We're baaaack!

Some things happen....and it did. While we were minding our own business of traveling to Florida to spend Christmas with some of our children and grandchild...I became ill. On Christmas Eve! It has taken a while to recover after many doctor visits and procedures....hopefully I am on the mend. 

All the more reason we are doing what we do! Exploring the good 'ole USA with my wonderful husband while visiting family along the way.

January, February and some of March were spent in Florida. Gerard and I are grandparents again to a little boy born the middle of February. So we have been enjoying grand kids....and resting. 3 of 5 children joined us for Christmas in Sarasota. We spent many sunny days on Siesta Key beach. What a way to spend the holidays, right? Afterwards all of the many cold fronts and tornadoes made their way through. Key West even brought heaters out storage. Crazy weather! And we went as far south as possible! Key West!

Swimming with the Manatees-checked off the list, but I would love to do that again. on our way north, we stayed in Yankeetown, drove a short way to Crystal River and did the tour. The 6 AM tour! So worth it to be out before anyone, even tho the critters-manatees were sleeping. The fog was on the water, quiet, calm...excellent morning. The next day we kayaked the area and decided before coming back we would purchase wet suits (thrift store) and do our own tour. The cost of the suit would possibly be less than the tour. And we could use them again in Florida when the water temp is low.

Traveled thru Mississippi and visited Gerard's parents. They are storing our car while we aim for Seattle by summer! Family stories...you know what I mean.

Before exiting MS, we caught up with John and Linda, our Amazon friends. I think we talked for two days! They were helping out family in North MS and invited us to boon-dock on their place-so we did.

Today finds us in Missouri visiting my parents. The weather is a delightful drippy 60 degrees and gray (sarcasm intended). But, family time brings out the sunshine on dreary days. So we are here. My parents own an RV park....and we have FHU. I like my water and electric :) But, I can dry camp, too....depends.

Moving along to Georgia...

Yes, we took our free Amazon t-shirts and moved down the road to Valdosta, GA. Yes, we quit Amazon. Yes. Deciding to resign early became a no-brainer. I didn't need to plead my case, nor did Gerard. It's when you can look into each others eyes and have the same thoughts without speaking a word. The time is now. Saturday, we had been assigned to the flat sorter for half of our shift as the raker, or sweeper. All four lanes remained steady, but really did not require us, as packages did not stick because of the constant flow. Standing most of the time---brutal. Our afternoon would have been on the dock among the craziness. Even though the sorter relieved some of the load from the dock, many things still must be packed in a cardboard box, hence load that sucker by hand into a trailer, one by one. And so the sirens scream relentlessly, reminding you of your inadequacy as an Amazon dock worker. Geeze. We went home at lunch and began packing up. But, we didn't begin packing up until after we had lunch and some quality time in the recliners :)

Campfires with therapy!!!!

Heartland campground provided a Thanksgiving dinner that night, turkey, drinks, and paper supplies. Campers brought delicious sides to compliment the main course. The clubhouse overflowed with people and their stories. We also told our friends of our early departure. Hugs all around with hopes of catching up with each other down the road. It was just time to leave. The most important reason for leaving is Christmas time with kids and the grand-boy! If the Amazon gig had been good, we would have stayed, but it was sorely lacking. Or perhaps our expectations were too high. Or maybe it was our assignment area. Half the campers left (ship-dock). If half the pickers, packers or stowers were to leave, there might be an adjustment on behalf of Amazon! Oh well, not my monkeys, not my circus. As Linda M would say...."If they could teach monkeys not to throw their feces, they would hire them."

Sooooo. We left town in the rain and cold and scooted to Moody AFB in Valdosta, GA. The weather isn't much better, but it is a little warmer. Still gray and drippy. But we are on the way to the sunshine state!  Gerard trained Afghan pilots overseas and now they further their training here at Moody. We visited them on base and learned two will graduate soon. Progress for a country in turmoil.

Mayport Naval Station, Mayport FL

The military has a fam-camp here in Mayport with RV spots right on the corner of the St. Johns’ River and the Atlantic. The river is shared by both the military and commercial shipping into Jacksonville, and probably private boats as well. All of the RV spaces were booked on the river, but we did get a space in another location, ‘in the trees’, also known as Osprey Cove. Pelican Roost is the name for the water sites. There are probably about 100 combined sites between the two. The wind howled most of our time here! And the water was cold, of course.  The grounds are nice and well maintained with laundry and a clubhouse. Many snowbirds camp here for the winter along with a few active military families living in the park, too.

Osprey Cove

Sunshine...on the sidewalk!

We gathered some Christmas décor while in town. I put up a small artificial tree on the dining table. I had purchased an ornament kit a while back and finally finished the three little felt birds. They turned out pretty cute! It took about 3 hours from start to finish. I might attempt to do a stocking for the grand-babies. I enjoyed it, but I am the type person that is on a mission….once I start, I must finish. I can’t work on something from time to time and finally finish a year later! I must conquer it! Quickly!

The Christmas Flamingos are adorned and illuminated for all to admire J Their attire will change with the seasons, holidays, special events, football…..whatever the whimsy may be.

 We ate a local yokel place, very local. The fresh fish was awesome. We were ready for some fresh seafood. We both tried new fish, blackened sheepshead and trigger. Delicious. I prefer the sheepshead. It’s a mild white fish. We ate there twice in a week. The atmoshphere can be scary…orginial, low lighting, they must spend $$ on food only. Seems to be a popular place. We tried to visit the other restaurant, Safe Harbour, but they close early, 6pm. It seems to be a big lunch place and fish market. It seems popular looking at the lunch crowd. Both place are very convenient to the base.

Indoors with a view to the fishing boats

The winds howled and was somewhat dreary for our stay in Mayport....but we still enjoyed the temperature! And the fresh seafood! I have missed eating fish. Fresh seafood in Kentucky just didn't seem right...
I will be glad to be back near the coast...the water...the sunshine...and W!

So....and on we go. Headed to Bushnell, FL for a week. Maybe some manatees, or amusement parks and cocktails of course.

Christmas trip and Black Friday

A fun trip to the cave in Louisville with John and Linda!

John and Linda picked us up for a great day trip. We drove to Louisville, about a one and half hour drive, and had dinner in downtown at Bristol Bar and Grill. We arrive a few minutes before 5 and the lady asked if we had reservations. Of course not! It's not supper time yet! We did get a table. The waiter was talkative and knowledgable. The food was good, a little pricey and the atmosphere was sterile. These are my thoughts. Linda thought Ruby Tuesday's salmon was just as good and better priced. I believe most people prefer the Bardstown Rd. location. After our early supper we drove to the decorated caves. 25 bucks per car! We rolled down the windows, enjoyed the Christmas music as we drove thru the decorated sections. Did I mention, Linda brought libations to sip as we sang? Complete experience! The cave is huge. There are zip lines and trails to explore. They also offer RV and POD storage. It's crazy! My first drive thru cave decorated for Christmas.

Black Friday at Amazon SDF-1 is complete and in the history books. The created hype about the craziness of black friday whimpered by without much of a noise. I suppose in years past, it was just that, unbelievable crazy. For us, those in trans-ship, it was busy, not crazy-crazy. Gerard and I worked trans-ship, an area of ship-dock responsible for shipping out totes to other amazon fulfillment centers. Totes filled with products come down a conveyer and we scan the totes to determine the destination, and stack on pallets.  After the pallet is full, usually 20 or 25, the tote is saran-wrapped (by us). Let me tell you about that process, wrapping with saran wrap. The locals call it shrink wrapping, but it's saran wrap without shrinking. Go figure. The wrapping apparatus is a hand-held device, about 2 feet long and heavy when the wrap is full. I guess the wrap is twice the length of the one used in kitchens. The weight is what gets me...along with going around the pallet about 6 times. It's like the silly game of holding your forehead on a bat and spinning around and then attempting to walk. We must wrap a total of 6 revolutions, 3 on top and 3 on the middle to provide stability when moved and stacked on top of each other to load onto trailers. When the line is busy, a pallet is filled in 10 or so minutes. With multiple pallets, the dizziness is real. It did make me nauseated the other day and I went home at lunch. Walking thru the ship dock area on the way to break...alarms off everywhere. The noise made everyone look as they passed by. My poor camper friends working the dock came to the break room with sweat on their brows and sat down with sighs of relief. Mike and Barbara tell of calamity in trailers. Ed is speaking out on behalf of everyone, including the regular workers, about shortcomings. People applaud him, literally. The stories and memories we share. No regrets. We met great friends. Oh, and Jay and Bobby...tell it like it is.

J shift is mostly camperforce working Sunday thru Wednesday with a required overtime day Thursday. They changed our schedule the week of black friday and the following week. Not sure why. We are working 5 days in a row with Wednesday and Thursday off. So we had Thanksgiving day off. Then the 5 day trek begins. All shifts worked Black Friday, so the building was full, as was the parking lot. Start times have changed also to 6 to 4:30, unless you volunteer to work an hour extra. The regulars must work the extra, which amounts to 55 hour weeks expanding to 60 later. We rode bikes, because the weather was decent. The bike ride is about 3-4 minutes, down hill. Boy, it's a steep hill after work! I'm glad we chose this campground. Convenient, convenient, convenient. People like the others, but I like convenience while working Amazon.

The weather is typical wintery blah. Rainy, dreary and cold. Temps are in 50-60s now. We have experienced freezing at night, but good temps the last few days. Working on the dock can be cold. I have used hand warmers twice. They usually keep them available...sometimes. And it is getting dark about five. We go to work when it is dark and get home with about an hour of daylight left. We need light therapy!

Thanksgiving Day we feasted on traditional foods of ham, dressing, green beans, rice and gravy. I did not fuss over anything. I cooked everything that day. Dessert was chocolate chip cookies, baked right out of the package. We invited Ed over for a nice afternoon. He hails from Pennsylvania and rides his motorcycle to clear the Amazon alarm noise from his head. Gerard enjoyed football of course.

Saturday, the flat sorter was our area to work. It requires standing, placing poly-bags, label up onto the conveyor. Of course we inspect the packages for damage...It is repetitive motion, standing, and makes a loooooong day. Beats the crazy loading of trailers though. Basically,  pick your poison. Both can be demanding and unforgiving. Co-workers said Black Friday on the sorter was crazy. Because the packages 'stick' in the chute, a raker is needed. That is someone equipped with a long pole to dislodge packages to come on down the chute into a small holding area. So two people per lane are needed on busy days. Here's the deal...when it is busy, the packages flow continually without a raker. If a package sticks, the next load will dislodge it....The conveyer speed is set, so you can't load more than it will take.  Another comical note....they disconnected the alarms on each individual chute! Glory!!! Gerard and I wore ear plugs because of the high pitched annoying alarms. The alarm did not encourage you to work harder, if anything - it has the opposite effect. The alarms sound if packages obstruct the electric eye in the chute. It does not indicate a threatening problem. I really don't understand the purpose as it is now. But, I'm not there to improve any process. What do we know? There should be an alarm sound if the sorter quits working so people do not have to yell to notify someone. Geeze.

No more pictures. I'm tired. I should. I will. Maybe next time.

Work and Football, football and football

I feel that we have become Amazonians....but not permanent ones. October 12 was our first day and December 23 is to be our last-if we don't have something 'come up'. Thoughts are swimming around in our heads for sure. It has been an experience. We both read many RV'ers blogs about working seasonally for Amazon. It sounded like one of those things you just have to try yourself and figure out if it's a right fit. And Gerard is up to try anything...at least once. This may be our 'been there, done that' category. The jury is still out.

The location of SDF-1 is Campbellsville, KY in the heart of Kentucky. A small rural town filled with very nice people. Amazon is probably the largest employer. There is a Lowes, Walmart and a few fast food chains,DQ and Sonic. There is a Chick-fil-A located at Campbellsville University :)! The university is small, like Campbellsville, filled with eager students wanting to learn ;) We did buy a meal ticket for 61.00 for a total of 6 meals. The salad bar is great along with a variety of entrees. I think it's probably the best buy in town.

Gerard and I have been assigned to the ship dock, J shift which is Sunday thru Thursday with mandatory overtime on Thursday. We have worked 2 weeks of mandatory overtime, which is a total of 50 hours per week. I don't plan to work any more than that unless I knew we could work in Trans-Ship. Last week we trained in that area of ship-dock and we both like it. Basically, we palletize yellow totes of products onto a pallet, shrink wrap it, and transport it to the loading dock. I am proficient in operating a pallet jack and hand scanner now! We did receive very good training from Eric, our ambassador. Regular employees can volunteer to be ambassadors, which help the newbies with learning the ropes.
James trained us on ship dock to stack boxes forming a secure wall onto trailers and palletize boxes.  Building a box wall...similar to tetras...really. About a dozen box sizes fly down the conveyer and our job is to stack evenly, securely and level to form a wall. It takes a while to learn the box combinations that fit together. If you have 'time'....it comes together nicely. But...imagine 7368202 boxes in a few minutes, falling onto the floor, conveyers jamming, sirens going off, lights flashing....all signally the whole dock that you are way behind! Man, does it get stupid crazy on the ship dock.

So, we took 10 hours of unpaid time to travel to Memphis to watch NAVY beat unbeaten Memphis State. It didn't look good after the first drive...about 5 plays and 7 points on the board for the tigers. I thought it was going to be a long night. But, the mid-shipmen came thru with a win of 45-20. Friday night we stayed with Alex and Lianne, our son and daughter-in-love, in Franklin, Tennessee. We also dined at Soapapilllas for tasty Mexican food. I had a much deserved Margarita. I need more. Margaritas.

Bourbon Tasting

Kentucky colors and bourbon. Sounds like a good fit to me....time to experience the Bourbon Trail.

So we did just that at Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, KY.

About to explode with a rainbow of fall colors.

Loretto is about a 35 minute drive from Campbellsville and we were itching to do some exploring. Kentucky landscape is manicured with gently rolling hills. You can tell people have pride in their homes. There are a few horse farms in the area, but not large ones that I have seen along the interstate. And we have not made it to Lexington area, yet.

The Makers Mark tour costs 10 bucks a person at the door and we did not have a reservation. For more information check out the website here. We arrived around noon and joined a group of about 20 folks, which the guide had already began his spill, so we missed a little info, not much. 

Maker's Mark

The tour included a brief history of how and who, along with the 'mark' significance. It has been in the family a long time...sorry, I don't remember the details. I was more in tune with the process since it was my first hard liquor tour. The tour included tasting different stages of the mash fermentation. So imagine tasting corn mush with varying degrees of alcohol. Gritty corn taste if you don't get below the mushy stuff. I learned after watching a few swirl it out of the way to get just liquid on your finger. And it does not sound sanitary, right? I suppose the fermentation process kills all germs. I hope so anyway.

Mash.

Just poke in a finger and have a taste! No germs here!

Corn at its' finest. Right.

We were also shown the actual printing of the label on a primitive (by today's standard) hand press. A one person operation. I think I will turn mine into a Christmas ornament. I did not get a photo :(

Aging buildings.

Throughout the small town of Loretto, there are many-maybe 50 plus aging buildings, all painted black. Big business. The actual bottling process seemed small, but efficient for such an operation. They do actually hand dip the bottle in red wax. Each one is unique. At the end of the tour you can purchase an un-dipped bottle and do it yourself. We did not. Sadly for the bourbon industry, I am not a fan of the juice...only with a lot of coke added!

Work.

The tour included a tasting of 4 bourbons. The guide explained the proper way to taste, similar to beer and wine-in my opinion. Stick your nose in the glass, mouth open, breathe in, then swig a little. It still tastes like bourbon! The color is determined by the charred barrel, how long it ages, or stays in the barrel. If I chose to drink one, it would be the Makers Mark 46. It was the third most aged. You can see the color in the glasses.

This is what bourbon does to you.

Bourbon getting old inside.

The glassware collection displayed above...very beautiful.

And my favorite part of the tour!

Bourbon Balls!

Rambling along....

Eager Amazon Camper Force....hahaha.

Gerard and I have been busy-- and tired. A new adventure to add to the list for sure. We left Lee Bottom in Hanover, Indiana and traveled to Elkhart to repair a few items on the fifth wheel. It was purchased at a dealer, Tiara RV. We made an appointment a couple of weeks in advance. Tiara RV sales and service has been exceptional! Highly recommend them. After deciding to full-time, we found exactly what we wanted and began the search-across the nation for the right price and we found it there! A 2015 Montana, floor plan 3582rl. They had it on the lot, ready to be purchased. Prior to pick up, the satellite, washer and dryer were installed.  It was worth the drive to save thousands of dollars. Yes, thousands! Tiara provides a few hookups if you arrive the night before, first come, first serve. The hookups were taken when we arrived, but it was just fine. The weather was cool and we have our trusty 'trucker' fan to drown out noise to sleep. Plus, we have two generators if needed.

The main reason for the repair visit---the slides. Intermittently working when commanded to close or open. It began on the passenger side, and the thoughts of endless problems crept into my mind...then the other began the same thing. The bedroom slide is electrical, and it was fine. The living slides are hydraulic and Gerard initially thought it could be the pump. But, the level legs began to do the same thing, intermittently retracting or extending...pausing. Gerard celebrated. He felt it was more than likely the fuses, an electrical issue. And of course, he was right. Simple fix, but it was good to have it all checked out.

Next, the hall vent was tweaked, after dripping a little during rain. That was intermittent as well. Don't you hate those types of problems?!!!! Much more difficult to diagnose and repair. It was simple solution. Gerard thought he had it repaired, but the technician added more caulk or glue or something!

The burner on the stove wouldn't light, it had come loose from the burner thingy. We never raised the top to inspect. Besides, that was the newest glitch and we added it to the list to be checked out. The tech guy tightened up the fittings. Usually Gerard tackles EVERYTHING before he will take the house in for a repair. Taking it in is a hassle when living in it full-time. We prefer not to do that unless all efforts fail to remedy the problem ourselves.

Lastly, the toilet seal. It had began leaking water from the bowl into the black tank. Nothing serious, but getting progressively worse. Tiara tightened the spring and we were given 'retraining' on using the foot pedal to flush. Right. We purchased the toilet seal conditioner a week later, because it continued to leak and it seemed to help for a day or two. Still not sealing.... So guess what....yesterday, Gerard replaced the seal. Ordered the parts from Amazon-yippee- and it was delivered to the door in a few days.

One of the reasons for our tired bodies.... we have stepped into the twi-light zone of Amazon!!! Amazon hires seasonal RVers which they have aptly named Camper Force. Basically a group of RV folks staying in a campground working from August to December. After reading blogs about the pros and cons, we decided to give it a shot. We have met RV folks from all walks of life, and many here for the first time. We've met great people!

Very chipper at 6:15 AM....

First 10 hour day was not nice to us.....and Rosie doesn't care.

More on Amazon next post....

Later.

Let the Horses Run!

Churchill Downs!

Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY....something on my bucket list for sure! Growing up in Texas, I loves my horses. Since the age of pre-K, I have ridden horses. Lucy was my gentle giant quarter horse my Dad raised. Anyone could ride her, beginner to expert. She tired of me always leading her to the side of the porch so I could crawl on and off we would go---usually bare back. I fell off a few times, but it never discouraged me. Dad drove my sister and I to 'play days' to participate in rodeo competitions including barrel racing, poles and other kid events. Lucy was always slow and steady. A great reigning horse with a cadillac gate...smooth! Horses are smart. I remember walking to the corral, hiding the bridle to grasp a handful of mane to 'catch her'. She would raise her head just high enough so I could no pass the bridle over her ears. I could get her nose in, which Lucy obediently obliged, but the higher the bridle went, so did her head. Frustrating even for an adult.

Horses....a part of my life. Sissy, my high spirited little red horse, caused much angst and grief. A stubborn cuss. The family and I spent many a Saturday chasing her down. She refused to be ridden. I attempted to trick her many times, and of course, horses are smart. She learned quickly. I would fill the bucket with sweet feed in the corral, hide in the barn-waiting for her grand entrance, then quickly run to close the gate. Sissy learned that trickeration and would not enter the corral until seeing me walk to the house. REALLY! She could run like the wind. I'm sure my step-dad could tell a few more stories about horses.

I encouraged my children to ride, but they had other things on their mind.  We did participate with the local 4H for a couple of summers, and that was it. Coco Bar taught my kids that large animals can be gentle and kind. His demeanor was very similar to Lucy. Huge animal with a big heart and great ride.

Mint Juleps for all!

Raising horses is like owning a boat...money pit. My brother and I did co-own a paint stallion that won Grand Champion at the American Pain Horse Association in Ft. Worth in 2001. His nickname was Razor because we had to shave his belly to reveal 'paint markings' to be registered. I can't recall his registered name exactly...CashNencore...something like that. The most beautiful horse with 4 stocking legs, wide blaze and excellent confirmation of course (He did win the World). Wow....much work, blood, money, sweat and tears. I love horses :)

This is supposed to be about Churhill Downs. Here ya go. While workamping at Lee Bottom, we ventured to Louisville a few times and made it to the horse races!! I was so excited!  We went on a Thursday evening and watched several races and WON a few dollars to pay for our mint juleps! I discovered juleps are not for me, but I had to try it at the infamous Kentucky Derby. Actually-returning for the actual derby is another one for the bucket list....one day. The grands exude grandeur and history at every turn. Character fills the maze of hallways and stairways. The atmosphere energizes your imagination to day-dream with 'what if I can win'. Dangerous, but FUN!  You can get a close-up and personal view of the jockeys and horses near several areas. We explored all around. I would like to do the tour next time. I understand this is not offered on race days, so check it out.
When we return for the Derby, I shall proudly wear my hat and root for my horse at the finish line while sipping a refreshing libation.....ahhhhh.

Things we learned....free parking is available...follow the "free parking' signs-duh, once you enter the grounds. Attending during the week allows you to sit any where you like for 3 bucks! We didn't eat there, but many venues are available for a price. I don't know what hubby paid for our souvenir drinks, but I do like the little glasses. They are kept in the freezer and we use them for milk! Ice cold.
We bought the tip sheet and program....Hmmm. Probably for the serious folks. I bet on the horse that looked good, the one that showed energy, or the color of the silks. Very statistical betting methods.
Hey-we won.

Can't wait to go back some day!

Later.