Jim found a new interesting career. He became a traveling gas line/meter surveyor. I know, everyone is saying 'what'? Basically, this is a job that was ideal for us as travelers.

Correction, for him, I was retiring. In the summer months most of the surveyors travel north to the upper parts of the USA, I did say most. Some do remain in the southern part because of year long work. The northern parts can only be done when the ground is not frozen.

This is a walking job, so if you have back, knee or breathing problems, it may not be for you. Originally it was a job for retirees who wanted to work for a few months, make a little extra then enjoy the rest of the year. It is now changing to a collection of older and younger people.

The local gas company contracts with the company Jim works for, regarding whatever lineage needs to be covered. This whole system is apparently regulated by the federal DOT and requires regular checks- businesses are done yearly and residential or housing is done every three or four years, depending on the state.

The surveyor walks the main line and up to each house meter, which are inspected for leaks. They use a piece of equipment called a 'sniffer' that detects natural gas. It is super sensitive and if a tech has to walk through a field that is full of cows and their droppings, the alarms are constantly going off and the poor tech has to determine if it is a line leak from the ground or a dropping. There is a scale used by each company as to what to called in for repair and what not to. Oh, the tech is required to remain at the site until the repair crew gets there, if it is a bad leak.

Okay, so Jim starts on site for three weeks in good old Mississippi. He actually walked and worked with another tech who trained him. Then he is turned loose. The first year we did mostly areas in Mississippi.

Let me tell you a few things of interest in Mississippi, from what I have seen. The mosquitos were bad. The crime rate was considerable in some areas, where the locals encouraged having a gun not only in your vehicle but on prominent display. There are no lottery sources, there is no lottery. So, plan on trips out of state if you desire tickets. But they do have lots of casinos. Some campgrounds are great, and others are, well they just are.

While I am talking about campgrounds I will divert for a few moments. When you are planning an adventure for vacation in your camper, pre-check the available campgrounds. You don't have to stay in an expensive one with all the bells and whistles. If you have children a pool is nice, but expect to pay for it in the nightly, weekly or monthly rate. Also consider how long you are going to stay-sometimes it is cheaper or more economical for you for example to pay the weekly rate even if you are only staying five or six nights. In the parks that are lacking in pool and playground areas they tend to make up for it because of the nature that surrounds them. Oh, always know which county you are in, you never know when you have to call 911 and they will ask for campground address, your site number and the county. I only know because I called for a lady two campers away from us, when she fell and broke her leg.

Okay back to Jim and surveying. After two years he was promoted to field supervisor, which meant he had a crew working under him. It was a step up the ladder.