Helen and I are getting ready to roll west and begin our 2015-16 Las Vegas adventure.
I've changed the oil and put new tires on the trusty GMC Terrain. Helen spent much of yesterday doing laundry and we'll be packing our suitcases as we get ready to leave TC on Thursday morning. Thanksgiving Day will find us on the road to Springfield, Illinois where we'll spend the night at the Abraham Lincoln Hilton, which is supposed to have a nice holiday dinner available. Then on Friday we'll hit the road, eventually spending the night somewhere just west of Oklahoma City if all goes well. Saturday's drive will be a 10-12 hour trek to somewhere just east of Flagstaff, AZ. Maybe Grants NM.
Then on Sunday we roll into Las Vegas where I have two comped nights waiting at the Suncoast Casino, one of the closest gambling joints near our apartment at Shadow Hills. Early Tuesday, Dec. 1, we'll get the keys to our apartment. Then I've made plans to meet a moving crew at the storage unit so they can haul our belongings to our temporary home at 3501 Shady Timber Street, Apt. 1106, Las Vegas NV 89129.
We should be all moved in by early afternoon. Helen arranged for Cox Cable to come out on Tuesday and hook up the TV and internet. And that should finish our transplant from Michigan to Nevada.
We have big plans for this winter. Niece Tricia Wright and her husband Kevin are coming out from Ypsilanti for a visit in January. Kevin is a talented home brewer and I look forward to sharing a few Vegas brews with him. Sin City Brewery and Tenaya Creek offer some tasty beverages. And in February Nick Edson and his wife Lois are arriving from TC, along with John and Janet Tune who will be driving up from Green Valley, AZ. Should be a fun few days for the six of us!
This will probably be the only blog entry until we get out there and Cox works its magic on our internet service. I'll try to do a good job of blogging, keeping you informed of our day-to-day activities as our Las Vegas Adventure continues...
Monday, November 23, 2015
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Leaving Las Vegas
Our Las Vegas visit is down to its final day.
On Friday morning the movers come to take our belongings to the storage unit and we will be hitting the road shortly after that. I expect by noon we will be on our journey home.
Looking back on this winter, it's easily been the most stressful visit we've had in five winters we've spent in Las Vegas. Helen's broken ankle on our sixth day here dominated everything we could do for about two months. From Dec. 6 when she fell to Feb. 10 when she finally got her "Frankenstein" boot removed, our activities were very limited.
And for the past month or so, financial strains have ratcheted up the stress. My efforts to access funds from our retirement account has been a travesty in customer service. Our annuity holder operates on 1960s style technology with paper checks mailed out to customers, while the rest of the business world is comfortable with direct deposits and e-cash transfers. Anyway, we're hitting the road tomorrow.
But don't get the idea that we didn't have any fun this trip. Helen and I were able to enjoy two great shows - LOVE, the Beatles-theme show at the Mirage and Human Nature, four Aussies who sing Motown hits at the Venetian. We also saw a great concert, blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd at the Orleans.
And we had visits from Scott and our friend Gail and her husband David. Always fun to have company! We enjoyed trips to the Red Rock Nature Area with all of our visitors. Fun to show off that aspect of LV.
It will be good to get back to Michigan and see our friends. Time to get back to work writing, too. I did a bit of writing from here, but it's not easy. I'm all ready looking forward to returning next winter, so I need to line up some writing work and building a nest egg.
I've decided to save all my loose change and every day toss it in a bank I have. Then next November I'll count it out and use it for gas money to get us back to LV. I figure about $360 ought to cover the trip, guesstimating 120 gallons at $3 each. Stash $1 a day in quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies should be do-able, right?
Thanks for reading this erratic blog. I promise to do a better job of telling our LV tales next year, when our adventure continues!!
On Friday morning the movers come to take our belongings to the storage unit and we will be hitting the road shortly after that. I expect by noon we will be on our journey home.
Looking back on this winter, it's easily been the most stressful visit we've had in five winters we've spent in Las Vegas. Helen's broken ankle on our sixth day here dominated everything we could do for about two months. From Dec. 6 when she fell to Feb. 10 when she finally got her "Frankenstein" boot removed, our activities were very limited.
And for the past month or so, financial strains have ratcheted up the stress. My efforts to access funds from our retirement account has been a travesty in customer service. Our annuity holder operates on 1960s style technology with paper checks mailed out to customers, while the rest of the business world is comfortable with direct deposits and e-cash transfers. Anyway, we're hitting the road tomorrow.
But don't get the idea that we didn't have any fun this trip. Helen and I were able to enjoy two great shows - LOVE, the Beatles-theme show at the Mirage and Human Nature, four Aussies who sing Motown hits at the Venetian. We also saw a great concert, blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd at the Orleans.
And we had visits from Scott and our friend Gail and her husband David. Always fun to have company! We enjoyed trips to the Red Rock Nature Area with all of our visitors. Fun to show off that aspect of LV.
It will be good to get back to Michigan and see our friends. Time to get back to work writing, too. I did a bit of writing from here, but it's not easy. I'm all ready looking forward to returning next winter, so I need to line up some writing work and building a nest egg.
I've decided to save all my loose change and every day toss it in a bank I have. Then next November I'll count it out and use it for gas money to get us back to LV. I figure about $360 ought to cover the trip, guesstimating 120 gallons at $3 each. Stash $1 a day in quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies should be do-able, right?
Thanks for reading this erratic blog. I promise to do a better job of telling our LV tales next year, when our adventure continues!!
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Catching Up
I've been laying low after several losing trips at blackjack and poker. But Helen and I have enjoyed a few trips to Red Rock Casino to watch some basketball and cash some smallish-hoops wagers.
We were over there on Wed . March 4 to watch MSU when we had a couple of unusual things happen. At halftime of the game, we left the sports book and I threw $10 into a video blackjack machine. I was playing 25 cents a hand and not doing well when two seats to my left, a hefty older guy just toppled off his seat and went to the floor. I quickly got a slot attendant, who called security. There was quite a flurry of activity and the guy on the floor was stone still in the center of four or five people. An Asian woman came by, identified herself as a doctor and began to talk to the stricken guy. He still laid down, but was able to talk and declined the doc's services. Things seemed well in hand and Helen and I moved on to the food court to grab a quick bite before getting back to the sports book.
At the food court we chose some Chinese food and grabbed a seat. Helen noticed a shady looking young Asian guy sporting a hoodie and a vacant stare. He slowly walked toward our table, making Helen a bit nervous. She shifted her purse closer as the guy strolled up to me and said "Could you buy me some food?" I didn't understand him at first and he repeated "Could you buy me some food."
"No thanks," I replied, and he walked over to another table and repeated the request to a guy sitting alone. The guy also rejected him, but a few minutes later he did go over and give the guy some cash.
The panhandler took the money and quickly left the food court, in search of drugs, I assume. Usually the Red Rock cracks down on this kind of activity, but maybe security was still busy with Mr. Fall Off My Chair...
When we finished out meal and went back to the sports book, the fallen guy was gone. I think they called an ambulance and quietly got him out of there.
Today I played some poker at Bally's and didn't have much luck. I was doing fine, making good plays and was actually up a bit when I looked down at 8-9 of clubs. I like playing these suited connectors and tossed my two bucks into the pot. Imagine my delight when the flop came 6-7-10 of mixed suits. I FLOPPED A STRAIGHT! A guy at the other end bet $10 and everyone folded, except me. I just called his bet, thinking that if I raised he might fold. I wanted to keep this fish on the line. The turn card was a Q and no apparent threat. The guy bet 30 and I went All in, shoving in my last 50. He called. The river card was K of clubs. The guy flipped over a J-9 for A BIGGER STRAIGHT. He had to hit on the turn and river both to beat me and he did. But that's poker...
We're starting to look ahead to packing up and heading home. I've spotted a couple of nearby storage units that I'll be checking out. The last unit we rented cost $119 a month and I'm hoping to get one a bit cheaper. Then we'll need $260 to pay the moving guys to haul our stuff to the unit. It all costs $$$.
Right now it looks like Helen's brother Norm and his family from Thousand Oaks California will be coming to see us on March 20 for the weekend. It'll be good to see them. Haven't gotten together with Norm and Lorraine for five years or so. Then after they leave we'll really focusing on getting packed and hitting the road back to Michigan. Hopefully the weather cooperate and the roads will be clear.
But for now, our adventure continues...
We were over there on Wed . March 4 to watch MSU when we had a couple of unusual things happen. At halftime of the game, we left the sports book and I threw $10 into a video blackjack machine. I was playing 25 cents a hand and not doing well when two seats to my left, a hefty older guy just toppled off his seat and went to the floor. I quickly got a slot attendant, who called security. There was quite a flurry of activity and the guy on the floor was stone still in the center of four or five people. An Asian woman came by, identified herself as a doctor and began to talk to the stricken guy. He still laid down, but was able to talk and declined the doc's services. Things seemed well in hand and Helen and I moved on to the food court to grab a quick bite before getting back to the sports book.
At the food court we chose some Chinese food and grabbed a seat. Helen noticed a shady looking young Asian guy sporting a hoodie and a vacant stare. He slowly walked toward our table, making Helen a bit nervous. She shifted her purse closer as the guy strolled up to me and said "Could you buy me some food?" I didn't understand him at first and he repeated "Could you buy me some food."
"No thanks," I replied, and he walked over to another table and repeated the request to a guy sitting alone. The guy also rejected him, but a few minutes later he did go over and give the guy some cash.
The panhandler took the money and quickly left the food court, in search of drugs, I assume. Usually the Red Rock cracks down on this kind of activity, but maybe security was still busy with Mr. Fall Off My Chair...
When we finished out meal and went back to the sports book, the fallen guy was gone. I think they called an ambulance and quietly got him out of there.
Today I played some poker at Bally's and didn't have much luck. I was doing fine, making good plays and was actually up a bit when I looked down at 8-9 of clubs. I like playing these suited connectors and tossed my two bucks into the pot. Imagine my delight when the flop came 6-7-10 of mixed suits. I FLOPPED A STRAIGHT! A guy at the other end bet $10 and everyone folded, except me. I just called his bet, thinking that if I raised he might fold. I wanted to keep this fish on the line. The turn card was a Q and no apparent threat. The guy bet 30 and I went All in, shoving in my last 50. He called. The river card was K of clubs. The guy flipped over a J-9 for A BIGGER STRAIGHT. He had to hit on the turn and river both to beat me and he did. But that's poker...
We're starting to look ahead to packing up and heading home. I've spotted a couple of nearby storage units that I'll be checking out. The last unit we rented cost $119 a month and I'm hoping to get one a bit cheaper. Then we'll need $260 to pay the moving guys to haul our stuff to the unit. It all costs $$$.
Right now it looks like Helen's brother Norm and his family from Thousand Oaks California will be coming to see us on March 20 for the weekend. It'll be good to see them. Haven't gotten together with Norm and Lorraine for five years or so. Then after they leave we'll really focusing on getting packed and hitting the road back to Michigan. Hopefully the weather cooperate and the roads will be clear.
But for now, our adventure continues...
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
2015 Baseball Futures
While at the Red Rock yesterday, I picked up a sheet detailing the 2015 Baseball Futures bets. Here are some odds to win the World Series
Nationals 5-1
Dodgers 7-1
Red Sox & Cubs 9-1
Cardinals, Angels, Padres 12-1
Mariners 14-1
TIGERS, Mets and White Sox 15-1.
Detroit is 7-1 to win the A.L. pennant, while the Nats are the N.L. favorite at 5-2.
Nationals 5-1
Dodgers 7-1
Red Sox & Cubs 9-1
Cardinals, Angels, Padres 12-1
Mariners 14-1
TIGERS, Mets and White Sox 15-1.
Detroit is 7-1 to win the A.L. pennant, while the Nats are the N.L. favorite at 5-2.
Red Rock & More Red Rock
Tuesday we spent much of the day with Bruce and Sandi.
It was their last day in LV before they drive south to Kingman, AZ, then over to the Grand Canyon. They drove their jeep out to our apartment about 11 a.m. and we gave them a quick tour of our two-bedroom place.
Then we all got into our Terrain and drove out to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It was a beautiful sunny day in the 70s. Using Helen's lifetime pass we had free admission to the area, otherwise it's still only $7 per car to tour the area. Our first stop was at the visitor center where we looked at some exhibits and checked out the gift shop.
Then we spent about an hour driving the 13-mile scenic tour, making a few stops along the way. The mountains are always impressive and Bruce and Sandi enjoyed seeing the majestic peaks. At one point there are some centuries-old handprints left by the ancient tribes who lived in this area. Pretty cool to see remnants of an old civilization who dwelt in this harsh region.
After the tour, we went to the nearby Red Rock casino for some lunch. We settled into Yard House, an eatery that claims to have the World's Largest assortment of beers on tap. We'll never know, since we opted for lemonade, ice tea and water. Helen had a southwest chicken salad, Sandi chose a turkey sandwich with a Caesar salad, Bruce went for a personal pizza and clam chowder, while I opted for a BBQ personal pizza and Caesar Salad. Lunch for the 4 of us was only $50.
Then we strolled into the casino for a bit, settling at the sports book where I bought a $25 ticket on the MSU-UM game to go over the total of 116 points. It was an easy winner, paying $22.70. Then we headed back to the apartment and Bruce and Sandi drove back to their motor home parked in an RV park near Sam's Town casino east of the Strip.
I've been battling a cold for the past couple of days, but feel better this morning after downing some Advil Cold and Sinus meds. I did some writing this morning, a biography of a TC artist. Then I made a run to the nearby Walmart, mailed off some bills and put some money in the bank. No more gaming today, but our LV adventure continues...
It was their last day in LV before they drive south to Kingman, AZ, then over to the Grand Canyon. They drove their jeep out to our apartment about 11 a.m. and we gave them a quick tour of our two-bedroom place.
Then we all got into our Terrain and drove out to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It was a beautiful sunny day in the 70s. Using Helen's lifetime pass we had free admission to the area, otherwise it's still only $7 per car to tour the area. Our first stop was at the visitor center where we looked at some exhibits and checked out the gift shop.
Then we spent about an hour driving the 13-mile scenic tour, making a few stops along the way. The mountains are always impressive and Bruce and Sandi enjoyed seeing the majestic peaks. At one point there are some centuries-old handprints left by the ancient tribes who lived in this area. Pretty cool to see remnants of an old civilization who dwelt in this harsh region.
After the tour, we went to the nearby Red Rock casino for some lunch. We settled into Yard House, an eatery that claims to have the World's Largest assortment of beers on tap. We'll never know, since we opted for lemonade, ice tea and water. Helen had a southwest chicken salad, Sandi chose a turkey sandwich with a Caesar salad, Bruce went for a personal pizza and clam chowder, while I opted for a BBQ personal pizza and Caesar Salad. Lunch for the 4 of us was only $50.
Then we strolled into the casino for a bit, settling at the sports book where I bought a $25 ticket on the MSU-UM game to go over the total of 116 points. It was an easy winner, paying $22.70. Then we headed back to the apartment and Bruce and Sandi drove back to their motor home parked in an RV park near Sam's Town casino east of the Strip.
I've been battling a cold for the past couple of days, but feel better this morning after downing some Advil Cold and Sinus meds. I did some writing this morning, a biography of a TC artist. Then I made a run to the nearby Walmart, mailed off some bills and put some money in the bank. No more gaming today, but our LV adventure continues...
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Suncoast Visit on Monday
Made a trip over to the Suncoast on Monday to play a bit of blackjack. Got there about 11 a.m. and played for about two hours, winning $90. No big hands, no drama, just a nice steady game where I won a lot of $10-15 hands.
Then it was home for lunch. Helen had a turkey sandwich and I enjoyed half of a chicken Caesar wrap.
Today we're hoping to get together with Bruce and Sandi. They will be leaving tomorrow and we wanted to see them one more time. We may go out to the Red Rock Nature area and then have lunch somewhere as our LV adventure continues...
Then it was home for lunch. Helen had a turkey sandwich and I enjoyed half of a chicken Caesar wrap.
Today we're hoping to get together with Bruce and Sandi. They will be leaving tomorrow and we wanted to see them one more time. We may go out to the Red Rock Nature area and then have lunch somewhere as our LV adventure continues...
Monday, February 16, 2015
Lunch with Bruce & Sandi
Sunday morning I made a quick trip to the Suncoast to check out the basketball point spreads and play a little blackjack. The BJ started off pretty well and I was up $30-$40 when I ran into one of the worst stretches of cards I've ever experienced.
For background, it was a $5 minimum bet game of two-deck pitch where the dealer tosses the cards to the player who holds them in one hand only. If you want another card, you scrape the table with your two cards. If you stay, you slide your cards under your bet.
With only two decks, it doesn't take too many hands before the dealer has to shuffle. At this time, I was alone at the table. During one two-deck session, the dealer had FIVE blackjacks!! Consider that there are only 8 aces in the two decks - possibly even fewer since there is a cut card that eliminates about 1/4 of the decks. So the dealer got 5 aces and paired EACH of them with a face card! Naturally, I got no blackjacks during this terrible run. And my profit disappeared... I ended up losing $27 for the trip.
I headed home about noon and after a bit, Helen and I drove down to the Strip where we met my brother Bruce and his wife Sandi, who are on a long motor-home tour of the Southwest. They drove up from Phoenix on Friday and are staying in LV until Wednesday. We met them at Planet Hollywood and had lunch at the Cheeseburger restaurant in the PH Miracle Mile shopping mall. Helen and I had chicken Caesar wraps, Sandi had a cheeseburger wrap and Bruce had an order of three fish tacos. It was great to catch up with them. After they leave LV they're driving to the Grand Canyon, then heading back toward Michigan. They need to be back there by March 5, according to Bruce, because they have plans.
Already this morning, I have made a tasty quinoa salad from a recipe given to me by Lois Edson. It's packed with protein and a nice light meal in itself or as a side dish. Helen is doing a load of laundry. It's not easy with her healing ankle, but she refuses to just sit around. I have a few errands to take care of this morning - trip to the bank, stop by the apartment office, etc. But may have time to visit the Suncoast later.
Tomorrow we're supposed to have lunch with Bruce and Sandi. We're thinking of taking them to the Red Rock Nature Area for a nice trip, then having lunch at the nearby Red Rock Casino. I don't think they've been to either of those spots, so it would give them a break from The Strip. And so, our LV adventure continues...
For background, it was a $5 minimum bet game of two-deck pitch where the dealer tosses the cards to the player who holds them in one hand only. If you want another card, you scrape the table with your two cards. If you stay, you slide your cards under your bet.
With only two decks, it doesn't take too many hands before the dealer has to shuffle. At this time, I was alone at the table. During one two-deck session, the dealer had FIVE blackjacks!! Consider that there are only 8 aces in the two decks - possibly even fewer since there is a cut card that eliminates about 1/4 of the decks. So the dealer got 5 aces and paired EACH of them with a face card! Naturally, I got no blackjacks during this terrible run. And my profit disappeared... I ended up losing $27 for the trip.
I headed home about noon and after a bit, Helen and I drove down to the Strip where we met my brother Bruce and his wife Sandi, who are on a long motor-home tour of the Southwest. They drove up from Phoenix on Friday and are staying in LV until Wednesday. We met them at Planet Hollywood and had lunch at the Cheeseburger restaurant in the PH Miracle Mile shopping mall. Helen and I had chicken Caesar wraps, Sandi had a cheeseburger wrap and Bruce had an order of three fish tacos. It was great to catch up with them. After they leave LV they're driving to the Grand Canyon, then heading back toward Michigan. They need to be back there by March 5, according to Bruce, because they have plans.
Already this morning, I have made a tasty quinoa salad from a recipe given to me by Lois Edson. It's packed with protein and a nice light meal in itself or as a side dish. Helen is doing a load of laundry. It's not easy with her healing ankle, but she refuses to just sit around. I have a few errands to take care of this morning - trip to the bank, stop by the apartment office, etc. But may have time to visit the Suncoast later.
Tomorrow we're supposed to have lunch with Bruce and Sandi. We're thinking of taking them to the Red Rock Nature Area for a nice trip, then having lunch at the nearby Red Rock Casino. I don't think they've been to either of those spots, so it would give them a break from The Strip. And so, our LV adventure continues...
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