Jul
29th

Our Two Days Off

Posted by Cynthia

We are almost half way through our stay here, and we are thinking of where to go next. We are considering Yuma, Arizona, and getting regular jobs for awhile. Yes, we will have to pay for our RV site, but we will be paid more per hour and we won’t have to work where we live. We are still open–we haven’t decided yet, but the dry, bug-free Arizona days are looking real good to us.

So Monday and tuesday we were off, and we went to town on Monday. We had lunch at Spring Creek Barbecue again. It was really good the first time, so we got exactly the same thing this time. They gave us so much meat that we had to take some home with us. I think we will probably go back again. :) After that, we did our weekly shopping and also got some stuff for the snack bar at Sam’s Club. Tuesday the zoom lens for my new camera came, so I played with it for awhile. I took some really great pictures of the cat…

Jul
27th

Busy Weekend at Jellystone Park

Posted by Cynthia

Two Busy Ovens 12 Pizzas at Once

After a slow Wednesday and Thursday, we weren’t sure what to expect for the weekend. But the weather turned out to be great and we had our busiest Friday and our second busiest Saturday so far. We were busy working all weekend, so there is not much to report…

Jul
24th

Icky, Rainy Day at the Park

Posted by Cynthia

Today it basically rained all day. We are far enough from the coast that the hurricane did not really affect us here, but close enough to have a rainy, cold (in the 70’s) day. Everything is wet so the humidity was ridiculous, especially during the times that the sun was shining. We had the slowest snack bar day so far, but the weather kept people inside. There are still a good number of people here, but if the pool isn’t busy, the snack bar isn’t busy.

We did have a girl (maybe around six or seven years old) get her arm stuck in one of the candy machines in the game room. One of the kids knocked on the kitchen door and I went out to see what happened. She was stuck all the way to her shoulder and was laying on the floor. One of the other kids went over to the office to get someone with a key and someone else went to get the girls Mom from their campsite. With the help of the Mom, they got her out, and she was fine–just shook up a bit. Good times. :)

I was able to get some pictures posted on my last two entries. Yesterday of the rainstorm, and the day before of some sunsets and of the concrete slab that will be the new office. I guess they are only working on the new building two days a week until the end of summer, so we may not see much of a building by the time we leave.

Jul
24th

We Got Some Rain–July 23, 2008

Posted by Cynthia

Water Slide Before the Storm July 23 Rain Storm July 23 Rain Storm II 

We were at the snack bar when the rain started. I was actually outside taking some pictures of the water slide in use when one of the work campers started making everyone leave the pool. Seconds later, the rains came. And the wind was strong enough to almost blow our table umbrellas over. I took a bunch of pictures of the storm from the porch of the snack bar. The storm didn’t really last long, but it stayed cloudy and icky the rest of the evening, so they never did reopen the pool. We are supposed to have rain all day tomorrow as well. Hopefully the weather won’t send a bunch of campers home early, or change their plans for the weekend. It could be a boring weekend in the snack bar if they do…

p.s. How do you like the new layout for the website? Kevin has been working on changing it for awhile. I like it, but I am missing the picture of my cat at the top. He said he will add one–I just have to pick out one that will work.

Jul
23rd

Tuesday July 22, 2008

Posted by Cynthia

Concrete Down for New Building Sunsets at Jellystone Park More Sunsets at Jellystone Park 

We were off again Monday and Tuesday. Monday we did nothing. I was kind of tired so we stayed home. We did a little laundry and a little housework, but not too much of anything got done on Monday. We both really wanted Red Robin Burgers for dinner, but we decided we didn’t want to drive the 20-some miles to get there, so we decided Tuesday for lunch we would have Red Robin.

So Tuesday came and we got ready to go. First we went to Target to see if they had any screened outdoor rooms on clearance. They didn’t. They have a cheap one for around $60, and a better one for around $120. That was still more than I wanted to pay, so we didn’t get one. We did buy some Swedish Fish(candy), and I got two scarves and a belt that were on clearance. Then we tried to find Red Robin. Kevin looked at the map on the website and he thought he knew where it was. But we could not find it. He had to ask someone at Office Depot and they pointed us in the right direction. Turns out it was farther out of town than we thought, but we found it and had yummy burgers for lunch. After that, we were very close to Willowbrook mall, so we decided to walk around for a bit. We both like to look at different things at the mall, so we split up. I went to Macy’s and JC Penny while Kevin went to the Apple store. He came and found me while I was at Old Navy and we both looked around there for a bit. I bought a sweatshirt for $4.99(which I won’t need for awhile, but…). All Kevin bought was a protector for his new Ipod(which he hasn’t even got yet).

We needed a few groceries, so we decided to go to Randall’s this week. We got a chocolate ring cake and a few necessities then headed home. I wanted to get some ice cream, but we forgot the cooler and it would have been melted by the time we got home, so we will live without ice cream this week. :) We were still full from our late lunch, so we just had chocolate cake instead of dinner.

Jul
21st

Lots of New Photos

Posted by Cynthia

Texas Sunset Water Park Road Sign Leafs Start of Construction Flower and Greenery Dead Armadillo Afternoon Sky Pine Tree 

Here are a few examples of the many pictures I have already taken with my new camera. We have not really been anywhere, so these are all examples from the park. Most are of sky and trees and leaves. I have yet to see a live armadillo, but have seen several dead ones–mostly on the side of the road. This was in the undeveloped part of the park along a path. The new construction started on Saturday for a new office and store building. I wonder how far along it will be when we leave in November…

Jul
19th

Another Saturday Nearly Over

Posted by Cynthia

We worked all day today, and we have a new snack bar helper. The owners really want three people every day during the busier times and to make sure everyone gets a lunch break. She worked a little yesterday morning and most of the day today. It was not as busy as last week, but still a decent day.

Right before closing, we made ourselves a pizza for dinner. We don’t cook on Saturday :) We are sitting outside now, but I am about ready to go back inside because the bugs are attacking me. Kevin can sit right next to me and not get a single bite while I am constantly bitten. I HATE it!! Other than the bugs, it is a very nice evening. Cool enough and not too humid. I really think we need to invest in a screened in patio of some sort. I would actually enjoy sitting out in the evenings if it weren’t for the bugs.

Jul
18th

Misc Pics

Posted by Cynthia

MoreTables SnackBarKitchen SnackBarKitchen NewAC Safe BigRain2 BigRain1 2NewCabins BigBBQTrailor NewSlide EveningSky CarlsBBQ2 CarlsBBQ 

Here are a bunch of random pictures of the Jellystone park, and also a BBQ restaurant we ate at on Tuesday. There are a few of our little snack shack kitchen in its present form, and one of the patio taken through the snack shack order window. The mobile BBQ trailer was something a park guest brought in for a big family reunion that was held here in June. He paid for an extra site for the whole weekend to have it here, but I guess he thought it was worth it. There are also a couple of pictures of the pool area during a big rainstorm–they close the water features if there is a chance of lightening and this was a huge storm. Last picture is of the big water slide they were supposed to have running by Memorial day. It was finally opened to the public July 3rd…

Jul
16th

Wednesday, July 16

Posted by Cynthia

We went back to work today, and it was a slow one. It seems like there are a lot of people in the park, but it was the hottest day since we have been here–around 96 degrees. Luckily our new kitchen air conditioner works good or we would be dying in there. We are still trying to eat up that brisket we bought from HEB last week, so we had that for dinner. I think I am getting a little tired of it. It is good, but we have eaten a lot of it this past week…

Jul
15th

We Bought a New Camera

Posted by Cynthia

My little Canon camera has a scratch or something on the lens–it can’t be seen in every picture, but it is visible in the brighter ones. I first noticed it in the pictures we took from the road around Mt. Shasta, but I thought it was just a smudge or something. We tried cleaning the lens and blowing air inside the camera but the smudge is still there. We decided we would use some of my birthday money and Kevin’s tax rebate and buy a good camera. This guy–one of our favorite full-time RV’ers uses and recommends the nikon D40. He takes really great pictures–everything from distant landscapes to close-ups of wildlife–even hummingbirds in flight.

I really wanted a camera that I could use now, but that would improve my picture taking over time. The D40 can be as easy as a point and shoot camera, but it also has manual modes that we can play with and learn as we go along. It is not a camera that we will quickly grow out of. They had a great package at Costco that came with the camera, a Nikon camera bag, a get started DVD, and a memory card for less than the retail price of the camera alone at most places. So we bought it. I took a bunch of pictures as soon as the battery got charged, and I was really happy with the ease of use and the quality of the photos. Eventually we will buy a zoom lens, and that will make it even more fun!!

After Costco, we went to Wal-Mart for a few groceries, then back to the park. We had planned on doing a bit more shopping, but the camera purchase was enough for one day!! We got home, and the new couple in the snack bar had a couple of questions, but their day went well for the most part. They are still having trouble with the register countdown and the deposit, so I made up a worksheet similar to the ones we used at the restaurant. Hopefully that will simplify the countdown for them.