Palm Trees in southern Florida

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Jobs again


I was sitting down to lunch at work, we were talking about what we are going to be doing next week. One girl said she was only going to work the first 2 days because she was moving to Nebraska, seems she'd gotten a teaching job (combined 3rd & 4th grade) almost 2 years after finishing her education. The girl on the other side of the table was saying she'd gotten a teaching job (as a special education teacher) closer and was leaving the amusement park at the middle of the month, she'd only been looking for a teaching job for a year. The ride I'm on now is run by a graphics design graduate who is looking for a job in her field.

The work I'm doing this summer is seasonal, seems that gives it it's own set of rules. The103 hours on my last pay check were all "Regular time", if I wasn't seasonal 23 of those hours would have been "Overtime". I feel silly because I was not aware of that until just recency.
They are still hiring. People walk in, fill out the application, get an interview, are given a uniform (you see them changing in the bathroom), taken out and put to work. It is that kind of job.
There are a fair number of workcampers & a lot of locals here. For some workcampers this is how they live, for others it's something to do. I regularly have 16 year old assistants on rides and other locals (not in school) who do a variety of different things through out the year.


I needed a picture


Last week we drove up to Forest City Iowa to take the Winnebago factory tour. Forest City is almost up to Minnesota, nice looking country in the summer. A great tour if you are into RV's at all.  They are bringing out a new smaller class "A" that looks like their original class "A" from the early 70's. The insides & construction techniques all new, just the overall outside design looks kinda like an old one.

I got this from http://www.gowinnebago.com/products/2015/brave/

Winnebago is hiring, everyone I saw looked if not happy at least content with what they were doing. The guide said they were several hundred people short and had a three month backlog on RVs. The work looked interesting, the people all over the plant looked happy and the countryside looked nice... but it's so close to Minnesota and I remember the Minnesota winters!

Finally down to jobs. Besides Winnebago (they have applications on their web site) up by Minnesota, I have seen "help wanted" signs all over the Des Moines area this summer just like I saw down in the Rockport Texas area last winter.
Even the local Walmart is looking for all kinds of help, all of it "part time".

 Just added on Saturday the 2nd of Aug, this talk about jobs & I saw this:

The meat department is one of my reasons for visiting


Friday, July 18, 2014

Corn

I'm in Iowa and they grow corn in Iowa.
Lot's of corn.   Corn everywhere.

Early June

You turn around and there is a vacant lot with corn growing on it ... or soy.


Mid June


Last year I asked one of the kids at work about the corn growing across the street from the amusement park.
She looked at me with a confused look in her eyes & explained that they grow corn one year and soy the next.
Her look said it was one of those facts that everybody just knew so why was I asking...


Mid July
The ears mid July









 
They are growing soy this year across the road. Soy is not nearly as photogenic as corn if you ask me.


The soy field
Soy up close











I'm in Iowa working at an amusement park 6 days a week.
I enjoy it but my observations don't get much past tee shirts, tattooed titties and the crops around me.

Maybe August will be better for subject matter ....
 


Friday, July 11, 2014

Human nature I guess....

I work in a very public job, with new 'public' people every few minutes in front of me. My co-workers come mostly from the front end of the job world and the back end, 15-16 year olds & 65-75 year olds.

The public comes to have fun, my co-workers are here for the fun & 'you need to do something' or it's a first job.  I have turned into a professional tee shirt reader!

Sunset, January 1st 2013


I have noticed a few things doing this...
There are a certain number of the public who just ignore you. You say "hello, how you doing?" and they walk by as if are just not there. It bothered me at first but I now realize that's how some people just are.

Some people LOVE the rules, this mostly shows in my co-workers, both the young and the old.  Shoes & shirts are required to get on most rides and I have seen people loose it when someone tries to get off a ride without their flip-flops on.

'Live and let live' has worked well for me.

  
Camping on Padre Island Texas  

These pictures are there because I like them


Friday, July 4, 2014

My Friday the 4th of July

I was out early with a drive to Newton Iowa, as drove thru town I was slowed by the people showing up for the parade.
It was both parade participants & audience out there.
Again I had forgotten what a small town 4th of July could be... I remember being in the 4th of July parade as a Cub Scout & later as a Boy Scout.

I really have to rethink my work schedule.

Today is a car day if nothing else!
A Model "T" pulling into the gas station, muscle cars passing me on the interstate, old cars that have been hot rodded pulling small matching trailers and a couple of antique cars on trailers. All on their way to somewhere to spend their 4th of July.

Driving thru my 'neighborhood' (an RV park) I did notice how much things had changed. Little kids everywhere, riding bikes, scooters & wrestling on the lawn. People at their picnic tables with milk & cereal, others with a pot of coffee talking and watching me drive by. Folks packed up & on their way to the amusement park for a day on the water, a ride or eight & all the amusement park food you could imagine.

The sounds of this place are the same, people screaming with joy and they hang upside down & spin around comes from the park. Towards the afternoon it's the smell if wood fires & things cooking over fire of all types.
All the time this weekend is the sound of families.
Small ones & the huge groups of an extended family all make the same 'sort' of noise.

Amusement park food!
When I arrived I here this year my first thought was of a funnel cake.
I've had a "funnel cake" my first trip in the park as a guest, my next trip was for a "foot long corndog". I have a "Gyro" & a deep fried onion still on my list, plus someone told me the sweet potato puffs where worth the trip...

My 4th will be spent helping people have fun...
So if you happen to be in Altoona Iowa and run into a guy who says "Welcome-to-north-sky!

Say hello if you can get a word in...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!

Thursday, July 3, 2014

4th of July!

I live at an RV park attached to an amusement park, we are across the street from a horse track and casino, today is the one day a week I'm off and I had things to do.

Amusement park rides
The Horse Track & Casino








I went out early this morning & stopped at Walmart so I could get some cash back (I was going to a wrecking yard for a spare tire).
At that hour I had to wonder about the people leaving Walmart and the stuff they were carrying.
Ice chests, umbrella lawn chairs, beer & watermelon were all sighted on the walk from the car, then I remembered that today is the 3rd of July!
The 4th had always been one of my favorite holidays... I work again this year & had not thought of the festivities that will be going on this 3 day weekend.

When I got back to the RV park there was a long line of RV's waiting to get in, there were more parked in office parking lot.
I took a look at the large tent area, there are a lot of folks set up there.... you can drive up to where you set up your tent, it's a nice place.
We did a lot of tent camping for many years & this is a good spot.
Tents

Tents & trailers


The horse track/casino is having their fireworks tonight & the amusement park are doing fireworks on Friday (the 4th) and Saturday nights.
The boxes are the fireworks ready to go at the track infield

People waiting for the fireworks but first there will be some horse racing!

Most of my kids and grandkids will be camping this weekend 2000 miles from me, I'll be loading people on the sky cars safely (trying to) in Iowa.
I am going to have give some thought about this working on my favorite holidays in the future.

Have a good 4th of July & a safe one.  

Happy Birthday America!!