"Travel" vs travel

We've been here workcamping almost 4 months now, the rent is good & the work is not hard, it's even fun.
4 months is a long time but money in the bank is a good thing.

We have another three weeks of 6 day work weeks and then six weeks of weekend work to go.
It's getting dark earlier, I saw leaves changing colors ...
I'm working away another summer. I'm ready to go "Traveling".

When we started out traveling the 'plan' was to go to a new area & spend some time, time to get to know the area.
Then move on.
The 2 months in Quartzsite was not bad, then it was time to move on.

That's different from "Traveling",  here for a few days being a tourist then there for a few days doing tourist stuff.


This 6 month stay IS for work so I guess I'm just tired of working  :-) 

This is a lesson in progress ... like so much of life is.

This is from the Pima Air Museum in Tuscon Arizona, I think I flew in the 1450 some years back!

What happened to the summer?

I was at work today, it's hot & a bit humid, the tree next to the Carousel was not in the right position for shade.

I had a water soak thingee around my neck but that was soon just warm but I did have a full brimmed hat so "I" had some shade.  

Then I noticed a tree next to me was dropping yellow leaves. Fall already?

I've already noticed it's dark by 9 o'clock & now the leaves have started changing... It's still July!

 What's happening, where has the summer gone?

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In March were at the Big Bend National Park and took a walk on the nature trail not far from the camp ground. We saw all these animals that day.
That was 'Spring' & today is a summer day with the leaves changing color & falling... I can pretend!

One turtle

Three turtles

A bird flying

Javelina in the camp ground

A bird against the mountains

The bird a little closer

A bird a lot closer

A coyote on the road as we walked back to camp

Three Mexican horses getting water from the Rio Grande.

Workcamping as a way of life

There are a great many things over the last 3 months that are 'new' to me with this workcamping stuff.

The number of people workcamping here, (well over one hundred), the older people who have been doing this for years & years. The guests in the lines, on the rides and as they leave the rides (their actions & behaviors) & the rides themselves ... all new & different. The support the amusement park gives to the workcampers too.

Workcampers

What surprised me the most was the people who were doing this as "what they do". Workcamping as a way of life.. I did not realize that there were so many nomads traveling from one seasonal job to another.   It's not all of the workcampers or even a good percentage but there are enough.  There is no reason I should have known this, it's all new to me.

Adventureland

My Dad had one job/company from when he was 16 until he died in his 50's. Past the assorted college jobs I had 20+ years in the CG and 2 other jobs that I stayed with, in one place until there was a really good reason to leave. Now I'm meeting people who work here for 6 months or there for however long that the gig lasts, this is their life. A lot of people are going to Amazon after this but they can run rides, cook food, sell tickets, clean bathrooms or pick orders as the job requires.

Their home, like mine has wheels but unlike me with a retirement income this job is it. Totally different from what I'd experienced before. I came here to an amusement park looking "for something different" and I found it ... in more ways than I expected.

Age is Relative

As I got older I felt older, as my kids grew up I felt older, as my hair changed color & thinned out I felt older, as creaks-groans-snap-crackle-pop sounds happened when I stood up I felt older, as it became harder to read I felt older.

Then I went to work here...

I worked with a very nice lady, friendly, energetic and just fun to be around. Seems  she  had  been  married  for  over  50  years. 50 years?
Turns out most of the people I work with are 10 to 15 years my senior.

I guess I'm not 'really' old yet... take 2 aspirin and get back to it!

The Declaration Of Independence

On this day in 1776-

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States..."-----from The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America

 Happy Birthday America

Tee shirts & tackle shops

I just finished a week of running a carousel in an amusement park, it's the first ride you see when you come into the park and the last ride you pass by on your way out.

Our ride has plastic horses, two sleds and travels clockwise. From hitting the "go" button until it stops is 2 min and a few seconds.

Carousel's have an interesting history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carousel and have been around for a really long time. One lady did stop to explain the difference between a "Carousel" & a "Merry-Go-Round", her opinion was that it's the animal, a carousel has horses & a merry-go-round has other animals. I took a look and that is not a universally held belief, some claim it's the direction of travel & most use the names how ever they want.

The people who ride it are the interesting part of the job
Kid's love it, some a lot. I'm able to talk a lot of older people on to it by asking "when was the last time you rode?" and they all enjoyed it. Some folks will not deal with a ride that goes around in circles, just won't do it.

This brings me around to tee shirts, I saw a lot of them the last 6 days & something stood out. There was ONE day where there were more "Duck Dynasty" tee shirts than Harley-Davidson tee shirts ... For all I know it could have been a bus load of Duck Dynasty fans in the park for that day but it was clearly a favorite. The big winner in tee shirt themes (overall) here is "Iowa", a lot of variations (with schools, clubs & towns) but the state name is popular.

I could talk about tattoos & piercings but I'm not really sure what to say about them other than there are a lot out there. I'm running a roller coaster this week so I expect a slightly different group of people with no one under 42"!

Last night we went out to eat at "Buck's Fish Bowl & Grill" attached to the Bass Pro Shop ... An interesting name choice, I saw why when we went in. It was different, there was a bowling alley, a bar, pool tables & a restaurant all in the same place, the food was good too!
After eating my spouse wanted to look for more swimming attire so we went into the store itself. FWIW on the 1st of July in Iowa they had swimming suits on clearance, I went to look at fishing stuff.

At the OFM's blog he was talking about the lack of fresh water fishing tackle on the Texas coast, he wasn't surprised. Last night I found out why there isn't any on the Texas coast, it's all in Iowa. Aisles & aisles of fresh water tackle.

Bass Pro Shop in Altoona Iowa

Bass Pro Shop in Altoona Iowa

People run to be the first on the Space Shot

I've eaten more fried chicken in the last 3 months than the last

 20 years