tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39501355604593124052024-03-05T17:17:33.203-05:00Karen's KornerKaren Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-57844835260005233672018-03-04T21:46:00.000-05:002018-03-04T21:55:27.661-05:00Our "Unbeetable" Experience
When we left Florida last April for our summer workamping jobs we had every intention of moving on to Amazon when we were finished at Darien Lake. Somehow we let fellow workampers convince us to try the Sugar Beet Harvest in North Dakota instead. As promised here is our "unbeetable" tale.
I can take credit for only some of the included pictures. Cell phones were a "no-no" at our job site Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-73570068084616730462017-03-23T16:52:00.005-04:002017-03-23T21:22:24.248-04:00The Best of 2016 (Part 2)
June:
In June we said farewell to our gate attendant positions and began our duties as camp hosts. Positions that we were much better suited for! We also increased our number of work hours from 10-15 hours per week to 30 hours per week. The added hours limited our free time but were a welcome addition to our paychecks! Toward the middle of the month Mindi, Chris, Sarah and Mike came for a Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-46055291888644886542017-03-13T23:09:00.000-04:002017-03-19T20:37:02.335-04:00The Best of 2016 (Part 1)
January:
While we were working at Amazon Michael bought new living room furniture. When we returned home, we found that the new furniture did not fit the current room configuration. So . . . what to do? Take down a wall of course! Later in the year we patched the walls, repainted and added chair rail.
We have owned our current motor home since 2006. After 10 years of wear and Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-62788299936295596152016-06-11T23:35:00.000-04:002016-06-11T23:35:01.682-04:00Workamping When we retired in 2012 the thought of returning to work was laughable. After all that's what retirement was all about - not having to work! However in the 4 years that we have been retired we have learned some "truths".
1. Just because your income becomes "fixed" doesn't mean that your expenses also become fixed.
2. Even though you have paid into SS and Medicare your entire working career, Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-44180024801194429212016-05-31T20:12:00.000-04:002016-05-31T21:36:48.171-04:00Absent way too long!
I have blogs that I follow faithfully. I am always a bit disappointed when I check these blogs and someone hasn't posted for several days. Yet I haven't posted for almost a year and a half. Shame on me! The best excuse I can come up with is that home is about the only place that we have unlimited internet and we have been on the road a lot. Good excuse? Probably not!
So first up a brief Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-23485100895870917572015-01-07T00:15:00.001-05:002015-01-07T00:15:13.903-05:002014 in Review
January:
We made our motorhome more livable by removing the bench dinette and replacing it with drawer storage, a bookshelf, and a comfy Euro Chair. I made a trip to Tampa with two of my best buds to visit another best bud who had retired to that area. We took a day trip to Blue Springs to enjoy the manatees.
February:
Bob worked on a viewing platform for the Daytona 500. He Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-33216061149681118192014-10-26T23:34:00.000-04:002014-10-30T19:53:08.215-04:00HomeAfter the Petrified Forest we headed east toward Pennsylvania. It was a long, tiring, and fortunately uneventful ride. Some hi-lights(?):
New Mexico - Delicious smoked ribs that were definitely "fall off the bone".
Oklahoma - Windmills that extended in every direction for miles.
Arkansas - Dottie's favorite way to travel.
Tennessee - Can you sleep like this?
Tennessee - InterestingKaren Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-4179825471680425962014-10-26T21:10:00.001-04:002014-10-26T23:37:53.049-04:00Our Last "Scenic" Stop - Petrified Forest and the Painted DesertAs we had to be back in Florida by the end of August it was time to start heading east. We weren't looking forward to the long days of driving so we made one last stop in Holbrook AZ to explore the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert.
Having lived in Florida for almost 30 years I am very familiar with Disney's "imagineering". When I walked out the door of the visitor's center Disney was the Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-38680585388309396642014-10-08T22:33:00.000-04:002014-10-08T22:49:50.559-04:00Lake Powell . . . Here We Come!After recuperating in St George, we packed up the cats, pulled in the slides, and headed for Lake Powell.
First view of Lake Powell
We had an excellent site at the Lake Powell Marina and RV Resort . . .
. . . with a fantastic view.
One day we took a boat tour of Lake Powell and some of the adjacent canyons.
Lake side view of Glen Canyon Dam
Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-37033928411728018262014-10-02T21:26:00.001-04:002014-10-02T21:26:27.867-04:00Las Vegas in July!! What were you thinking!!??That's probably what everybody who reads this post is thinking. And we thought the same thing several times! However it was time for Mike to fly home and Las Vegas was a convenient and relatively inexpensive departure point. Plus it is one of Bob's favorite destinations!
So we packed up and headed to Vegas.
Can't decide if she wanted to stay or leave?
Crossing the new bridge over theKaren Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-66778812863112740782014-09-26T18:00:00.000-04:002014-09-27T14:46:31.520-04:00Four Corners and Monument ValleyOur next excursion was to Monument Valley. As the Four Corners Monument was on the way, we stopped there first.
There were just too many people present to get good close up pictures.
All around the large square are buildings where the local residents (mostly Navajo Indians) sell their crafts. We found the majority of the items to be of good quality and reasonably priced.
On to Monument Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-88185841110967973572014-09-25T15:30:00.000-04:002014-09-25T15:30:01.365-04:00Our second stop - Cortez, ColoradoAfter spending time in San Antonio, we moved on to Cortez, CO.
Border Patrol stop in New Mexico
New Mexico scenery
More NM scenery
After settling in at Ute Mountain Casino and RV Resort, Mesa Verde National Park was our first sight-seeing destination.
Bob and Mike in front of old Knife Edge Road, the original park entrance.
Some examples of pit houses built around A.D. 650 by Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-60450664502927909662014-09-24T13:34:00.001-04:002014-09-24T13:34:28.834-04:00The "RRR""RRR" aka "Relinquished Resolution Repository".
Definition: the place where most of my New Year's resolutions and my June 5th "More Responsible Blogger" resolution reside.
Reason for the "RRR": Things (especially life) seem to just keep getting in the way!
We were finally able to leave Florida on July 8 and Bob, Mike, myself, and 5 unexpected guests headed west on I-10.
Our first extended Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-57087200905078044872014-06-08T18:18:00.000-04:002014-06-08T18:18:27.699-04:00The Crazy Cat Lady
All my life I've loved cats. I grew up on a farm and much to my father's dismay, I befriended and tamed practically every barn cat on the property. My brothers had dogs, I had cats. I did manage, twice during my years at home, to convince my parents to let one of the barn kitties become a house cat.
I married a man who doesn't think it's "unmanly" to like cats. We have had a variety of Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-6373608795670863382014-06-05T19:55:00.001-04:002014-06-05T19:55:11.013-04:00Thinking!I have a few blogs that I read faithfully. I have always admired these bloggers' dedication and their ability to make even the most mundane everyday activity interesting. Unfortunately that description doesn't extend to me. We have been back in Florida since last October and I haven't even blogged once. I've thought about it, especially when the guilt sets in, but then I start in with the Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-91661291693527993832013-07-07T16:02:00.000-04:002013-07-07T16:18:41.430-04:00"Stuff"One of the most common questions asked a newly retired person is "What do you do all day?" A good friend and I recently had a discussion about this and came to the conclusion that the given answer is frequently "stuff".
So what IS "stuff"? For Bob and I "stuff" is pretty much the same every day things that we did when we worked only now we do it at a slower pace and and with more frequent Karen Swainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09374219309786081284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-75771687922211997922013-03-08T00:25:00.000-05:002013-03-11T22:21:18.403-04:00Belated Happy New Year!After retiring, my parents frequently remarked that "They didn't know how they ever found the time to work!" I now understand perfectly. Since returning to Florida in October it seems like we have been constantly busy. So here is a synopsis of our retired life up to this point.
Just before we returned home the family was expanded by one. She has since moved to her "forever" home with our Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-6927113576479625862012-10-08T20:30:00.001-04:002013-03-12T20:45:54.775-04:00Florida BoundIt has been a while since my last post. We have returned to Pennsylvania, spent some time with family and friends, admired the vibrant fall colors, revisited some old haunts, did a little hiking, made some preliminary summer plans, endured the fickle weather, and sometimes just did nothing.
This morning we left PA for Florida and I'm not too certain how I feel about that. I Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-60229847262786242382012-09-22T22:39:00.002-04:002012-09-22T22:39:49.021-04:00Moab to KansasWestern Colorado is what you visualize Colorado should look like. 14,000 foot mountain peaks, twisty roads running alongside the wild Colorado river, hillsides covered with stately pines and vivid yellow aspens, tunnels through the mountains.
Eastern Colorado and Kansas are b-o-r-i-n-g! Flat, barren, gray/brown in color. Yuck!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-65398136631633988082012-09-21T00:55:00.001-04:002012-09-21T00:55:33.123-04:00Canyonlands and ArchesOn our 2003 vacation trip we spent a few days in Moab and visited Arches National Park. It was an amazing place and we swore we would come back some day and explore it further. That's what we did this week! We revisited a few favorite spots but mainly chose to hike to previously unexplored sites.
On our way up to Delicate Arch. Nothing mentioned that we had to walk a ledge!
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-61951338641230337322012-09-16T13:58:00.001-04:002012-09-17T18:17:03.628-04:00Back in Utah Again!Change of plans! That's what's nice about being retired. You can be flexible. We had planned on visiting friends in Colorado once we left Vegas. However circumstances forced them to return to Florida. So we will postpone our visit to another time and start to head east. Slowly east! :) Our next stop is Moab UT. Home of Arches National Park, Canyon Lands National Park, and other natural wonders. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-41119037613789501272012-09-16T02:39:00.000-04:002012-09-17T17:32:20.932-04:00On to VegasThe first time we came to Vegas was in 1999 for Bob's 50th birthday. Each time we visit we are amazed at the changes that have occurred since the last visit. Not only do the suburbs keep creeping further and further out into the desert but the strip itself is constantly changing as older casinos/hotels are demolished and taller sleeker ones are erected in their place. Hard to imagine that Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-2949886954018238882012-09-09T00:13:00.000-04:002012-09-09T00:13:23.662-04:00UtahWe have been in southern Utah since Monday and have been enjoying both our "r and r" time and our sightseeing time. Because we lost our secondary mode of transportation (the "toad" aka the car) when our traveling companions departed, we opted to rent a car in St. George. I did all the preliminary paperwork on line Monday evening to expedite the process. We chose to rent just a standard "no frillsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-37108404980051188992012-09-02T12:36:00.001-04:002012-09-03T22:07:06.412-04:00Homeward Bound - SomewhatSince my last post we have left Alaska; traveled back through the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, and Alberta Canada; and crossed the border back into Montana. Because the routes to and from Alaska are very limited we traveled the same route as before. Therefore only a few new pictures were taken as most everything had already been photographed to death. :)
The Alaskan Pipeline goes from Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3950135560459312405.post-88240378438002265772012-08-26T03:32:00.001-04:002012-08-26T03:58:01.427-04:00Seward and ValdezAfter saying farewell to the beautiful Homer Spit, we moved on to Seward. As we traveled along the Cook Inlet we saw what looked like a floating island to the left of us. The magical kingdom of Avalon?It was actually a tall snow covered mountain on the other side of the Inlet but fog and mist can sure play strange tricks! As it was a Saturday there were lots of fisherman about including some fourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0