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Date Posted |
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RE: Where are you workkamping this summer?
We are retiring from summer workamping and will go exclusively with working Amazon from mid Sept. through Dec. 23. This is the worst time of year to travel since many attractions are closed and the weather is often uncooperative. We can work the peak season and bank enough to allow us to live like tourists the rest of the year.
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SteveRuff
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05/19/12 07:37am |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Non Paying Jobs
For instance: Please note the newest listing here under "Volunteer in Kentucky." It sounds like a nice place and a good job for those interested, however, 20 to 24 hours per week computes to 40 to 48 hours per week per couple, and at $8.00 an hour that makes the site and amenities cost $384 a week or $1536 a month! You have the pleasure of giving back through volunteering and that is not to be dismissed lightly, but it is still a hefty price to pay. I would have to ask myself: "Would I consider staying here a week at $384 or a month at $1536?"
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SteveRuff
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05/18/12 11:01am |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Non Paying Jobs
Denny:
Workamper.com and work@koa.com. Perhaps "the norm" is too much. Maybe I should have said becoming more frequent. When I see "4 or 5 hours a week with 2 or 3 days off" I compute 5 times 5 as 25 with 2 of us working totaling 50 or 4 times 5 equaling 40 hours per week.
I absolutely do not have a problem with any agreement people have entered into and I have met people who simply want to work to keep from being bored. This is not me!
My own experience has been that local labor is either not available or not desirable because the camp ground owner does have a need for that 24/7 presence even if not actually working per se. Too many "emergencies" occur that need addressing. Site 21 lost power, the people in 15 said their sewer is backing up, it's midnight and the people in 26 are playing loud music and cursing ...
I never intended to make workamping my new career. I wanted to use it to allow me to live in and experience new places, customs, people, and cultures while providing enough income to let my retirement money take care of my day to day expenses and not have to dip into the principal for my fun things. I hoped it would pay for fuel, repairs and maintenance on the motor home, and provide a nest egg for those excursions, entry fees, guides etc. that make travel so expensive but so much more fulfilling. I don't expect it to pay my motor home note, the mortgage on my stick and brick home, or my insurance costs. If I break even when I finish an assignment I am happy.
My point in posting was that working for nothing but a site is fine but it should reflect true value. A couple contributing 10 hours each for 20 hours total is reasonable in my mind. What we do and when we do those 20 hours is negotiable.
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SteveRuff
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05/18/12 06:59am |
Workamping Forum
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Non Paying Jobs
I am finding more and more non paying jobs and decidedly fewer paying positions. It seems offering a FHU site for 30 or 40 hours a week work is becoming the norm. When they throw in wanting a 3 or 4 month commitment it gets to be too much for me. Figuring an $8.00 an hour "wage" that makes a site worth close to $1000 a month and there are very few sites in very few places I am willing to pay that much for, especially since working that much leaves little time for enjoying the area. Even KOA workamper jobs are moving this direction now I noticed. Are campground owners finding enough of a work force willing to work for site only?
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SteveRuff
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05/17/12 11:43am |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Camping Memberships - how many do you have?
We carry Good Sam, Passport America, and KOA. We find we can usually use one of these and they have all payed for themselves by year's end. Passport America usually pays for itself within the first month of traveling.
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SteveRuff
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05/13/12 06:25am |
Full-time RVing
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RE: My loss
My thoughts and prayers are with you.
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SteveRuff
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05/13/12 06:15am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Amazon Order Cancelled
Many if not most of the Internet search engines now employ a technique of interest profiling and targeting. They watch what you search for then compile a list of sites that might interest you. Have you ever noticed that when you buy something on Amazon you start receiving emails about similar products from them? This is a marketing technique and probably does not involve selling your information to outside sources. Search engines, however, have to make a profit somehow since they have nothing to sell and you pay nothing for their service. Phishing is quite different and is aimed at getting passwords and bank information by masquerading as trusted web sites. This is illegal, targeting is not.
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SteveRuff
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05/13/12 06:11am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: 2012 Major League Baseball Season Thread
Even the Astros are playing WAY above their heads! Hey, they could be the only team ever to win the National League crown one year then the American League the next!
Wait a second! I said they were playing above their heads. That is not to be confused with playing well! I heard a commentator on the radio the other day talking about them. He ran through the lineup until he got to the star player. He mentioned he was an average fielder and would only hit for 250-275 ... not to expect a 325. He was the type of player you could win with if he was on your team but was not the player who would get you there! If the guy knows what he is talking about I take that to mean we still need 7 or 8 better players and some pitching to really compete!
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SteveRuff
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05/12/12 07:27am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: 2012 Major League Baseball Season Thread
Even the Astros are playing WAY above their heads!
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SteveRuff
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05/12/12 06:39am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: 2 of the scariest words in the English language.......
Nope ...definitely the two scariest words are: "Let's talk!"
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SteveRuff
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05/06/12 06:49am |
RV Lifestyle
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RE: mileage on a pre-owned Tiffin Allegro Bay-gas
We own an Allegro Bay 2006 gasser with right at 40,000 miles on her. While she is no longer new by any means she is still in very good shape with no real problems. We have spent from 6 to 11+ months on her every year since we bought her new in 2008 so she has had some hard use. If the price is where you want it and she is as clean as you say I would say go for it with no reservations. Tiffin is always there if you need help or some major work and the Tiffin forum is very helpful for those little things that creep in sometimes.
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SteveRuff
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05/04/12 06:41am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Weight Watcher Recipes
I inadvertently posted the Shrimp and Snow Pea recipe in a separate thread. If you want it re-posted here to keep them all together I will do so. This recipe I served with a vegetable Fried Rice (4 PP)and a fruit salad. Using fresh jalapenos did not give me the kick I wanted so I will use stronger peppers next time.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin Marinated in Spicy Soy Sauce
5 PointsPlus
Ingredients
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar (Splenda)
1 large clove garlic, peeled and finely grated or minced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (I used the squeeze tube)
1 fresh red Thai chile (I used fresh jalapenos) or cayenne chile pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch-thick medallions
Preparation
Whisk soy sauce and sugar in a medium bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in garlic, ginger, chile and oil.
Place pork in a resealable plastic bag. Add the marinade and seal the bag, squeezing air out. Turn the bag to coat the medallions. Refrigerate for 2 hours, turning the bag once to redistribute the marinade.
Preheat the grill to medium. Remove the pork from the marinade. (Discard marinade.) Grill the medallions until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
Nutrition
6 servings
Per serving: 138 calories; 4 g fat ( 1 g sat , 2 g mono ); 63 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrates; 1 g added sugars; 23 g protein; 0 g fiber; 101 mg sodium; 357 mg potassium.
Exchanges: 3 very lean meat
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SteveRuff
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05/03/12 07:18am |
Camp Cooks and Connoisseurs
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RE: When are you ready to go home?
We started out in a 24' Isata motor home for the first 4 years. Our first real trip after DW retired was 2 weeks. When our son went off to college we began taking longer trips and included being there for all of his baseball games both home and away. This stretched into a 3 month stint in the motor home with an occasional trip home to take care of things. By his Junior year we knew this was something we really wanted to do so we found and bought our new 34' Allegro Bay motor home. That year we left home as usual at the end of January to start baseball season. His team ended up in the playoffs which took us to Kentucky. At that point we decided we were so far along and he had already made plans to stay at school and work over the summer so we just kept going! That resulted in about 6 months in the motor home. Last year we were home exactly 20 days and if we hadn't had to meet with our tax man we probably wouldn't have even done that. A home on the gulf coast, right where hurricane Ike hit full force is not easy to move especially in a down housing market. We are fortunate enough to not have to sell so we keep it in hopes that the market will turn back and we won't lose money. If that happens then color us FULLTIMERS for the foreseeable future.
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SteveRuff
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05/02/12 07:35am |
RV Lifestyle
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RE: TOTAL NEWBIES, looking for assistance intelligently
Since you are relatively new to the forums and to RV'ing perhaps you aren't aware of the old descriptive phrase about RV's. This applies to any RV of any type and any size: Drinks for 8, Dinner for 4, sleeps 2! This is why you might have a problem finding that "hands on mentoring" you are seeking, but I wish you luck and welcome you to the lifestyle.
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SteveRuff
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05/02/12 06:51am |
Beginning RVing
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My new passion is Asian for WW
I have embarked on trying to fit some Asian dishes into our WW regimen. DW doesn't really like Asian although she likes mine well enough that she doesn't complain! I think for her it is all the weird looking things she can't identify and the exotic flavors she encounters as well as the vegetables that are not cut up properly and are almost raw instead of having that "cooked but crisp" bite to them. She is relatively sure that any meat she finds in my dishes will be something that she would actually eat if she knew what it was! Chicken feet or fish eyes are not something I would try to feed her! Like most food eaten out you can be relatively sure it is heavy on fat, salt, and sugar so that is the part I try to attack first. Here is my take on a nice Shrimp and Snow Pea dish:
Shrimp & Snow Pea Stir-Fry
4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each
PointsPlus = 3
Ingredients
1 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 pound raw shrimp, (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined
3 cups snow peas, trimmed
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (I used the squeeze tube)
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 cups mung bean sprouts
Preparation
Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, until pink and beginning to curl, about 1 minute. Transfer the shrimp to a plate (it will finish cooking later)(I actually used my spray bottle here instead of pouring the oil).
Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in the pan over high heat. Add snow peas, shiitakes and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk sherry, hoisin, soy sauce, cornstarch and pepper in a small bowl.
Stir bean sprouts, the cooked shrimp and the sherry mixture into the snow pea mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is slightly thickened and the shrimp are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.
I served this over 1/2 cup brown rice and added the 3 points. A sliced cucumber, Splenda, Rice vinegar, and dash of soy sauce mixture served as a salad.
This turned out well but I will admit the half we had left over didn't work so well as left overs. In reheating the vegetables got over cooked and the shrimp turned a bit tough ... so perhaps adjusting the potions to just one meal would be best.
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SteveRuff
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04/30/12 07:08am |
Camp Cooks and Connoisseurs
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RE: App for planning trips?
Another vote for Streets and Trips although we supplement with the Navigator app on our phones ... DW has an iPhone and I use a Droid, both of which have very good GPS modules.
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SteveRuff
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04/30/12 06:36am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Kids and campgrounds
In our work camping assignments we found a surprising number of parents who came camping and "let the village" raise their children. I have taken 5 and 6 year old kids back to their campsites after midnight to find their parents drinking around the fire unaware their kids were even missing and violating the 10:00 quiet hour rule. Granted, as a rule a campground is a relatively safe environment, however we do continue to hear stories and the real world is creeping into our happy home so we have to be careful.
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SteveRuff
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04/30/12 06:22am |
RV Lifestyle
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RE: Looking for a campground near St. Louis
Well ... we bit the bullet and decided on the Casino Queen. Way more money than we wanted to spend, but we have a lot of things to do in the area and don't want to be driving 25 miles each way to do them. Thanks for the suggestions.
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SteveRuff
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04/25/12 07:29am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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Looking for a campground near St. Louis
Going to be in St. Louis August 22nd through the 29th.We want to take in a ball game and do the tourist things: the arch, the zoo, Italian food on The Hill, LouFest Music Festival, the Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park, and walk the Delmar Loop among other things. We need suggestions for a base camp, ideally leaning toward the inexpensive side. We have an economical toad so we can drive in but we don't want to use all of our time getting there and getting back. Any suggestions? Thanks
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SteveRuff
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04/24/12 01:00pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Big Bend National Park
You know ... that is why I love my motor home. I, personally, like the desert. I like the mountains. I enjoy the rolling hills of the plains, and I really love the beach. Heck, I even enjoy being in a city like New York where I can go to a Broadway show or take a subway ride to China, Italy, France, ... wherever, to eat a nice dinner. I do find, however, that I can get tired of any one of those places after a period of time. The motor home allows me to move from one to the other at will. Life is good!
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SteveRuff
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04/23/12 07:57am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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