Automobile Enthusiasts

All the gigs that required me to fly to your neck of the woods and elsewhere have been taken over by the mid-west management district of my company and have been given to non-union drivers, and since I'm a Teamster, I'm no longer called on to do that remote work!

It sucks, but I had a nice run. I still cover trips for drivers in the Southeast region, but I drive my car to those spots. I've covered trips out of Greenville, SC for instance, for a 3 week stint. About 400 miles up the road for which they pay me miles and an hourly rate to get there. Not bad. I just don't fly across the country anymore.

I flew for this outfit all through the pandemic, averaging probably 18 outings a year from 2018 through March of this year. By "Outings" I mean flying away from Jacksonville to places like Denver or Billings or Fairbanks or Chicago or Seattle, working for 2 or 3 weeks and coming back. It was often 2 or more flight segments each direction, so I was able to gather quite a few Frequent Flyer Miles. I remember once getting on an AA 737 back in 2020 with about twenty people on it!

But all that flying certainly had a payoff. I've collected enough airline miles to get to Europe and back 1st class, so a 3 week vacay to the continent is on the agenda in a couple years.

I do look back fondly of our meeting, and I think of you often. I hope you are well and safe.