except we follow tonight's game with another day game tomorrow. Seven more games and we're done...

Visiting With Friends

We took the Jeep into the Performance Transmission shop at 8 AM yesterday to have the work done to re-seal the transfer case. They needed the whole day to do the job, so we spent the rest of the day without our economical vehicle.

There was a message from our friends, Scott and Valerie Anderson, that we met and worked with at Amazon.com for two years. They are working the Spring Training games at Tempe Stadium where the Angels play their games, and are staying in a campground in Mesa. While talking with Scott, he indicated that he and Val would love to take the drive from Mesa to Surprise to visit us. Josie and I went to the store and got some things for a BBQ lunch and we waited for them to arrive at between 12 and 1 PM. At 12:45 they pulled into our space and we had a great afternoon visiting and catching up on where we have all been, and where we are going next. It was fun catching up on our other friends and it turns out they will be working at a small store in Yellowstone this summer. That was great news as it gives us another stop in Yellowstone this summer when we visit that park during our stay in Wyoming.

We did some burgers on the grill and had some cole slaw and potato salad - Fry's variety - and enjoyed some watermelon for dessert. It was just comfortable outside - temps in the mid 80's - while we sat on our patio:

At 4 PM we had to break up the visit to go and pick up the Jeep before the shop closed at 5 PM. We will definitely meet again this summer and enjoy at least one more visit with these nice folks.

The shop owner told us that the transmission is excellent and should last a long time. The seals were replaced and we were good to go.

Today begins our last full week of games and we expect a huge crowd again as the Dodgers are playing the Royals. Last week, when they played the Rangers, we had our largest crowd of the season. I hope that the stand is prepared to handle the load with plenty of backup foods already prepared. We'll find out soon enough...

Vehicle Maintenance

We now have two vehicles with nitrogen in the tires. We took the truck to S & S Tire yesterday and it took almost two hours to exchange the air in all six tires to nitrogen. We also had them check the Jeep for a small leak under the mid section of the vehicle. It turned out to be a seal (gasket) in the transfer case that is deteriorating. That is a normal occurrence and we will take it to a transmission shop this morning to have the transfer case re-sealed. That will run another $350 but it is still cheaper than a car payment. The guy at S & S Tire that recommended the transmission shop said we should get 300K miles out of our Jeep, and we hope he is right. We have nearly 120K on it now, and it is running as strong now as the day we purchased it in 2005.

There wasn't much else that we did yesterday except that Josie did laundry and I scanned some photos into my system to send to Brian. These were photos of Pop when he was in the Army/Air Force at Hickam Field in Hawaii at the start of WW II. He was a handsome dude back in those days. Below is one of those old photos:

It's hard to believe that it has been almost 30 years since he passed away at the early age of 62.

There are some boxes of documents that I hope to get shredded today which will bring us closer to readiness for our departure on the 1st of April. Another trip to the storage unit between now and the time we leave will be just about all we need to do. There are only 12 days to go before saying so-long to Happy Trails here in Surprise...

Great St Patrick's Day

The projection for yesterday's game was 3800 fans and the projection was way off. The game between the White Sox and Royals had at least 7,000 fans and we were very busy most of the game.
It ended a little later than usual - about 3:45 - and I thought if I did all the inventory counts quickly that I could get out at a decent time to go to Brian and Amy's home for St Patrick's Day dinner. No such luck. It took what seemed like forever for the General Manager to begin the checkout process for the concession stands and I didn't get out until around 5:15. I rushed home to freshen up for dinner and we left for Brian's at 5:45 for the 6 PM dinner. Alas, in my rush to get out of work, I forgot to pick up my drivers license that we turn in each morning as security for the uniform shirt that we wear each day. So, we had to make a stop at the stadium and take a chance that somebody would still be there. To make it even worse, as we entered the Jeep to leave, the low gas light was on so we had to stop for gas. We finally arrived for dinner at close to 7 PM.

We had a wonderful dinner and visit with the family. Brian, Amy, George, Chery and Amy's parents Sally and Jay were all there. Of course, they had already eaten and we were grateful that the food was left out for our late meal. I had my first scotch of the year and Josie and I enjoyed a delicious corn beef and cabbage dinner. We talked and visited until almost 9 PM when we left. I was able to get everybody in a good picture following dinner:

It will most likely be the last time we see them before leaving on the first of April. Brian had his computer at the table and we were able to see the updated web site for Western Michigan University where Austin begins his exciting college years. He is already listed on the football roster for this year and we were able to see the full schedule of games for the coming year. Brian also had many pictures of the family - some of my mother and father that I haven't seen before. It was a fun time, to say the least. I will try to get some more of the old pictures I have to Brian before we leave so that he can create a CD of all of them for the whole family to enjoy.

We're marching on to the end of the winter stay here and will get more work done today on our vehicles to make sure they are in top shape for our summer journeys...

Largest Crowd

The crowd for yesterday's game was suppose to be the largest so far of the season. It did not disappoint. The projection was for 8800 fans and the announcement on the P.A. system stated the crowd was 10,600. It was non-stop lines at our concession from about 12:30 to 3 PM. It easily was the busiest that we have been all season and we finished with over $12K in business. The really good news is that we didn't run out of anything during the entire game which says that our prep the day before was right on. It was a pretty fast game and was over before 3:30, even though I didn't get home until after 5 PM as a result of post game duties. Today, we have the Chicago White Sox playing the KC Royals. This should be a much slower day than yesterday.

This is also the next to the last Sunday we will work which is good since we don't care much about working with the weekend crew we have. With only 9 games left on our schedule, there is only one more weekend of games. It doesn't seem like we have been here for 5 months already, but we are looking forward to the next 6 months. People will start leaving the area any day now for their summer destinations. Most will be gone by the middle of April when the real heat begins to arrive in this area.

It will be a "normal" day at the ballpark, if there is such a thing. We look forward to visiting with family at Brian and Amy's for St Patrick's Day dinner. They are also having George and Cheryl and Amy's folks there for dinner. That will probably be our last visit with family before we head out on the first of April.

Have a great St Patrick's Day everybody...

Prepping forToday

Our day at work yesterday was spent preparing for today's game more than making sure that everything went smoothly for the game between the Padres and the Royals. The big game today is between the Dodgers and the Rangers and the game is sold out which means we will have the largest crowd yet. The stadium holds 8600 fans, not including the grassy areas in the outfield, and we expect between 9 - 10K fans at the game. We loaded up our speed racks with popcorn bags, nacho bowls, peanut tubs and bags, and chip bowls, so we feel we are ready for the big crowd. We also have enough hot dogs, Polish Sausage and Brats already cooked to throw on the warmer for quick availability. This will be the first time we will see the Dodgers at the stadium and the forecast is for temperatures in the 80's which is perfect for a ball game. Our fingers are crossed for a successful day.

The biggest difference between working yesterday and today is the crew that works on weekends. There are a couple folks - young people - that are a problem for us. They want to just stand around, watch the game, and not do any work. The work ethic is very different for these young people vs the older, workamper type employees. They seem to just want to be there and get paid for standing around when there is lots of (obvious) work to be done. For example, they have to be told to do simple replacements of certain condiments when it is clear that they need to be refreshed. Oh well, it is what it is and we deal with them.

The day will certainly be interesting if nothing else. I hope to have a report of a huge, successful day in tomorrow's entry...

Welcomed Day Off

The lone open date on the Spring Training schedule was welcome and came at a good time. I took our truck to S & S Tire here in Surprise to get the tires rotated for the first time. I only have 28K miles on the truck, but wear was beginning to show on the outside edge of a couple of the tires and it was time. The original quote I had from them was for $150 for all six tires but when I arrived, we determined that there were only four tires that needed to be dismounted and remounted. The other two would be switched on their existing rims from the outside rear of the dually configuration. The new quote was for $225 for four tires and I explained that the previous quote was much less for all six tires. Evidently, the gentleman that gave the original quote was wrong and they compensated by taking $25 off the bill. As a result of not requiring new valve stems, the total came to $179. I talked to them about switching to nitrogen instead of air. We made that switch on our Jeep some time ago when we replaced those tires and are happy with the difference. The truck would run $15 per tire for nitrogen replacement, so I scheduled that for our next day off on Monday. The tires run a lot cooler, have less expansion in hot weather and wear more evenly with nitrogen. Also, we have not had any warning of low tire pressure since we switched to nitrogen in the Jeep. We used to put more air in those tires about once a month. We will also get a checkup performed on our Jeep at that time on Monday. We then should be ready to roll for the summer.

The other completed task yesterday was to finalize our trip arrangements to WA, beginning on April 1. We will stay in Laughlin, NV on the 1st, Ely, NV on the 2nd, Hagerman, ID on the 3rd, Hermiston, OR on the 4th and arrive in Chehalis WA at the Thousand Trails preserve on the 5th. The maximum distance is 350 miles on one day but otherwise we kept the travel under 300 miles per day which we like to do. We will stay in Chehalis until the 8th when we relocate to the Thousand Trails preserve in La Conner, WA for the rest of April until we fly to Chicago to Patty's at the end of the month. We will place the fifth wheel in the storage facility at the the La Conner preserve while we are gone and will return on May 8th and spend another couple days in La Conner before heading out to WY for the summer. It should be fun. We will travel route 93 through eastern NV which is a route we've never taken and will pick up I-84 in ID.

It's back to work today for the next three days. There are only two weeks left so we are counting down the time before we pull up stakes and move on once again. It was 99 degrees here yesterday and it looks like we went right through Spring and into Summer without a pause as it is going to be hot again today...

Heart of Schedule

It appears that every game from here on out the rest of the Spring Training season will be very busy. Yesterday's game between the Mariners and Royals - won 3-2 by the Royals - was almost as busy as our day Sunday when we had to hustle to keep from running out of food items. The difference was that yesterday we were prepared. I had every person concentrate on filling our speed rack - the portable shelves in our kitchen area that hold the extra items like Nachos, Family Buckets, popcorn bags, etc - prior to the start of the game. I also had the kitchen crew make as many hot dogs, polish sausage sandwiches, brats and kids dogs as possible and kept them in the warmer until needed. We handled the crowd with no problems whatsoever, and we didn't fall short of any food item during the entire game. Our weekday crew is also better than the weekend crew which helped. With two weeks to go, we will be challenged at every game.

Today is the lone open date for the season. We have lots of chores scheduled, starting with dropping off the truck to have the six tires rotated. It is a major job and will take a couple hours since each tire needs to be dismounted and remounted as a result of the type of tire and the type of rims. It will be worth the effort and cost.

Josie received a message from the General Manager of Phoenix Flower Shops - Alex Jackson - who knows her well and knows what she can do. He tried to talk her into staying through mid May by offering almost full time work. Of course, we have already made plans that we can't change at this point. It was left that she will call him next winter when we return to this area, and he will set her up with a full part-time job for the whole winter and will extend our stay into May of next year - following Mother's Day. It's nice to know that they appreciate her work and work ethic enough to accommodate her schedule.

It hit 95 degrees yesterday - at 6:30 PM - to set the high temperature so far this year. It will be in the 90's for the next few days so it looks like air conditioner time once again...

Basement Cleaning

The main goal yesterday was to empty, clean and reorganize our basement in the fifth wheel. Mission accomplished. It's a good thing that we tackled this job before it really heated up during the afternoon. Below are a few shots of the progress during the task. Starting with this shot taken during the emptying of the basement:

We used a table from the gazebo on the space to help organize everything into categories where we separated items into groups to be placed in storage containers. There were lots of loose items that are now organized in containers. When everything was out, Josie took the vacuum and did the final cleanup before loading everything back into the basement:

We threw lots of stuff away and took some out to take to storage. We are now ready to travel for the summer months ahead. The only task left for me is to do the final shredding on the few boxes remaining in the shed here on the site.

Our neighbor offered to rent this same space to us next winter for the same price he charged us this year. The problem with jumping on that offer is that he plans to have lots and lots of construction on the space while he adds an outdoor kitchen, new shed and cover for the space which will occur throughout the winter next year. I don't think we want to be part of all the noise, dust and disruption that comes with that construction - at any price. So, it looks like we will keep our reservation at Lake Pleasant and pay the extra $50 per month for our chosen space there. The electric is included in the rate at Lake Pleasant so the difference in cost is nominal. We will certainly miss the convenience to everything that we enjoy now, but the location is much prettier and quiet than here at Happy Trails. Of course, things can happen to change any plans, so we'll see how it goes.

It's back to work today - for one day - before we enjoy the only open date on the schedule tomorrow. The Mariners are playing the Royals again today, so we expect a large crowd. These are the top two teams so far in the Cactus League, and with the warmer weather it will bring out a lot more fans than normal...

Spring Training Notes

There was an article in this morning's AZ Republic newspaper about the attendance at the Spring Training games this year. First of all, the games started 8 days earlier than usual as a result of the World Baseball Classic that is underway in Phoenix right now. That has taken many players from the different team rosters and is the reason the season has been extended. Another reason is the "foul" weather with snow covering some stadiums at the beginning of the earlier games. The weather has also been colder than normal so far as we reach the halfway point. Attendance is down by one third according to the article and the highest drawing team so far is the Giants with an average of 9708 fans per game. The lowest drawing stadium to date is the one in Goodyear where the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians are drawing an average of 3091 fans per game. The Baseball Classic has drawn over 115K fans and, as mentioned, is taking fans away from the regular games. What it means for us though, is that we get an extra week of work and the added income.

We made a trip to our storage unit yesterday and took a truckload of boxes to be stored - mostly Christmas decorations. There are still some things we will take on another trip after we reorganize our basement. That is on today's agenda. The extra day off this week will be a good time to catch up on some more chores we need to get done before packing up to leave. I also want to get the tires on the truck rotated but have to shop around for the best deal. The Ford dealer wants wants over $200 for the job which is complicated as a result of the duallies and the high pressure tires. Not every tire shop can handle the job as I found out yesterday when I stopped at the local Discount Tire store and discovered they were not certified to handle the job. They recommended a small, private tire shop not too far from here where they are certified. I remember that shop - S & S Tire - form last year where I stopped to get air in the truck tires which was complicated because of the difficulty in getting to the inside valve on the rear duallie wheels.

Temperatures are rising and it may very well turn out that we need the air conditioner on fairly soon. It is expected to reach into the 90's by the end of the week. Last week we couldn't stay warm enough, and this week we will not be able to stay cool enough. Comes with the territory...

Slammed!

The game yesterday between the LA Angels and Kansas City Royals was a sluggfest. The Royals won 17-11 and it seemed like neither team had any pitcher that could get an out. Both teams scored in nearly every inning and the game was the longest, by far, of any so far this Spring. We got slammed at the concession as there were lines almost the whole game. We finished with over $10K of business and it was the biggest challenge so far to make sure we didn't run out of anything. I learned a lot about how to prepare for large crowds and now with the Spring Training games at their peak attendance for the rest of the month, we will be ready to handle the larger crowds from now on. The only real problem yesterday was that we had two CO2 cylinders go empty at the same time and the cashiers had to use dispense sodas from a just a few stations. We have seven cashiers at one time, and only half the stations had soda for a period of time during the peak rush while the cylinders were replaced. It was also a game that didn't end until well after 4 PM which is about an hour longer than we have had before. We're glad it's over and that we have a couple of days now to relax and rest up for this week.

Our goal today is to get some of the boxes transferred to our storage unit from our shed here at the site. We expect to visit the storage unit several times since we still have to reorganize our basement. As time is rapidly running out, we only have a few days left to get these chores done. Fortunately, we have an extra day this week as we have no game scheduled for Thursday.

The weather is getting much better and we expect to be in the 90's before the end of the week...

Final Taste of Winter

The low pressure area that brought all the rain and cold weather was stubborn and hung around for a good part of yesterday. The low was 42 and our high was only 58 for the day. We ended up with nearly .50 inches of rain and the winds finally calmed down last night. The forecast now is for summer to suddenly appear as the highs within the next week will reach into the 90's. Go figure.

The game yesterday was between the Oakland A's and the Texas Rangers. It was a large crowd that was hungry and thirsty. We remained busy throughout the whole game up until we closed the concession following the 8th inning. We both agree that the weekday crew is more fun fun to work with than the weekend crew. There are too many people on the weekends that think they know everything and cause confusion and mix-ups during the game. We keep reminding ourselves that it is only for a month, so we hang in there. The job itself is not too bad, but like most other jobs, it is easier when the folks you work with are easy to get along with.

Our final day of the work week is today. This next week will be a short one as we have no game scheduled for Thursday which is the only open date the whole month. That gives us three days off which is great for us. We expect to catch up on our load reducing chores and to pay a couple visits to our storage unit during the upcoming week. With some nicer weather today, we expect another large crowd for the game between the LA Angels and the KC Royals...

Rain Out

The forecast was for rain to begin between 1 and 2 PM yesterday. The skies were not bad all morning and we started work as usual at the regular times. The crowd was noticeably smaller for the game between the Indians and the Royals, probably because the forecast called for an 80% chance of rain - that's almost a certainty. It didn't miss the forecast at all. At about 1:45 and in the top of the 3rd inning, the clouds moved in and started dumping heavy rain. The game was delayed for almost an hour before they finally called it and the people left. We did a fair amount of business during the rain delay - what else could you do while watching it rain except eat and drink? It was around 4 PM by the time Josie and I both finished up and she beat me out the door by about 20 minutes.

The rain is expected to continue - off and on - through the morning today. There will not likely be another rain delay as the storm front is clearing out and the skies look better this morning. It sure brought some cool temperatures - high of 66 and low of 44 - but dumped .32 inches of rain and had some pretty good wind gusts, peaking at over 20 mph. It is now going to warm up again into the 70's and low 80's in time for our days off on Monday and Tuesday.

The only day during the month of March when there is no game scheduled is the 14th, which is next Thursday and gives us an extra day off next week. The time is flying by and before we know it, the Spring Training season will be over.

We received a call from some friends (Scott and Valerie Anderson) that we worked with for 2 years at Amazon.com in Kentucky and they are staying in Mesa while working the Spring Training games in Tempe Stadium. We will try to get together sometime before the season ends and we all go our separate ways again...

Problem Day

The game yesterday between the Mariners and the Royals was the highlight of the day. The Mariners bombed the Royals to give them their first loss of the Spring, 12-2. It is almost scary how good the Mariners look so far. I wish the rest of the day was so positive.

First of all, we fell behind in getting some of our food out and when I went back to the kitchen to find out why, I discovered we had a personnel problem that I was not aware of. It seems that a couple working together don't get along and they are having World War III while at work. Couple that with a third person that thinks she runs the show in the kitchen and we had turmoil. After getting them all to understand that we have to be a team in getting the work out, they got caught up and finished the day with no more conflicts. The couple will be split for the rest of the Spring as the man will be reassigned to another station.

The next issue, and most important one, was that at the end of the day we were short $485. After recounting the inventory and checking the registers for money left behind, we concluded that one of our cashiers is taking money. Of course, there is no way we can watch all eight cashiers, all day long, so it becomes a real problem. The system doesn't have the kind of checks and balances that are required to determine where the shortage occurs. Bad system. I need to discuss the issue with all the cashiers this morning before work begins.

Rain is in the forecast for today but all workers are required to show up for work anyway. Supposedly, rain-outs are rare and the games will go on if at all possible. I kind of hope we get a downpour and the game is called...

Game Draws Big Crowd

First of all, the game yesterday was between the Cubs and the Rangers and not the White Sox and Rangers. I read the schedule we have and it only said that CHI was playing the Rangers and I assumed the White Sox. It made a difference in the crowd as the Cubs always draw a huge fan base in this area. The sales yesterday were the heaviest so far this spring. It was a challenge to keep the levels of all food at the "available" stage during the entire game. We did a great job keeping the lines to a minimum and moving them quickly. Our manager complemented us on our handling of the crowd yesterday. The only regret I have is that I don't get any chance to watch any of the games. The Rangers beat the Cubs 3-2 in what was a great game to watch.

Today's game is between the Mariners and the Royals so it is another game I wish I could watch. The Mariners are tearing up the Cactus league and have only lost one game so far while winning ten. I'm sure they wish it was the regular season. It just may be that this is the year we will see an improvement in the team and maybe they won't finish in last place in their Division. It is a long season beginning in April.

It will be interesting to see if the rain develops that is forecast for Friday. They don't postpone these games unless it really gets bad, so it should be interesting tomorrow. It looks like a nice day again today, so that's all that matters right now...

RV Fixes

We had been noticing a water spot on the ground under where our water heater is located. I investigated that a couple days ago and discovered that the water pressure relief valve was dripping some water following a normal maintenance procedure of opening the valve. The valve was coated with a calcium or lime deposit that occurs over time from using hard water. I went to ACE Hardware yesterday to purchase a liquid that eliminates that corrosion. The problem is that  the corrosion must extend up into the valve where I can't reach, so I will have to replace the valve. The heater works fine, and we don't have any other concerns with it at this point, so I'm looking for a valve replacement that I can get online. As soon as I get a quote on a valve from the manufacturer of the heater, I'll order it and replace the old valve.

As a result of time lost attempting to fix the problem, and the fact that Josie had to do laundry, we didn't get to our goal of cleaning out our basement. That will require emptying everything from the basement storage, sorting through it, and repacking it for our summer travels. There are about 7 or 8 more days off that we can do that chore, so there really isn't any rush at this point.

We also returned our non-slip shoes to Walmart for a refund. It turns out that almost everybody at work wears tennis shoes and the special shoes we bought weren't comfortable anyway, so we got our money back on those. It didn't make much sense to purchase special shoes for a job that we were going to work for only one month. That's probably why not many folks are wearing them. Besides, the tennis shoes serve the same purpose for the non-slip requirement.

It's back to work again today. The game is between the White Sox and the Rangers, so the crowd should not be overwhelming. Actually, we would rather see the large crowds as the time goes faster when we're busy. There are only 3 more weeks of games, so March is moving right along...

Packing Clothes

Our getaway tasks have begun. Yesterday was the day for going through our closets and taking out clothes that we didn't think we would need for the next segment of our travels. We each filled a large plastic container for storage and we lightened the RV load a bit. Our task today is to sort through the basement and also downsize that load that we have traveled with the last few years. I'm hoping that the downsizing will help with our mileage while traveling with the high fuel costs.

The task of sorting our clothes was almost enjoyable as the clothes we packed away were a size that we no longer needed. Our weight loss has made the task easier and we both are glad that our new eating habits are generating more benefit than just plain feeling better. The hope now is that we can maintain our new eating habits permanently and keep off the weight that we are now losing.

We made a trip to Walmart for some items and also picked up groceries at Fry's. Throw in a haircut that I needed and that completes the afternoon of our first day off this week. As mentioned, we will tackle the basement today and be well on our way to achieving the goal of traveling lighter. One more day and it's back to work again tomorrow...

Our Weekend Begins

Four of the five games we worked this past week were followed by collegiate night games. Last night was the last, and we are very happy that it was our last working day for the week. Everything is totally disorganized on the morning following those night games and I am so happy to see that time end. Yesterday was worse than the day before which was worse than the day before that. The inventory was messed up and the place was just plain filthy when I arrived in the morning. As far as I know, those night games are now history. Amen.

There is much to do on our days off. Starting with going through all our clothes, both in our closets and in our basement, to determine which items go with us for the summer. The rest will go into storage. Since we both have been losing weight, it becomes a more difficult decision on what to take and what to leave behind. That is a good problem. We also have to sort out the basement stuff to decide how much we can do without this summer. Then, a trip to storage is in order to place everything there that we don't need and we will be ready to hit the road again - hopefully. There are some odds and ends we need to take care of but we do have several days off to finish those.

We will be staying at Lake Pleasant next year, so any repeat of the Spring Training jobs will probably be at the stadium in Peoria where the Mariners play. We both would rather work Mariners games anyway - along with the San Diego Padres who share the stadium. The Mariners played at our stadium yesterday and beat the Texas Rangers for their 9th win of the spring. It would be nice to see them have a competitive team for a change. We all know that these games don't mean much but they are at least having a taste of winning ways.

I see where some rain has entered the forecast for next weekend so we hope that the games are not impacted by the wet weather. We are told that these games are hardly ever called because of rain, so we will see...

Growing Crowds

The game yesterday was between the Kansas City Royals and the S F Giants. As the Giants are the reigning World Champs, and lots of folks are here from the Bay Area, it brought out the largest crowd so far - over 5,000 fans. Our stand was very busy and we did the most business of the Spring for any one game. The only problem the whole day was at the start when I arrived at the stand to set up for the day. The crew that worked the college game the night before did not clean up or restock anything before they left following the game. I had to deal with the mess they left before I could do my required setup for the day. The cashiers for our games are able to collect tips from customers, and Josie had a great day yesterday. We hope the crowds keep growing and their generosity continues.

Our game today is between the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers so we expect another large crowd. There are many fans here from WA and Texas, so it should be another bell ringer for attendance. If the night crew from last night's game did anything close to their required clean up, it will be a good ending to our work week. Tonight is the final night game that we need to prepare for and close our stand early. It has been a long week, physically, and we are both looking forward to the next two days of relaxation. We will be busy though trying to catch up on tasks that we need to complete prior to our departure. We hope to travel with a much lighter load this summer and we will put, hopefully, lots of unnecessary weight into our storage unit.

All of March - both days so far -have been in the 80's and we expect the same again today. The skies are clear and no rain is in the forecast so it's off to work for the final time this week...

Grinding Through the Week

The good news at work is that the days will be shorter today and tomorrow. Actually, the last two days we closed the concession following the seventh inning to prepare the stand for night games. The ASU baseball team has been playing home games following the Spring Training games at the stadium, Thursday through Sunday. The first game on Thursday night was a disorganized mess. Our stand, which is the largest in the stadium, is the only concession open during those games. In order to prepare for the game, we close out everything and count inventory like it is the end of the day for us. The problem is that there is a whole new crew coming in and nothing is where it should be when I arrive the next day for the regular game. I struggled again yesterday trying to locate some of the inventory and will struggle again today. So, the earlier departure is offset by more work the next day in trying to get organized again. Two more games and we are done with those for the week.

The crowd was larger yesterday and is a sign that March will bring more fans to the games. It is much better to be busy and have lines at the concession than to stand around looking for something to do. Josie is getting comfortable at her job at the cash register and is beginning to like the work. I am still not convinced that this is something I would do again. The responsibilities of being the stand Lead are almost like a corporate job again, and that is not something I want to do at this point in my life. I will need the full season and some time away from the job before I decide. The crews are, for the most part, fun people to work with and it is a pleasant environment, so that is very positive. The fact that there are no breaks and I am on my feet all day is a negative. We'll see.

It is like somebody flipped a switch on the weather. After having only one day above 80 last month, we are headed for our second consecutive day in March of 80 plus. We'll take it, and more...

Tale of the Weather

The weather numbers are in for February. My weather station gives the figures for our specific location in Surprise which could be slightly different from other areas, but is an accurate figure for us. We only had 1 day in February where we reached 80 degrees (13 days in the 70's), we had 15 days where the overnight low dipped into the 30's, and we only had 3 days of measurable rain, totalling less than 1 inch. The bottom line is that the winter has been cooler than normal and we can attest to that with the extra propane we've used for heating this winter. The good news is that, at least for the first week in March, we are warming into the high 70's and low 80's every day.

The workday was a little different yesterday as there was an NCAA baseball game following the regular Spring Training game. That meant we had to close down the concession right after the 7th inning of the game in order to get everything done to turn over the stand to the new crew coming on for the night game. I was out of the park by 4:30 - the earliest yet that I have left for home. We will have the same situation for the next three days and that's fine with me. We do expect the crowds to get larger now that we are into March. Most folks that attend these games come in the month of March and the closer we get to the end, the larger the crowds. That's because it is warmer and the teams will be playing their regular starters in those games. The game yesterday saw the Texas Rangers hammer the Cleveland Indians. That was after the Rangers lost their first 4 games of the Spring. You never can tell how good a team will be during the year by their Spring Training record. It is more of a day in the sun and a chance for the kids to get autographs of the players.

The realization is setting in that we are running out of time to get our tasks done that we hope to complete before leaving. So far, we like to just hang out on our days off, but that mode needs to change if we are going to accomplish our tasks. Three more games before our next two day break...