All the muscles that are rarely used are once again awake. We were prepared for a very physical night last night but we had forgotten the feeling after our first night working at Amazon last year. It's a good thing we don't have to go back until Sunday night. It would have been very difficult for us to return to work again tonight for another 10 hour workout. Both of us actually had the same complaint after last night - our lower back and our feet. We know that it won't take too long to get back into the mode we were in by the time we left last year when it became fairly easy for us to comfortably get through the work day. Overtime, although available to anybody that wants it, will definitely have to wait awhile for us.
There was no formal training - or retraining - last night. We were given our scanners and only a brief reminder on how to use them. It all came back to us quickly though, and we were off and stowing product like there was no interruption from our last day worked in December. Both of us put up some very good numbers for the night and the management was very pleased with our first day performance. Actually, our first day numbers were better than some folks who have been there every day as full time employees. There is very little change from last year, and the changes that were made are good ones. The biggest problem for us - aside from getting our muscles toned again - is to figure out the best eating schedule. We had our dinner before going to work at 5 PM last night and only took snacking food for our dinner break which was at 9:30 PM. That seemed to work well except we were hungry when we got off work. I don't think we will be changing that schedule too much though as we don't want to have a large meal before going to bed at 4 AM.
The heat was intense on the work floor all night long. We were told that if the temperature in the warehouse ever reaches 120 degrees, they shut down the plant. The highest it has been during the summer months is 108. That's still way too warm. Josie and I both were wet rags when we got off work this morning, and couldn't wait to get showers before going to bed. It's a different experience here working in the summer but, so far, we are glad we made the decision to come.
Today is a recovery day and we probably won't do much more than going to the grocery store. The posts will be a little later in the day on work days, but shouldn't make much difference. That's it for today...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Back to Work at Amazon
We arrived in the lobby at Amazon right on schedule at 9:30 AM yesterday. There was one more couple there - Doug and Patty - who were returning workampers and were here from Dollywood Park in Tennessee, They left there for the same reason we left Grey's Point Camp in Virginia - not enough hours. We were given our old badges back from last year and we clocked in for the safety training. That was a repeat of what we had last year but it was a good refresher. There have been some minor changes since we were here last here, but for the most part, it was like we hadn't left at all.
It was close to 11:30 by the time the safety class wrapped up so we took a 1 1/2 hour break before we had to meet in HR for our orientation. One of the advantages to staying in the campground across the street is that we are able to come home in situations like this rather than sitting in a break room for long periods.
Part of the orientation was receiving our shift assignments, and we discussed day shift possibilities with the HR representative. She talked to a couple folks and they were able to switch us to the day shift - Sun thru Wed, 6 AM to 4:30 PM. We were happy about that. Unfortunately, that decision was overturned later in the day when we received an email stating that no workampers had been assigned day shift yet by the senior operations people, and they switched us back to nights. So, instead of going in to work this morning at 6 AM, we will go in at 5 PM, work tonight, and then have off until Sunday night. We were not happy about that, but we can make it work as long as they put us on the day shift for the regular season beginning sometime in September. It shouldn't be too bad with the almost empty campground. One of the biggest problems with working nights last year was the noise outside during the day when we had to sleep. That should not be a problem from now until September.
Since we have to work tonight, we will stay close to home today and probably try to get in a nap before we leave for work. It will take some adjusting to get used to the new schedule, but we've done it before. Tonight we find out about on-the-job changes that were made since we left in December. We're hoping for a smooth beginning...
It was close to 11:30 by the time the safety class wrapped up so we took a 1 1/2 hour break before we had to meet in HR for our orientation. One of the advantages to staying in the campground across the street is that we are able to come home in situations like this rather than sitting in a break room for long periods.
Part of the orientation was receiving our shift assignments, and we discussed day shift possibilities with the HR representative. She talked to a couple folks and they were able to switch us to the day shift - Sun thru Wed, 6 AM to 4:30 PM. We were happy about that. Unfortunately, that decision was overturned later in the day when we received an email stating that no workampers had been assigned day shift yet by the senior operations people, and they switched us back to nights. So, instead of going in to work this morning at 6 AM, we will go in at 5 PM, work tonight, and then have off until Sunday night. We were not happy about that, but we can make it work as long as they put us on the day shift for the regular season beginning sometime in September. It shouldn't be too bad with the almost empty campground. One of the biggest problems with working nights last year was the noise outside during the day when we had to sleep. That should not be a problem from now until September.
Since we have to work tonight, we will stay close to home today and probably try to get in a nap before we leave for work. It will take some adjusting to get used to the new schedule, but we've done it before. Tonight we find out about on-the-job changes that were made since we left in December. We're hoping for a smooth beginning...
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Rain on the Parade
The forecast was right-on for the day. There were scattered thundershowers all day - scattered all over Campbellsville. We went to the parade in town at around 10 AM for the start, and it was still dry when it started:
We were surprised and happy to see that the Grand Marshal for the parade was Mitch McConnell, the Senior Senator from Kentucky and the House Minority Leader:
He was fortunate to get through the whole parade route before the skies opened up. The entire Main Street was crowded on both sides:
and the parade had its usual number of horses, including the little ones:
After watching for about 15 minutes, the skies opened up and drenched everybody. Many people had umbrellas and many just stood in the rain. We were able to duck under the canopy of the local Country and Western music station in Campbellsville. Of course, the people on the floats didn't have much choice on where to go to take cover from the rain - some had umbrellas, and others just walked in the rain:
We had to get a picture of the Amazon.com float that was part of the float contest (above and below):
The parade was an unusual one for us. This one had a heavy emphasis on Agriculture, and there must have been 50 tractors in the parade. Last year, it was mostly horses in Cody, WY.
The rain finally stopped by the end of the parade, and everybody spilled out into the street to visit the arts and crafts booths, and merchant booths that lined the street:
There was a stage at the end of the street where the entertainment was scheduled all day long. We caught them setting up for the first group to entertain for the day - the East Campbellsville Church of God Choir:
You can see the long list of scheduled events to the left of the stage. It is one of the largest and best 4th of July celebrations in central Kentucky. People were everywhere and it seemed like the whole population of Campbellsville was there, which could have been. We took one last shot of the crowd in the street as we left for home:
There were scheduled events all day long, but we decided to wait to return for the fireworks display at the local park that was scheduled at dark - around 9:30. By the time 9 PM rolled around, we were comfortable in the fifth wheel and not anxious to take a chance on being part of another thundershower and, perhaps, cancellation of the fireworks. It seemed like they went off as scheduled as we both saw them from our rig and heard them from inside. All in all, it was a great day, in spite of the rain.
Today is the start of our next assignment at Amazon.com and we are ready for the paperwork phase and the classes that they have scheduled for us. The real work begins tomorrow, but we are anxious to get things started. We will try to get our shift changed to days, but are prepared to work nights again if they can't accommodate the change. It's off to work we go...
We were surprised and happy to see that the Grand Marshal for the parade was Mitch McConnell, the Senior Senator from Kentucky and the House Minority Leader:
He was fortunate to get through the whole parade route before the skies opened up. The entire Main Street was crowded on both sides:
and the parade had its usual number of horses, including the little ones:
After watching for about 15 minutes, the skies opened up and drenched everybody. Many people had umbrellas and many just stood in the rain. We were able to duck under the canopy of the local Country and Western music station in Campbellsville. Of course, the people on the floats didn't have much choice on where to go to take cover from the rain - some had umbrellas, and others just walked in the rain:
We had to get a picture of the Amazon.com float that was part of the float contest (above and below):
The parade was an unusual one for us. This one had a heavy emphasis on Agriculture, and there must have been 50 tractors in the parade. Last year, it was mostly horses in Cody, WY.
The rain finally stopped by the end of the parade, and everybody spilled out into the street to visit the arts and crafts booths, and merchant booths that lined the street:
There was a stage at the end of the street where the entertainment was scheduled all day long. We caught them setting up for the first group to entertain for the day - the East Campbellsville Church of God Choir:
You can see the long list of scheduled events to the left of the stage. It is one of the largest and best 4th of July celebrations in central Kentucky. People were everywhere and it seemed like the whole population of Campbellsville was there, which could have been. We took one last shot of the crowd in the street as we left for home:
There were scheduled events all day long, but we decided to wait to return for the fireworks display at the local park that was scheduled at dark - around 9:30. By the time 9 PM rolled around, we were comfortable in the fifth wheel and not anxious to take a chance on being part of another thundershower and, perhaps, cancellation of the fireworks. It seemed like they went off as scheduled as we both saw them from our rig and heard them from inside. All in all, it was a great day, in spite of the rain.
Today is the start of our next assignment at Amazon.com and we are ready for the paperwork phase and the classes that they have scheduled for us. The real work begins tomorrow, but we are anxious to get things started. We will try to get our shift changed to days, but are prepared to work nights again if they can't accommodate the change. It's off to work we go...
Monday, July 4, 2011
Hot, Humid and Rain
When the temperature reaches into the 90's and the humidity matches, it's time to stay inside with the air conditioner running. The thunderstorms didn't arrive until late afternoon, but they threatened all day. It was a day that we had planned to stay close to home anyway because of the holiday traffic. The holiday activities in town started at 5 PM, but the weather forced us to stay home until today.
The day is starting out muggy, but at least the skies look better. The downtown activities reach full throttle today with a full slate of holiday fun: Hot air balloons, church (free) breakfast, entertainment on stage all day, BBQ competitions, parade, lumberjack show, and wrapping up at the regional park with fireworks. We will try to get out sometime this morning to enjoy some these activities. The whole downtown area - about 5 square blocks - will be shut down to vehicle traffic as booths will be set up and a stage built to handle the activities. There is also a shuttle bus that will carry people back and forth from off site parking areas. It should be an interesting, fun and different 4th of July experience.
Today is also our last day before starting work at Amazon. We will complete the start-up paperwork and classes and begin actual work on Wednesday at 5 PM.
Have a great 4th everybody!!!
The day is starting out muggy, but at least the skies look better. The downtown activities reach full throttle today with a full slate of holiday fun: Hot air balloons, church (free) breakfast, entertainment on stage all day, BBQ competitions, parade, lumberjack show, and wrapping up at the regional park with fireworks. We will try to get out sometime this morning to enjoy some these activities. The whole downtown area - about 5 square blocks - will be shut down to vehicle traffic as booths will be set up and a stage built to handle the activities. There is also a shuttle bus that will carry people back and forth from off site parking areas. It should be an interesting, fun and different 4th of July experience.
Today is also our last day before starting work at Amazon. We will complete the start-up paperwork and classes and begin actual work on Wednesday at 5 PM.
Have a great 4th everybody!!!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Jim Beam Distillery
It has become a goal of ours to visit all 6 of the Bourbon Trail Distilleries in Kentucky while we are here. They aren't that far away, and they are all interesting, different, and fun. Yesterday's target was the Jim Beam Distillery that was about 50 miles from here, and is one of the farthest. It was a nice day, so we chose that one to complete the western swing of the Trail. Following a nice lunch at the Fiesta Mexican Restaurant which we visited, and enjoyed, last year, we headed to Clermont, KY, to the Jim Beam Distillery:
This is the home of the top selling bourbon in the world, and it was an excellent tour of their facilities, led by our very knowledgeable guide "Michelle":
As is the case at all of the distilleries, there are many large warehouse buildings where the barrels are placed to age before they are bottled. The picture below is one taken at the bottom of one these 7 story warehouses, looking up to the top, through all of the wooden support beams:
You can barely see the barrels lined up - 30,000 of them in each of the warehouses. These warehouses are not temperature controlled, and they open windows on the first 2 floors in the summer months, and close up everything in the winter months, to allow for natural aging of the bourbon. Evaporation occurs every year of the aging process and by the time a barrel has aged for 12 years, it only contains 47% of the original volume. That helps explain why the older the product, the more expensive it becomes. Most bourbons - the cheaper ones - are only aged 3-5 years, so they are the best buy. All of the barrels used for aging are charred on the interior to give it flavor, and create the amber color of the product. Each barrel is used only once, and then they ship them overseas to be used in the process at Scotch distilleries. Very interesting process.
We walked part of the grounds where the Master Distiller's home was located:
and then we ended up in the tasting room/gift shop area where our guide, Michelle, poured samples of 2 of their bourbon products:
One of the samples - Red Stag - was so good we purchased a bottle to take home. It is a standard Jim Beam bourbon infused with a black cherry flavor - excellent for drinking on the rocks as a Liquor.
So ended our Saturday. It was a fun day and brought us to the halfway point of our bourbon tours. We will most likely stay close to home the next 2 days as the traffic was noticeably heavier yesterday for the holiday weekend. Our plan is to take in the 4th of July celebration activities in Campbellsville, concluding with their fireworks display on Monday night...
This is the home of the top selling bourbon in the world, and it was an excellent tour of their facilities, led by our very knowledgeable guide "Michelle":
As is the case at all of the distilleries, there are many large warehouse buildings where the barrels are placed to age before they are bottled. The picture below is one taken at the bottom of one these 7 story warehouses, looking up to the top, through all of the wooden support beams:
You can barely see the barrels lined up - 30,000 of them in each of the warehouses. These warehouses are not temperature controlled, and they open windows on the first 2 floors in the summer months, and close up everything in the winter months, to allow for natural aging of the bourbon. Evaporation occurs every year of the aging process and by the time a barrel has aged for 12 years, it only contains 47% of the original volume. That helps explain why the older the product, the more expensive it becomes. Most bourbons - the cheaper ones - are only aged 3-5 years, so they are the best buy. All of the barrels used for aging are charred on the interior to give it flavor, and create the amber color of the product. Each barrel is used only once, and then they ship them overseas to be used in the process at Scotch distilleries. Very interesting process.
We walked part of the grounds where the Master Distiller's home was located:
and then we ended up in the tasting room/gift shop area where our guide, Michelle, poured samples of 2 of their bourbon products:
One of the samples - Red Stag - was so good we purchased a bottle to take home. It is a standard Jim Beam bourbon infused with a black cherry flavor - excellent for drinking on the rocks as a Liquor.
So ended our Saturday. It was a fun day and brought us to the halfway point of our bourbon tours. We will most likely stay close to home the next 2 days as the traffic was noticeably heavier yesterday for the holiday weekend. Our plan is to take in the 4th of July celebration activities in Campbellsville, concluding with their fireworks display on Monday night...
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Just Hangin Out
It was one of those days yesterday where it was just easy to stay home and do nothing. We had to wait for our first mail delivery at our new address which arrived around noon. Our final pay checks from Grey's Point were not there as we expected. Who knows what their excuse will be for that problem. Remember when we started there it took them 1 month to get our first check to us. For some reason, they are reluctant to ensure that their employees (and former employees) get paid in a timely manner. I'm sure the checks will eventually catch up to us.
The rest of the day was spent reading outside and just hangin' out. We received our work assignments in an email last night from Amazon. We will be working the hours we wanted - (4) ten hour days, Sunday - Wednesday. The problem is that the shift is from 5 PM to 3:30 AM. Bummer! We were hoping for the day shift this time, but we will find out on Tuesday what happened with that request when we go in for our Safety and Orientation classes. The good news is that we get a differential pay for those hours. We also will be performing the same duty - Stowing - in the same department we worked last year. I'm sure it will all work out.
We will probably try to go somewhere today as the weather forecast gets worse over the next couple days leading up to the 4th. The campground is still looking like a ghost town, and will probably continue to look like this until the regular holiday season begins in September at Amazon. That's fine with us since we get to spread out into the empty space next to us until that time. That's about it for now...
The rest of the day was spent reading outside and just hangin' out. We received our work assignments in an email last night from Amazon. We will be working the hours we wanted - (4) ten hour days, Sunday - Wednesday. The problem is that the shift is from 5 PM to 3:30 AM. Bummer! We were hoping for the day shift this time, but we will find out on Tuesday what happened with that request when we go in for our Safety and Orientation classes. The good news is that we get a differential pay for those hours. We also will be performing the same duty - Stowing - in the same department we worked last year. I'm sure it will all work out.
We will probably try to go somewhere today as the weather forecast gets worse over the next couple days leading up to the 4th. The campground is still looking like a ghost town, and will probably continue to look like this until the regular holiday season begins in September at Amazon. That's fine with us since we get to spread out into the empty space next to us until that time. That's about it for now...
Friday, July 1, 2011
Start Date Established
We intentionally stayed home yesterday to make sure we would be available to respond to any requirement at Amazon. Finally, in the late afternoon, we received an email from the HR person informing us that the drug test results were back and we are set to begin work. The date is Tuesday, July 5th, at 9:30 AM, when we will meet in the complex for our Safety class and Orientation session. Our regular schedule will be given to us at that time, so right now we don't know if we will be working days or nights. We requested days, but that is not a guarantee. It was kind of a disappointment that we weren't starting today, but knowing that if we had worked on Monday, the 4th, and it would have been at time-and-a-half, they probably elected to wait until after the holiday. That's OK, as it gives us a few more days to relax and take in some more of the areas we want to see.
There are many other places we would like to go, but some of them are a pretty fair distance away. The areas like Lexington, Louisville and Nashville will take at least 1 1/2 hours, so we need to really plan those days. There are still some local attractions that we can go to with little planning that are fairly close, and will probably be the ones we attempt this weekend. We also want to find out where there might be local fireworks. They have fireworks stands all over the area, so they must be legal.
We love driving to the different areas in Kentucky, as it is a very pretty state with the rolling hills and horse farms everywhere with white fences surrounding the properties. Also, it seems that most areas have beautiful homes sitting on large lots of at least a couple acres. As long as the weather holds out, it really doesn't matter where we go. Until tomorrow...
There are many other places we would like to go, but some of them are a pretty fair distance away. The areas like Lexington, Louisville and Nashville will take at least 1 1/2 hours, so we need to really plan those days. There are still some local attractions that we can go to with little planning that are fairly close, and will probably be the ones we attempt this weekend. We also want to find out where there might be local fireworks. They have fireworks stands all over the area, so they must be legal.
We love driving to the different areas in Kentucky, as it is a very pretty state with the rolling hills and horse farms everywhere with white fences surrounding the properties. Also, it seems that most areas have beautiful homes sitting on large lots of at least a couple acres. As long as the weather holds out, it really doesn't matter where we go. Until tomorrow...
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