Friday, December 30 - Travel Day (Fort Clark Springs, Brackettville, TX)

 

The week went by fast .. On Wednesday I had an appointment to have my hair cut. Jesse stayed home waiting for the repair man to come by and look at the brakes on the Kram-a-lot. He said that we didn’t have any. The guy said that it was oxidation on the terminals he cleaned that up and said the magnets were getting power.

Jim and Joanne went to San Antonio as Jim had a doctors appointment.

Once I got home from the hairdressers Jesse and I went to Whataburger for lunch. This was our 1st visit and Jesse thought it was a good burger, I just had French Fries.

I made dinner for the four of us today, making mac and cheese, green salad, asparagus, elk steak and apricot chicken.

 

On Thursday we all went for a ride to Bandera. Jim needed to pick up a belt that he was having repaired there. On the way we stopped at Camp Verde for lunch.

Nestled in the Texas Hill Country, on the banks of the Verde Creek, the store was first established in 1857. The two story stone structure of Southern colonial design is full of things to buy. Originally, the general store was established to offer goods and services to the soldiers stationed at Fort Verde, a mile to the west.

They have a small lunch only open from 11am-3pm. The prices for the food was very reasonable and quite tasty but we waited about 1 hour.

After we returned home we went to our own rigs and relaxed for the evening.

 

We left Ingram around 10am this morning. Saying see ya later to Jim and Joanne … We had such a good time being with them.

We had a short travel day only 2 1/2 hours and arrived on the Fort at 12:30.

We were just getting hooked up when Pat rode by in her truck. She had some ladies in the truck with her on their way to play bridge, but we got hugs and a promise to see her later.

We got all set up and I made us some lunch. Around 3pm Dan came by to get us and take us to their place.  He gave us the tour of the new apartment they are building, it will so nice for them. We walked across the street to have happy hour with their friends Eck and Dee. Eck has beer on tap, you just need to bring your glass and Jesse was ready.

After about a hour we went home fed and walked the boys then went by Kit and Jerry’s place. They were not at home, but we knew they weren’t far because their rig was open.

So we headed back to Dan and Pat’s. They were still at happy hour, so Jesse was talked into having another beer.

Kit and Jerry dove by in their golf cart and we were able to visit for just a few minutes.

Pat had made dinner for us, so we went back over to their place and had lots of conversation and a wonderful meal with dessert. Thank you both for a GREAT evening!

We didn’t go home until after 9pm and it was a fun day!

Tuesday, December 27 - Staying Busy (Ingram, TX)

 

Today the weather was awesome, sunny and high of 64. That may not sound wonderful to those in south Texas and Florida, but it’s the warmest, driest weather that we have had in a long time.

 

Yesterday Joanne and I went to Walmart in Kerrville. We stopped at Wendy’s and brought our guys some lunch home.

I did laundry and just relaxed in the afternoon.

Last night we all went to Mamacita’s for dinner, a very nice Mexican Restaurant. We had been there before when we were here in 2009 with a bunch of RV-Dreamers for a gathering. The food was still good and the company was great but small in comparison.

 

Today Jesse and I went to Fredericksburg to browse the shops. Jim and Joanne had planned to go with us but Jim was not feeling well today so they stayed home.

This is the trees in the park. The wood one played music while the people were going around.

We enjoyed walking around the stores looking at all the things we didn’t buy. We had lunch in one of the local places on the main street.

The only thing we bought today was food, we purchased lunch and brought home strudel and fudge.

Once at home I continued to do laundry. For dinner Joanne made pasta and sauce, I made a salad and bread. She also made bread pudding for dessert and I served the strudel. We all ate at our place because we had a little more room.

We enjoyed the company and we lingered talking after we all were stuffed. It seems no matter who we are with it’s we are always eating.

Hugs!

Sunday, December 25th - Merry Christmas !! (Ingram, TX)

 

Wishing everyone a joy filled Christmas Day

 

 

 

We are just relaxing on this Christmas Day, talking to our family and friends on the phone. We will be going to a Christmas buffet dinner with Jim and Joanne at an Inn in Kerrville later.

 

Last night we went to the club house here at Johnson Creek RV Resort & Cabins for a pot luck dinner. It was very nice and the club house was beautiful decorated for the holiday. All the tables were set and the food was delicious.

 

Friday, December 23 - Travel Day!!!! (Wichita Falls, Texas)

 

We left this morning at 8:05am, traveled 325 and arrived at Wichita Falls RV Park at 2:20. We are so happy to be out of Kansas and finished with our work at Amazon.

Our last day was suppose to be yesterday, we went in at 6:30 only to be told that we could have the day off on VTO if we wanted and we said SURE!!!! We went to breakfast then back to the RV to relax. I did 3 loads of laundry and packed everything for travel and believe me after working at Amazon that was relaxing.

Once we got moving our travel was uneventful today. I say that because as soon as Jesse started the truck the pressure pro said he had low pressure in one of the tires and he had to get out the compressor and air the tire. He said that it was the pressure pro that made the tire leak air. I guess we should have steel valve stems but we have rubber, so the sensor/transmitter was not on correctly and released pressure. Jesse installed them the other day and aired all the tires in preparation of leaving.

Last Saturday we met with some friends at Pizza Hut to have a meal and have a last gathering before we all would depart this week.

John, Bob and Jesse

Me, Barb and Lora

Everyone: Barb, Lora, Kay, John, Bob, Jesse and Ed

Kay and Ed was a little late arriving because we stopped by to see them on our way to the restaurant to say thank you again for walking the boys for us and to see there new puppy. (A 4 month old schnauzer) That held them up getting ready but it was no problem as we were in no hurry. We had a good meal and great company, we lingered long after everyone was finished eating just visiting and sharing stories.

Ivy

John and Lora were heading to Westleco so we will get together with them while we are in the Rio Grand Valley. Bob and Barb were going to South Carolina and Kay and Ed will end up in Texas to their home.

On the 20th Kelsey turned 18 years of age. I can’t believe she is all grown up and beautiful. This is a picture of her and her boyfriend Kyle.

Then on the 22, yesterday Bayer turned 11. He is so handsome!!

Now that we are not going to be working I hope to blog more often. I am sure it will not be every day but I will try to get in a few times a week.

December 9 - 2 Weeks left (Liberty, KS)

 

Well it’s been awhile since I have written ….. It has been a grueling few weeks. Working 10 hours a day really is a toll on the body. We have really not done anything on our days off but, clean, laundry, cook and get groceries.

We were moved from inbound department to outbound. We now pack orders in boxes. Neither of us like it, but we can’t seem to get moved back, believe me I have tried!!

The original 6 that trained in the beginning was Bob, Gary, Norman, Loretta, Jesse and myself. We all would sit together at breaks and lunch, so splitting us up was sad. Norm, Loretta, Jesse and I were being moved to outbound, but Norm and Loretta decided to just quit.

So before they left we all went out to dinner the night before. It was fun to have some social time with them and to say a proper see ya down the road. We went to Jack’s bar and grill. They had a shuffle board game there and 4 of us played, although we didn’t finish the game we had fun.

Loretta and Norm

Gary and Darlene

Bob and Barb

Yesterday was supposed to be our overtime day, so we were up, dressed and off to work. When we got there the parking lot was full!!! Jesse dropped me off then parked the car. Once we got to our work area, we were told that there were too many people and not enough packing machines and that they were going to send people home. I couldn’t get my hand raised fast enough. We were out of there in a flash!

We spent the day just relaxing around. I took down the fall decorations and put up a few Christmas things. I really didn’t want to do much because I would have to try and put them away when we leave. Jesse took the car to get it washed, just to get the grime off it.

It has been very cold here; below freezing at night and in the 30’s during the day. Can’t wait to get somewhere warm.

Mr. B has been just hanging in there. He is lethargic, and still having problems holding his urine, but eating and drinking. He is still quite loving and will let me cradle him just like a baby.

Bye for now.

Saturday, November 26 - Only 4 Weeks To Go! (Liberty, KS)

 

This past week was the Thanksgiving luncheon at work on Monday. I was surprised that they were able to feed all of us in the 1/2 hour time period.

As we entered the lunch room we were handed a styrofoam container with turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and a roll. They had another lady to put gravy on your potatoes if you wanted it. Then they handed you a small coffee container with cranberry, mandarin oranges and walnuts in it. For dessert they handed you a container if bread pudding.

It was all very organized and efficient and the food was tasty.

Mr. B is doing physically better, but he can not control himself and urinates whenever he needs to. After Jesse waking up two mornings in a row and stepping in puddles of pee he was really upset to put it mildly. We have decided to let him sleep in the kennel, Mr. B not Jesse. Now that he is eating and drinking I have started to give him the meds for incontinence, hopefully that will do some good.

On Wednesday I was coming down with a cold and just was not feeling well, so I left work early. When I got home I ate some lunch and then took a nap.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and we had made plans to share dinner with Bob and Barb Williams at our place. Barb was making a sweet potato casserole, squash and pies for dessert (cherry and pumpkin). I made the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. We had a very nice meal and the company was great.

After dinner we played Sequence and Bob and I beat Jesse and Barb 2 to 1. It was a fun day, thanks guys for sharing with us!!!!

For the next two days we just relaxed at home, I did laundry and nursed my cold. I am feeling better, but not normal and it’s back to work tomorrow.

Bye for now.

Sunday, November 20 – Update on Mr. B (Liberty, KS)

 

 

Update on Mr. B .. Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts ...

I am very happy to say that he seems better today. He was perky when we got home and he took a large poo.

Yesterday he ate and was drinking again. He ate breakfast this morning and dinner tonight. Hopefully he is on the mend, and this doesn’t happen again since we do not know what is wrong.

 

Work was the same, not as hot because it has gotten cold here. 38 degrees when we left for work this morning and the same when we went home.

Tomorrow we are suppose to be having Thanksgiving dinner on Amazon. I will let you know how it is.

 

HUGS!!!

Friday, November 18 - Haven’t Blown Away Yet (Liberty, KS)

 

The wind never stops … We have been rocking for days. At times the wind is a breeze, but mostly high winds. I really know how Dorothy made it to OZ.

Of course we have been working 4-10 hour days and by Wednesday we are really tired. See for yourself, that’s a glass of wine in his hand and he is zonked out.

We do not do much, mostly we just do laundry, clean the house, buy groceries and I prepare meals for the work week.

Last Friday the 11th, we went out to eat with Barb and Bob to a local place in Coffeyville called Lannings. It was nothing special but the food was tasty.

After eating they came over to our place and we played hand and foot. The girls beat the guys the 1st game and then the guys won the 2nd, no rubber game was played. After the games we had cherry chocolate dump cake for dessert. It was a fun night!!

Mr. B has not been his normal active self for several months now. He also has been urinating in the house as I have mentioned. We bought him a kennel for during the day and look who likes it.

We took Mr. B to the local vet about 3 weeks ago to have a urine test taken to see if he had any infections. They found everything to be normal.

He continued to get worse and started to not eat very good. On Thursday 17th we took him to a vet in Independence who could take blood and review the tests right in his office. Again found nothing abnormal. He gave up some vitamins for him and gave us some incontinence meds to give him.

We took him back to the vet today because by this time he was dehydrated and hadn’t eaten anything in two days and could hardly walk. He suggested we take him to K-State University Veterinary Clinic which is 31/2 hours away. He called them to make an appointment for us. We left his office ran home to pick up Bayer and Buddy and we took off.

When we got there it was just a few minutes before we were called into the exam room. They took a history and examined him.

They took more blood and urine and ran tests on all these things and they took X-rays and found nothing. They gave him some IV fluids and sent us home with some cans of food that he may eat. They said they could do other tests, a sonogram, an  MRI, and admit him to the ICU, but they had no realistic ideas as to what was wrong.   We decided to just take him home where he would be comfortable and hope for the best.

We have no answers and really feel at a loss, but we are hopping we can get him back to eating and getting better. Jesse didn’t think he would make it thru the night but he is hanging in there.

Wednesday, November 9 - 6 Weeks Done, 6 Weeks to Go

 

Today was peak season kick-off. That just meant that we came in at 6:30am instead of 6:00am and then at 4:10 we need to listen for the marching band.

Really, a marching band and parade in the warehouse. When we heard it we were to stop work and follow along with the parade to the stage that was set up. Then they did the usually Ra-Ra- Ra build up.. Then Santa, aka, plant manager gave away a lot of nice prizes. 19 and 32 inch flat screen TV’s, IPods, Cameras and Video Game Systems to name a few. Then they played some games and the people participating won $25 Amazon gift cards.

It was a rough week as I worked all 4, 10 hour days.

Now for resting!

Friday, November 5 - Just Hanging Out (Liberty, KS)

 

We are still hanging here in Coffeyville. Not much going on. We have completed week 5 and only have 7 weeks left. The work is tedious and long but the days go by fast.

Last Saturday evening they had a workamper get together at the local Pizza Hut. The party room was reserved for 6pm and when we got there with Barb and Bob at 10 minutes till there were no seats left. We decided to just get a booth and invited another couple looking for seats to join us. I don’t think they were expecting so many workampers to show up because we over ran the place with well over a hundred of us. Anyway the pizza was good as was the company and we had a nice evening.

The past couple of weeks have been a bit slow at Amazon. Sunday they sent the whole shift home 2 1/2 hours early and told us to come in 2 hours late on Monday. Then on Monday they asked if anyone wanted voluntary time off for Tuesday and or Wednesday, Ginger took Wednesday but I stuck it out for the whole week.

Amazon still has 2 more groups starting and “peak season” will break out here any day. They say there won’t be much warning when we will start receiving over a million units per day. Of course I don’t know what a normal amount per day is so I have nothing for comparison.

I have never been a fan of the day/night shades in most of the RVs and neither of us have been a fan of the clunky window treatments with the valances and lambrequins. So after many discussions we ditched the lambrequins and Ginger is going to make curtain side panels as a replacement. We also ordered 1 inch faux wood mini blinds from SelectBlinds.com to replace the day/night shades. The blinds are supposed to be in today and we post will some photos after the job is completed.

We took Mr. B to the vet’s last week. He can’t or won’t hold his pee-pee for more then about 2 hours. We are just sitting here and he squats to pee right in front of us. We thought he may have an infection….But the vet says no infection. We ordered him a crate and will have to crate him again.

We took Buddy to get groomed yesterday and he looks good.

That’s about all for now. Take care everyone!

Wednesday, October 26 - We Are Still Here (Liberty, KS)

 

I know it’s been a couple weeks since I have blogged. I really have not had much to say and too tired to say the things I do have to say.

Today would be a work day for both Jesse and I, but took a VTO day (voluntary time off) and Jesse did not. They have been asking everyone if they want to take time off most days. I also took the afternoon off last Wednesday. If you say you will accept VTO they put all the names in a hat and draw names.

Several work campers have left saying it’s not what they want to do. I really feel the same most of the time, but I want to stick it out.

I really don’t mind the work, we are kind of like robots and don’t have to think.  It just really is a long day, DIRTY and the heat really gets to me. The warehouse is really hot and I don’t like to be hot. It doesn’t seem to bother Jesse near as much as me.

We have done a few things on our days off. We visited the Dalton Museum, not very exciting, I think Jesse enjoyed it better then I did.

The story: The gun battle between the outlaws and the forces of law and order – took place in Coffeyville, Kansas.  The gun battle lasted just 12 minutes.  Eight men – four robbers and four defenders – were killed, and four, one of them a bandit, was wounded in the Plaza area where this Dalton Defenders Museum is now located.

After that we took a tour of the Brown Mansion.

The main floor includes a two-story entry, living room, parlor, music room, library, solarium, dining room, billiard room, kitchen, and maid’s quarters. Five bedrooms and three full baths are on the second floor. The entire third floor is a ballroom and a full basement houses the butler’s quarters, laundry, heating system, walk-in-icebox, wine cellar, and storage rooms.

The tour took about 40 minutes and it was just the two of us on our tour so we got to ask lots of questions. Some rooms have original hand painted canvas wall coverings. Tiffany leaded-glass accents the main doorway, and a signed Tiffany chandelier in the dining room is believed to have been hung by the designer personally.

After the Hearst Castle this was like a small house.

I liked the stove.

Jesse liked the vibrating chair

This past Saturday Chuck and Kathy stopped by for one night to visit on there way to Colorado Springs. Barb Williams planned  a dinner gathering at there place that was very nice.

Laura and Barb

Jesse and Bob

Kathy and Ed

Kay (our dog walker) and Chuck

Sorry John don’t know why I didn’t get your picture. It was a nice evening and being able to see Chuck and Kathy again was a bonus, thanks Barb for setting it up!

We got the sad news this week that our friend Elgin had passed on and we are sending thoughts and prayers for Cathy and their family for the strength needed to get through this time, Elgin is at peace.

Hugs!!

Monday, October 10 - Our Car has Returned (Liberty, KS)

 

When we got home from work today Jesse had a message from the repair shop saying our car was ready. YEA!!

I got out of the shower threw on some clothes and off we went. Jesse paid the bill $620, and he drove the car home to be sure everything was running correctly …..  all systems were working well.

It was a really hot day at work today very humid.

It rained last night and Jesse and the boys had their first walk today while getting rained on, but it was nice listing to the rain on the roof during the night.

The days are getting easier at work and they they go by fast because we are busy stowing asins (Amazon standard item number).

Hugs!!

Saturday, October 8 - Dinner with new Friends (Liberty, KS)

 

Today ends our 3 days off.

We spent the 1st day off, Thursday, having coffee and relaxing in front of our computers while watching the “Today Show”.

I made us some breakfast of scrabbled eggs, bagels and juice. Later in the afternoon we got dressed and went to Walmart for supplies. After we returned home I made tacos for dinner which is what Jesse asked for. We watched TV and just relaxed until bed time.

 

On Friday after my 1st cup of coffee we called Elizabeth our daughter. She turned 40 years old today. We wanted to make sure we talked to her before she went to work. It sure makes us feel old.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETH !!!!

We actually spent the rest of the day at home just hanging out. I did laundry, vacuumed and dusted and enjoyed staying home. I made spaghetti and salad for dinner.

 

Today I finished up the laundry and we made plans to go to dinner with Kay and Ed / Barb and Bob. We rode with Bob and Barb to Independence which is about 15 miles away, while Ed and Kay followed.

Our dinner place was Brothers Railroad Inn. It was a very nice clean Italian restaurant and we all enjoyed our dinner and getting to know each other better.

After dinner we stopped in Walmart to pick up a few items and then returned home. It was a nice evening and look forward to more.

Wednesday, October 5 - 1 down…11 to go (Liberty, KS)

 

I have not written since Sunday, mostly because I have been exhausted when we get home.

Working at Amazon is a great way to make some money in a short period of time, but it really is exhausting especially when you are not used to this kind of work. They keep telling us that it gets better as you get used to it.

One thing I can say is they really like work campers and make you feel special. They say that we are reliable, accurate and stay on task. They hire hundreds of temporary work campers that get laid off on December 23rd.

Jesse and I both work in the inbound department. We put items (asins) away (stow) on shelves (bins) all day long. Amazon has their own language. You put the items (asins) wherever you can find room, items are not assigned a specific bin.

We get up at 4:30am and Jesse walks the boys, which by the way it’s dark and they are not ready to get up. We have to drag Mr. B out of bed. I get up make the bed, and start getting dressed. Then I make lunches, eat a yogurt for breakfast and then out the door. Jesse makes me a cup of coffee and has a little time to get on his computer before he gets ready. He walks the boys one more time before we leave.

We are to be at “stand up” ready to work with our scanner at 6am. Stand up is an area that all workers meet in the morning and after lunch for announcements and to do some brief stretching.

We have our 1st 15 minute break at 9:30am, but it can take you 2.5 minutes to walk one way to the break room, as this is a huge facility  ….. 1.25 million square feet.

Then we get lunch at 12:30 and must be back at stand up at 1pm for announcements and stretching. 2nd break is at 3:00pm, which means we only have 1 hour 15 minutes left before we get off at 4:30pm.

Our commute is very short we are only about 1 mile from the warehouse. When we get home our boys seem very happy and are happy to see us. They are being walked by Kay and we are very pleased to have her be a “2nd Mommy” to them for us.

When  I get home all I want to do is get in the shower. Then I have to make dinner and of course I really don’t feel like it because I am exhausted. I told Jesse that I will be making casseroles that all I have to do is warm up in the microwave in the future.

Only 11 more weeks to go ……………..

Sunday, October 2 - Orientation, Long Day (Liberty, KS)

 

Today was a long day. We were at the Amazon plant at 8:15, parked and walked into this massive plant they call “Fulfillment Center”.

There were about 40 work campers that attended this orientation. We saw films on sexual harassment, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and a power point presentation on policies and procedures.

We had a break where they served cookies, coffee, tea, sodas and water.

We got our pictures taken for our company ID, which we use to punch in and out on the time clocks.

We also had to fill out many different forms actually seven that needed to be turned in.

For lunch they served sandwiches and veggies along with the same drinks.

Then we were given a tour of the plant and had to go through 5 or 6 different safety schools. We were given a test after our schools to see what we learned.

The last hour and a half was the worst. 2 HR employees took 1 couple at a time and had them fill out their I-9 forms on line. It took a long time for all of us to complete this task.

We got out at 6:00pm….A long 9.5 hour day..

We both have the same schedule working 6:00am-4:30pm, Sunday-Wednesday with Thurs, Fri and Sat off.

Which means we will need to be back at work at 6 in the morning.

I made us soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.

The boys seemed to be fine when we got home, so I am sure Kay took good care of them…Thank you very much!!!

Goodnight for now.

Saturday, October 1 - Dog Walker Found for our Boys (Liberty, KS)

 

Today started off slow. We both sat with our computers for a long while this morning enjoying our coffee and watching the food channel.

We finally got up and got dressed and decided to go into town for breakfast and to see what the “Re-enactment of the Dalton Gang called Defenders Day” was all about. As we were leaving the park we saw Barb and Bob at another rig and was waving us to come over. We stopped and they introduced us to Kay and Ed.  Kay has agreed to walk our boys for us while we work 10 hours a day.

YEA!!

 

After talking a while Jesse and I took off for town. We stopped for breakfast at Eggberts. Then we walked around the town. They had a craft fair that was not too swift. Jesse walk around and looked at the classic cars.

Then we took the truck to a self car wash to get some of the dirt off.  We dropped the movies back to Walmart and picked up a few things that we forgot yesterday.

 

After we got home Jesse drove over to get Kay so see could meet the boys. She stayed awhile so the boys could get used to her. We have orientation tomorrow starting at 8:30am.

Friday, September 30 - Getting Familiar with the Area

 

Yesterday we just hung out at home.

Jesse put the transmission oil in the car, but found that it all leaked. He jacked up the car trying to see if he could tell where it was leaking, but he couldn’t get underneath of it to tell.

We called a tow truck to come and take it to the shop for repairs.

I got out all the things that make our rig feel like a home. I also did some laundry.

 

This morning the repair shop called and said they needed to order parts, an axle shaft and seals on the right side, and that they should be in next Tuesday and the car should be ready Wednesday or Thursday at a cost of about $600.

Our 1st stop was the repair shop to get some items out of the car, then a shoe store. I needed to find comfortable shoes for work. I really do not like closed in shoes so it is really hard to find shoes that feel good. I found a pair of New Balance walking shoes that felt pretty good and purchased them.

We also purchased socks that are suppose to be really comfortable “Fits”. They are very expensive, but we each purchased one pair and will try them out.

Then we decided to drive to Bartlesville, OK to look around. It took about 45 minutes to get there. It was lunch time so we looked for some place to eat. We decided on McAlister’s Deli, I was not impressed.

After returning to Coffeyville we went to Walmart to pick up a few grocery items. While there Jesse rented the newest Transformer movie and “The Dilemma”.

After returning home Jesse walked the boys and I put the groceries away.

Then we got a knock at the door and in came Bob and Barb Williams. They had contacted us a few days ago saying they were coming to also work at Amazon. We were very happy to meet them and get to know them.

After their visit I made us a chef salad for dinner.

We watched the movies and relaxed in our recliners for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, September 28 - Getting to know the area (Liberty, KS)

 

I started my day by calling Mitch and Margaret to wish them

Before living this full-time life style we would celebrate our anniversary’s together. Some years we would go on vacation together…Others we would spend the day together and go out for a nice dinner. They were fun times and I miss them. I hope you two have a wonderful day!

I made us some berry muffins for breakfast, then started getting busy with the days tasks. Jesse went out to hook up the truck so he could re-level the rig.

I turned the A/C on in the rig. Not use to his humidly, it sucks!

I started some laundry and Jesse staked the awning out. I cleaned up the kitchen and made the bed. Then I started to get dressed.

Once we both were ready we took off in search of lumber for a step and the bank. We drove around the little town and found the bank without any problem and then a lumber yard where Jesse purchased all he needed for the step and they even cut the lumber to the correct size.

Then we stopped at Braum’s for some lunch and ice cream. We had a huge chicken club sandwich with fries and a drink. For dessert I had a hot fudge sundae and Jesse a strawberry sundae.

Then we stopped at Walmart which is about 5 minutes from the campground, it is about a year old and very nice.

We returned home and Jesse built the platform step. He put it together in no time at all it’s 3 1/2 x 5 1/2

Then he put the screen on the back window to block the sun.

He found that the car didn’t have any transmission fluid, so we purchased some while we were out. After I chatted with Jackie last night Tony had given him something to try, but it didn’t work.

Tomorrow we look for a repair shop.

We received an email that said we are to have orientation on Sunday from 8:30 to 5:00.  Seems like a long day for orientation, but I guess we will see.

Here are some pictures of the park

This is what they call grass

 

In the words of the Dray’s

Tuesday, September 27 - Another Travel Day (Liberty, KS)

 

We left at 8am today and traveled 308 miles to Big Chief RV Park. We traveled about 12 miles out of our way, we couldn’t find the entrance to the park because of construction.

Unfortunately the Mazda is have transmission problems and we need to find a repair shop A.S.A.P.

The RV park is not very nice. We have gravel pull thru’s with what they call grass (weeds) in between. NO TREES!! I will take pictures and post tomorrow.

Jesse had problems getting the dish lined up, but finally got it. We are not sure why … there is nothing blocking the line of sight, remember NO TREES!

We set up got showers and made leftovers and hotdogs for dinner.

Now we are just relaxing in front of the TV and computers.

Monday, September 26 - Travel Day (Dodge City, KS)

 

We left Mountaindale this morning at 7:30 am. It was bitter/sweet. We really enjoyed our time this summer, but look forward to the next 3 months.

We had a few minutes to say goodbye to Jackie and Tony and Gucci and they left a few minutes before us.

We traveled south on Hwy 115 then East on 50 for 315 miles to Gunsmoke Trav-L-Park in Dodge City, KS.

This is what I saw on our trip:

This was my first trip driving the car behind the Kram-a-lot and was very pleased that it was not bad at all. Jesse and I communicated with each other using our 2 way radios and it worked well.

 

Yesterday I started my day defrosting the freezer. Marilyn had told me she uses her blow dryer to defrost the freezer, so I tried it and it works GREAT! Thank you very much for the tip.

Then I made meatballs and macaroni and cheese for the farewell pot luck party we were attending at tonight. The invited guests were full time residents and employees. There was lots, and lots of food.

And everything I tasted was delicious.

David the owner stood up and thanked everyone for a great season and that he looks forward to seeing everyone next year.

On Wednesday two of the residents Myda and Cindy are having a birthday so there was a cake and we sang to them.

My co-workers Mary Nell and Jackie

It was a nice gathering and it seems a good time was had by all.