It’s cold. The wind is blowing hard. It even rained for a while. Yes indeed, Nick is in Yuma! Can you believe that my perpetual black cloud caught up with us already? If you see folks selling snow tires on street corners here in the desert, don’t be surprised. It was bound to happen.
Miss Terry started out again early yesterday and didn’t stop until well after midnight, but by the time she was stopped for the night, almost all of the mailing was done. It would all be done, except we ran out of labels and have to pick some more up this morning. She’ll slap them on the stuffed envelopes, and by about noon everything will be in the mail. Since we could not find a commercial mail service that would work with us here in Yuma, we had to mail everything out first class. That costs us a lot more, but with things already running late, it will ensure that our subscribers will still get their papers in a timely manner.
Yesterday morning I talked to our contact at the printer back in Michigan, and she was very apologetic about the screw up in the printing, and just as frustrated as we are. She offered to do anything she could to help make it right, and I’m sure there will be some consideration on our bill. I’m also sure that she had a very long, very forceful talk with the production crew.
While we were busy with the mailing yesterday, including trips to the post office to drop off many bins of stuffed envelops, Greg and Jan were out collecting door prizes for the rally, and Tom and Barbara were working on their rally seminars. Terry also stopped at Dominos Pizza to arrange for our Wednesday night pizza part order, and at the WalMart bakery to arrange for our morning donut orders.
Everybody here is in work mode. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have fun too, and what can be more fun than eating? A little after 5 p.m. we all went to Da Boyz in the old downtown, our favorite pizza place in Yuma. Our dinner selections ranged from lasagna and ravioli to three different kinds of pizza, and everything was delicious. While we were there, Greg talked to the manager, who instantly recognized our crowd, and she gave us four $15 gift cards for door prizes. We sure appreciate the businesses who support our events, and we always encourage our rally attendees to patronize them.
A few days ago we talked about workamping compensation, more specifically how many hours worked are a fair exchange for a campsite. A couple of readers said they volunteer at state parks and /or wildlife refuges and sometimes they agree to work more hours than they would in a commercial RV park, because they enjoy the job and like to give of their time.
That’s fine, however a reader wrote me about a different situation yesterday. He was offered a position at a state park that is administered by a private concessionaire. They want 30 hours a week in exchange for an RV site, and told him it was a volunteer position. No, they are a private company who has a contract with the state to provide campground management services, for financial compensation. So he would be working more hours than most places ask, getting no compensation except a campsite, and they make all the profit. I told him to run, not walk, away from that deal!
Thought For The Day – I’m only responsible for what I say, not for what you understand.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
When the rain started tonight, I thought exactly the same thing…Nick is in town! Maybe you can get an umbrella company to sponsor your rally. La Mesa RV gives out coupons at RV shows you can redeem for a free golf umbrella when you visit their sales lot.
Another problem with people working long hours for little compensation is that Employers see that happening and figure if someone else can do it so can they. The next thing you know instead of 10hrs a week and $$ for extra for your space, it’s 25hrs/week and no extra. We’ve only been Workamping since 2008 but already see that very thing happening. It’s becoming harder and harder to find jobs that require few hours for your space. The whole idea of Workamping is lost. If I wanted a full time 40hr/wk job, I’d have stayed where I was for $25/hr.
Yup, Nick is definitely here!!!!
Nick you left remnants of your persona here in TX it has not stopped rain since you passed thru a few weeks ago, Not a continual rain but enough to help with our drought. Thank you from all us Texans we still need a lot more to fall before we can relax about our water situation. See you in a few days. Stay safe
We have to have a special clock to tell us the day of the week. Do you think we are going to notice if the Gypsy Journal is a few days late this time? Relax!
After working in traditional “workamping” positions, we decided to quit responding to advertised positions and freelance by marketing our skills. We haven’t been disappointed. We decide on an acceptable position for us; keep our resume updated; and introduce ourselves to possible opportunities in a community favorable to us. There are opportunities out there. Do not discount any individuals you may meet in your travels (hold your judgment and be gracious)–we are in our third season as caretakers for a cherry orchard because of someone we met in a campground in ID who liked us and referred us to the owner because of an emergency need.