Sunday, December 23, 2012

Updates

OK, it's been a busy week, so for those of you who don't follow me on Facebook I thought I'd do an update.

Linda has moved to cardiac stepdown which she enjoys much more than ICU.  Most of her tubes are removed and she is making short walks in the hallway, sitting up in a chair, and showing good signs of improvement.  She looks really good for someone who was so sick.

Young Michaela Riggan is even more adorable if that is even possible.  I stopped by the house tonight on my way home and using my special great aunt powers managed to rouse her from a nap and get her eyes open before she began to cry for mommy.  That was so much fun.

The big news is no snow for Christmas!  I am so glad.  Today was unusually warm for December and after a brief visit with Linda I took advantage of the sunshine to go hiking.  It was so good to be in the woods walking.  Saw several eastern bluebirds and some deer.  Also saw 2 ticks!  Well, if I want to be somewhere warm I have to put up with that I guess. 

So, Linda probably won't be home before the 26th or so.  We've agreed to postpone Christmas.  Not that it matters to me.  I will be happy to have her home and see Mike relax a bit.  And after the New Year's traffic has cooled off and she's home and comfortable I am headed south because I know these warmer temps won't last up here.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Is There a Grandpa In The House?

Yep, there sure is.  After a short visit with Linda this morning, I went to visit the new parents with big brother Mike.  Yesterday we sort of glimpsed the newest member of the family but never got to really see her.  Today was different as you can see.




Saturday, December 15, 2012

I'm the Great (aunt) Vickie

One of the best things about a home on wheels is being able to move to where I'm needed.  Don't know how needed I am or how much help I'll be, but I just had a great neice today and can't wait to hold her.  But she is tiny:  Michaela Judy Riggan (MJ) born to Michael (Danny) and Marie Riggan at 12:13 today.  Congrats new mom and dad!!



Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Searching For The Sun

Somehow I managed to bundle up warm enough to get the car hooked up to the rv and pointed south.  Left Kentucky just after lunch and made it about 100 miles south before stopping for a couple of nights.  Not much warmer but it is Christmas and I do need to visit with my Tennessee family before heading further south.  Tonight's low is 27 (F not C) so I do hope they appreciate how hard it was for me to stop.  Love makes you do strange things.  Looking forward to seeing the grands and then heading on to Georgia and meeting my big brother's first grandchild!  Until then you know my mantra:  DON'T LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW!!!

Monday, December 10, 2012

Baby It's Cold Outside

Those are not words I want to say unless I'm singing them in a song.  And even then I want the image to be a faint memory.  Yesterday and last night it rained and stormed all day and night.  Yesterday the high was 65.  Today's high was at 6 this morning and it was only 59.  For me, it's not a good day when the temps fall as the day goes on.  Tonight's temps will drop down into the high 20s.  Tooooo cold for this old body.  It will be hard to say good bye to my Kentucky home and family.  I have spent the last 2 weeks basking in the glow of love and family on the farm with Madeline and her brood.  We have dug into the family roots some more and done some Christmas shopping.  I have played with the boys and watched Christmas shows with Abby.  It's been a wonderful, cozy family time, but now it's cold and the kids (and I think Madeline too) are all wishing for a white Christmas morning.  I want them to have it too.  But I don't want to be in it with them.  So I am hooking up the little orange car and pointing my wheels south.  The temps are in the low 70s in south Georgia.  Now that kind of Christmas weather appeals to me.


Sunday, November 25, 2012

Just Another Day at the Factory

Well, it's been 4 weeks in and 4 weeks to go here at Santa's workshop, er, uh, Amazon.  Some days I hate it.  Some days I don't mind it.  Never do I love it, but I do enjoy the paychecks.  And so I go.

A few folks have asked just what is it I do.  What's it like there?  Ever get any free stuff?  So, here's the answers - short and sweet. 

What I do is count.  Officially I work in ICQA (inventory control quality assurance).  Unofficially I
am in housekeeping. I go out to a section of the warehouse with a scanner, scan the bin, count the number of items in it, enter the number into the scanner, then move on. If the count is different from what the computer says it should be then another person comes behind me to see if I counted wrong or if something is missing (or something extra is in the bin that shouldn't be).

  As I take things out to count them I do the housekeeping by knocking dust off things, and it is a dusty place, and replacing things in the bin neater than I found it.  The pickers, those folks who run around with carts and a scanner that tells them what you ordered and throw it in a bin to send to wrapping/shipping, rush through the aisles grabbing things quickly from the bins so sometimes bins get messed up, things get knocked in the floor and put back in the wrong bin, etc.  So all night I count and clean, clean and count.  So that's what I do.

What's it like there?  It's hot, noisy, dusty, and busy.  One night I was working on the fourth level of one area which gave me a great view of the whole operation in my area.  Here's a picture I found on the internet.  Not even sure it's from an Amazon plant, but it looks very much like the real thing.  I wish I could have taken a photo but cameras and other electronics are not allowed to be brought into the plant.  And they are serious about it.  Every time you go out of the warehouse area, to lunch or on a break or to go home, you have to pass through security just like at the airport except you do keep your shoes on. 

  Anyway, my view from up above was kind of like this except there were quite a few more pickers running around.  As of Black Friday all departments put on the full force, days off are canceled, and if you're gonna call in sick you better be writing your will.  Also, what doesn't show in this photo is all the miles and miles of conveyors running around the plant.  Pickers run around with carts and on their carts are bright colored bins.  Once the items for that bin are all picked the bin is set on the conveyor.  This can be any any part of the warehouse.  The bin has a barcode on the front of it and somewhere along the line a laser reads the label and levers or bars push and pull it off to just the right spot until it tips over and falls down a shute and heads off to be wrapped and shipped.  Watching all this happen from my lofty spot reminded me of that kids game mousetrap where you lined up all the ladders and things just right so that when you drop the ball at the beginning it rolls around causing things to push, pull, and drop until the trap falls at the end.  I looked hard but never did see that boot that kicked in the cheese although                                  I fully expect it's there somewhere!
 

Friday, November 16, 2012

No Firm Plans

I know I said in the last post that I would follow up in a day or two.  Well, that didn't happen.  If you know me you're not surprised.  So this is just a little note to catch you up on me.  Yes, I'm working at Amazon again.  I'm on the F shift which is a night shift on what they call the donut.  That means I work 2 days, then off a day, then on 2 days, then off 2 days, then start it all over again.  I think I'm liking that break in the middle. 

No, I have'nt sold the house yet.  We are still trying to get a closing set up.  Things keep happening.  Latest hitch?  Home office for the buyers' finance company is in New Jersey.  Will just keep thinking positive thoughts and somehow it will happen.

I left the state park.  It was a hard decision to make because I love looking out at the water every morning.  And I actually do like to see how many deer are out at 4 in the morning when I return home.  But the weather has turned cold early this year and the road into the park is twisty, winding, and down a hill.  Decided it might be a better idea to move closer to town. 

I am now at Heartland RV Park.  We call it the parking lot.  It's a large gravel lot across the street from the warehouse.   I think they have room for 100 or more campers.  It's ideal for work because I can walk to the warehouse in about 5 minutes so don't have to worry about driving home in the wee hours if the roads are slick.  And it has full hook ups so I can take that long hot shower when I get home from work.  But it is not a campground, certainly not a park, at least in my opinion.  The spots are really close together (my neighbor's lunch today smelled strongly of garlic) which is bad if you want to put out the awning and sit outside because you'll be under your neighbor's window.  But it's good because I'm small and all the bigger rigs all around me block off a lot of the cold wind.  All in all I think it's for the best.  And it's only for 5 more weeks!
  Here's my row.  I'm the next to last rv.
 



 
Here's the view from my "patio".  Amazon is just beyond those last 3 rows of campers.

 Here's the day shift heading home and some of my neighbors walking back to the "lot".

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Never Burn Bridges

I know, I know.  It's been 3 weeks since my last post.  There I was in Maine posting nearly every day, and then I come home to the south and have nothing to say?  No, not really.  Just been pretty busy.

I returned from my beautiful Maine adventures and after spending the night in Nashville drove back to where Seeker was parked at cousin Madeline's farm in KY.  And then the days just flew by.  We have been digging into our family's past and searching for clues.  Also finding time for watching her grandkids and going to ballgames, doctor's appointments, etc.  Just everyday life.  Like me, Madeline is a weather channel junkie and with the approach of Sandy we have been glued to the TV and trying to avoid being out in all the cold and wind.  Yes, tropical storm Sandy blew all our beautiful, late fall warm weather away.  Left us with cold, windy, yucky weather.  Guess that made it easier to leave.

When I was a younger woman I never worried about the future.  Like most folks I just took for granted it would be there.  And never did I consider that my past could impact my future.  Time has taught me to be more prudent.  No matter how bad a situation may seem at the moment, I have tried to exit graciously never knowing when I might want to be back.  Such was the case of my first full timer job at Amazon in Campbellsville, KY last year.  It was not an awful job.  It was not a hard job.  It was just a job.  I never dreamed I would be doing it again this year even though I met several folks who have been coming back every year.  I didn't even think I did my job all that well, but I made sure I left graciously when I made my exit.  You never know what the future will bring.  I have finally, in my later years, learned not to burn my bridges.  So when I found myself in KY trying to stay near Nashville while finalizing the sale of my house, I found that the logical spot to be is back at Amazon.  And they seem delighted to have me back.  So I "crossed that bridge" this weekend and returned to the state park campground.  Today is indoctrination day.  Tomorrow and the rest of the week is training.  Back in the saddle, as they say.  I will add more info in the next day or two.  Right now I have to get ready for work. 

Monday, October 8, 2012

New England Memories

We were fortunate to arrive early at Logan this morning. Our boarding time is 2 hours away, but we have had time for a leisurely breakfast and now sit in the boarding area browsing the net while hundreds of people are standing in line just to enter the gate area. That means I have time for one more blog post. All pictures. You provide your own captions.
 









The Wedding That Wasn't

  On Saturday we drove out to Georgetown Island to GreyHavens Inn.  This was to be the location for the wedding of my niece and her fiance.  I hope that he is home from the hospital by now and can't wait to see what new, exciting location the rescheduled wedding will be set in.  The views along the drive from Bath to the island were exactly what you would expect for a Maine island in the fall. 
 
 
 
We met the inn owner and enjoyed a visit with her as we toured the inn. I could just imagine how it would have been as we sat on the deck looking out to the shimmering water. So it was not meant to be this time. But I did have a beautiful trip to see New England at its finest time of the year. That was my wedding gift to me.
 
 

My Travels with Ann

While Ann and I have been friends for many years, this was our first trip together.  I admit I was a little concerned that it could end our friendship.  The fact that we are close friends is even a surprise to many people.  To say we are very different people with very different likes/dislikes is an understatement.  She is grace and southern charm - make up always done, never a hair out of place, clothing and jewelry perfectly coordinated.  And I am, well, none of those things.  So how did a week on the road go for the Felix and Oscar of the retired teacher set? 

It was a blast!!!  We discovered just how much we have in common although we knew it wasn't make up, hair, jewelry, or clothes.  So this post is for Ann.  I had a great trip, girlfriend, and especially enjoyed watching you have so much fun.  I laughed so much I cried at times.  Can't wait for our next trip together!
 I can't believe she walked out through this field to find a geocache in the edge of the woods.  She did it gracefully I assure you and never got her hands dirty.
 
 Ann signed the log book at Delorme headquarters and admired the geocoin collection.  She is now obsessed with a moose geocoin.
 
  She was just in love with Eartha, the largest working globe in the world that resides in Yarmouth, Maine at the Delorme Headquarters.
 
 Can you believe she didn't do any shopping at LL Bean?  But she loved all the sights including this big boot.
 Everywhere we went Ann had her camera out and snapped so many pictures I just had to take a picture of her taking pictures.
 
 We drove up Moose Alley all the way to Canada and across the border into Quebec, but this was the only moose we saw on this trip.  She did a great job of stopping when a large deer jumped into the path of the car, but it wasn't a moose (drat).
 
  The Androscoggin foot bridge in Brunswick was a must see for me but it seems that bridges make Ann a bit nervous.  This one has been around a long time, Ann.  It's not going to fall, I promise.
 
 This was the shot we came for.  Just look at that fall color!  And the smile on Ann's face.  This was about 30 miles from Canada along Moose Alley.  It was a beautiful drive and definitely the highlight of the trip.
 
 
 
 

Thursday, October 4, 2012

It's Lobstah -- Oh, Yeah!!

Ann and I have been in Maine for 4 days and have vowed to eat seafood everyday - mostly lobster.  We've had lobster chowder, lobster roll, lobster pot pie, and today - the best yet - lobster pizza.  OK, it may sound odd, but it was wonderful.  Today, after a day of souvenir shopping, caching, and running around Augusta we ended the day in the bar of the Cloud 9 restaurant.  Hey, it was happy hour!  We ordered our margaritas and immediately knew we were hungry.  And pizza was half price.  Of course we ordered the lobster.  Our chef, Pablo, held court over the brick oven where this heavenly creation came from.  All I can say is he is a genious!
 
And he didn't disappoint.  Just take a look at the delicious pie that was laid before us:
  Oops!  It smelled so good we forgot to take the picture before taking our first slices.  Yummmmmmyyyy!
 
In case you're wondering what goes on a lobster pizza, here's the description. 
 
Tomorrow???  MOOSE
 

Fall Colors in Maine

  So I've had this fall trip to Maine planned for a few months now.  Looking forward to seeing the beautiful fall colors and spending some girl time with my buddy Dr. Math (Ann).  We left Nashville in rain with temps in the low 60s.  We landed in Boston 2 hours later where it was rainy and 63.  So much for the turtle necks I packed for this trip.  By the time we picked up our bags and rode the shuttle to the rental car pick up then drove up the road toward Portland it was after 9 before we got to a room for the night.  Of course it was too dark and rainy to see much that night but the next morning we started getting into the spirit of fall despite a light drizzling rain all day.
 
 
After a waffle breakfast we headed north on 95 "sorta" toward Canada.  We eventually got off onto Highway 1 and then 1A which runs along the rugged Maine coast.  For lunch we stopped and ate seafood chowder at a delightful surfside restaurant where we enjoyed the view of the crashing surf despite the continuous drizzle.  Fortified we headed up to the tip of 1A for a visit to Nubble Lighthouse.  It was pretty crowded despite being a rainy weekday so I'm glad we weren't here on a weekend.  The lighthouse was on an island so we couldn't visit it but again the views of the surf were breathtaking.  Even saw a brave soul fishing from the rocks below.  And I thought my brother Mike was a dedicated angler?
 
 
Next we left the coastal view and headed up the coast toward Yarmouth to Delorme and the home of the largest working model globe in the world. "Eartha is in the lobby of the map company's headquarters and stands nearly 2 stories tall. And of course she is uniquely accurate. What else would you expect from the largest map company around? This was a great photo op and with some missing panels I was able to look into Eartha's inner workings. Fascinating!Speaking of big, ever seen a really large hiking boot on wheels? From Yarmouth it was a short ride up the road to Freeport and the flagship store for LL Bean. This place is the shopping haven for outdoor enthusiasts. Luckily I didn't spend a dime here because while I am an outdoors person, I hate to shop and while Ann is a shopping enthusiast, she is not really an outdoors person. We settled for photo ops here, and what a photo. What a boot!!
 
 
After all this sightseeing it was getting late and we needed to find a room for the night.  Driving along the old highway we had thought this guy might be a sign we had found the spot for the night:
 
Nope, no room at the inn so what do we do?  Northward the wagons!  Or, well, the Ford Fusion.  We drove on into the dark and the rain (don't you feel sorry for us?) stopping for a delish dinner at Taste of Maine restaurant, grabbing a geocache in the parking lot, and finally stumbing into a comfortable room just outside of Augusta, the state capitol.  What will we get into today?  Check back and see!
 
 
 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Visiting Home

I realize it's been a little while since my last post.  So what have I been up to that has kept me from my blog?  Visiting, just visiting.  After leaving Lake Gunthersville in Alabama, it was a short drive north to Hohenwald.  I spent one night in a pull through site at Merriwether Lewis Forest and left out the next morning for Nashville.  Actually I was in Lavergne which is just outside of Nashville.  The Corps of Engineers has a very nice campground on the banks of Percy Priest and it was just close enough that I could run into Nashville on business easily and then return to my campsite to watch the sun go down on the lake. 

Spent a very peaceful week on the lake with visits into Nashville each day to take care of some business, but always back at camp in time for sunset on the lake.  My good friend Ann came out one evening to make plans for our planned trip to Maine.  Another night big brother Clint came out for dinner and to fix a couple of things on Seeker (she was only squirting windshield washer fluid out on one side of the windshield).  He also checked under the hood and deemed all in good order for continued travels.  He is my go to guy for anything about vehicles.  Afterwards we cooked fish and stuffed mushrooms on the grill and sat and chatted while watching the sun go down on the lake.  It was one of the best days I've had in a long time.  I was reminded of our childhood summers camping on Old Hickory Lake, except that Clint and I didn't chat so much then (he pretty much ignored me or tortured me depending on the mood of the moment).  I think I was also reminded of our childhood by looking at him.  HE LOOKS GREAT!  He has dropped 3 pant sizes in the last 6 months and while he looked just fine before, he looks so much younger now.  I can't get over the change.  I was so enthralled in fact that I forgot to take his picture.  I promise to get one before I leave Nashville.

As Friday dawned the campground went from pleasant and almost empty to filling up and noisy.  Well, if I'm going to be around a noisy crowd I may as well be with family, so I broke camp and headed to the Johns home in Hohenwald.  For 10 days it was never a dull moment with grandkids, neices, nephews, aunts, uncles, and plenty of friends to see and talk to.  Ballgames, hikes, shopping, and lots of eating kept me busy.  Also got the oil changed and tires rotated on the little orange toad while I was there.  My favorite son-in-law takes care of me good in that department.  But eventually I needed a little quiet to get ready for my trip to Maine for Cayce's wedding.

I'll end this post as I finish packing my suitcase at Brenda's house in Nashville and gathering all I need to go through airport security (makes traveling in the rv seem like a breeze).  Stay tuned for updates and some unexpected wedding news from Maine!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Here's One for Brother Mike

I see big brother has been writing again.  Only glanced over the new blog entry last night but will return to it this morning and read it in detail  I always love to read his stuff.  It's full of info about my family that I either didn't know or has a point of view I hadn't thought of.  Mike and I are both baby boomers, that generation of offspring that began at the end of WWII and continued into the early 60s.  But within the boomers there are also generation gaps because things changed so rapidly after the war.  Things that were so true for his group, born in the mid/late 40s are just not the same for my group born in the mid/late 50s.  Sometimes we compare notes about our childhoods and I find it very interesting that even though we share the same home and family, we had very different lives as children.

One thing we do share though is a love for being outdoors.  Most people think I'm crazy to sell everything and take off in an RV to travel around the country and live in parks, but once when someone asked me where I was off to next and I said, "Maybe Arizona.  Wanna go?", I heard Mike say yes.  I think if circumstances were different in his life, he and Linda would jump in an RV and take off.  Only if he could take his beloved fishing boat along though.  Mike and fishing are almost inseparable.  Well, I pull a small car behind my Seeker.  And some people have travel trailers or 5th wheel trailers that they pull with trucks.  But it would be hard (and probably illegal) to pull a car and a boat behind your RV I think.  Then this past weekend I stayed at Poole's Knob in Lavergne, TN and saw the answer to Mike's problem.  So now there's no excuses about having to leave your boat at home, Big Brother.  Get you a rig like this and hit the road!
Love ya, Mike!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Alabama Rest Stop

A lot can happen in a week!

Left The Bend on Wednesday, the 5th, and drove a little over 100 miles to meet up with some friends from the Women's RV Forum at Gunthersville Lake.  Sara and Nan were already there and as I drove up I could see some excitement at our campsites.  Seems that while the girls were sitting by the lake talking a flurry of bird activity alerted them to a 6 foot timber rattlesnake  within feet of them!  When I pulled up some men from the staff were taking care of this little problem.  Need I tell you that the thought of driving on out without even stopping crossed my mind?  I spent the whole summer in the woods on the river and the only snakes I saw were the pets that the naturalist brought in to show the kids.
After all the snake excitement died down and I got into my site and set up we all got together to visit and hear some exciting details from Nan's trip to Alaska this summer.  She's been on the road since May and still won't be home for at least 2 more weeks.  Then it was time to get the 4 legged babies out for a walk and visit.  Sara has a lovable mix breed named Nicki.  This was his first trip in the rv.  Nan has a pair of Min Pins who are old pros at traveling.  She even has an outdoor playpen for them and they seem to love it.  And of course Gus was in the mix.  He even tried to make friends with Nicki and I think they hit it off pretty good.

Most of the first day was spent chatting and going to lunch in Gunthersville.  We went to a place called the Rock House and the food was wonderful.  ReadyToGo, another member of the forum who lives in Birmingham drove up for the day and took us to the restaurant.



After lunch we visited a little while then each went off to attend to different matters.  I was full and tempted to take a nap but instead opted to go to the Walmart in Scottsboro and do some geocaching along the way.  The next day, Friday, started off slow and chatty again until I decided I was being too lazy.  I needed to get my kayak out and clean it good before putting it up for a few months.  And as long as I was getting it out why not take one last paddle over to a nearby island where there happened to be a cache?  Got all my gear together and loaded Gus up for a ride.  Then I climbed in but didn't do a very good job of launching and wound up in the water instead of in the boat.  Gus of course stayed in and dry.                                                    And Sara had her camera at the ready!Oh well, it was hot and I wanted to get wet anyway.  Second try was the charm and soon Gus and I were on our way.  The island was only a mile away so it was a short paddle for me.  It was sunny so I used my PFD as a shelter for my boy.  He has gotten used to this since we did it that way on the Chattahoochee.  He likes to lay under the jacket and down between my ankles.  He almost looks innocent here, don't you think? 
The island was called Goat Island had 2 caches, but we only needed one.  At first I thought the cache would be on the far side so we paddled around the island and searched around these large limestone bluffs but realized this one was on top of the bluff and meant walking a trail across the island so we opted out of this one.  Next I paddled on around the other end of the island and found an easy place to tie up and walk in about 40 yards to the cache.  Gus really enjoyed running around loose on the island and climbing over some rocks.  Granted he doesn't climb the really big ones any more, but you could almost forget he's 14.  That was until we got back in the boat and he climbed back into his space and went to sleep while I did all the work getting us back home.  Then it was time to scrub the kayak down and put it away for a few months.  Next on the agenda was to scrub Gus which I don't have to tell you was not high on his list of things to do.  We finished the evening with a great meal.  I cooked pork chops on the grill that I got for Mother's Day.  Sara cooked corn on the cob on the stove in her new rv (first meal prepared on the stove), and Nan brought some really great cole slaw and a grape salad. 

Saturday morning everyone pulled out and heading in different directions.  I made it all the way to Merriwether Lewis campground where I hid out for the night.  I love it out there because it gets soooo dark at night.  And it was so cool that night that I had to close the windows.  Fall is definitely in the air in Tennessee.

What's next?

I'm holed up near Nashville while I take care of some business on the rv, get the oil changed in my car, and deal with house matters.  I'll be back in Hohenwald by next week seeing the family for a visit.  Planning a trip to Maine for Cacey's wedding which will also be a girl trip with Ann.  Can't wait!  And after that??????