'19/#27 It's Why We Have Wheels

This is going to be a short blog but I just had to put it out there. It's no secret that we are ready to leave California especially if you read the last blog. Well I have another reason for leaving. The weather here has gone crazy! They say it never rains in California and the rain we got this summer can be measured with a napkin so that is true. But the temperatures are going nuts. Two days ago the temperature was over 100 degrees here and last night it dropped down to 39 degrees. With earth quakes, land slides, extreme temperatures, and the crazy people California is a geological, meteorological, and sociological apocalypse waiting to happen.

As far as our jobs go... well lets say that has been insane too. With the short staffing and the entitled locals combined with over 150 check-ins, Friday night was insane. With no management on property that left Mary in charge at the front desk and me out in the field. Everything that could go wrong seemed to do just that. And who is in charge? The two workcampers, the temps, who are gone in fourteen days!

We will stick it out because we don't want to mess up our plans for the weeks between Petaluma and south Texas but if push comes to shove...once again our plans are written in jello. Fridays are always super busy and we only have two more to go so it shouldn't be too bad. All I can say is "c'mon October 13th!".

Taking a deep breath as short timers here in our home in Petaluma because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

'19/#26 And The Clock Keeps On Ticking

Well it is less than three weeks before we leave California and the time can't go too quickly. It's not just because we have seen what we wanted or are not overly impressed by the state of California, (though that does have some thing to do with it) but we are just ready to move on. I have talked before about "Hitch-Itch", that wanderlust urge RVers get after staying in one place for a long period of time, and that is the main reason we are ready to hit the road. After all our house is on wheels and wheels are made to roll.

Things need to be prepped for our travels. Staying in one place we have a tendency to gather things and keep some of our stuff in places that are not conducive to travel. The garage area is the primary area of concern. Anyone who has a garage knows that if a vehicle is not in there on a regular basis then it turns into a catch-all and fills up. We all know that nature abhors a vacuum and the garage in a toy hauler is no different.

We have few more things planned in and around San Francisco and have couple of places we would like to see again before we leave. We have said our goodbyes to most of the exchange students and they are mostly gone. The locals that have become friends with will fill our days before we leave and farewells will be exchanged later.

For now we are working and getting things ready. Reservations are being made and plans during our travel are eagerly anticipated. Before long we will be in our new home in south Texas where we will stay for the winter. It will be our winter home for a third season and after that....well who knows? After all our house is on wheels and our plans are written in jello.

I must get read for work soon because there is still time on the clock here in our home in Petaluma because .....


Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

19/#26 High Prices in The Land of Enttlement

We have been in California for a full four months now and have made a few observations. Don't misunderstand what I am saying. We have had a good time and don't regret the time we have spent here but some things just rubbed us the wrong way.

Over the years we have always heard about how much food stuffs comes from California. There is talk about abundant produce and Pacific Ocean seafood. I once heard that California produces most of the almonds sold in the U.S. We have even heard California called "America's breadbasket". Well I have to say rubbish! The produce available here is far from top quality and the prices are ridiculous! If you want to see top notch produce at ridiculously LOW prices go to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. I know a lot of it comes from Mexico but at least it is there, edible, and affordable.

Seafood is nonexistent in this part of California.  It is sad when the best seafood restaurant in the area is Red Lobster. Shrimp that we buy in the store is mostly of the Gulf Coast variety which can be bought in Florida or Texas for half the price when it is on sale. Not to mention there are plenty of good seafood restaurants in Texas and you can't swing a "dead cat" without hitting one in Florida.

In my quest to eat a little healthier I have for a number of years always kept almonds handy as a healthy snack to keep me from eating too much junk. Yes we shop the sales which pop up on a regular basis when we are in either Florida or Texas. No such sale has even shown up as a blip on our sale shopping radar since we have been in Petaluma. Trust me we have been looking and it just hasn't happened. I guess not all the nuts are living here in California. The almonds seem to have gotten out.

Speaking of "nuts", the people here may have the highest concentration of entitled mind set as we have ever seen. Old, young, kids...it doesn't matter. Economic status has no bearing on it either. RVers in $500,000 motor homes or people sleeping in the back of their car all come in expecting an ass-kissing from everyone who works in the park. Since this is a service oriented business the customer is always right. The catering to, the verbal abuse, and the ridiculous expectations are like none we have experienced before.

Let me close by saying that our stay here in California has been interesting, we have made friends, and we have had fun but I will say that we have seen enough and probably will not return. We would most definitely not choose this as a place to settle down and stay. We have about a month left here and will be making the most of our time before we hit the road. So I will sign of now from our home here in Petaluma because.....

Home is where we park it,

Frank and Mary

19/#25 Getting Down To The Last Qaurter

We have workcamped for a long time now and have made a number of observations. First is that workcamping is not always easy and is not for everyone. Second is that the compensation for the time and effort put into the jobs is relative to what is desired and/or expected. Third is the job itself is not always what is initially promised. These are all based on indivdual expectations.

The fourth and last thing seems to be universal to all the workcampers we have known. Every workcamping job time frame can be broken down into four segments. As seasonal workers we are automatically "short-timers". We know when we start exactly when our time on the job will end. That being said the season, whether it be 4 or 5 or 6 months can be defined by the same attitudes that you will find in every career.

The first quarter is when you start a new adventure, the new job. There is excitement and enthusiasm. New people to meet, new skills to learn, and finding your place in a new work environment. Everyone is happy and enjoying the "new car smell" of a new job. After all new is good,right?

Somewhere around the beginning of the second quarter of your commitment you are getting comfortable. You are getting good at the new job and your skills now allow you to do the job effortlessly and you can enjoy the camaraderie of the new people you call your coworkers. You may even start to socialize with some of them whether they are fellow workcampers or seasonal locals or even year round employees. It all sounds great, doesn't it? But you are only half way through the workcamper experience.

In the second half the job starts to get routine. It feels like you are in a rut doing the same thing over and over again. I mean the job isn't that difficult. They hire people every year to do this and train new people each and every season so how hard could it be. Workcampers after all are just temps, people hired to do a job for a specific period of time and then they are done. You also have gotten to know your coworkers better. That can be a good thing, but who likes everybody? There will be that person who gets on your nerves for whatever reason and makes you wish you could work with someone else. Sometimes that can happen and sometimes it can't. But you made a commitment and a commitment is a commitment so just suck it up!

The last quarter is the toughest. This is the end of your time, some might call it their sentence depending on the job and everything that makes up the work place environment. This why many employers give a completion bonus. If you stay until the end of your commitment you may get extra money for each hour worked or part of your living expense may be reimbursed. I'm not talking about employers who hold back money just to give it to you later, I am talking about a real incentive to stay!

There is the knowing that at the end of your commitment you will once again be back out on the road looking for the next adventure. A new season, new people, even a new workcamping job. This is why we do what we do, for the adventure. Some of our friends don't understand why we do this but as I said before it is not for everyone. Needless to say it is the way we live our lives and we are happy doing it like this. If the job is good or bad or just down right intolerable we have ways of dealing with it. I look at some of the jobs I had before I retired and think "if I can do that for"X"  number of years I can do anything for a few months", and if it is really that bad remember our house is on wheels and our plans are written in jello. We can leave at any time and seek out a new adventure.

Well I have to get ready for work. The season is coming to an end and things are slowing down. It is getting a little boring but after the hectic summer at KOA  a little boredom is welcome. Our last quarter will go by and we will be out on the road looking for our next adventure. The game clock is ticking and counting down here in our home in Petaluma because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary