I was interviewed about working on the road for RV Joey's RV Time radio show that was aired on Sunday, June 8. You can listen at RVTime.net. Click on Archives. You can listen or download the show. (Warning- a few minutes of advertisements - and a great RV deal on a Winnebago - before the segment starts, so be patient!)
You can also listen to Alice's segment by scrolling down the archive page to May 11.
Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
Will you be in a place where your current cell phone doesn't work? You'd like a phone that works there but don't want a 2-year contract. Or do want to get rid of your plan but you are stuck in a contract?
I came across a Web site called CellSwapper. You can list your phone and plan so someone looking for just that can have it. You don't have to pay a termination fee for getting out of your contract prematurely; some carriers charge up to $250/line.They get a short contract with no activation fee. After you find someone who wants yours, you could find a plan for a phone that works in the area where you'll be for the length of time you'll be there.
There are a variety of arrangements and plans. On the site you can search by plans or type of phone. The site charges $18.95 for posting your phone. You can get 25 percent of your fees back if you take over someone else's plan.
You can keep your old number in many cases but have to contact your carrier for details.
This is a Web site you should bookmark - especially if you'll be working somewhere (or staying in an area) for an extended time where your current plan does not work. Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak
For those of use who work on the road using our computers, we can get positively anxious when we don't have an Internet signal. Even worse is to be without our computers!
George and I decided to go down to Boyce Thompson Arboretum and also take a hike into the Superstition Mountains to see wildflowers. We didn't take our RV- not worth the trouble and gas. I decided to leave the computer home. argh....
Actually I didn't go cold turkey. We stayed at a Best Western and they had a public computer so I did check email. Nothing was there that couldn't wait, but you never know.
Actually it turned out to be quite relaxing. Where I would usually do something on the computer for two or three hours after dinner, we enjoyed a relaxing soak in the hot tub and then I read a few chapters in Boom by Tom Brokaw, a gift from my sister, and wrote in my journal. I may pick a day each week to stay off the computer. Can I do it? I'll have to let you know on that one. Actually I may not be as bad as some RVers who use their Aircards to work on the Internet as they travel down the road. Not for me.
Anyone else experience anxiety if they can't check email or take care of business? Tell me I'm not alone! Jaimie
BTW, I'll have some photos up tomorrow after George downloads them.
We arrived at 
the Casa Grande Fairgrounds for the Western Gypsy Journal Gathering around 1. We made good time. We are now set up in the parking area with satellite Internet. We're happy campers!
Alice arrived several hours later and is now set up in the vendor area. We'll get the booth set up tomorrow. Tomorrow is the official arrival day but there are lots of people already here. Tonight we'll walk around and get a feel for the number of rigs. There is quite a vendor area
. We're excited about being part of this rally, which is growing each year.
We were surprised to see Jim and Marcie Cumberland. Marcie is author of the young adult fiction book, Tree at the Top of the Hill.They had stayed at the fairgrounds Friday night. We hoped to meet up, but they were planning on moving west. Instead here they were helping to check people in. We haven't seen them for several years.
Darlene Miller, author of RV Chuckles and Chuckholes and More RV Chuckles and Chuckholes is also here. She has her own booth but will also have her books at the RV Authors' Co-op booth.
I have to admit, we have been spoiled the last few months. When you have a huge gathering like this it is noisy! New rigs beep when they back up. Nick and many others are racing around on ATVs, guiding arriving rigs to their spot. An industrial-sized generator is running to run a carnival ride; it looks like they are working on it. And people are still arriving and parking. Ah, the joys of an RV rally!
Stop by if you are passing by. We're not too far off I-10. Hope to see you! Jaimie and Alice
Today was day one of the two-day Workamper job fair in Lakeland FL. We had a nice turnout of Workampers and employers. I was impressed with the variety of employers. We have a couple of circuses/carnivals, some RV parks and resorts, Adventureland amusement park, Silver Dollar City and Disney World. There are opportunities for being independend contractors through selling photos of homes, ranches and estates (which practically sell themselves), advertising, kitchenware and RV products. You'll also find a forest service concessionaire and a couple of national park concessionaires and a company that does sales at all the 
NASCAR events. (photo of setting up the booths)
Workampers could attend six different seminars today: Basic Workamping, RV retirement, legal & finanical considerations, the employer point of view, Workamping 101 and using the Workamper News online tools. Tomorrow's attendees can choose from six seminars as well. Besides a repeat of the basic class, RV retirement and Workamper online tools, Workampers can attend seminars on success on the job, advanced job finding techniques, and 
Workamper resume makeover. Instructors are Jody Anderson, Alice Zyetz, Phyllis Frey, and Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak. (left to right in photo)
Alice, Phyllis and Jaimie are also offering individual resume sessions for an additional f
ee.
If you are in the area tomorrow, Friday January 11, come join us! See Workamper.com for more details.
Photos by George Bruzenak
George and I are off to the Workamper job fair in Lakeland, FL. Alice is headed that way too. Alice and I will be giving seminars and doing individual resume sessions as well on January 10 & 11.
If you'll be near Tampa or Lakeland, this is a great opportunity to meet employers, learn a lot about Workamping, and maybe even line up a summer job. See Workamper.com under Job Fairs for more information. We will also be attending and presenting seminars in Mesa, AZ on January 29 and 30.
Hope to see you then!
Bill and I were 47 when we hit the road full-time in our RV. We had taken a trip and 
discovered people lived full-time in their RVs and that you could get jobs while traveling. In fact, there was a publication called Workamper News just for RVers looking for work. Wow!
We sold everything, bought a used ‘89 Pace Arrow and began traveling. We not only supported ourselves, but we put money in savings. And we had a heck of a good time. In fact, working or volunteering is an excellent way to spend time in an area and get to know it as well as support your RV lifestyle. If you are not at retirement age, it can be a way to start full-time RVing before you retire.
If you are new to working on the road, you’ll find you are qualified for more jobs than you think. Your life experience, work ethic, ability to get along with people and common sense are valuable. Employers are looking for good workers. They can train you on the rest.
Follow these six steps to find a position you enjoy and that meets your needs.
A few places we worked: (top to bottom)
Kelso Sand Dunes- Mojave National Preserve
Aerial view of Lake Powell
North rim of the Grand Canyon
Find out more about how you can full-time RV even if you are not retired in Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road.
"'Women don't make good painters,' they said. I had never thought of it that way. I just painted, that was all." Georgia O'Keeffe
The docent described Georgia O'Keeffe as one of the true American painters. She was a modernist but never went to Paris like many other American modernists, thus developed her own style. She is best known for her paintings of the Southwest.
The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum is located in Santa Fe on Johnson Street. O'Keefe began coming to New Mexico in 1929, moving there permanently in 1949 after her husband's death. She lived at Ghost Ranch and in Abiquiu. Both are oppen for tours. RV friend, Becky, volunteered twice at Ghost Ranch, now a Presbyterian-run conference center. She took care of the sheep and worked in the trading post.
We didn't make it to those but had spent a delightful time at the museum in Santa Fe. Her bold work is well known, her style unique. We couldn't take photos inside, but you can get a flavor of her work by looking at a few of these hand-painted reproductions of her work.
A special exhibition, "Georgia O'Keeffe and the Women of the Stieglitz Circle," can be viewed through January 13, 2008. Alfred Stieglitz, a famous photographer, was O'Keeffe's husband and promoter.
This museum is definitely worth a look-see if you are in Santa Fe. And, if in the area, see her home in Abiquiu and visit Ghost Ranch.
"Color is one of the great things in the world that makes life worth living to me and as I have come to think of painting, it is my effort to create an equivalent with paint color for the world - life as I see it."
Georgia O'Keeffe
If you are a full-time RVer, do you vote? Some RVers vote only on national issues, while others make it a point to get acquainted with local issues so they can vote intelligently. Some RVers choose not to register to vote because the voting rolls are usually where the courts get their jury pools from. Your state may not look kindly if you do not report for jury duty unless you can provide a legally acceptable reason. In fact, some Escapee members let the court clerk know when they'll be in Livingston so they can be part of a jury while in Texas.
Elections are coming up soon. If the state where you are domiciled is not where you'll be on November 6 - and your state is having an election - then you have a short time to request an absentee ballot. Members of the Escapees RV Club who use their mailforwarding service were sent the instructions and deadlines for receiving them. If you do not know the schedule for your state, check for contact information on your voting card. Or do a google for "request an absentee ballot" and your state.
If you are in the area of your polling place, you could apply to work as a poll worker. Generally there is a day of training and then you work the day of the polls. Polls are usually open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with poll workers needing to be there an hour before they open and an hour after they close. One county in CA pays from $90-$120/day. A Kentucky county pays $6/hour. Usually you must be a registered voter of the area where you'll work. You could not only do your civic duty but pick up a few bucks too!
One of our best days this whole trip was last week when we rode the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. We had a fabulous day- perfect weather with swaths of aspens turning yellow and gold on the mountainsides.
Our trip left by bus from Antonito, CO, a little over an hour's drive north of Taos where we were staying. We arrived in Chamas, NM at the other end in time to board the train for the ride back. Promptly at 10 o'clock, the whistle blasted and we chugged out of the station.
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is different than most tourist lines. It's a traveling railroad museum. It's owned jointly by the states of New Mexico and Colorado and run by a commission - a not-for-profit railroad with a mission to be historically accurate. Friends of the Cumbres volunteer their time to restore buildings and equipment to historical accuracy and help with maintenance. I spoke to the volunteer docent on our platform car, Allen Noel, who is a train buff and he said this is his favorite railroad trip.
The morning ride was a doubleheader. We had two coal-fired steam engines pulling us up the grade to Osier, our lunch stop. The scenery was outstanding. As the train rounded bends, George could get good shots of the engines ahead.
We noticed that behind us was a little car called a speeder. We wondered why he was following us and found out that his job is to put out fires! Cinders from the steam engine light small fires along the track. C&T has a perfect record of putting out the five to seven fires that start each trip on the Chamas to Osier leg of the line.
After lunch we boarded another train heading to Antonito. Only one engine is needed on the downhill side. The railroad offers several different trips but all come to Osier for lunch. On this leg we went through two tunnels and descended into the high desert country. We did spot a few pronghorn antelope as we rode through sage country.
As we neared the end of our trip, I asked more about the volunteer program through the Friends. They have three two-week long work parties plus the docent program. Allen is here for his second summer, working for six weeks as a docent. That means he is out on the open observation cars giving a narration and answering questions. Training and a test is required before becoming a docent. Allen's only "compensation" is lunch on the days he volunteers but his travel and lodging and some other expenses are tax deductible since it is a nonprofit.
We spent most of the trip out on the open observation car. George had said the previous time he rode with his late-wife, Susie, they came back covered with soot. We were fortunate the wind carried off most of the smoke and soot to the side. It is a different experience riding outside, feeling the wind, smelling the trees, smelling the coal - well I could have done without that! On a nasty day, though, sitting inside a car, with postcard views framed by your window, would be appreciated.
We highly recommend this trip. Other passengers told us it is beautiful other seasons and you usually see lots of wildlife. Fall is gorgeous but hunting season was on so we only got a glimpse of deer or elk plus the few antelope off in the distance. If you are a train buff, you might even think of volunteering here. Another RV friend, Dick, has come to the work parties each summer for years.
