Good morning on this wet and dreary Saturday from Portland.
I just wanted to share some little housekeeping things that I have done with my blog and let you know how the first day of the Rose Festival went.
Housekeeping ~
1. You no longer need to do word verification on my blog when posting comments. I have heard from a couple of you that sometimes this is a hassle so I have taken that off.
2. I am now moderating my comments. Why you ask? The answer is simple ~ I have had a couple of not very nice comments left on my blog by an anonymous visitor and I have no way to follow up with them. Very frustrating not to be able to communicate with them and respond to their comments.
How are week as gone so far ~
1. Ron worked set up on Tuesday and Wednesday in the rides department.
2. Alice worked on Wednesday helping to set up the burger booth with Wendy and Joel. Spent a lot of time washing windows ~ not a favorite thing to do but it needed to be done and it is a job.
3. Thursday we had off except for an 8:00 a.m. meeting. The meeting was a huge waste of time. They didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. You know the standard rules ~ no fighting ~ it's a firing offense, whre the laundry area is ~ show shirts always have priority, no driving private vehicles in the bone yard ~ not a problem for us as our only vehicle is the motor home and it is parked in the bone yard. The one thing they didn't mention that has been mentioned at every other meeting is no drinking ~ guess they thing we know that rule. After the meeting Ron and I came back to the motor home and visited a little while with friends. I then took a nap and Ron spent time on the computer. While I was napping Ron also walked over to the RV place that is right next door. He bought a new end for our plug and then replaced it. After I woke up, I walked down to the laundry area to see if the washer/dryer was being used. It was not, so I quickly did one load of laundry. I also made a nice dinner of ham with pineapple, brown sugar and mustard glaze, broccoli and scalloped potatoes. Pretty much we had a relaxing day.
First day of the Portland Rose Festival ~
1. It rained and rained some more.
2. It was muddy and muddy. When walking from one place to the next it was like walking through a muddy slip-n-slide. One little girl slipped in the mud and her Grandma came and got some paper towels to clean her up a little bit. The little girl was quite upset because her new skirt got all muddy and even with the reassuring comments from her Grandma that it could be washed she still shed quite a few tears. Another young woman with stelleto shoes on took a step and her shoe stayed in the mud ~ that was quite funny to see.
3. Business was slow and I mean slow. Wendy said that she has never seen it that slow on the first night of the Rose Festival even with all the rain. It made for the night to take a long time to pass. Hopefully today will be better. Weather wise it is supposed to rain off/on this morning with clearing this afternoon and evening. I sure hope that holds true.
4. I enjoyed working for Wendy and Joel. It is definitely different then selling tickets. Wendy made lots of cotton candy (pink & blue). I had one little bite, the first since we have been with the carnival. I love the taste but know that it would not be a good thing to eat one of those bags so I keep telling myself it is expensive and I don't really need it. Only four more months of telling myself that. But I do plan on buying some for the grands the last day of the season in Puyallup. Won't their parents just love me???:) I learned how to run the cash register and yes, I did make a couple of mistakes ~ hopefully that will get better today.
5. Ron worked the Mardi Gras. It is a mirrored fun house for the little kids and even some big kids go through it. He is not sure if he will be working in the same place today or not.
I think that's about it. Hope you are not too bored reading about our life here with the carnival. Well it's time for me to get ready for work so I will close for now. Wishing you each a grand day. Talk to you again soon.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Moving Day ~ from Ft. Lewis to Portland
Praise the Lord! We drove from Ft. Lewis to Funtastic Shows in Portland without any problems. We pray before we leave to travel any where and we know that the Lord is keeping us and our motor home safe. We did have one scare after we left Costco on our way to Winco. A man walked across the street right in front of the motor home. Ron slammed on the brakes and we came to a stop without hitting the man.
Thought I would share some pictures I took today as we leave Ft. Lewis and move to Portland for the next three weeks. Hope you enjoy them. Comments are by each picture.
This is the view out of our front door at the bone yard at Ft. Lewis. Kollin is in red, Ruben in light colored sweatshirt and Tom in the dark.
Another picture of Kollin in front of her condo on the right behind her.
My first attempt at taking a picture from a moving vehicle. I was trying to get the statues that are on I5 down by Chehalis on the East side of the freeway.
This is going over the bridge from Washington to Oregon looking west as we are headed south.
Another view of the river, still heading south looking west.
Hope you can read this. It says "Her & Ron" and marks the spot where we par
k the motor home at the bone yard.
This is Marva in front of her condo door. She works both rides and games.
This is what happens when Ron is driving the motor home and slams on his brakes because some person decided to walk across the road right in front of us. He missed the guy, thank goodness. This is a tote that is usually full of books and cards that sits on my nightstand. Beside the bed.
This is the corner where the bed ends, more stuff from the tote.
This is the rest of the stuff that was tossed out of the tote when Ron slammed on the brakes of the motor home.
This is a peek into one of the showers that is in a semi truck trailer (in the shop building) where we will be showering for the next three weeks. We can only go about 10 days without dumping our holding tanks and we will be here till the 14th of June. So that means we will be using these showers. Each shower room has a shower, small dressing area and a sink.
This is a side view of the showers. I was so glad to see the stair rail by the stairs as the steps are pretty steep. This is Albert showing us around.
This is in the bone yard. The donakers (porta potties) are at the end of the row of condos and rigs. The yellow trailer is a set of condos. Don't know what unit these belong to.
This is the view of the bone yard looking north from the drive way into the shop parking lot. We are parked two trailers over from the yellow trucks on the right hand side. You cannot see our rig from this photo.
This is what you see when you first enter the bone yard. The yellow Funtastic Show semis and the white & gray show vans. I don't know if Ron will be driving one of those or not while we are here. I am not even volunteering for that job. The thought of driving around Portland with all the one way streets does not thrill me.
This is another view of the semis when you first come into the bone yard.
And this is what the corner in my bedroom is supposed to look like. Ron helped me pick everything up off the floor and then I reorganized all my cards and books.
This is the cleaned up floor at the foot of our bed. Looks so much better doesn't it?
And these are the flowers that Ron bought for me when we were at Costco. I don't usually have fresh flowers in the motor home because of all the traveling we do. They look pretty and smell wonderful sitting on my kitchen table.
After we got the motor home all set up and the mess in the back cleaned up I made dinner. We had roasted chicken with red beans & rice. It was pretty tasty. Tomorrow I am going to use the left over chicken and make a chipolte ranch pasta salad. If it turns out maybe I will take a picture of it. That is if anyone is interested in seeing some of the dishes I have been making for us. I am planning on making a ham with mustard and brown sugar glaze with scalloped potatoes for Wednesday night. May try to make some homemade biscuits to go with the ham.
I heard comments from some of you that you want more pictures of where we are and what we are doing. I don't know what our work schedule will be like while we are here but I do plan on taking my camera to work with me and will try to send it with Ron so he can get some pictures of what he is doing as well.
Well I need to go track down Wendy to find out when I start work this week. Ron found out that he has to be ready to leave for work at 7:00 tomorrow morning. He will be gone all day. If I am not working tomorrow I plan on catching up with some emails that I need to respond to and do a little cleaning of the motor home.
Hope you have enjoyed this peek into our day today. Looking forward to talking with you all again soon.
**Note: one piece of business. If you post a comment on my blog, please sign your name so I know who is visiting here. If you do not identify yourself I will delete the message. Thanks.**
Alice
Thought I would share some pictures I took today as we leave Ft. Lewis and move to Portland for the next three weeks. Hope you enjoy them. Comments are by each picture.
This is the view out of our front door at the bone yard at Ft. Lewis. Kollin is in red, Ruben in light colored sweatshirt and Tom in the dark.
Another picture of Kollin in front of her condo on the right behind her.
My first attempt at taking a picture from a moving vehicle. I was trying to get the statues that are on I5 down by Chehalis on the East side of the freeway.
This is going over the bridge from Washington to Oregon looking west as we are headed south.
Another view of the river, still heading south looking west.Hope you can read this. It says "Her & Ron" and marks the spot where we par
k the motor home at the bone yard.
This is Marva in front of her condo door. She works both rides and games.
This is what happens when Ron is driving the motor home and slams on his brakes because some person decided to walk across the road right in front of us. He missed the guy, thank goodness. This is a tote that is usually full of books and cards that sits on my nightstand. Beside the bed.
This is the corner where the bed ends, more stuff from the tote.
This is the rest of the stuff that was tossed out of the tote when Ron slammed on the brakes of the motor home.
This is a peek into one of the showers that is in a semi truck trailer (in the shop building) where we will be showering for the next three weeks. We can only go about 10 days without dumping our holding tanks and we will be here till the 14th of June. So that means we will be using these showers. Each shower room has a shower, small dressing area and a sink.
This is a side view of the showers. I was so glad to see the stair rail by the stairs as the steps are pretty steep. This is Albert showing us around.
This is in the bone yard. The donakers (porta potties) are at the end of the row of condos and rigs. The yellow trailer is a set of condos. Don't know what unit these belong to.
This is the view of the bone yard looking north from the drive way into the shop parking lot. We are parked two trailers over from the yellow trucks on the right hand side. You cannot see our rig from this photo.
This is what you see when you first enter the bone yard. The yellow Funtastic Show semis and the white & gray show vans. I don't know if Ron will be driving one of those or not while we are here. I am not even volunteering for that job. The thought of driving around Portland with all the one way streets does not thrill me.
This is another view of the semis when you first come into the bone yard.
And this is what the corner in my bedroom is supposed to look like. Ron helped me pick everything up off the floor and then I reorganized all my cards and books.
This is the cleaned up floor at the foot of our bed. Looks so much better doesn't it?
And these are the flowers that Ron bought for me when we were at Costco. I don't usually have fresh flowers in the motor home because of all the traveling we do. They look pretty and smell wonderful sitting on my kitchen table.After we got the motor home all set up and the mess in the back cleaned up I made dinner. We had roasted chicken with red beans & rice. It was pretty tasty. Tomorrow I am going to use the left over chicken and make a chipolte ranch pasta salad. If it turns out maybe I will take a picture of it. That is if anyone is interested in seeing some of the dishes I have been making for us. I am planning on making a ham with mustard and brown sugar glaze with scalloped potatoes for Wednesday night. May try to make some homemade biscuits to go with the ham.
I heard comments from some of you that you want more pictures of where we are and what we are doing. I don't know what our work schedule will be like while we are here but I do plan on taking my camera to work with me and will try to send it with Ron so he can get some pictures of what he is doing as well.
Well I need to go track down Wendy to find out when I start work this week. Ron found out that he has to be ready to leave for work at 7:00 tomorrow morning. He will be gone all day. If I am not working tomorrow I plan on catching up with some emails that I need to respond to and do a little cleaning of the motor home.
Hope you have enjoyed this peek into our day today. Looking forward to talking with you all again soon.
**Note: one piece of business. If you post a comment on my blog, please sign your name so I know who is visiting here. If you do not identify yourself I will delete the message. Thanks.**
Alice
Trying Something in My Blog...
As I mentioned in my previous blog "Sunday Night at Ft. Lewis" about Carol K and her hubby Dave and hat they each write a blog but I didn't know how to link to it. I sent an email to a couple of people who I have seen do links in their blogs. I heard back from one on how to do it so I am going to try it here. If it works, you should be able to click on Carol K's Journey and go right to her blog. Make sure to put your mouse on Carol 's Journey and then right click to choose to open the link in a new window or tab, whichever you prefer. If you are so inclined to try this for me and let me know if it works it would be so appreciated. So here goes...
...Carol's blog is called Carol K's Journey. Carol and her husband, Dave, have just returned from a trip to Utah and other surrounding states.
...Carol's blog is called Carol K's Journey. Carol and her husband, Dave, have just returned from a trip to Utah and other surrounding states.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday Night at Fort Lewis
Hello on this cool evening from Ft. Lewis.
It has been a very long week here though we got very little hours. Ron worked set up on Tuesday and Wednesday, finishing up on Thursday morning. I set up the ticket box on Wednesday ~ it took me about an hour to get it ready for Thursday.
Tuesday night Kollin and Ruben joined us for dinner. I made BBQ pork sandwiches on onion bagels, peach jello w/fruit cocktail and red beans & rice. It was a nice evening. Ron and I are trying to have different people over at each location to get to know them a little better. I am thinking that while we are in Portland I am going to make a ham w/pineapple slices and glaze of brown sugar & mustard with scalloped potatoes. I will have to wait and see what looks good at the grocery store on our way to Portland.
Wednesday morning I was rudely awakened by one of the guys swearing and yelling. After I got up and moving I opened the door and the guy was standing right there across from our door. His room in the condo is parked right across from us here at Ft. Lewis. Right after I opened my door someone else was swearing quite loudly and I stepped out and said I did not want to hear that kind of language and I especially did not appreciate being woke up hearing that kind of talk. It immediately got quiet in our area. I am happy to say for the most part the yelling has stopped.
Thursday both Ron and I worked at the carnival selling tickets. It was "wrist band day" translation ~ you can ride all the rides all day long for $20 rain or shine. And boy did it rain. We had numerous down pours but people still came. A couple of the rides, Dragon Wagon ~ a small roller coaster that looks like a dragon and the Convoy Racers ~ a variety of vehicles going around a race track and up a small incline, do not do well in the rain so some little ones were disappointed at times. We were open from 3:00 to 9:15. It was so cold when we got back to the motor home I had Ron get the hot chocolate out of the storage compartment. Let me just say, I don't think I have enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa as much as I did that night.
Friday Ron had the day off though he went over to the lot for the safety meeting. The meeting lasts about 15 to 20 minutes and covers a variety of topics. I usually take the minutes for the safety meetings. The main topic of discussion was about our upcoming time in Portland for the Rose Festival. First off the bone yard is actually at the Funtastic Shows shop. It is the same place we went to in February for our interview. Topics that were covered were security, laundry, acceptable behavior ~ which may be hard for some of the people as there is absolutely no drinking allowed there, rules about parking personal vehicles ~ not allowed on the shop property, people must park on the street and carry their groceries from the street to their condos or rigs as well as haul their laundry from their condos or rigs to their cars on the street. It was explained that there are security cameras every where. Rick reminded everyone to "mind their P's & Q's" while there. He does not want anyone from our unit, the blue unit, to get fired while we are there. He said that last year one person was fired at 2:00 a.m. and told to leave the property right then and that one person working in Portland this week had already been fired. I think he said the word "fired" at least 20 times in 20 minutes. Rick could not say it enough ~ be mindful of your behavior both at the Rose Festival and in the bone yard. People are watching (along with numerous video cameras at the shop) so nothing goes unnoticed. After the meeting Ron & I said we are so glad we have our sweet little home to go home to each night.
I worked Friday from 2:45 to 8:30 p.m. It was a pretty slow day and once the rains hit in the evening we had absolutely no one at the carnival. Ron watched movies and read during his time off. Friday night we borrowed a couple of movies from Albert & Shawn. Ron watched S.W.A.T. and we both watched Rumor Has It.
Saturday morning we got up and walked over to the laundromat. It is about a half mile walk. Laundry here was really cheap compared to the last couple of places we have been. $1.25 to wash and a $1 to dry. While waiting for the laundry to get done we walked around the little mall that was next door. They had a furniture store, a game store, the Class 6 store - otherwise known as the liquor store, the clothing store and a delightful little candy shop. Of course we had to go into the candy shop. They had 14 different kinds of licorice, some old time favorites like Big Hunk and of course the gummy type candies ~ one of which was a gecko. They also had some different kinds of chocolates including truffles. I had a dark chocolate raspberry truffle and Ron had an amaretto truffle.
Ron had to be at work at 11:45. I had the day off. I did some much needed cleaning here in the motor home. Things had kinda not been done while we were in Sequim and Port Townsend as we spent our time off there walking around and enjoying the area. I then spent time reading blogs that I follow, writing a few emails and reading a book. Ron said they stayed pretty steady at the carnival throughout most of the day. He got home about 9:30 p.m.
Today has been a pretty good day too. I went to work at 12:45 and worked till a little after six. We had pretty good weather, the first day without rain since we have been here. We never did have a big rush but just stayed pretty steady. The carnival was open from 1:00 to 6:00. It took me all of about 10 minutes to clean things up inside the ticket box and get it ready for travel tomorrow to Portland. Ron had the afternoon off. He was kept busy with getting the motor home ready for our trip tomorrow. He took the window cover off the front window, put away the area rug that we call our patio, put the lawn chairs up on top of the motor home in the carrier, put the bikes up on the back of the rig, hooked the TV up to its holder for traveling and even did the dishes. He is such a sweet hubby! Ron started work at 6:00 doing tear down. The guys are hoping that it will be done by midnight as we have an early morning tomorrow. We are all hoping to be up and on our way to Portland by 8:30 a.m. The drivers are supposed to be here at 8:00 in the morning to move the condos.
We plan on making a couple of stops on our way to Portland: Costco and Winco to get groceries. Because we will be in Portland for three weeks we want to stock up as much as we can since we don't know our full schedule and whether or not we will be working the same shifts. We don't know about grocery runs or what is even within walking distance.
One of the things we are looking forward to during our time in Portland is meeting Dave & Carol K., fellow RV'rs who live in Vancouver, WA. I have gotten to know them through their blogs. I don't know how to insert their links here or else I would do that. They are pretty interesting to read and both show great pictures of the trips they have taken. Carol and Dave have invited us out for dinner as well as a place to do laundry...yippee...new friends and I don't have to go to the laundromat! They have even offered to pick us up at the bone yard! It couldn't get any better. We will be spending time with them on one of our days off. Thanks Carol and Dave for the invites and we look forward to meeting you in person.
I have been asking Theresa all week for the schedule for the rest of the season. Today she told me that there are still some possible changes in the schedule so she just told me where we are going the next few stops.
Monday, May 24 ~ drive to Portland for Rose Festival. The festival runs from 5/28 to 6/13. Closed on June 1, 7 & 8. The carnival will be set up at the Waterfront Park. Ron will be working rides and I will be working with Wendy in the Hamburger Palace.
Monday, June 14 ~ drive to Marysville for the Strawberry Festival. The carnival is open 6/17 to 6/20 and is being held at the Marysville Middle School.
Monday, June 21 ~ drive to Puyallup for the Taste of Tacoma. We will be parked at the Puyallup Fair Grounds for this event. The Taste of Tacoma is from 6/25 to 6/27 and is being held at Point Defiance Park.
***Note: we have been told we have a few days off between the Taste of Tacoma and the 4th of July. If we do we will be off from 6/28 to 7/1. IFFFF....we have off those days we plan on going up to Blaine to see our kids, granddaughter and friends. I will keep you updated about this. As soon as we have more info I will post it.***
Thursday, July 1 ~ drive to Puyallup Fair Grounds where we will be parked for the 4th of July which the carnival will be at Ft. Lewis for a one day show.
Monday, July 5 ~ drive to Kent, WA for the Kent Cornucopia Days which is being held July 8th to 11th.
that is the schedule so far. I will give updates on where we are parked at each location as I get it. The typical work week is Monday is a travel day, Tuesday and Wednesday is set up days. The guys usually work 8 to 5 on Tuesday, maybe a little later on Wednesday. I usually do the set up for the ticket box on Wednesday afternoons. Sometimes Ron has to work Thursday mornings if there is last minute stuff to be finished up for set up. Thursday the carnival usually opens at 3:00 p.m. Friday's hours vary depending on the location. Saturday we usually open at noon and 1:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Praises and Prayer Requests ~~
~ praise that Jamie and Suzanne bought themselves a 31' travel trailer and will no longer be living in a 22' Class C motor home.
~ praise that we have had a good week here at Ft. Lewis even though the work hours were few.
~ prayer for safety for the guys as they do the tear down tonight. They are hoping to be done in six hours.
~ prayer for safety for us and no problems with the motor home as we travel to Portland tomorrow.
~ prayer that we will settle into our new jobs and catch on real quick to our new duties.
~ continued prayer for Danalyn and Brandon and that Danalyn will be able to return to work soon.
Sorry this post has been so long but I seemed to have lots to write about. Hope it didn't bore you too much. I enjoy writing about what we are doing and where we are. I just hope you enjoy reading it as much as I like writing it.
Wishing each of you a good week this coming week. If you stop by and read our updates drop me a note to say hello. I love to read and receive comments from those who visit Ali's Page.
It has been a very long week here though we got very little hours. Ron worked set up on Tuesday and Wednesday, finishing up on Thursday morning. I set up the ticket box on Wednesday ~ it took me about an hour to get it ready for Thursday.
Tuesday night Kollin and Ruben joined us for dinner. I made BBQ pork sandwiches on onion bagels, peach jello w/fruit cocktail and red beans & rice. It was a nice evening. Ron and I are trying to have different people over at each location to get to know them a little better. I am thinking that while we are in Portland I am going to make a ham w/pineapple slices and glaze of brown sugar & mustard with scalloped potatoes. I will have to wait and see what looks good at the grocery store on our way to Portland.
Wednesday morning I was rudely awakened by one of the guys swearing and yelling. After I got up and moving I opened the door and the guy was standing right there across from our door. His room in the condo is parked right across from us here at Ft. Lewis. Right after I opened my door someone else was swearing quite loudly and I stepped out and said I did not want to hear that kind of language and I especially did not appreciate being woke up hearing that kind of talk. It immediately got quiet in our area. I am happy to say for the most part the yelling has stopped.
Thursday both Ron and I worked at the carnival selling tickets. It was "wrist band day" translation ~ you can ride all the rides all day long for $20 rain or shine. And boy did it rain. We had numerous down pours but people still came. A couple of the rides, Dragon Wagon ~ a small roller coaster that looks like a dragon and the Convoy Racers ~ a variety of vehicles going around a race track and up a small incline, do not do well in the rain so some little ones were disappointed at times. We were open from 3:00 to 9:15. It was so cold when we got back to the motor home I had Ron get the hot chocolate out of the storage compartment. Let me just say, I don't think I have enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa as much as I did that night.
Friday Ron had the day off though he went over to the lot for the safety meeting. The meeting lasts about 15 to 20 minutes and covers a variety of topics. I usually take the minutes for the safety meetings. The main topic of discussion was about our upcoming time in Portland for the Rose Festival. First off the bone yard is actually at the Funtastic Shows shop. It is the same place we went to in February for our interview. Topics that were covered were security, laundry, acceptable behavior ~ which may be hard for some of the people as there is absolutely no drinking allowed there, rules about parking personal vehicles ~ not allowed on the shop property, people must park on the street and carry their groceries from the street to their condos or rigs as well as haul their laundry from their condos or rigs to their cars on the street. It was explained that there are security cameras every where. Rick reminded everyone to "mind their P's & Q's" while there. He does not want anyone from our unit, the blue unit, to get fired while we are there. He said that last year one person was fired at 2:00 a.m. and told to leave the property right then and that one person working in Portland this week had already been fired. I think he said the word "fired" at least 20 times in 20 minutes. Rick could not say it enough ~ be mindful of your behavior both at the Rose Festival and in the bone yard. People are watching (along with numerous video cameras at the shop) so nothing goes unnoticed. After the meeting Ron & I said we are so glad we have our sweet little home to go home to each night.
I worked Friday from 2:45 to 8:30 p.m. It was a pretty slow day and once the rains hit in the evening we had absolutely no one at the carnival. Ron watched movies and read during his time off. Friday night we borrowed a couple of movies from Albert & Shawn. Ron watched S.W.A.T. and we both watched Rumor Has It.
Saturday morning we got up and walked over to the laundromat. It is about a half mile walk. Laundry here was really cheap compared to the last couple of places we have been. $1.25 to wash and a $1 to dry. While waiting for the laundry to get done we walked around the little mall that was next door. They had a furniture store, a game store, the Class 6 store - otherwise known as the liquor store, the clothing store and a delightful little candy shop. Of course we had to go into the candy shop. They had 14 different kinds of licorice, some old time favorites like Big Hunk and of course the gummy type candies ~ one of which was a gecko. They also had some different kinds of chocolates including truffles. I had a dark chocolate raspberry truffle and Ron had an amaretto truffle.
Ron had to be at work at 11:45. I had the day off. I did some much needed cleaning here in the motor home. Things had kinda not been done while we were in Sequim and Port Townsend as we spent our time off there walking around and enjoying the area. I then spent time reading blogs that I follow, writing a few emails and reading a book. Ron said they stayed pretty steady at the carnival throughout most of the day. He got home about 9:30 p.m.
Today has been a pretty good day too. I went to work at 12:45 and worked till a little after six. We had pretty good weather, the first day without rain since we have been here. We never did have a big rush but just stayed pretty steady. The carnival was open from 1:00 to 6:00. It took me all of about 10 minutes to clean things up inside the ticket box and get it ready for travel tomorrow to Portland. Ron had the afternoon off. He was kept busy with getting the motor home ready for our trip tomorrow. He took the window cover off the front window, put away the area rug that we call our patio, put the lawn chairs up on top of the motor home in the carrier, put the bikes up on the back of the rig, hooked the TV up to its holder for traveling and even did the dishes. He is such a sweet hubby! Ron started work at 6:00 doing tear down. The guys are hoping that it will be done by midnight as we have an early morning tomorrow. We are all hoping to be up and on our way to Portland by 8:30 a.m. The drivers are supposed to be here at 8:00 in the morning to move the condos.
We plan on making a couple of stops on our way to Portland: Costco and Winco to get groceries. Because we will be in Portland for three weeks we want to stock up as much as we can since we don't know our full schedule and whether or not we will be working the same shifts. We don't know about grocery runs or what is even within walking distance.
One of the things we are looking forward to during our time in Portland is meeting Dave & Carol K., fellow RV'rs who live in Vancouver, WA. I have gotten to know them through their blogs. I don't know how to insert their links here or else I would do that. They are pretty interesting to read and both show great pictures of the trips they have taken. Carol and Dave have invited us out for dinner as well as a place to do laundry...yippee...new friends and I don't have to go to the laundromat! They have even offered to pick us up at the bone yard! It couldn't get any better. We will be spending time with them on one of our days off. Thanks Carol and Dave for the invites and we look forward to meeting you in person.
I have been asking Theresa all week for the schedule for the rest of the season. Today she told me that there are still some possible changes in the schedule so she just told me where we are going the next few stops.
Monday, May 24 ~ drive to Portland for Rose Festival. The festival runs from 5/28 to 6/13. Closed on June 1, 7 & 8. The carnival will be set up at the Waterfront Park. Ron will be working rides and I will be working with Wendy in the Hamburger Palace.
Monday, June 14 ~ drive to Marysville for the Strawberry Festival. The carnival is open 6/17 to 6/20 and is being held at the Marysville Middle School.
Monday, June 21 ~ drive to Puyallup for the Taste of Tacoma. We will be parked at the Puyallup Fair Grounds for this event. The Taste of Tacoma is from 6/25 to 6/27 and is being held at Point Defiance Park.
***Note: we have been told we have a few days off between the Taste of Tacoma and the 4th of July. If we do we will be off from 6/28 to 7/1. IFFFF....we have off those days we plan on going up to Blaine to see our kids, granddaughter and friends. I will keep you updated about this. As soon as we have more info I will post it.***
Thursday, July 1 ~ drive to Puyallup Fair Grounds where we will be parked for the 4th of July which the carnival will be at Ft. Lewis for a one day show.
Monday, July 5 ~ drive to Kent, WA for the Kent Cornucopia Days which is being held July 8th to 11th.
that is the schedule so far. I will give updates on where we are parked at each location as I get it. The typical work week is Monday is a travel day, Tuesday and Wednesday is set up days. The guys usually work 8 to 5 on Tuesday, maybe a little later on Wednesday. I usually do the set up for the ticket box on Wednesday afternoons. Sometimes Ron has to work Thursday mornings if there is last minute stuff to be finished up for set up. Thursday the carnival usually opens at 3:00 p.m. Friday's hours vary depending on the location. Saturday we usually open at noon and 1:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Praises and Prayer Requests ~~
~ praise that Jamie and Suzanne bought themselves a 31' travel trailer and will no longer be living in a 22' Class C motor home.
~ praise that we have had a good week here at Ft. Lewis even though the work hours were few.
~ prayer for safety for the guys as they do the tear down tonight. They are hoping to be done in six hours.
~ prayer for safety for us and no problems with the motor home as we travel to Portland tomorrow.
~ prayer that we will settle into our new jobs and catch on real quick to our new duties.
~ continued prayer for Danalyn and Brandon and that Danalyn will be able to return to work soon.
Sorry this post has been so long but I seemed to have lots to write about. Hope it didn't bore you too much. I enjoy writing about what we are doing and where we are. I just hope you enjoy reading it as much as I like writing it.
Wishing each of you a good week this coming week. If you stop by and read our updates drop me a note to say hello. I love to read and receive comments from those who visit Ali's Page.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Random Pictures - What do we have here?
Here are some pictures...sure hope you enjoy them. Comments are under each picture.
This is Ron in the yellow sub (ticket box) in Lacey. The swings in the background are called the Lolli's. Ron sets up and tears down the Lolli's at each location.
This is Alice driving the motor home from Port Townsend along Highway 20. This was taken shortly before Ron yelled at me to move over. Seems I was too close to the right side for his comfort. Something about a deep ditch nearby.
This is Alice in the yellow sub in Lacey. Behind her is the scrambler. New rules out now that there are no single riders and you must wear the provided seatbelt for safety. There was an accident last year on the East Coast where I child stood up in a scrambler bucket and was tossed out and was killed (SAD). Funtastic Shows theme song is Safety, Safety, and Safety for customers and employees alike.
This is a buffalo for a carousel that was hand made by a fifth generation carver. It is in the local ice cream & candy shop in Port Townsend.
This is the bottom of the hill that we had to climb to get to the post office. There is a beautiful view from the top of the hill overlooking the water.
This is the post office, built in 1893. It is at the top of the hill. This picture was taken from down below in the town square in Port Townsend.
This is the front of the post office. The front stairs to the far left are blocked off. You have to enter from the side of the building. It is three stories tall.
In the left corner is the side of the post office. The big house on the right is James House Inn. It was built in 1896. It appears a young family is running the inn now as there is all sorts of playschool play yard equipment in the side yard. We counted 4 fireplaces in the place.
That's all the pictures for now. I will try to take some of the carnival set up here in Ft. Lewis this weekend. It will depend on the weather. Today has been rainy, then sunny, then rainy, then sunny...I think you get the picture.
Hope everyone is having a great day.
This is Ron in the yellow sub (ticket box) in Lacey. The swings in the background are called the Lolli's. Ron sets up and tears down the Lolli's at each location.
This is Alice driving the motor home from Port Townsend along Highway 20. This was taken shortly before Ron yelled at me to move over. Seems I was too close to the right side for his comfort. Something about a deep ditch nearby.
This is Alice in the yellow sub in Lacey. Behind her is the scrambler. New rules out now that there are no single riders and you must wear the provided seatbelt for safety. There was an accident last year on the East Coast where I child stood up in a scrambler bucket and was tossed out and was killed (SAD). Funtastic Shows theme song is Safety, Safety, and Safety for customers and employees alike.
This is a buffalo for a carousel that was hand made by a fifth generation carver. It is in the local ice cream & candy shop in Port Townsend.
This is the bottom of the hill that we had to climb to get to the post office. There is a beautiful view from the top of the hill overlooking the water.
This is the post office, built in 1893. It is at the top of the hill. This picture was taken from down below in the town square in Port Townsend.
This is the front of the post office. The front stairs to the far left are blocked off. You have to enter from the side of the building. It is three stories tall.
In the left corner is the side of the post office. The big house on the right is James House Inn. It was built in 1896. It appears a young family is running the inn now as there is all sorts of playschool play yard equipment in the side yard. We counted 4 fireplaces in the place.
That's all the pictures for now. I will try to take some of the carnival set up here in Ft. Lewis this weekend. It will depend on the weather. Today has been rainy, then sunny, then rainy, then sunny...I think you get the picture.
Hope everyone is having a great day.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Port Townsend to Ft. Lewis
Greetings from Ft. Lewis...a beautiful day for sure.
Our time in Port Townsend went super fast. The carnival was only open for three days. Thursday was very busy, Friday was very slow and quiet. Saturday was much better. Ron worked in the ticket box by the office by himself. He said at one point Friday he found himself falling asleep! Glad nobody caught him. On Saturday from his ticket box he could see the parade coming down the hill. The parade went for over two hours. I was in the yellow sub ticket box. They call it the yellow sub because it is big and yellow. I will try to get some pictures of it this week.
Our time in Port Townsend was nice. We had beautiful sunny weather every day. We could step out of the motor home and watch the ships out in the Sound. We did a lot of walking. One day we walked up the hill to the Post Office and then back into town. One day we walked into town and went through many of the shops. Port Townsend is such a sweet little town. One morning Ron and I went on a part's run to the other side of Port Townsend. It was nice to just be the two of us driving around.
Ron worked tear down on Saturday night to Sunday morning. He got off at 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning and then slept till noon. Once he got up we went and did laundry. Only cost $7.00 this week for laundry. A whole lot better than $12.25 from the week before. After finishing up the laundry we sat outside enjoying the view and visiting with our co-workers. It was an enjoyable afternoon.
We woke up early this morning and was on the road by 8:30 a.m. Ron drove from Port Townsend to Ft. Lewis. Our only obstacle was that we could not get the GPS to locate Ft. Lewis. Good thing we knew where we were going. We got to the base. We had heard stories of how the guards search through every nook and cranny when you come onto the base. That was not our experience. Ron pulled up to the gate and handed the guard our ID cards, the insurance document and our pass to get on base. She walked to the back of the rig and then came back and handed us our documentation, told us how to get to the PX (where we were to meet everyone) and told us to have a good day. We found out later that Rick & Theresa, Albert and Terry each had their rigs gone through. Yeah for us!!
We then drove to the PX and no one was there. All the rides were there but none of the condo's or private rigs. We called Albert to find out where everyone was. Found out we had to go to behind the stadium and the gym. We got parked and settled in. The back of the motor home faces a playground with base housing on the other side of it. It was a joy to hear the little kids playing outside today.
After getting all settled and the electrical and water lines run, Ron went for a bike ride. This evening we went for a walk over to the PX, past Weller Hall, through a field and then back to the bone yard. Now we are going to settle in for the night and watch Marley & Me.
Praises ~
~ for a safe trip to Ft. Lewis from Port Townsend
~ for continued good health for both of us
~ for getting paid from our last customer in Blaine
Prayer requests ~
~ for safety as the guys set up on Tuesday and Wednesday
~ for us to continue to enjoy our jobs and to be a light for the Lord
That's all for now. Wishing everyone a good week. I will make another post tomorrow of pictures.
Our time in Port Townsend went super fast. The carnival was only open for three days. Thursday was very busy, Friday was very slow and quiet. Saturday was much better. Ron worked in the ticket box by the office by himself. He said at one point Friday he found himself falling asleep! Glad nobody caught him. On Saturday from his ticket box he could see the parade coming down the hill. The parade went for over two hours. I was in the yellow sub ticket box. They call it the yellow sub because it is big and yellow. I will try to get some pictures of it this week.
Our time in Port Townsend was nice. We had beautiful sunny weather every day. We could step out of the motor home and watch the ships out in the Sound. We did a lot of walking. One day we walked up the hill to the Post Office and then back into town. One day we walked into town and went through many of the shops. Port Townsend is such a sweet little town. One morning Ron and I went on a part's run to the other side of Port Townsend. It was nice to just be the two of us driving around.
Ron worked tear down on Saturday night to Sunday morning. He got off at 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning and then slept till noon. Once he got up we went and did laundry. Only cost $7.00 this week for laundry. A whole lot better than $12.25 from the week before. After finishing up the laundry we sat outside enjoying the view and visiting with our co-workers. It was an enjoyable afternoon.
We woke up early this morning and was on the road by 8:30 a.m. Ron drove from Port Townsend to Ft. Lewis. Our only obstacle was that we could not get the GPS to locate Ft. Lewis. Good thing we knew where we were going. We got to the base. We had heard stories of how the guards search through every nook and cranny when you come onto the base. That was not our experience. Ron pulled up to the gate and handed the guard our ID cards, the insurance document and our pass to get on base. She walked to the back of the rig and then came back and handed us our documentation, told us how to get to the PX (where we were to meet everyone) and told us to have a good day. We found out later that Rick & Theresa, Albert and Terry each had their rigs gone through. Yeah for us!!
We then drove to the PX and no one was there. All the rides were there but none of the condo's or private rigs. We called Albert to find out where everyone was. Found out we had to go to behind the stadium and the gym. We got parked and settled in. The back of the motor home faces a playground with base housing on the other side of it. It was a joy to hear the little kids playing outside today.
After getting all settled and the electrical and water lines run, Ron went for a bike ride. This evening we went for a walk over to the PX, past Weller Hall, through a field and then back to the bone yard. Now we are going to settle in for the night and watch Marley & Me.
Praises ~
~ for a safe trip to Ft. Lewis from Port Townsend
~ for continued good health for both of us
~ for getting paid from our last customer in Blaine
Prayer requests ~
~ for safety as the guys set up on Tuesday and Wednesday
~ for us to continue to enjoy our jobs and to be a light for the Lord
That's all for now. Wishing everyone a good week. I will make another post tomorrow of pictures.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Random Thoughts ~~
Random Thoughts ~~
My mind has been wandering all day. So thought I would just write whatever comes to mind. Maybe after writing my mind will settle down a little bit.
Scripture and devotion from this morning ~ Acts 6:1-7 A reminder to work as a team. As I was working this afternoon setting up the three ticket boxes someone made the comment "Alice, I didn't know you worked." I was so surprised by that comment and hurt as I work hard and give more than 100% when I am working. I thought about the scripture I had read this morning and working as a team. That guy is definitely not a team player who likes to ridicule those he is around. I knew that of the guy and so I moved on to what I needed to do next and kept my mouth closed. I then thought about the conversation Rick, Ron and I were having after lunch today. Rick said to Ron "you are a team player and it shows." I was thankful that Rick sees that in us. It helped to have heard that before the smart alec comment from the ride guy.
Ron came home from work this afternoon with a set of keys to the show van. Rick gave them to Ron for the rest of the season. He can take people to do grocery shopping or to do laundry and doesn't need to call Rick to ask for permission. Another sign of trust that Rick & Theresa have of us. Sure makes us feel good.
Today would have been my sister, Kathy, birthday today. She would have been 56. It is hard to believe she has been gone for a year and a half already. I sent a note to my niece to let her know I was thinking about her and her dad today. I know Christi struggled with Mother's Day and knew today would be hard for her. I miss my sister yet I am sure my loss is nothing compared to Christi's ~ that of losing her mom at a young age.
I also thought about my sister, Joanie, today. I miss having a relationship with her. I don't know what the issues are that has caused this major rift in our lives. I wish I could do something about the situation. Yet I know I have done everything I can. I pray for her and hope that she is having a good life. I miss her too.
Have thought a lot about Brandon and Danalyn today. Danalyn had surgery today at noon. The doctor told Brandon the surgery went well. Now we pray for a speedy recovery physically and for God's love, comfort and peace to surround that little family as they deal with the loss of a precious little one. I will be calling them this evening to see how they are doing.
Talked with Jamie briefly yesterday. I am sure the last couple of days have been hard on him and Suzanne as well as it brings up memories of their loss of Emerald. I pray for them to feel God's love in these times too.
I looked through the memory book that I got for Christmas two years ago from the kids. I am missing Opal, Christopher and Max. I know being gone from them for six months is not all that long to us but to them it is like a lifetime of days. Ron said the other day, he knows that Max will not forget him but what about the little ones. I said that they will know us, that is why it's important for us to send them cards and phone calls often while we are traveling.
I am enjoying our time here in Port Townsend. The weather has been beautiful and the scenery is awesome. This morning I looked out at the ocean and a big Navy ship was going by. A few minutes later the ferry came in. We are planning on going for a walk along the water this evening. It is so amazing to see God's handiwork. I need to remember to take my camera so I can get some pictures. I will post some next week once we are at Ft. Lewis and have a better internet connection. I need to remember to ask Theresa for the rest of our itinerary. I know we go to Ft. Lewis on Monday, May 17th and then onto Portland on May 24th. We will be there for three weeks. We go to Marysville on June 14th. After that I am just not sure. I will try to remember to ask Theresa tomorrow for the schedule and then I will do another blog post with the rest of the itinerary.
I thought about things I am thankful for today. I am blessed in so many ways. I have a wonderful husband and we have a great marriage. We have had our troubles, who hasn't, but we are stronger and more in love than ever. I thank the Lord for holding us together during the difficult times and rejoice that we have great times together. I am thankful that my children are happy and blessed even during days of trials. They both know the Lord and for that I am thankful. I am thankful for the two women they have chosen to be their spouses and the mother of their children. Danalyn and Suzanne are very special to us and are two of the best mommies I know. They each love their children and show it in so many ways. I love my three grandchildren. They are each special individuals who brings us much delight. I look forward to spending time with them again in the Fall. I just wish their parents would send us some updated pictures, hint, hint!
I am thankful for the work Ron and I have and the relationships we are building during this season of carnival work. I pray that we will continue to be a witness to them of the Lord's love and how he is working in our lives. We both enjoy our work and at the same time enjoy our time off. We are enjoying this season we are in. When I think about the carnival I never imagined the amount of work it takes to get a carnival ready for the customers to enjoy or the amount of work to get it set up or tore down. Working for the carnival is definitely not an easy job. But it does have its benefits ~ it is so fun to watch the little children as they arrive with anticipation and the fun and excitement as they climb on board a ride or get ready to play a game. It is so fun to watch the kids win prizes at the ducky derby. Even the littlest of little ones can play that game.
I am thankful for friends and family. We are so richly blessed and are shown in many different ways that we are loved and cared for. It is very comforting to know that we can share our prayer requests and praises and know that we are lifted up in prayer when needed and that we can celebrate the good things together.
We have faced many trials in our lives and yet we can truthfully say that through it all the Lord has been right there beside us. That is what I am most thankful for - that I am a child of the King! and with Him nothing is impossible. He has steadfastly been by my side during the darkest of the dark and the brightest of the bright moments.
Guess that's all for now. It has been a good time of reflection for me. I hope you have enjoyed reading about the things that have been on my mind.
Wishing each of you a great rest of the week. Talk to you all again soon. Alice
My mind has been wandering all day. So thought I would just write whatever comes to mind. Maybe after writing my mind will settle down a little bit.
Scripture and devotion from this morning ~ Acts 6:1-7 A reminder to work as a team. As I was working this afternoon setting up the three ticket boxes someone made the comment "Alice, I didn't know you worked." I was so surprised by that comment and hurt as I work hard and give more than 100% when I am working. I thought about the scripture I had read this morning and working as a team. That guy is definitely not a team player who likes to ridicule those he is around. I knew that of the guy and so I moved on to what I needed to do next and kept my mouth closed. I then thought about the conversation Rick, Ron and I were having after lunch today. Rick said to Ron "you are a team player and it shows." I was thankful that Rick sees that in us. It helped to have heard that before the smart alec comment from the ride guy.
Ron came home from work this afternoon with a set of keys to the show van. Rick gave them to Ron for the rest of the season. He can take people to do grocery shopping or to do laundry and doesn't need to call Rick to ask for permission. Another sign of trust that Rick & Theresa have of us. Sure makes us feel good.
Today would have been my sister, Kathy, birthday today. She would have been 56. It is hard to believe she has been gone for a year and a half already. I sent a note to my niece to let her know I was thinking about her and her dad today. I know Christi struggled with Mother's Day and knew today would be hard for her. I miss my sister yet I am sure my loss is nothing compared to Christi's ~ that of losing her mom at a young age.
I also thought about my sister, Joanie, today. I miss having a relationship with her. I don't know what the issues are that has caused this major rift in our lives. I wish I could do something about the situation. Yet I know I have done everything I can. I pray for her and hope that she is having a good life. I miss her too.
Have thought a lot about Brandon and Danalyn today. Danalyn had surgery today at noon. The doctor told Brandon the surgery went well. Now we pray for a speedy recovery physically and for God's love, comfort and peace to surround that little family as they deal with the loss of a precious little one. I will be calling them this evening to see how they are doing.
Talked with Jamie briefly yesterday. I am sure the last couple of days have been hard on him and Suzanne as well as it brings up memories of their loss of Emerald. I pray for them to feel God's love in these times too.
I looked through the memory book that I got for Christmas two years ago from the kids. I am missing Opal, Christopher and Max. I know being gone from them for six months is not all that long to us but to them it is like a lifetime of days. Ron said the other day, he knows that Max will not forget him but what about the little ones. I said that they will know us, that is why it's important for us to send them cards and phone calls often while we are traveling.
I am enjoying our time here in Port Townsend. The weather has been beautiful and the scenery is awesome. This morning I looked out at the ocean and a big Navy ship was going by. A few minutes later the ferry came in. We are planning on going for a walk along the water this evening. It is so amazing to see God's handiwork. I need to remember to take my camera so I can get some pictures. I will post some next week once we are at Ft. Lewis and have a better internet connection. I need to remember to ask Theresa for the rest of our itinerary. I know we go to Ft. Lewis on Monday, May 17th and then onto Portland on May 24th. We will be there for three weeks. We go to Marysville on June 14th. After that I am just not sure. I will try to remember to ask Theresa tomorrow for the schedule and then I will do another blog post with the rest of the itinerary.
I thought about things I am thankful for today. I am blessed in so many ways. I have a wonderful husband and we have a great marriage. We have had our troubles, who hasn't, but we are stronger and more in love than ever. I thank the Lord for holding us together during the difficult times and rejoice that we have great times together. I am thankful that my children are happy and blessed even during days of trials. They both know the Lord and for that I am thankful. I am thankful for the two women they have chosen to be their spouses and the mother of their children. Danalyn and Suzanne are very special to us and are two of the best mommies I know. They each love their children and show it in so many ways. I love my three grandchildren. They are each special individuals who brings us much delight. I look forward to spending time with them again in the Fall. I just wish their parents would send us some updated pictures, hint, hint!
I am thankful for the work Ron and I have and the relationships we are building during this season of carnival work. I pray that we will continue to be a witness to them of the Lord's love and how he is working in our lives. We both enjoy our work and at the same time enjoy our time off. We are enjoying this season we are in. When I think about the carnival I never imagined the amount of work it takes to get a carnival ready for the customers to enjoy or the amount of work to get it set up or tore down. Working for the carnival is definitely not an easy job. But it does have its benefits ~ it is so fun to watch the little children as they arrive with anticipation and the fun and excitement as they climb on board a ride or get ready to play a game. It is so fun to watch the kids win prizes at the ducky derby. Even the littlest of little ones can play that game.
I am thankful for friends and family. We are so richly blessed and are shown in many different ways that we are loved and cared for. It is very comforting to know that we can share our prayer requests and praises and know that we are lifted up in prayer when needed and that we can celebrate the good things together.
We have faced many trials in our lives and yet we can truthfully say that through it all the Lord has been right there beside us. That is what I am most thankful for - that I am a child of the King! and with Him nothing is impossible. He has steadfastly been by my side during the darkest of the dark and the brightest of the bright moments.
Guess that's all for now. It has been a good time of reflection for me. I hope you have enjoyed reading about the things that have been on my mind.
Wishing each of you a great rest of the week. Talk to you all again soon. Alice
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