It’s all over but the warming!

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Released from Amazon

My release date from Amazon was Wed 12/18. I was going to slack off my last day but I wound up having a great day. I had a better percentage of items stowed then normal. I also talked to a lot of the campers who were leaving on the same day and some that were scheduled to leave later. Many of us are going to Quartzsite in January and we are making plans to meet up there. I can’t wait. I probably met more fun people this year then any of the last two years. Aside from the hard work and the COOOOOLD weather I really enjoyed this year more then any other.

Change in weather

I figured that I would take Thursday to get organized and ready to hit the road on Friday. However this is what I awoke to on Thursday morning.

There wasn’t a lot of snow but just enough to make you slip and slide if you weren’t careful. I spent the day getting stuff organized inside my rig. Even though it snowed the temps were much warmer and by the end of the day a lot of the snow had melted.

I also had running water. HURRAY! Last night while watching TV I could hear the bathroom sink gurgling. Chica was going crazy barking at the gurgling noise. She didn’t know what it was. The sink trap had busted loose and I was finally getting drainage. HURRAY #2!

Great driving weather

I packed everything up, payed my final electric bill at Desert Rose RV park, hooked up the Sami and I was off into the wilderness. It was such a GREAT FEELING to get back on the road. I love the feeling when I am back behind the wheel! Chica curled up in my lap as she always does when we are on the road.

I stopped in Hawthorne at the McDonald’s to give Chica a break but never stopped again except for gas. I finally pulled into one of my favorite RV parks at Beatty RV Park. I don’t know what it is about this park but I usually stop here at least twice a year. The folks here are very friendly and remembered me for the last time I was here ion October just before heading to Fernly.

California Gold (or should I say heat)

Tomorrow I will get up early and head into California where I know the temps are about 70. (Eat your heart out Fernley!) I will be seing my sister and a lot of good friends on Sunday. Chica will also be happy that she can get out and run in the grass.

Glad it is OVER!

It was great having an opportunity to earn a lot of extra money to keep myself on the road. But it sure is great that the time at Amazon finally came to an end. The job is not exactly easy and the weather SUCKS but the money is good. I am glad it has finally come to an end and now I am BACK ON THE ROAD!

I HOPE TO SEE MANY OF YOU IN Q!

From Super HOT to Super COLD

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Played Hookey

Last Monday I called in sick Cough, cough!) to go with friends to visit a brothel. We all went to the World Famous Mustang Ranch for lunch and a tour of the place. It sure beat working at Amazon, that is for sure. HA!

We got there and had lunch at their Wild Horse Saloon restaurant/bar. Lunch was good especially with the pole dancers in the background. After lunch we then took the tour. It started with a big room where your could buy souvenirs as well as many adult toys. Having worked at Amazon we see many more adult toys then even at the Mustang Ranch. HA!

Our tour guide told us all about the ranch and took us through many of the rooms where the girls do their thing with their clients. It was very interesting to see the many different styles in each room.

We were not allowed to bring in either cameras or cell phones so I couldn’t get any pics. However we did get several pics once we got outside.

Here is a great pic of the girls in our group.

Us guys strike a few poses as well.

It was a great time which we all enjoyed.

Weather dips in single digits

The weather here has dipped into the single digits. It is very cold at night. One morning I woke up and checked the temps. It said it was 3 degrees feeling like -6. Hows that for cold?

My 20 gallon propane tank was empty one morning when I awoke and the furnace was blowing cold air. YUK! I switched over to my 5 gallon tank. A couple of nights later I awoke at 2:30 in the morning and found the tank was empty. I had to switch over to my propane tank in my RV. It was very cold going out in my pajamas. I decided to have the park fill the 20 gallon tank 1/2 full so hopefully I have enough propane to last until I leave.

Tanks frozen

Since the weather is so cold all my tanks have frozen. I have not had water for about almost a week. The weather warmed up yesterday and when I got home I was able to run my water. However when I got up this morning there was barely a trickle out of the tap. I hope that it will thaw out some so I can take a nice shower as I really need one.

I am not the only one in that predicament. Many of the other campers I have talked to have the same problem.

4 working days to go

My last working day is Wednesday. I plan to get everything packed up and ready to go and leave here Friday morning. I will arrive in SO CA on Saturday to enjoy time with family and friends on Sunday and for the 2 weeks after that. My sister has planned getting together with family and many friends I have not seen for over a year. It should be a blast!!

Still alive and Kickin’

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Lack of posts

I must apologize for my poor lack of posting. It seems like all I do is eat and sleep and I haven’t really had much to say But I am sorry as several of you have wondered if anything has happened. As a matter of fact something has happened. It is called the Amazon work camp.

I got my release date of Dec 18 which is the soonest they have ever cut us loose. YEA! I will probably leave her on the 20th and head for sunny SO CAL to be with my family at Christmas.

Getting really cold!!!

Yesterday we were hit with a cold front directly from the north. It brought a couple of inches of snow and bitter cold weather. The temps are forecasted to be single digits and Saturday it is supposed to be -3. That is way too cold for me. I have both my electric heater and my furnace running 24/7. Chica is very comfortable aside from the bitter cold outdoors.

Here she is laying on her heated bed. I purchased a pet bed warmer from Amazon (naturally) and she loves it. Her she is relaxing in her nice warm bed.

We didn’t get a lot of snow but enough to cover the ground for a while.

Dead Battery

I had a hunch that my battery was on it’s last legs but thought it would be OK. I should have listened to my intuition and gone ahead and bought one a week or so ago. Oh no. Not me. Well anyway I got up this morning and it was DEAD! It was my neighbor Shannon’s day off and she offered to drive me down to get a new one. I got it installed and everything is back to normal. However I missed a day and my mandatory overtime day is tomorrow and I will be working for straight time only. YUK!

Snow all over the mountains

I got this picture facing Amazon and the mountains in the back with all the snow. It sure is beautiful, but I will take the desert anytime.

Looking forward to SO CAL and Q

I am really looking forward to seeing my family over the holidays and then on to Q at the beginning of January. I should be getting there about the 4th.

Stay tuned and I promise not to be so long between posts.

Gettin Cold in Fernley

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Cold spell

We had a cold spell go through here and dropped some snow on the local mountains. We didn’t get any snow here in Fernley, but the mountains sure looked nice. The temps dropped down into the low 20’s at night so got out the electric heater. I bought a Lasko oscillating heater last year at Walmart so I fired it up to keep Chica warm. I am still learning the best setting for it during the day. Yesterday I came home and it was 89 degrees inside the rig. Chica thinks she is in Hawaii. HA! HA! I am thinking of buying a timer so I can only keep it on during the cold parts of the day. During the day it warms up nicely (so far anyway) and she gets direct sunlight through the side window so she can lay on the couch and bask in the sun.

Sore muscles

My back has been killing me this week so I have been taking Aleve on a daily basis to cure the pain. It is usually bad the first couple of weeks until your body acclimates to the punishment that Amazon doles out. After all life is not east when your making the big bucks. HA!

Chica’s walks

Diane takes Chica for a nice long walk during the day. It breaks up the monotony for her and gives her a chance to get some exercise while the sun is still out. I leave for work in the dark and it is almost dark when I return. The other day I got a note from Diane stating Chica had hid from her and she didn’t take her for a walk that day. She said she wouldn’t come when she called her name. I left a note for Diane stating she sometimes curls up on the seat in the cab where the sun shines in.

By the way I ordered a bed warmer for Chica’s bed so I can turn the heater down lower at night. I am testing it now and should be able to place it under her bed to keep her nice and snugly. Chica sure hates it when I am gone all day and goes crazy when I get home. It takes her about 10 minutes too calm down as she gets very excited when I walk in the door.

Great dinners

I didn’t do too well on cooking for the week last weekend. After working 10 hours I really don’t fell much like cooking. So I looked over Casey’s menu and decided I would give her cooking a try. She doesn’t cook on Sunday so I was on my own. Monday I had spaghetti and meatballs with cheese garlic bread. WOW! It was a real feast. Then Tuesday and Wednesday I got her soups with garlic bread. Very yuuuumy!

Overtime

I was assigned Thursday as my mandatory overtime day. So now I will be working 5 days a week with Friday and Saturday off. Also our starting time has been moved back to 6:00am. The best part is that we get off work at 4:30pm. We can also get voluntary overtime if we want it, but I am not too excited about working 11 hour days.

I hope everyone has a nice safe Halloween tonight!

First Week At Amazon

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Orientation

I reported to Amazon on Saturday 10/19 for orientation. I have been through this twice before so I am familiar with the procedure. Saw some of the same movies I had seen before, but portions of it had been updated.

In the afternoon it was off to Safety School. Then we got off work at 5:30. I headed straight home and Chica was right their to greet me. It had been a long day for her as well and she was very excited to see me.

My Shift

Sunday is the first day of my shift and I work through Wednesday. They start us right out on 10 hour days from 7:00am to 5:30pm. The first week they gave us a break and Monday and Tuesday we only worked 5 hours.

My Job

This year they made me a Stower. I get the products from receiving and stow it in the bins. It will be much less walking then last year when I was a picker and picked the items out of the bins. Pickers usually walk between 12 – 14 miles per day. However a stower does not walk nearly as much, as we can put the items in any bin that has space.

It is a bit difficult this time of the year for a stower as the bins are very full and sometimes difficult to find some open space. However, once the customers start their Holiday shopping everything will change and I will have lots of open bins to stow the merchandise.

Sore Muscles

Your find out the muscles you don’t normally use as much as usual. I take two Aleve in the morning and it cures the soreness most of the day. I have done that every year I have worked at Amazon and believe me it really works.

Seniority

This is the third year I have worked at the Fernley, NV Fulfillment Center. I have had different jobs each year. The first year I was a Packer, the second year I was a Picker and this year I am a Stower. They always ask you to specify what job you would prefer, but I don’t think they pay much attention to it as each year I have had different jobs then what I stated that I preferred. Oh well, it is nice to be able to do other jobs as well. After going on my third year I am familiar with the layout of the building. It is a massive building and finding your way around it can be very difficult for new people. Most of them get very stressed out not even knowing where all the bathrooms and break rooms are let alone the many different production lines and storage areas.

Home Sweet Home

My home this year as it was the past 2 years is the Desert Rose RV Park. This year I have the same space as I did last year as I was able to reserve it when I departed last year.

Here I am in good ‘ole space #140. It is close to the front and the office.

A few things have changed since my last season at Amazon. I now have a vehicle and satellite TV. Both of those were thanks to the money I made last year working.

Another thing that has changed is Chica. She and I have been together since February 25. It has now been 8 months and 8,658 miles since we have been so lucky to meet each other. She is is her favorite spot on the couch with the sun coming through the window.

She also likes to get on top of the nice warm clothes after I bring them back from the laundromat.

She loves to crawl under them and go to sleep.

Friends

This year I have many friends both here at the RV Park and Amazon as well. I have run into many of the same people that I knew last year. I encouraged some of my friends at Quartzsite to work here this year. However, they all have different shifts so I don’t see them too often.

Weather

The weather during the day is really nice in the low 70’s but gets down into the low 30’s at night. I keep my catalytic heater going all night and turn on my furnace in the morning for a cycle just to warm up. However it is forecast to go down into the low 20’s next week at night. BRRRRRRRRR! I also have a small electric heater I will run once it gets really cold.

I also have a dog walker that I pay $5 per walk to come and walk Chica on the days when I am working. There is another person in the park that cooks really great meals and I can schedule them on a couple of my days off. YUUUUUUM! After 10 hours of work on your feet you don’t really feel like cooking.

I cannot post every day but will try to post as much as I can on my days off.

A visit from my son

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Jim Melvin

My son stops in for a couple of days…

My son Curt is traveling from California to Texas and stopped in to see me for a couple of days. We went out to dinner at Gordon Biersch Brewery in downtown Tempe. It is a great restaurant overlooking Mill Street.

We also walked around the Mill Street?University Drive area. It was a great place and lots of people out.

Off to see the MIM again…

He hadn’t seen The MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) so I suggested we go there on Tuesday. We spent most of the day walking around this fabulous museum. They have an “Experience Gallery” where you can experience playing the many instruments they have on display. Or should I say trying to play them. HA!! It was a lot of fun. Here are several pics from the Experience Gallery.

While there I found several things that I had not noticed in my prior visit.The first was instruments made out of cans.

Bamboo

and even a brake cylinder. It is amazing the different instruments that people use to make music.

I can’t imagine paying $27.45 for this organ, but back in 1902 that was probably a fortune.

Gourmet meals in the MIM cafeteria…

After touring the museum we were hungry so stopped in their cafeteria for lunch. What a pleasant surprise. The lunch was all gourmet meals. I couldn’t believe it. Someone had commented on my previous post about the delicious meals so I just had to see for myself. What a pleasant surprise. Of course I had to have a Monkey Shine ale to wash it down!

Here is a pic taken in the courtyard of The MIM. This statue moved ever so slightly that you could not even tell if you were looking at it.

Chica pic

Curt also had a good time with Chica and she enjoyed his company.

Rangers game and then off to Texas

Curt is a Texas Ranger fan and went to the game on Wednesday. Then it was off to Texas. It was fun getting together and I really enjoyed seeing him.

Workamping at Spring Training

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Jim Melvin

What a gang!

I have been working at the LAA Angels home Spring Training games at the Tempe Diablo Stadium since 2/23. I was assigned to work with Phil who I met while workamping at Amazon last winter. Here is a pic of our group lined up in front of our booth the Triple Play Grill.

We are located on the third base side of the field and every now and then a foul ball happens to come our way.

Watching batting practice…

We come in 2 1/2 hours prior to each game and get the stand ready for all the food and drink sales. Sometimes when we are all set up we can watch batting practice. Today I got to see the Angels hitting.

I was really lucky to get this shot of Albert Pujols at bat. How great is that!

Busy, busy, busy…

But once the game starts it is very busy. The orders are flying left and right and sometimes it is hard to keep up, but we all have a very good system of staying on top of the orders and getting the food and drink to the fans as quickly as possible so they can enjoy the game.

Her are a few pics of our group in action and our work area.

We have a great group and everyone gets along really well. We are always laughing and everyone enjoys each others antics at times when there is a lull in customers. We are all kept very busy but still have a good time together.

Last game coming up…

Our last game will be on 3/27 against the Angels arch rival, Texas. It should be an exciting game. Then the Angels are off to Anaheim and we workampers are off to points unknown. It has been a great experience working with this group and we sure have had a lot of laughs.

A great day in Apache Junction

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Meeting up with Shannon and Sheba

On Saturday I drove out to Apache Junction to go hiking with Shannon and her dog Sheba. I had originally planned this for last Thursday but had to cancel in order to get my car checked out and serviced.

Shannon is camped at the base of the Superstitious Mountains with many hiking trails nearby. Here are a couple of pics taken just a few feet from her campsite.

A few miles up the road we stopped at a lookout. Great desert views.

Further up the road was Canyon Lake. It is a huge lake with a nice beach and marina. It looks like a great place to kayak.

Then it was on to Tortilla Flats where we enjoyed a couple of cool beers and listened to a great country western band.

We walked around the campground at Tortilla Flats, but it was already closed for the season.

Fantastic view from Fish Creek Overlook

Driving further you run out of paved road. We drove on a washboard road for a few miles until we got to the Fish Creek Overlook. What magnificent views and colors.

This is a pic of Shannon and Sheba looking over the canyon.

More pics of Fish Creek.

I also liked the many plant and cactus varieties.

Then we headed back to Shannon’s campsite where she made us a snack before heading out and a late afternoon hike at the base of the Superstitious Mountains. I managed to get a couple of pics of the sunrise and the beautiful colors of the mountain.

We just managed to get back as it was getting dark.

Pizza and another country western band…

We then drove a few miles down the road and stopped at the Hitchin Post pizza joint. Shannon insisted on buying me dinner and we had a great pizza and beer. They also had a great country western band that played some fantastic music. It was really a fun day.

Only 5 games left in Spring Training

There are only 5 games left and I am planning on leaving Mesa on the 28th. I have the itch and want to get out of the city atmosphere I am presently in. After seeing Apache Junction I would like to return there and stay a few days. Then it is off to New Mexico.

From cold to hot…

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Cold and raining

The weather last week was very strange for this area. It got very cold and the the torrential rains and hail began. I was working at the ballpark when it started. The rain started on and off and it delayed the start of the game. Then a torrential rain started with very high winds and even hail. The stands emptied in a hurry. This is a pic taken from inside my work tent looking out to the field. The fans had scurried off to a protected area to get out of the rain. This was the only guy left. The stands were full about 5 minutes prior to this.

The umpires called the game and everyone went home. All the street lights were knocked out on my way home and it took quite a while to get through the traffic.

Met fellow bloggers and other friends

I drove home and changed into some dry clothes and then headed over to Cracker Barrel where I met some friends for dinner. It was a great time. I met Jim and Sandie from Where are the Dixons, Ray and Cindy from Ray and Cindy’s RV Travels. I also saw Kyra and Key who I had met the night before at Casino Arizona.

Key writes the The Ramblin Rivercat blog. Then there was Jan, Dianna and Bobbie. I copied this photo from Jim and Sandie’s blog.

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Everyone had a great time and lots of conversation about places we had been and where we were headed.

Caught up with a lot of good friends yesterday.

Yesterday morning I got a call from Shannon who was my neighbor at Amazon last winter. She was also the friend I drove with to and from Amazon. It seems as though she just landed in Apache Junction last week and was headed my way to pick up some items at Camping World and Trader Joe’s. We got together at Cracker Barrel for lunch and rehashed old times and made some plans to do some hiking around Apache Junction. I am really looking forward to it. Didn’t get any pics but will be taking my camera with me when we go hiking.

Get together at Phil and Sindy’s

In the late afternoon I was invited to Phil and Sindy’s rig, which is only a couple of spaces from mine, for hamburgers and hot dogs. Our mutual friends, Steve and Marti and grandson Ryan, where coming by to see them from California. It was really fun getting together with everyone. Steve, Marti and Ryan will be going to a couple of Spring Training games while in town.

Chica update

Chica is doing quite well adjusting to her new home. She is now almost housebroken and I have here on some new dog food that the vet recommended. That pipsqueak is so lovable. She has to get on Daddy’s lap every night. She doesn’t like when I leave her alone, but that will end shortly and she won’t have to worry about that any more for a while.

I took her to a park and went for a long walk. Her whole 3.5 pounds was actually pulling me. I have included a few pics of her doing her thing. The first is with her ducky which she loves so much. She also has a zombie and a chew bone, which I will show later.

It has been a really fun week. I mentioned the weather was very cold and rainy. Well that is changing big time. The past couple of days it has been in the 80’s and the next couple of days it will reach 90. What a change. Almost time for the A/C.

Finally meet my soul mate!!!

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Working the Angels Spring Training Games

I am still working the Angels Spring Training games in Tempe. It has been fun and I am meeting a lot of fun people. I usually work 3-4 games per week. I am not making a lot of money, but it pays the expenses.

Weather has been beautiful…

You really can’t beat the beautiful Arizona weather. The days have been in the high 70’s with a slight breeze at times. However it will be changing shortly as they expect the temps to dip into the low 60’s tomorrow with a possibility of rain. There is a game scheduled and hope we don’t get rained out. After a couple days in the 60’s it is predicted to go back into the 70’s with more great weather.

Found my soul mate!

After many years of searching I finally found my soul mate. I wasn’t even looking for her. She just happened to run into me. I was talking to my sister on the phone and just happened to look out and see her. I went outside to meet her and we both knew we were made for each other. Here is a neat pic of her.

She was very hungry and had crusty eyes. She came into my rig and made herself at home. I have been looking for anyone that may have lost here, but without any success. I checked with the office and they did not know who her owner was. However she did say that there have been many little Chihuahuas running wild in the area.

I checked Craig’s List and the SPCA here in Mesa without any luck. I have had her over 2 weeks so decided if nobody claimed her that she and I would make a nice pair. HA!!

Potty training

Although I don’t think she is a puppy I have still had to housebreak her. It was not very easy at first and there were a lot of accidents. It was probably mostly my fault as I didn’t let her out often enough.

We have finally gotten into the swing of things as far as potty breaks go and she is much improved. She still doesn’t bark to let me know when to take her out or even go to the door. But when I see her sniffing around I know it is time.

Vet day…

Since I haven’t heard from anyone who may have been her owner, I decided to take her to the vet and have her scanned to see if she had a microchip implanted that would tell me who owned her. They scanned her and came up with nothing. I decided at this time that she and I would be soul mates for life so I had her checked out by the vet who gave her two shots (which she did not like at all). They also implanted a microchip and trimmed her nails (which she also hated). A couple of her nails where almost ingrown and it looked like they hadn’t been trimmed in a long time. Here is a pic of her at the vet.

I have named her Chica (which means little girl). It was a great name that my sister suggested. We are both happy with each other and she hates when I leave to go to the ball park for the games. She is very excited when I get home. She is really a lot of fun and a very happy girl!