Workamper Thanksgiving 2008

Living on the road full time, special days take on a different look than they had when we lived in a house. Sometimes we are near family and they are more traditional, but mostly we spend them with other travelers who have become our second family. Some years we have gone out to a restaurant with friends who are in a similar situation. We enjoy a good meal, companionship and laughter. This year we are part of a large group of workampers, some of which we knew before and others whom we met here. The employment agency we work for arranged for a Thanksgiving dinner for us. They provided the location, many pounds of turkey and ham and beverages. Each one of us provided a dish to share. Not everyone was there, as the amazon facility was open and some opted to work all day. We just worked the morning so we could attend the mid-day meal. We had a wonderful time and a variety of delicious food. We were home in time to call our children and visit with friends. We certainly have much to be thankful for.

The food table extended across the large room.

Our 'second family' enjoys a meal together.

Working at amazon.com

We have been working quite a bit lately. Even with the slow economic times, we have started the busy season here. Last week we worked 50 hours and will continue with at least that many hours until December 23. Some of you have asked, so here is a little about the work we are doing here. This fulfillment center is the largest of the 26 amazon has around the country. It's a million square foot facility, and during their peak time last year they processed in excess of 300,000 orders per day. Never a dull moment, for sure. We work in the inbound section, mostly on the receive line. Our job involves opening cases of product once they have been unloaded from the trucks. We sort like items, enter into the computer system and place in plastic totes. It's not a difficult job, but we are working constantly, sometimes processing as many as 400 items per hour, per person. In a way we are like Christmas elves helping in the workshop. When we see the toys, we imagine the happy child that will receive it as a gift. It's a surprise when we open the boxes as they can contain anything you can imagine and maybe some things you can't. We work with many nice people, managers, permanent employees and workampers alike. We have renewed friendships with people we have worked with before and have made some new friends.

An interesting mural on the side of a truck box we saw on one of our rides.

The amazon facility in Coffeyville is only 5 miles from the campground.

A view of the amazon facility. It is so large we could not get a picture of the whole building from the road.