Oh my goodness.
We have funny memories of a family vacation from the "pre-blog" days when we took the boys to Grand Coulee Dam and they innocently overused the word. (Ie "When are the dam people coming to give us the dam tour?" Etc.)
So. Wyatt and his job. He is a "peak-season-hire". Because guess when UPS is the busiest? Before Christmas, right? As in, from NOW until Christmas. So if he wants to keep the job (and he does!) he pretty much has to suck it up and pull down the hours between now and Christmas, and after that he can cut back. Feel free to pray for him!
And... back to vacation.
Washington has a lot of dams. Lots of rivers. Lots of hydroelectric power.
And the anniversary trip wasn't about dams at all, but they're kind of unavoidable. We passed by Ross and Diablo Lakes - beautiful at any time of year :D
Great for power AND for recreation. Though it's quiet this time of year, you might see lots of boaters, campers, hikers, fishers, etc. around Diablo Lake.
This tiny island intrigues me.
Love how the colorful maples and alders are along the edges of slide areas and the shores of the lakes.
And though we didn't this time, you can drive right across the top of this dam!
Kind of an eerie feeling, seeing the lake about level with you on one side, and the sheer drop on the other.
I always expect to see birds nesting here... but they're not. Seems like a perfect place for eagles.
Yes, the water really is that color.
Not sure of the name... maybe Pinnacle Peak?
Very majestic looking at the end of this fjord-like arm of the lake
And again with the evergreens' tenacious hold on life.
Kerry and I both love how clear and blue the water is. Harder to see on a cloudy day, but you can look right down through the water.
And look what was revealed when they drilled down through the rock to build the highway.
The main rock is probably basalt, but I don't know what the lighter colored layers are.
Pretty, though.
6 comments:
Lovely pics! And my boys' (and my) favorite field trip was to the dam. :D We still make jokes every time we drive by... get some dam souvenirs... stop at the dam bathroom...
Wyatt - okay, this is character-building season for him! Glad there might be light at the end of the year's tunnel :-) I do hope they keep him on -- and why wouldn't they?! Good help is harder than ever to find.
Gorgeous scenery. Just gorgeous.
Ah UPS peak hires...on the upside, if he's in now, then he'll be nearer the top of the call-back list after January 1 when it's time to offer permanent positions.
Is he working pre-load, twilight, or another shift?
Ah, Lisa, I remember you writing about that. I think our kids would get along ;D
And yep, this is character-building.
Doug, he's working the pre-load, so going in about 3am and working until 8 or 8:30 right now, and those hours may expand (in both directions) as we get closer to Christmas.
You sound like you know the ins and outs of UPS :D Previous job?
Your pictures look like post cards! I would love to visit this area! Gorgeous!
Will be praying for Wyatt I know loading trailers is not an easy job. It does pay well though. :)
3 years in a hub. Trained seasonals for 2 of those peak seasons.
Here's what's going to happen(probably): After Christmas, he's probably out of a job. They will make a list of seasonals interested in coming back as perms, and then management will cull that list of anyone who was lousy. They'll prioritize by effectiveness.
Then they'll hire back from that list before they hire off the street during the new year. By being there this long during peak, Wyatt's got a great opportunity to make a good impression and be at the top of that list.
Hours will probably expand a little later (3-9) before they go much earlier. That early time is pretty firm based on when the incoming feeders get to the location, which is fixed based on when they depart the previous hub on the midnight sort.
Best thing he can do is show up consistently, work hard, offer to do anything available--slide over to unload, sweep the floors, whatever. Even if the perms with seniority (union shop, so seniority rules) *do* all the extra work and make the extra money, he'll make that good impression.
UPS is not a bad company to work for. You can have some bad bosses, but I would go back in a heartbeat to a part-time gig if there was a package center near here that I could work pre-load on. I was a hub guy on a day sort and it was some kind of hot in the summer, but the pay was decent and the benefits were great for a part-time job. Fit well with pastoral work, most of the time.
Remind him to know his safety stuff, too. That's not a spot-test he wants to fail. Lift with your knees, get a firm grip, grasp opposite corners.
Post a Comment