Flamingo on a Stick

Well, according to John’s thermometer you can see it’s a warm day. It is but aren’t you a little skeptical? I mean really. Some unusual ducks on the San Gabriel River It has been a great week with sunny warm days for us to enjoy. Wednesday we spent another day here in Georgetown. We went and had the oil changed in the truck then walked the trail around San Gabriel Park and ate at Dos Salsa. Dos Salsa was very good and if you are here and looking for Mexican it is definitely worth the stop. Their parking lot is small and busy but the public parking for the downtown area is just a couple blocks away and if you have your truck it is a safer choice.  Town Lake Trail Ladybird Lake Austin Texas State Capital Thursday we headed to Austin to see the sites. We had read about the Town Lake trail along Ladybird Lake so we headed there first which turned out to be an excellent decision. Town Lake Park is just off I35 and it has free parking (downtown parking was $7, free is better). We g

Winstar Casino RV Park Free shuttle to the casino Laundry anyone? We finally left Kansas and it was certainly time. Our first stop was Thackerville, Oklahoma at the Winstar Casino’s RV park. This is a very nice park and if you sign up for their Players Card it is a great deal. The card gives you the first night free and the subsequent nights at $20 (regularly $25). That is for FHU with 50 amp, paved sites and patios, very nice laundry facilities and a free shuttle service to the casino. It is amazing that we have spent the last two Christmases at casinos and we are not big gamblers. Maybe next year we’ll break the streak. We were here 4 nights for $60, and that was a bargin.  Eastview Ranch RV Park Yesterday we were off again to our next stop, Georgetown TX. We will be here for a week before heading to Port O’Connor. We are parked at the Eastview Ranch RV Park. This was recommended to us by a fellow work camper who stays here when visiting family. It is very reasonably pri

Our wish is that this Christmas finds you well and counting all the blessings that come your way. We truly feel blessed this Christmas season. Safe travels to all our RV friends. Janie & John

Several of you asked this question so I felt it would be good if both John and I answered this question. So today you get to here from both of us. Janie : My first reaction would be “not if I could help it”. What I mean is I would rather do some camp hosting or volunteering along the way instead of 2 months of this type of work. However if we found that we just really needed the funds I know I can do this and it definitely has some financial benefits. The pros are the money, the free rent and the people you get to know, and the weight loss from all the walking. The cons are the sore feet, the long hours, and at least in Coffeyville the lack of anything to do other than work and sleep. That last one though is almost a pro. You are so tired from the work that you wouldn’t feel up to doing much anyway. If we decided to do it again, I would definitely be more prepared. I’m not sure it is possible to get your feet totally ready for 10 hours on cement floors. It is not like hiking, even if I

“We’re not in Kansas anymore.” I’m looking forward to saying Dorthy’s classic line as we head into Texas for the next couple of months. Our working for Amazon is coming to a close along with the Christmas season, so it won’t be long. After working here for seven weeks, things have actually gotten easier, I think, as we’ve lost some weight and gained some strength. The final push before Christmas is next week, so we still have some eleven hour days left, but then we’re done and out of here. Merry Christmas indeed. Our jobs as pickers for Amazon are driven by the commands on our handheld scanners from the sometimes capricious computer. It doesn’t always make sense, but you must obey. Resistance is futile, and if you slack off the computer will always rat you out. We catch up with our friends in packing at breaks and lunch. Their jobs are more driven by an assembly line type of operation with lots of opportunities for any one component shutting the whole thing down. That thing is often th

We are starting week number 6 and it is getting a little better. The feet are better than they were and now that we are back to 10 hour shifts it seems easier. One of the most fascinating things about working for Amazon is finding out what all is available and what people order from them. As pickers we go around the warehouse finding various items that have been ordered and putting them in a tote to be sent on to the sorters and packers. The things I pick are usually for different orders which is good to know because sometimes I would hate to think that tote is going to the same person. Some of them are strange combinations. So what is in my tote? Well it may be groceries, like soups, tomatoes, pasta sauce, noodles, dried mushrooms, lots of coffees and teas, basically any grocery item that is dried or canned, and I pick a lot of them. Next toys, Legos, Kinex, Plan, tons of toys from a company called Melissa and Doug, video games, and then there are adult toys many of which I don’t care