Post-Retirement from ORNL – 2016
Miriam - my last day of work was April 15 and official
retirement date was May 1. Ben’s last day of work was July 1 and his official
retirement date is September.
So of course we don’t know how to be idle yet and decided to
try local workcamping jobs initially in order to get used to living in the
motorhome and to get organized. Thus the jobs at Dollywood. They have a really
big workcamping program. Plus, we love Dollywood and have been season pass
holders for several years. Since our Winnebago Journey is a 2003, we also
thought if we it needed mechanical tweaking or fixes it would be best to use
local mechanics that we knew and trusted. We had only traveled as far as
Gaffney, SC, in the Winnebago and had never been in the motorhome over five
days at a time.
We moved our motorhome to the Bear Cove Village and RV park
(http://www.bearcovevillage.com/)
in Pigeon Forge on April 23 in order to get ready for my first post-retirement
workcamper job working at Dollywood. Ben got everything hooked up and ready to
go so I could spend time organizing and settling into the camper when not
working at Dollywood. This turned out to
be an interesting and somewhat challenging adventure.
First, I found that I really didn’t mind being on my own in
the camper. This is probably because I was familiar with Pigeon Forge and I
knew Ben was only about an hour away if I needed him. I also felt safe at the
campground. Camp hosts were nearby and the managers were also onsite much of
the time. We stayed at this campground for a few days in 2015 so we were
familiar with it and the surrounding area.
I also quickly got into an exercise routine which was a goal
of mine post –retirement- more exercise! Patriot Park was just minutes away and
one loop around it is ½ mile so I would manage to walk 1 ½ to 2 miles daily, usually first thing in
the morning. Then I would walk the campground in the evening because it had
more hills.
I had ample time while up there to sort through our
belongings and organizing the camper. At
first going through clothing to decide what would actually be kept in the
camper was daunting. Having plastic vacuum-sealed storage bags handy was a
godsend. But since Dollywood provides
uniforms I quickly discovered I didn’t need that many changes of clothing when
off work and was able to efficiently store clothing at our place in Lake
Tansi/Crossville (http://holidayoutrvpark.com/)
. Shoes were more of a challenge- mainly because I love shoes and it was hard
to part with them. As we were also moving out of our condo in Knoxville at the
end of June, much of my “work” wardrobe from ORNL as well as several pairs of
shoes were donated to KARM. Ben had the same exercise to go through. We decided
that if we were ever in a place in the future where we needed office work again
we would deal with clothing needs at that time. But we also hope we won’t be in
that situation!
I quickly discovered
what would fit in the small refrigerator/freezer in the camper and took into
account the limited space when planning meals/buying groceries. There is ample kitchen
cabinet space as well as two pull out pantries so I needed to plan on more
packaged/canned food. Thank goodness there is a much better selection today of
organic foods as we prefer these and feel they are better for us! I limited
what pots and pans I would be using. We have a convection oven/microwave that
is wonderful! I also purchased a small crockpot. Of course we had an outdoor
grill as well but during our initial stay here we really didn’t use it very
much. In Pigeon Forge a new Publix grocery had just opened nearby and they had
a wonderful deli department. For the two of us we found that this was a good
and relatively inexpensive option, especially on days when working at
Dollywood. We also took the opportunity to try out some small local cafés that
we had been curious about but had not tried before.
There is ample shopping in Pigeon Forge and a store close to
the campground where we could buy storage cubes and boxes to help with
organization. I highly recommend the folding cloth cubes. They are quite handy
for books, shoes, crafts, office supplies. It really took us most of May and
June to move what we needed into the camper and get everything organized. But
we did it and were very pleased with our results.
Now I wanted to talk a little about my experience working at
Dollywood. First, I wish I had given myself at least two-three months break
before beginning another job. Working at Dollywood can be a rewarding and fun
experience (and it was). I worked at the
Sweet Shop making candy. My experience
with Ben managing a Pizza restaurant a few years ago probably helped me get
this job. But it is also very physical work and can take getting used to if you
have been in an office environment for many years. The first week I worked
there I really thought I might not make it. You are on your feet for several
hours at a time. There are not many written instructions. On the job training often consists of repeatedly
asking many questions. In addition to
making various candies and decorating apples, we also cooked up big batches of
apple butter and caramel over gas elements. Then there was much dishwashing and
cleaning and keeping up with stock. Closing shifts had to take out boxes and
trash, sweep and mop, and finish dishes as well. I seemed to be on closing
shift a lot! Even though we were given at least 45 minutes for lunch and 10
minute breaks depending on hours worked, your feet, legs and back are in pain
by the end of your shift if you aren’t used to this type of work. I was
routinely taking Tylenol and Aleve, and every night I was applying icepacks on
my back and legs. May is also a busy time for the park as they have their Bluegrass
and BBQ festival during this time and it is very popular. So I hired on at one of the busiest times. I
was determined to stick it out though and got as much rest as I could. That was
hard to do as I had to come back to Knoxville quite a bit to continue packing
at the condo.
After about a month I found that I my feet and legs were
holding up much better. My back was somewhat better as well. I lost six pounds
which I was very happy about (!). June
turned out not to be quite as busy as May. I think this had something to do
with the heat that arrived in June and also the fact that Splash Country was
open and in full swing. So the pace wasn’t quite as hectic at work. That being
said, you still don’t lack for things to do.
Dollywood has a separate entrance and parking lot for
employees. They have shuttles that constantly run from the entrance to parking
lot. These are great, especially at the end of your shift when you may be too
tired to walk to your car (the parking lot is uphill). This also gives you a
chance to chat with other employees and get to know them. I found this to be a
definite perk when working there. Having
a uniform is another perk – you don’t have to worry about your wardrobe! Fellow
employees are very friendly and helpful.
Dollywood also has a perks program for employees that
provides free passes to many local attractions as well as deep discounts. While
there we saw Titanic, Ripley’s Aquarium, and the Hollywood Wax Museum free of
charge. We also saw Souls of Motown (WONDERFUL!) and Sweet Fanny Adams
(funny!!) shows at deep discounts. My
friend Lynne came up for a couple of days to see me on my days off and I got
her into the park for free. We had a great time.
But then the big push to move happened at the end of June
and I also started working almost all closing shifts and training to do fudge
at work and that proved to be too much for my right shoulder. I have never had
shoulder problems so was caught off guard by this but I also couldn’t retire
just to injure myself permanently. So I quit Dollywood to focus on getting
healed from rotator cuff tendonitis. That has proved challenging and
slow-going. So I was able to work at Dollywood for 10 weeks before my injury.
They suggested I go on leave of absence but I knew this wasn’t an injury I
could recover from quickly and I wasn’t sure what type of job I could go back
to once healed. I really enjoyed working
there. My co-workers were very nice and the theme park experience was
wonderful. I hope I can do it again sometime. Ben has a job there in the fall
so we will be returning. I’ll play while he works!
Now a little more about the campground. One thing I really
liked about our camping spot was the awesome view we had of the Dollywood
fireworks once Dollywood’s summer of fun began. I love fireworks and was very
excited to see the fireworks! I watched them whenever I got a chance. I also
liked the close proximity to the amusement park. It only took me five-ten
minutes to get back and forth to work. The campground felt safe and secure as
well.
We were on the ‘long-term camper’ side of the campground and
landscaping was not as nice. We didn’t have grass- basically gravel and
concrete. We did have trees/woods behind us and there were pretty shrubs
planted by each camper. But once the heat arrived the gravel and concrete
absorbed it and it could be uncomfortable to sit outside. There were also two
swimming pools at the campground but they were both pretty small and almost
always crowded. So we really didn’t use them. They did have very clean and
roomy restrooms and nice laundry mats. The management was great and the
workcampers helpful and friendly.
So- we are up at our place in Crossville organizing and
visiting with grandchildren whenever possible (that’s a whole other blog entry coming
soon) and planning to do more camping.
I have to say I really do LOVE retirement.
