We remember that this time last year we were in Columbia, CA., at 49er Ranch watching the Super Bowl. At that time, we had a party in the barn room and I ran the "pool" for the game. This year was very different. It was just the 2 of us and we had our own little party. We picked up some veggies and dip and also some buffalo wings to cook for the game. Coupled with some margaritas, we had a nice Super Bowl afternoon. The game was great and it was a good day to be inside with the rain and cool weather that we had all day.
It's still cloudy and cool - 58 this morning - and we are hoping for some sun today. There are a couple errands we need to run and then would like to start on a tan that we have been waiting to do when the weather cooperates.
Our arrangements now are almost complete for the rest of the time we will be here. Reservations were made for another 11 days here at the Thousand Trails park which will take us to April 4th. That is the tentative date for us to head out after my commitment is completed at Disney World. If all goes according to plan, we would have been here over 13 weeks and have had to pay for only 5 of them - and those were at a huge discount - so it wasn't too bad on our wallets as far as space costs go. If we had known how long it was going to take for the jacks repair, we could have planned for another "free" week in early January but we had to be close to Camping World. That's the way it goes. The big decision for us now is where to go from here. We have guaranteed jobs in both Virginia and Wyoming for the summer. That decision will be made very soon...
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Tossed to the Wolves
The first half of the day yesterday at work was spent covering some final details about the turnstiles and their operation. By lunch time at noon we were done and we were then tossed to the wolves, so to speak, and were actually assigned a turnstile at the main entrance. At first, it was a very nervous time as I was expecting unique problems to occur but there weren't any major problems and I got into the routine fairly quickly and enjoyed the assignment. Also, the trainer stood behind us for awhile to help with any unusual problems. The most serious problem was that the turnstiles went offline for about 5 minutes with a software glitch which meant we had to do the ticket checks manually during that time. The day was a good wrap up to our training. My next scheduled day is Saturday and I start at 2 PM and work until 8:30 PM - not the best schedule. I'm still hoping for more, regular hours, and soon.
Florida is called the Sunshine State, but there hasn't been much of that the last few days. Yesterday and last night we had over .10" of rain which doesn't sound like much but it was in the form of a steady drizzle most of the time. We do feel fortunate though as most of the rest of the country is suffering through a lot worse. At least the temperatures are in the pleasant range here - 79 for a high and 57 for the low. The forecast isn't much better but the poor folks in Dallas have taken a big hit, financially, from the weather leading up to today's Super Bowl. My guess is that the people that choose the sites for these games in the future will stay with the almost "guaranteed" nice weather areas of the sun belt - such as Miami, Southern California and Arizona. I hope it's a good game and we will be watching.
The week ahead will be important for us. We will have to finalize our plans for the next year and I will get our taxes done. If we get some sunshine we will also enjoy some outdoor activity of some kind.
Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday everybody...
Florida is called the Sunshine State, but there hasn't been much of that the last few days. Yesterday and last night we had over .10" of rain which doesn't sound like much but it was in the form of a steady drizzle most of the time. We do feel fortunate though as most of the rest of the country is suffering through a lot worse. At least the temperatures are in the pleasant range here - 79 for a high and 57 for the low. The forecast isn't much better but the poor folks in Dallas have taken a big hit, financially, from the weather leading up to today's Super Bowl. My guess is that the people that choose the sites for these games in the future will stay with the almost "guaranteed" nice weather areas of the sun belt - such as Miami, Southern California and Arizona. I hope it's a good game and we will be watching.
The week ahead will be important for us. We will have to finalize our plans for the next year and I will get our taxes done. If we get some sunshine we will also enjoy some outdoor activity of some kind.
Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday everybody...
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Turnstiles Training day
You would think that allocating a whole day - actually 2 days, including today - to training on turnstiles would be waaay too much time. Not true. We spent the entire day training on these and we still have things to learn. There are many different types of tickets - Coach passes, Athlete passes, general admission, length of event, etc. - and we need to know how to respond to problems with each type. It may be that a parent is trying to use an athlete pass, or a child is trying to use a coaches pass, or whatever, and we have to be able to direct individuals to the proper locations to either buy the right ticket or certify that they are allowed to enter the event. It gets complicated. Plus, there are turnstile locations in different parts of the complex where procedures are slightly different. Add to all of this the problems associated with getting wheelchairs for the handicap and dealing with folks trying to "sneak" in, and situations you can't imagine, and it is a very complex duty. I'm not sure it's one that I would relish doing regularly. Today is "hands on" experience day at these turnstiles as we have a huge event going on - the National Dance Team Championships. It should be a fun day.
Josie spent some of her day watching more of the local "wildlife" and was able to capture these pictures during the day:
There is a fairly good size lake behind us and these animals certainly hang out there and probably come up to the campground looking for food every day. At any rate, they are seen walking around all day long. The sandhill cranes are especially active and we have seen lots of those. The turtle is a new critter in our neighborhood but I'm sure there are more around.
One more day of work this week and it's time off until next Saturday, unless they add hours to my schedule. I know they will increase when Spring Training games begin so I'm looking forward to that. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to arrive on February 14, so it should pick up after that. The first scheduled game is on the 27th.
Time to get ready for work so that will end it for today...
Josie spent some of her day watching more of the local "wildlife" and was able to capture these pictures during the day:
There is a fairly good size lake behind us and these animals certainly hang out there and probably come up to the campground looking for food every day. At any rate, they are seen walking around all day long. The sandhill cranes are especially active and we have seen lots of those. The turtle is a new critter in our neighborhood but I'm sure there are more around.
One more day of work this week and it's time off until next Saturday, unless they add hours to my schedule. I know they will increase when Spring Training games begin so I'm looking forward to that. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to arrive on February 14, so it should pick up after that. The first scheduled game is on the 27th.
Time to get ready for work so that will end it for today...
Friday, February 4, 2011
A Walk on the Boardwalk
One of the missing items from my "uniform" was a hat that was acceptable for the working uniform. The ESPN store at the Wide World of Sports complex where I work was closed yesterday, so we had to go to the sister store that was located on the "Boardwalk" at the Disney Resort Hotel on Lake Buena Vista.
When we came to Orlando in 1998 for the FTD Convention, we stayed at the Disney Dolphin Hotel which was right on the lake that is adjacent to the DisneyWorld Park and Epcot Center. We took the boat ride all around this lake at that time and it brought back memories of that trip we made back then. We had brought Nan along on that trip and we are thankful that she had an opportunity to visit here with us before she passed away. Here are a few shots of this area:
It is a neat place to go before entering the Park areas.
When we got back home, we were greeted by some of the local "wildlife" here in Clermont Florida:
And that's about all the wildlife we will see here. Except for all kinds of birds, that is.
Today is a work day - the first of 2 - so I need to cut this short in order to get ready. It is "turnstiles" training day so we'll see what that involves...
When we came to Orlando in 1998 for the FTD Convention, we stayed at the Disney Dolphin Hotel which was right on the lake that is adjacent to the DisneyWorld Park and Epcot Center. We took the boat ride all around this lake at that time and it brought back memories of that trip we made back then. We had brought Nan along on that trip and we are thankful that she had an opportunity to visit here with us before she passed away. Here are a few shots of this area:
It is a neat place to go before entering the Park areas.
When we got back home, we were greeted by some of the local "wildlife" here in Clermont Florida:
And that's about all the wildlife we will see here. Except for all kinds of birds, that is.
Today is a work day - the first of 2 - so I need to cut this short in order to get ready. It is "turnstiles" training day so we'll see what that involves...
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Starting on Taxes
The only place we went yesterday was to the Post Office in Clermont to pick up our mail and to stop at Kohl's so that Josie could inquire about employment. They indicated that they still had some of their Christmas help and nothing was available. Not surprising. They are probably not a place that is impacted by the tourists as much as many other businesses. The first paycheck from Disney was deposited and I'm hoping that I can squeeze more hours out of them. Supposedly, when all my training is done, I should see an increase in work time - especially with the Spring Training games starting soon.
The other main activity was to begin on our taxes. There is only 1 W-2 still outstanding but there is enough information to get that dreaded task started. It is a little more complicated this year since we had income from 4 different states. There is no state income tax in Wyoming, so that helps.
As promised yesterday, I have a couple pictures that we took while going to the clubhouse for our free coffee and newspaper that our membership provides each day. Below is a shot of the pool area:
As mentioned yesterday, there are 2 pools - the one on the left is barely visible and is the adult pool that is next to the fitness center. Then there is this picture of the area containing the shuffleboard courts, the tennis courts (background) and the kids playground area:
There are lots of things to do here with all the events that they schedule like craft shows, dancing classes (line dancing), potlucks, sporting tournaments and other specialty group activities. Most of the people involved in those are people that pay an extra fee to stay the whole season in the same park. Our membership allows for a maximum 3 weeks at a time, with at least 1 day out, and then back for another 3 weeks - providing there is space available. That allows for other members to get reservations. It is a fair system and we don't object to those rules.
I expect to get more done on the taxes today, so my last day before going back to work tomorrow will be busy. This week I am scheduled for Friday and Saturday so I get to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday. Later...
The other main activity was to begin on our taxes. There is only 1 W-2 still outstanding but there is enough information to get that dreaded task started. It is a little more complicated this year since we had income from 4 different states. There is no state income tax in Wyoming, so that helps.
As promised yesterday, I have a couple pictures that we took while going to the clubhouse for our free coffee and newspaper that our membership provides each day. Below is a shot of the pool area:
As mentioned yesterday, there are 2 pools - the one on the left is barely visible and is the adult pool that is next to the fitness center. Then there is this picture of the area containing the shuffleboard courts, the tennis courts (background) and the kids playground area:
There are lots of things to do here with all the events that they schedule like craft shows, dancing classes (line dancing), potlucks, sporting tournaments and other specialty group activities. Most of the people involved in those are people that pay an extra fee to stay the whole season in the same park. Our membership allows for a maximum 3 weeks at a time, with at least 1 day out, and then back for another 3 weeks - providing there is space available. That allows for other members to get reservations. It is a fair system and we don't object to those rules.
I expect to get more done on the taxes today, so my last day before going back to work tomorrow will be busy. This week I am scheduled for Friday and Saturday so I get to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday. Later...
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
All Set Up Again
The trip to Clermont was uneventful - good news. The jacks seemed to have functioned normally at both ends of the move, and they remained in the raised position during the entire drive. Of course, it was only a half hour drive to the Thousand Trails park but it was a good test. We really like this park and once again, we have a great site, with nothing behind us:
The registration for both the fifth wheel and truck were due for renewal, so we drove to Clermont to the Tax Collector's office - the place in FL where you pay for registrations - and got them both renewed for another year. One of the main reasons for using Florida as our address is the low cost for vehicle registrations. The combined total for both the trailer and the truck was $200, whereas in AZ it would have been $1500. That's a no-brainer.
When we returned back to the campground, we took a walk to the clubhouse and each had a big cup of ice cream from the store and just checked out everything. Tomorrow I hope to have some shots of this huge clubhouse area. There are 2 pools - 1 for adults only - the clubhouse, a fitness center with all kinds of equipment, the store, tennis courts and an area for other outside activities like horseshoes, a playground for the kids and, of course, shuffleboard (the old-folks game).
It doesn't look like a very nice day today - clouds and 67 - but it is better than most other places in the country. We have been watching the Weather Channel and it is not a pretty picture in the Chicago area with the blizzard they are having, so we hope that Patty and her family stay safe and warm. It's close to the time of year that we used to go back and stay with the kids while she and Mark took their annual vacation to warmer climates, so we know how bad it can get.
Until tomorrow...
The registration for both the fifth wheel and truck were due for renewal, so we drove to Clermont to the Tax Collector's office - the place in FL where you pay for registrations - and got them both renewed for another year. One of the main reasons for using Florida as our address is the low cost for vehicle registrations. The combined total for both the trailer and the truck was $200, whereas in AZ it would have been $1500. That's a no-brainer.
When we returned back to the campground, we took a walk to the clubhouse and each had a big cup of ice cream from the store and just checked out everything. Tomorrow I hope to have some shots of this huge clubhouse area. There are 2 pools - 1 for adults only - the clubhouse, a fitness center with all kinds of equipment, the store, tennis courts and an area for other outside activities like horseshoes, a playground for the kids and, of course, shuffleboard (the old-folks game).
It doesn't look like a very nice day today - clouds and 67 - but it is better than most other places in the country. We have been watching the Weather Channel and it is not a pretty picture in the Chicago area with the blizzard they are having, so we hope that Patty and her family stay safe and warm. It's close to the time of year that we used to go back and stay with the kids while she and Mark took their annual vacation to warmer climates, so we know how bad it can get.
Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Longer Term Arrangements
The main thing we accomplished yesterday was the completion of reservations for the next 7 weeks. All but 1 of those weeks will be in our Thousand Trails park. We leave today to go to the park in Clermont where we will stay until Feb 11. We then put our rig in temporary storage there and stay in one of their "Getaway" cabins where we get a free week each year as part of our membership. We then will return here to Sherwood Forest for a discounted (paid) week, and then return to Thousand Trails again for the next 3 weeks. That takes us up to March 18th, and our total cost will only be for the 1 week back here at Sherwood Forest.
We checked a couple places yesterday for Josie to work without success. One flower shop in Kissimmee indicated they may contact her if they find out they need somebody. We are now convinced that the impact of the economy on the flower business is deeper than we originally thought. It used to be that these shops would roll out the red carpet for extra help during the Valentine's Day holiday. Before the downturn, they could never get enough help. Actually, we've seen where several shops have closed their doors and gone out of business during this economic depression. Like everybody else, we hope it changes soon. In the meantime, we'll keep searching and will enjoy the weather and the location as much as we can.
Today will provide the first test for our new jacks. We expect to raise them when we leave, and see them in the same position when we arrive at the new location, without any stops to raise them again. It's a good thing that we aren't that far from Camping World if there are any problems. We're certain that they are also hoping that they have seen the last of us.
Our plan is to leave by 10 AM, so it's time to have breakfast and get ready to leave...
We checked a couple places yesterday for Josie to work without success. One flower shop in Kissimmee indicated they may contact her if they find out they need somebody. We are now convinced that the impact of the economy on the flower business is deeper than we originally thought. It used to be that these shops would roll out the red carpet for extra help during the Valentine's Day holiday. Before the downturn, they could never get enough help. Actually, we've seen where several shops have closed their doors and gone out of business during this economic depression. Like everybody else, we hope it changes soon. In the meantime, we'll keep searching and will enjoy the weather and the location as much as we can.
Today will provide the first test for our new jacks. We expect to raise them when we leave, and see them in the same position when we arrive at the new location, without any stops to raise them again. It's a good thing that we aren't that far from Camping World if there are any problems. We're certain that they are also hoping that they have seen the last of us.
Our plan is to leave by 10 AM, so it's time to have breakfast and get ready to leave...
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