May Starts with a Tropical Cruise Adventure

Hi there, our last chapter ended on April 30^th, while we were at our Co-op Park in Pahrump.  May 1^st started very early for us.  Our ride share driver arrived at 3:30 am to drive us from Pahrump to the Las Vegas airport.  We are catching a plane to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, so we can go on another cruise through the Panama Canal.  Our flight to Ft. Lauderdale was at 7:00 am out of Las Vegas, so that is the reason we left so early.  We got to the airport a couple of hours before the flight.  We checked our bags for the flight and just waited to take off.  We never slept last night so we were a little tired.  The flight, on United Airlines, took off on time and we were on our way.  This particular flight was actually to Chicago, which is how the cruise lined booked our flight.  I guess they always go for the cheapest fares.  It seemed a little out of the way to go to Chicago to get to Florida, but whatever.  We arrived in Chicago on time, early afternoon there since we lost two hours through time zone changes on the way.  We only had a 90-minute layover at Chicago O’Hare and fortunately the gate we had to go to for the next leg was fairly close by.  The next flight also left and arrived at Ft. Lauderdale on time.  Both flights were pretty uneventful, and reasonably comfortable as we had upgraded to Economy Plus which gave us seats in the first row of the economy section, right behind first class.  This gave us another six or eight inches of leg room.  After we retrieved our luggage, we caught a shuttle to go to the nearby Hampton Inn.  We had made reservations at this hotel, which is midway between the airport and the cruise port so that we could come in two days early and get rested up before the cruise.  We checked into the hotel, a nice room, and walked to a nearby sports bar and restaurant called Slackers Bar and Grill.  We had a cocktail and a nice dinner before heading back to the hotel and going to bed early.  At this point we were at about 36 hours without sleep, so we crashed. 

Thursday, May 1^st, we woke up about 9:00 after a very comfortable night’s sleep.  We didn’t have any plans to do anything today, so we just hung out in the hotel room and relaxed all day.  We got some lunch from a nearby Wendy’s and went out for dinner to Slackers again.  Both of these were just across the street from the hotel.  We did nothing else all day.

Friday, May 2^nd, we had reservations on the 11:30 shuttle from the hotel to the port to board the ship for our cruise.  We got up about 8:00, cleaned up and went down to the lobby about 11:00 to wait.  There were a dozen other couples in the lobby with their luggage, all of which had tags for the Island Princess cruise ship, which was also ours. The buses, (they sent two) picked us up at 11:30 and fifteen minutes later we were dropped off at the port.  We checked our big bags (3 of them) with the porters at the port to be taken onto the ship and then headed for the check-in area in the port.  Since Jackie sometimes has trouble walking long distances she had her cane.  One of the Princess Cruises embarkation people saw that and we were sent through the handicap line, which was much faster than the regular line.  We were checked in and on board the ship within a half hour of arriving at the port.  When we got on board we learned we could go to the room and leave our carryon bags, so we did that.  We have a nice balcony room on deck 11, which Princess calls the “Baha Deck.”  Although this is a fairly small cruise ship, the room was very nice and larger than those we had on the comparably sized Norwegian Sky ship we were last on. We completed our required muster station check-in and watched the safety videos, then headed for the buffet for lunch.  This ship has a wonderful buffet, called the Horizon Grill.  Lots of choices and lots of seating.  After lunch we explored the ship a little and had a drink or two.  When the luggage showed up in our stateroom we unpacked and got ready to sail away for 15 wonderful nights.  At 3:00 the ship set sail headed South.  The weather was great and the seas calm.  We had dinner in the dining room at about 6:30, and for the evening just went to some trivia games, went to the theater to see great comedian, spent a little time in the casino and finished the night with karaoke at 10:30.  Their karaoke was very short, only 45 minutes, so only one song per person.  We were in bed by 11:00.

Saturday, May 3^rd, was a sea day.  We slept in and spent the day with the various activities around the ship, including some trivia games, listening to music, the casino, eating and drinking, all the stuff you do on cruises.  Just on a whim I went to what was described in the daily newsletter as “Princess Pop Choir sign up and rehearsal.”  It turns out that one of the Cruise Director staff, Donovon, used to be a music teacher and created this program where passengers on the ship can sign up for the choir, which will have a 45 minute practice session at 2:00 on every sea day, and on the last day of the cruise before we dock in Los Angeles, this choir will perform in public in the main atrium of the ship.  We both stayed and did some singing.  All the songs are pop hits, they include “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” from the musical Oklahoma, “Waterloo,” by ABBA, “Don’t Stop Believing,” by Journey, “How Deep Is Your Love.” by the Bee Gees, “Swee Caroline,” by Neil Diamond, “New York, New York,” by Sinatra, “It’s Not Unusual,” by Tom Jones, and a couple of practices later, “The Rose,” by Bet Midler.  A total of eight songs.  That night after dinner we went to a production show in the theater that was music, dancing and singing by the entertainment cast.  They are quite good.  No karaoke tonight, we were in bed by 11:00 or so.

Sunday, May 4^th, another sea day.  Another day of relaxation, and spending time with the activities around the ship.  We both went to choir rehearsal today at 2:00.  Tonight was “formal” night, so we dressed up for dinner.  We spent the evening with activities, including another show in the theater, this time by a couple of rhythm and blues singers.  Another pretty good show.  We went to a late-night comedy show which was very funny.  We were in bed by about 11:30.

Monday, May 5^th, we arrived in Cartagena, Columbia, about 9:00.  We had an early shore excursion and were off the ship not too long after we docked.  We did a hop on, hop off, tour.  The tour did most of the main part of town, as well as the “old city” area, which is walled in.  We just went for the tour and didn’t get off until the last stop.  We had some time before we went back to the ship, so we had a nice lunch in a very nice seafood restaurant called Mar de las Antillas near where we caught the bus back to the ship.  We had a grilled octopus appetizer, and an excellent sea food chowder.  After lunch we went back to the ship and wandered around.  This port has a really cool mini-zoo that you have to go through to get back to the ship.  We were here a couple of years ago when we did the Panama Canal tour with a bunch of people from our Co-op.  It has a lot of birds, including flamingos, monkeys, lizards, etc.  It is really a fun place to visit.  We skipped the theater show after dinner because it was a Folklorrio show, which we have seen plenty of before.  We were in bed by 11:00. 

Tuesday, May 6^th, another sea day.  We did the usual stuff, went to choir practice, played games, drank and ate and gambled a little.  We had

dinner in the dining room and made arrangements with the waiter for a standing 7:00 appointment at the same table.  The waiter, Brighton, and his assistant, Howard, were very nice and very accommodating.  We also became acquainted with the two couples on either side of us.  One is a couple, originally from Guatemala, but now living in Los Angeles with a very successful Body and Paint shop.  The couple on the other side of us are from England, a town just north of London, and they are very nice also.  Tonight’s show was a tribute to ABBA.  After the show we went to karaoke, where I got to sing a song.  At karaoke we met another couple with the last name of Holt, the only other one’s on the ship  They are from British Columbia, Canada, near Vancouver.  Martin and Michelle.  We talked a lot but couldn’t come up with any family connections based on our limited knowledge of my ancestors on my father’s side.  They are very nice, and Michelle is a good singer.  They also have a karaoke side business.  After karaoke we went to bed.

Wednesday , May 7^th, today was the day we went through the Panama Canal.  We got up early enough to see as we approached the Atlantic end of the canal and went under the Atlantic Bridge.  We arrived at the first of the Gatun locks about 8:30.  Between the views from our balcony and the view from the bridge of the ship shown on our TV screen, we had a really good visual.  Unlike our transit of the canal two years ago, we were going through the original series of locks dating back to 1914.  This ship is what they call “Panamax” sized, which means it is the largest size ship that can fit in the old locks.  Our previous transit was on the Norwegian Joy which was a larger ship.  However, the process was the same.  There were three locks in the Gatun group, and it took about two hours to go through the series.  Between the three locks our ship was lifted about 85 feet from sea level at the Atlantic Ocean, to the level of Gatun Lake.  For the next three hours we cruised east, first across Gatun Lake, which is the source of all the water used in all of the locks of the canal.  Then we entered what is called the Culebra Cut, which is the channel that had to be carved through the mountain range that made up the Continental Divide in Panama.  The cut had to be made thorough 312 feet of solid rock at its deepest point and was the most difficult, expensive and time-consuming part of the whole project.  We arrived at the second set of locks, the Pedro Miguel Locks.  These locks, one chamber for each direction, drop the ships 31 feet to the level of Lake Miraflores on the Pacific side of the Continental Divide.  About 45 minutes after leaving those locks, we went into the Miraflores Locks, which drop the ship another 54 feet to Pacific Ocean sea level.  The new larger locks combine the two sets of single locks into one set of double locks called the Cocoli Locks.  Once out of the Miraflores locks we passed under the Bridge of the Americas and Panama City and out into the Pacific Ocean.  The whole transit took about ten hours to complete.  Unlike our previous cruise, this one did not make a stop at Panama City, which was a pretty neat place to visit.  The historian narrating the transit for the passengers over the PA system told us at one point that the cost charged to the ship for this ten-hour transit was in the neighborhood of $360,000, which comes out to about $163 per passenger.  After the transit we changed for dinner and went to the dining room.  After dinner we did the usual evening activities, although we skipped the entertainment in the theater since it was a saxophone player which didn’t interest us.  We were in bed by about 10:30 or so.

Thursday, May 8^th, another sea day.  We slept in and left our cabin at lunchtime.  For lunch we went to the Crown Grill, which is the premium dining steak house on the ship.  Today they had a special lunch that was a crab boil.  It was an extra cost option, but it was interesting.  They had an appetizer, a soup, and then brough out a huge silver bucket filled with crab, lobster, mussels, shrimp, and clams, all on ice.  It was a huge amount of food, but we managed to finish it off.  After lunch I had choir practice.  This was the point that Jackie decided she wasn’t going to continue as part of the choir so she could film us on the day we gave our performance.  After that we went to some trivia and other games and spent some time shopping and gambling.  We went for dinner at 7:00 and ate, despite the big lunch.  The food in the dining room is very good.  After dinner we did some activities and then went to the 9:30 show in the theater, which was Duo Gravity, a couple that did a balance/strength/jugging/comedy act that was very entertaining.  We remember them from being on America’s Got Talent a few years age.  After that show we went to bed.

Friday, May 9^th, a port call day.  We arrived in Puntarenas, Costa Rica about 7:00 am.  We were up when we docked because we had a shore excursion scheduled for 8:30.  We grabbed a quick breakfast in the buffet and then went out for our excursion, which was a ride down a jungle river in a wildlife refuge.  There was an hour plus bus ride to get there, which was interesting in its own right.  We have never been to Costa Rica, the only new port to us on this cruise.  When we arrived, we got into a small flat bottom boat and went for a three hour ride up and down the river.  We saw huge numbers of birds, jungle birds and waterfowl.  We also saw a number of crocodiles, some of which were the size of a small car.  It was a good trip and worth the cost.  On the bus ride back to the ship we stopped at a local store for some souvenir shopping.  Of course, I bought the shirt.  We arrived back at the ship about 6:20, which was 20 minutes late.  Fortunately, since this was a ship sponsored excursion, they delayed leaving until we got back.  Tonight, we had dinner in the Italian fine dining restaurant on the ship, Sabatini’s.  We had a very nice dinner, after which we did some of the regular activities on the ship before heading to the theater for a comedy show.  A.J. Jamal put on a great show and it was very funny.  After the show we went to karaoke, but it got cancelled because they couldn’t get the equipment to work.  We then went to our cabin and went to bed.

Saturday, May 10^th, another sea day and mid-point of the cruise.  We slept in and relaxed in the morning as is our routine.  We always had room service bring coffee and we just lazed around until lunch time.  After lunch I had choir practice, then some more activities.  We dressed for dinner, tonight was a formal night, and after dinner did some more activities.  We skipped the theater entertainment as it was another solo singing artist, and experience has taught us that these are usually not that good.  We were in bed by 10:00 or so.

Sunday, May 11^th, another port call day.  We arrived in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, about 7:00 am.  We had a shore excursion today, but it wasn’t until 12:30, so we had time to relax in the morning.  We went to lunch then went on our excursion, which was a bus tour through a drive through zoo.  It was about an hour to the zoo, and then a couple hours to drive through.  They had all the usual zoo animals, most from Africa and South America.  We had a light snack at the zoo clubhouse, then got back on the bus for home.  This time we got back to the ship well before the 5:30 deadline.  We changed for dinner and ate in the dining room.  After dinner we did some activities and then went to the theater for a magician, Nick Paul.  Had never heard of him, but he was quite good and very entertaining.  After the show we went to karaoke, and I actually got to sing one song.  After karaoke we headed back to the cabin and went to bed.

Monday, May 12^th, another sea day.  We relaxed in the morning and spent the afternoon with the various activities and venues around the ship, including choir practice.  We went to the dining room for dinner, then out for some more activities.  At 9:30 we went to the theater for a song and dance show focused on Latin music.  The performers on the ship are very good.  There was no karaoke, so after the show we went back to the cabin and went to bed.

Tuesday, May 13^th, yet another sea day.  Pretty much the same routine, although we did do lunch in the Italian fine dining restaurant because they had a “pop up” pizza parlor which was free to us.  The pizza was excellent.  After that we did various activities until it was time to change for dinner.  We did dinner in the main dining room and then did a few activities before the 9:30 show in the theater, which tonight was an Elton John impersonator.  The music was good, but his impersonation was terrible. After the show we went to karaoke where I got to sing one song again.  After that we went to bed.  Wednesday, another port day.  We arrived in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, about 7:00 am.  We waited until lunch time to get off the ship.  We spent about two hours ashore, mostly in the port area.  We had lunch, did some shopping and had a good time.  After we got back on board we did some activities, then changed and went to dinner in the dining room.  We skipped the theater show again, a single performer doing Aretha Franklin was not something we needed to see.  They had karaoke again at 10:30 and then we went to bed.

Thursday, May 15^th, Happy Birthday Jackie!  Today was a sea day and we had the usual relaxing morning.  We went to lunch, then did some activities around the ship in the afternoon.  We changed for dinner; tonight was the last formal night.  Tonight, we had dinner in the steak house for Jackie’s birthday.  Most of the food was good, but the service was a little disappointing.  We still had a good birthday dinner.  After dinner we did some activities around the ship, ending with another session of karaoke.  We then went to bed.

Friday, May 16^th, another sea day and the last full day on the ship.  We had a relaxing morning and went to lunch.  After lunch I had a final rehearsal with the Pop Choir.  At 2:00 the Choir assembled in the main atrium of the ship and put on a half-hour concert of our 8 songs.  We were well received and quite good, if I say so myself.  Jackie captured all 8 songs on video, available on request.  After the show we went back to the cabin and packed our suitcases.  They have to be put out in the hallway tonight by 10:00 and it is easier to pack in the afternoon than miss the nighttime activities.  We went for our last dinner in the main dining room, then did some activities around the ship.  We went to the 9:30 show in the theater, which was the usual farewell show with all the various entertainers making cameo appearances.    After the show we went to cabin and went to bed.

Saturday, May 17^th, we arrived at the Port of Los Angeles, in San Pedro, about 7:00.  We got up, cleaned up and were out of our cabin by 8:00.  We had breakfast, then just waited to get off the ship.  We were off the ship and through customs by about 9:45.  The debarkation was very smooth and easy.  We got our luggage and boarded a bus to LAX and were on our way by about 11:00.  We had a five hour wait at LAX, where we just sat, watched our phones and relaxed.  We had an expensive lunch of airport cheeseburgers.  We boarded our United flight to Las

Vegas and left LAX right on time at 5:30.  The weather was rough on the way to Vegas, with lots of rocking and rolling, but it only took about 45 minutes.  The landing in Vegas was really scarry.  We were coming down in very high winds and on approach we could see we were getting close to the airport, about eight or nine hundred feet with the gear and flaps down, when all of a sudden the engines went to full power, the gear came up and we went back up.  After a minute the pilot came back on and told us that a dust storm had hit the airport just as we were approaching and he had to go around.  He never said whether it was his decision, or air traffic controls, but around we went.  We made it down on the second approach, but it was a rocky, cross wind landing.  Everyone on the plane clapped and cheered when we set down.  In all my many thousands of miles flying this was my first missed approach.  We got off the plane, about 40 minutes late, and caught our ride share back home.  After a little over an hour, we were back in Pahrump and relaxing with the TV in our own living room again.  We went to bed about 10:00.

Sunday, May 18^th, was a day spent at home unpacking, doing laundry and taking care of things around the house.  By the end of the day, we were pretty much done with the unpacking and laundry and were ready to settle back into our normal routines.  We did go to the ice cream social at 2:00 to let everyone know we were home.  We watched some TV after dinner and went to bed.  Monday, I had a 9:00 planning meeting with the Board of Directors.  This meeting only lasted about 45 minutes.  Our house cleaner came about 10:00 and after she left we went to Walmart for some supplies.  After we got home, we had dinner and spent the night with the TV.

Tuesday, May 20, I had another 9:00 meeting, this time to set the June activities calendar with the Silver Seekers.  After that there was a 10:00 meeting of the Lucky Rollers camping group.  Jackie stayed home because she seems to have come down with a cold or severe allergies and is coughing and having cold symptoms.  We spent the rest of the day at home.  We skipped happy hour because we didn’t want to expose anyone to whatever Jackie has.  Wednesday, I went to play guitar with my practice group at 12:30.  Jackie was feeling sick still, so she skipped Pokeno.  When I got home, we had dinner, watched TV and went to bed. 

Thursday, May 22^nd, I had a Board meeting at 9:00.  Jackie was still not feeling well.  After the meeting I came home and found that I was not feeling very good either.  Mine got worse though the afternoon and by evening it was clear we both had head colds.  We did take Jackie to the hospital at noon for a follow up mammogram checking on something of concern they found at her routine screening a while back.  We spent the night with the TV and went to bed.  Friday, we didn’t have anything on our schedules so both of us just relaxed at home for the day, taking DayQuil and working on feeling better.  We even skipped the evening Bingo session.  Saturday was a repeat of yesterday.  Just staying home, taking care of our colds and working to get better.  Saturday was another free day that we spent just medicating and relaxing at home.  I did have to go out at 8:00 for my first shift of security, but it is mostly done just riding around in the car, so it was an easy hour. 

Sunday, May 25^th, another free day.  We did get out of the house today and went out to eat lunch at Denny’s, put some gas in the car and went to Walmart for some supplies.  We didn’t go to the ice cream social.  After we got home, we just did some chores and relaxed for the rest of the day and evening.  I did have to do my security patrol at 8:00.  Monday, Memorial Day.  We had no plans for today and just stayed home and did a few light chores.  Jackie is starting to feel a little better, I am probably at 80 percent today.  We did go to happy hour just to assure our friends we weren’t dead.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV, except for me and my last security tour for the month.

Tuesday, May 27^th, I was about 90 percent.  I have gotten rid of the cough, but I still have congestion and a of snot, have to blow my nose every ten minutes.  I did some office work today and Jackie spent the day in the house doing some chores and relaxing.  We went to happy hour again, then came home for dinner and another night with the TV.  When we got back from the cruise we had about 150 hours or so of TV recorded while we were gone.  All the regular shows we watch.  We are finally catching up.  It is helpful that most of the drama series that we watch are getting to the end of the season, so we are not recording as much.  Wednesday, I skipped my guitar session with my jam friends today because I am still a little “froggy” from the cold and didn’t feel like being with others.  Plus, one of our group tested positive for Covid last week so, better safe.  We both went to the clubhouse at noon to listen to a presentation from some of the staff from the Nathan Adelson Hospice group.  This is the only non-profit hospice in Nevada, and they have a presence here in Pahrump.  This is the second time they have come here to present to our members.  We had a couple dozen members attend, and it was a good session.  Plus, they always bring pizza to eat while you listen to the presentation.  Jackie stayed after the presentation to play Pokeno, while I headed home and did some office work.  We tried to do some baby backs on the BBQ for dinner, but I tried to hurry them along and ended up burning them to a crisp.  It was inedible for me, but Jackie carved off a few strands of meat.  She likes the char taste.  After dinner we watched TV until bedtime.

Thursday, May 29^th, was another mostly stay at home day.  I did some chores and played out in the man cave.  Jackie had a haircut and pedicure at 3:00.  While she was gone, I went to happy hour.  We had dinner, a Costco chicken that our friend Linda had brought from Las Vegas.  We had a “chicken club” here where if any of the six or eight of us go to Vegas and stop at Costco, we checked with the rest of the group to see if they want rotisserie chickens.  After dinner we watched TV and went to bed.  Friday was a stay-at-home day.  I did some office work and some chores.  We went to happy hour and then came home for dinner.  We had leftover meat loaf.  We watched TV until bedtime.

Saturday, May 31^st, the last day of the first half of the year. Wow!  Jackie went to the clubhouse about 10:00 to play cards with her friends.  About 11:00 I went with our friend Mo, who is chair of the Election Committee, to the post office to mail out the ballots for this year’s proposed amendments to the By Laws of the Co-op.  I am the chair of the By Laws Committee, which put together the proposals.  I was going to the post office with Mo because the By Laws require a member of the Board of Directors to certify that the ballots were mailed.  So, I went as a Board Member.  We had almost 150 ballots that had to be run through the machine, so we were gone for a while.  After I got back, I did some things around the house.  About 2:00 Jackie said she was feeling sick to her stomach, so she went to bed to take a nap.  We canceled our dinner plans for tonight with our friends the Vice’s.  When she came out around 4:00 she felt a little better, but not completely.  I made a pot of soup for dinner, and we watched TV until it was time for bed.

This marks the end of the May blog/diary, so it is time to put it online for posterity.  Until next time, enjoy life, you only get one ride.  Bye. 

Springtime Comes to Pahrump

Hello again.  Our last chapter concluded on Monday, March 31^st, while we were in residence at our wonderful retirement community in Pahrump.  Tuesday, April 1^st – April Fool’s Day!  I hate April Fools jokes.  Anyway, today we had a planned event starting at 1:00 that was intended to substitute for the usual Spring camping trip for the Lucky Rollers camping club here at our Co-op.  The club always has a Spring and a Fall campout somewhere within a couple of hundred miles of Pahrump.  They had planned for an event at the Avi Casino, which is an Indian casino a few miles South of Laughlin, Nevada.  About two weeks before the campout the plans sort of collapsed when the RV park at Avi wouldn’t honor the rates and conditions that the people from the club thought had been set up.  The club just decided to cancel the outing and hold a one-day party in our park instead of a four-day campout.  It didn’t bother us too much since we don’t have a movable RV anymore.  We go to most of the campouts, but we stay in a nearby hotel instead of the RV park.  A couple dozen people showed up at 1:00 in the open air “Quail Run” picnic area at the back of our park for the event.  However, it was cold and windy, so about 3:00 they decided to move the event into the clubhouse and restart at 4:00 with the potluck dinner.  The potluck went well, lots of good food.  After dinner we had some drawings for a couple of door prize gift baskets, one of which Jackie won.  They also had a brown bag drawing where you bring a gift in a bag and people buy tickets for a chance to win one.  We both got one of those as well.  We didn’t get the 50/50.  After all the drawings I played guitar and sang for the group for about an hour.  The whole thing wrapped up about 6:00.  Not quite the usual campout, but fun, nonetheless.  After the party we went home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Wednesday, April 2^nd, I had my guitar practice session with my music friends, and Jackie had her Pokeno in the clubhouse.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home for dinner and a night watching TV.  Thursday was a busy day.  I had a 10:00 meeting of the By Laws Committee.  Jackie had an 11:00 mani appointment.  I also had a 12:00 meeting with the Board of Directors where we met with the employees of the Co-op.  The current Board tries to do this at least once a quarter.  I then had another Board meeting at 2:30 for some financial approvals.  That meeting was pretty short.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  We watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, April 4^th, we went to the China Wok restaurant about 10:30 for another one of our MASA lunches.  MASA is a sort of medical transport insurance and we have a lifetime membership.  They periodically put on lunches to try and get new business and they always welcome current members to attend.  Free Chinese food, why not?  After lunch we went home and spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing things around the house.  Saturday, Jackie went to play cards at 10:00 while I did some work on Board issues.  At 5:30 we picked up our friends Dale and Sue Vice and drove to the Pour House restaurant for dinners.  We had a pretty good visit with Dale and Sue but were a little disappointed with the quality of the food.  The place is in the process of converting to a brew pub and they seem to have lost their edge with the food.  After we dropped Dale and Sue off, we watched TV for the rest of the night.

Sunday, April 6^th, we did another “Sunday-Funday”.  We left the house about 1:00 and drove to the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge for a visit.  Although the Refuge is only about 28 miles from Pahrump, we have never been out here.  At last night’s dinner Dale and Sue talked a lot about the place, so we decided to go out there.  One reason we hadn’t gone out there since we stopped traveling in the motorhome and settled down is that our car, our old Ford Cmax hybrid, had a very low ground clearance and all the roads going to, and within, the Refuge are gravel.  Now we have our Buick SUV with normal clearance, so we were not hesitant to go ahead and drive out there. Back in the 50’s and 60’s this area was largely developed farming and ranching land.  The Armargosa River runs through (and beneath) this part of the Armargosa Valley.  By the 70’s the water was getting more and more difficult to get, so the area was pretty much abandoned and left as desert.  In 1983 http://The Nature Conservancy purchased 12,613 acres that had been slated for development to protect Ash Meadows. The Nature Conservancy transferred the land to the Fish and Wildlife Service  and the refuge was created on June 18, 1984, to protect this extremely rare desert oasis in the Mojave Desert.

Ash Meadows is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Ash Meadows provides a valuable and unprecedented example of desert oases habitats, that have become extremely uncommon in the southwestern deserts. The refuge is a major discharge point for a vast underground aquifer water system, reaching more than 100 mi to the northeast. Water-bearing strata come to the surface in more than thirty seeps and springs, providing a rich, complex variety of mesic habitats.  The Point of Rocks Springs in the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is home to the Amargosa River Pupfish.  Virtually all of the water at Ash Meadows is fossil water, believed to have entered the ground water system tens of thousands of years ago.  Numerous stream channels and wetlands are scattered throughout the refuge. To the north and west are the remnants of Carson Slough, which was drained and mined for its peat in the 1960s. Sand dunes occur in the western and southern parts of the refuge.

Endemic plants and animals.  Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge was established to provide and protect habitat for at least twenty-six endemic plants and animals, meaning they are found nowhere else in the world.  The concentration of locally exclusive flora and fauna that distinguishes Ash Meadows is the greatest concentration of endemic biota in any local area within the United States. It has the second greatest local endemism concentration in all of North America.

We went to the visitor’s center first, where we learned all about the history of the Refuge.  It was a very nice center with lots of exhibits and information.  We then drove to some of the various highlight areas.  We went first to Devils Hole, which is a natural fissure in the earth at the base of a small mountain range.  The fissure is an opening to a huge underground reservoir that is estimated to be more than 500 feet deep.  You can look down into the hole and see the water about 40 feet or so down.  The first five feet or so of this underground lake is home to the Devils Hole Pupfish, which is a tiny minnow that only exists in this place.  At one time the population of the fish declined to 35 individuals.  However, the Refuge has nurtured the population by creating a hatchery where they take the fish eggs every year and raise them until they can be returned to the hole.  There are now more than 200 of this species.  We also drove to a natural spring at a place called “Point of Rocks” where there is another species of Pupfish, the Armargosa River Pupfish.  In this spring fed pool, you can see a variety of species of pupfish and minnows. We took several pictures of the bright blue Pupfish.  We had a really nice visit and were glad we went.  After we drove home, we had dinner, which we had cooking in the crock pot while we were gone, then watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, April 7^th, we had nothing on our schedule today.  I spent most of the afternoon in the shed office doing some work related to my position on the Board of Directors.  I had to get a number of proposals written for the open Board meeting next week.  We skipped happy hour and just relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night.  Tuesday the cleaning lady came.  We had a stay-at-home day.  Wednesday, we had a lunch at the clubhouse at 11:00 put on by MASA.  After the presentation they had lunch catered by Panda Express.  After lunch I had my guitar practice group and Jackie had Pokeno.  We went to happy hour, then home for dinner and night with the TV.

Thursday, April 10^th, we left the park about 9:30 and headed to Las Vegas so Jackie could see Dr. Nishiyama about her knees.  After the exam and the x-rays, she was told that she really didn’t need any sort of surgery.  They gave her cortisone shots in both knees, and we were done.  We had lunch at the Omelet House in Summerlin, then went to Costco to shop.  After Costco we headed back home, getting back in time for happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and watched TV for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  Friday, we went out for a late lunch at El Jefe’s, then came home and did some chores.  We went to Bingo at 5:30.  Both of us won one small pot, but we had fun.  We went home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.  On Saturday, Jackie had her ladies’ lunch out at Living Free Café, and I went with the men’s group to Tower Pizza.  After lunch we ran some errands and then came home and relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night.

Sunday, April 13^th, we had a stay-at-home day and did some chores.  We had our friends Mike and Rhea, and Max and Nancy, over for cocktails at 4:00.  After that we had dinner, then spent the rest of the night watching TV.  Monday, I had a Board workshop at 9:00.  About 11:00 we went to the Lakeside Casino for lunch with the Lucky Rollers camping group from here at the park.  After lunch we went home and spent the rest of the day there.  Tuesday was a stay-at-home day.

Wednesday, April 16^th, I skipped guitar practice and did some chores.  Jackie went to Pokeno.  After Pokeno we went to the physical therapy place because Dr. Nishiyama had suggested that Jackie might need some PT.  This is the same place I went to after my hip replacement.  She had her consultation with the PT specialist, and he told her he didn’t think she needed any PT, so we left and went home.  We had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.  Thursday was a busy day.  I had to go to the regular Board Meeting since I am now a Director on the Board.  After the Board Meeting, I had to set up the jam session in the clubhouse.  At 1:00 we had the jam session and had a really great group.  Some of the people I play with weekly came, as well as a couple of people from the park.  Jackie had an 11:30 mani appointment but made it back for the last half of the jam.  After the jam we went to happy hour, then came home for dinner and night with the TV.  I also had my first shift of Security Duty at 8:00.  Friday,  we ran some errands and spent most of the day home doing chores and the usual stuff.

Saturday, April 19^th, we ran some more errands.  I also spent an hour or so helping the Lucky Rollers group clean out their storage shed.  We are now working on getting things together for our cruise through the Panama Canal.  We leave here on Wednesday, the 30^th at 3:00 in the morning.  Our flight to Florida is at 7:00 am in Las Vegas.  We went to happy hour, then relaxed for the rest of the night.  Sunday,  Happy Easter.  This was a stay-at-home day.  I went over to the clubhouse to help with the cooking and serving of Easter Dinner.  Jackie stayed home and made sweet potatoes.  We had a really nice dinner with both turkey and ham.  After dinner we went home and watched TV until bedtime.  Monday was mostly a stay-at-home day.  Our house cleaner came, and we did a bunch of chores.

Tuesday, April 22nd, I had a calendar meeting with the Silver Seekers group.  Although I am not on the Silver Seekers board anymore, I still do their calendars and take care of the Electronic Bulletin Board.  After the meeting I spent several hours doing office work for the calendar.  Since we are leaving in a week, I had to get it done early.  Wednesday, I skipped guitar practice and did a bunch of chores, getting ready to leave for our cruise.  Jackie still went to Pokeno.  We went to happy hour, then came home for dinner and TV.    Thursday, I had a 10:00 meeting with the Policy and Procedures working group, of which I am the facilitator.  Afte the meeting we ran some errands.  Spent the rest of the day at home.

Friday, April 25^th, I had a 10:00 meeting of the By Laws Committee and then at 1:00 I went with a bunch of people to help clean up around the park’s Quonset hut.  There was a lot of hording going on, so a lot of junk to throw away.  After clean up time we went out to eat a late lunch at Rubalcabas Mexican restaurant.  We went home and then to Bingo at 5:30.  Neither of us won anything tonight.  After Bingo we went home and relaxed with the TV.  Saturday, we went out for haircuts at 11:00, then we both got our toes clipped.  Jackie got a full pedi.  After we got home Jackie made some pea soup in the InstaPot for the potluck.  At 3:00 we went over to the potluck and had a nice dinner with friends.  After dinner we came home and watched TV.  Sunday, we got the suitcases out and started packing for our trip.

Monday, April 28^th, I went over to the clubhouse at 10:00 and helped my friend Don install a new TV on the wall.  We had to take the old TV down, put up and new bracket for the bigger TV and get it mounted.  We were done in about two hours.  We spent the rest of the day at home, getting ready to cruise.  Tuesday Jackie had a manicure appointment at 2:30.  We spent most of the day doing our final packing for our cruise.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  Because we were being picked by our ride service at 3:30 am, we didn’t go to bed.  We just stayed up and watched TV.  Our ride service is a private ride sharing service, the driver, Debbie, has been used by a number of our friends and fellow members at the Co-op park.  It’s $80 each way, which makes it cheaper than driving and parking a car somewhere in Las Vegas.

That is the end of this month’s chapter of our personal history blog.  Until next time, be safe and have fun.  Bye.

A Wet and Chilly March in Pahrump

Hi there, welcome back.  Our last chapter concluded on Friday, February 28^th, while we were enjoying retirement in Pahrump.  Saturday was a stay at home day.  I started the morning by beginning a crock pot full of my special Chili Colorado.  Jackie went to the clubhouse at 10:30 to help decorate for March.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had the Chili Colorado for dinner.  We watched TV for the rest of the night.

Sunday, March 2^nd, we also stayed home for most of the day.  We went to the 2:00 ice cream social, then came home and relaxed around the house for the rest of the day.  Monday we left Pahrump about 10:00 or so and drove to Las Vegas to visit with my brother Russ and his wife Zen.  They live in North Las Vegas.  We had a nice visit and went out for lunch with them to a funky little Mexican restaurant near downtown Vegas.  Russ works at the Golden Nugget downtown and said he liked this place.  It was very authentic and the food was pretty good.  After dinner we visited for a while, then headed back to Pahrump just in time to beat darkness.  We watched TV the rest of the evening.  Tuesday was another stay at home day.  I had a Board meeting at 9:00.  Jackie had a 1:00 meeting with some other members regarding the Park’s Facebook page.  Jackie is one of the administrators on the page.  We went to happy hour, then came home and had dinner.  We spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Wednesday, March 5^th, was a regular Wednesday, although it did start raining mid-morning.  Jackie went to play Pokeno and I went to practice guitar.  We skipped happy hour because it was still raining and cold outside.  We had dinner and watched TV for the rest of the night.  Thursday I had a By Laws Committee meeting at 10:00.  We just barely managed to get a quorum, so we had a meeting.  Basically, we finished all the proposals we have been working on and will now get them ready to go out to the membership for an approval vote.  Jackie had a manicure appointment at 11:30.  She got back just in time for me to take the car and go to the dermatologist  They had done a biopsy on a mole a few weeks back and it came back pre-cancerous, so I have to have a larger excision done.  It only took about a half hour and I was bandaged up and out the door.  I went home and we spent the rest of the afternoon doing chores around the house.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home.  I made a pot of chili for dinner.  After dinner we watched TV until bedtime. 

Friday, March 7^th, we were up and out early to get to our 9:00 pedi appointment.  I just had my toenails clipped.  While Jackie was getting her pedi I went out and ran a couple of errands in downtown Pahrump.  After the Pedi we went home and did some chores.  At 1:00 I had a dentist appointment to check on a toothache I have had for a couple of weeks.  They took some X-rays and did some exam before determining that the tooth under one end of my front bridge had an issue.  I knew the problem was there, I was just afraid I had broken the tooth off, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, it is just decayed.  However, it still means my current four tooth bridge has to come off, the tooth fixed and a new bridge put in.  Big bucks, even with insurance.  They sent me home while they waited for the dental insurance company to approve the work.  I went home and we did some chores around the house.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Saturday Jackie went to the ladies lunch at 11:00, and I went to the men’s lunch at noon.  They went to a Mexican place, the guys went to Jackpot Joanies, a small local casino that used to be Irene’s, but is being enlarged and remodeled.  The food was very good.  We had six men this month, our group gets a little bigger each month.  After lunch I went home and did chores until happy hour.  We went to happy hour, came home for dinner, and spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Sunday, March 9^th, first day of Daylight Savings.  We did our usual morning routine, then after lunch we actually went out and did some local geocaching.  Now that we have  vehicle that can handle mild to medium off-road stuff, we decided to revive our somewhat lagging geocaching “career.”  We were able to find five local caches within a couple of hours.  We stopped caching and went to Walmart for some supplies.  We then went home and relaxed for the rest of the day.  After dinner we watched TV and went to bed.  Monday, was another stay at home day.  Our housecleaner came in the morning and Jackie and I just did some chores.  We had a relaxing afternoon getting a few things done and watching TV.  We skipped happy hour and just had a cocktail in the house.  After dinner we watched TV and then went to bed. 

Tuesday, March 11^th, was a busy day.  We went to the local hospital at 1:00 so Jackie could get her annual mammogram.  After that was done we headed for Las Vegas because Jackie had a 5:00 appointment with the pain management specialist our attorney has sent her to.  Since we got into town early, we stopped at Sam’s Club to return some pants that didn’t fit and do some shopping.  After we were done with shopping we went to the pain management folks.  We got there about 45 minutes early, but they took her in fairly quickly.  She got two cortisone shots in the back of the head.  This is to try and address the nearly constant headaches she has had.  After the shots we just headed back over the hump because it was too early to eat.  When we got back to Pahrump a little after 6:00, we stopped at the Pour House, a great restaurant that is changing their name to Steelbound Brewery.  We both had steaks and a cocktail and the food was very good.  After eating we went home, put away our stuff from Sam’s and then relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night.  Wednesday was the same as always, I played guitar with my friends in the afternoon and Jackie played Pokeno with her friends.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then watched TV until bedtime.

Thursday, March 13^th, Happy Birthday to my son Roy Jr.  We had the Town Hall meeting at 9:00 and then a Silver Seekers Board meeting at 1:00.  I had to be there to run the Zoom access, so I was up and out early.  After the Silver Seekers meeting we went out and did some shopping, then came home.  Happy our at 4:00, dinner and then a night with the TV.  Friday was “Pi” day, 3.14.  We did some chores around the house and went out to eat a late lunch at our favorite Thai place, Chatthai Bistro.  We went to happy hour about 4:00 for the Pi day celebration with a whole slew of great pies.  We, then stayed for Bingo.  Sadly, I only won half a pot on a regular game and Jackie struck out.  We went home and watched TV until it was time for bed.

Saturday, March 15^th, Jackie went to the clubhouse to play cards at 10:00.  We spent the afternoon doing chores and running errands.  We went to happy hour and had dinner, then spent the remainder of the evening with the TV.  Sunday, we decided to try and make Sundays “Sunday Funday” so we went out after lunch and scouted out some sites for geocaches.  We have decided to try and jump start our geocaching hobby after several years of little participation.  We did find two good spots and hid the caches.  We have to now do the “paperwork” online to get the caches approved and published.  That usually takes a day or two.  After caching we went to Walmart for some supplies, then headed home.  We had dinner and then watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, March 17^th, Happy St. Patrick’s Day.  This was a stay at home day.  Our caches were published today and already found (FTF – First To Find) by a local geocacher we know.  After lunch we went to the fire station and gave blood to the Red Cross.  We are trying to make this a regular thing.  We went home and played and relaxed for most of the afternoon.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 and then stayed for the 5:00 St. Patrick’s Day dinner.  It was a great meal, corn beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes and lots of deserts.  By 7:00 we were home and relaxed by the TV.  Tuesday I had a 9:00 meeting with the Silver Seekers to create the April calendar for the park.  I am not on the Silver Seekers Board anymore, but I still do the calendars.  I then had a 12:30 appointment with the dermatologist to take out the stitches from my last excision.  He also sprayed the nitrogen on a small area on my right ear that had been giving me problems.  After I got home we just did the usual stuff around the house until happy hour.  After happy hour we had dinner and then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Wednesday, March 19^th, the usual afternoon activities, guitar for me, Pokeno for Jackie.  We went to happy hour then came home and relaxed with the TV the rest of the night.  Thursday, Jackie went for a 12:30 manicure and I had the park Jam Session at 1:00.  Most of our practice group was there and we had a great time.  Even had a small audience to watch and listen.  We had happy hour at 4:00, then TV for the rest of the night.

Friday, March 21^st, Jackie had a 11:45 appointment at the optometrist.  While she was doing that I ran a couple of errands.  We then went to the nail salon so she could get one of her fingernails fixed because she knocked off some of the polish the same day she had them done.  After that we went home and then went to happy hour at 4:00.  The rest of the night was dinner and the TV.  Saturday, was a stay at home day.  Some chores, some recreation.  We had a pot luck in the clubhouse at 5:00.  Jackie made pea soup in the InstaPot and it was great.  After the pot luck we went home and just watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, March 23^rd, we left the park about 10:30 or so and drove to the South Point Casino in Las Vegas to see a movie.  We went to see “The Monkey” which is a movie based on a Stephen King short story.  It was a typical horror movie with lots of innovative ways for people to die accidently.  It seems if you wind the monkey up and he plays his drum, someone you know dies.  There was a lot of dark comedy too, so I enjoyed the movie.  After the movie we gamed for a little while in the casino.  Jackie won $50, I lost.  We drove back to Pahrump and got back in time for happy hour.  We then watched TV for the rest of the night.  Monday, I had a 9:00 Board meeting, which took about an hour.  The house cleaner also came.  We spent the rest of the day at home relaxing except for the hour of Security Duty for me at 8:00 pm.

Tuesday, March 25^th, we left the park about 12:00 and drove to Las Vegas so Jackie could go to the Pain Specialist for a follow up from her cortisone shots last week.  She has now been released from care, so our attorney should be filing a demand with the insurance company for the lady that hit us in December.  After her appointment we had lunch, did a little shopping, then headed back to Pahrump. We skipped happy hour and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.  Wednesday, another regular Wednesday afternoon.  At 4:00 we went to happy hour, then stayed for the evening event.  We had Sonoran hot dogs, hamburgers, and lots of sides for dinner.   Then we played some games, one of which was the Pig Toss, which is like the old “Making Bacon” game from years ago except that now the pigs are big.  We had a really good time and there were a lot of people there.  After the event we went home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Thursday, March 27^th, was a busy day.  I had a 9:00 Board Meeting, which was our regular monthly meeting and went for about two hours  We left the park to run some errands after the meeting.  Jackie went to our regular GP doctor for a variety of things and her checkup.  After that we had a quick lunch, then stopped so Jackie could get a haircut.  We skipped happy hour and just relaxed at home for the rest of the evening.  Friday, I had another meeting of the Board, a short Executive session that was not open to the members.  We had some confidential matters to discuss.  After that meeting, we relaxed for a while, then went out for a late lunch at El jefe, our favorite Mexican place.  We went back to the park and then went to happy hour about 4:30, then styed for Bingo.  Tonight Jackie won the cover-all for $30 and I won one of the regular games for $15.  We both made a few bucks.  Yea!  We then went home spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Saturday, March 29^th, we had a “pop up” brunch at 11:00 in the clubhouse.  Ginny, the Kitchen Coordinator, made some breakfast casseroles, as well as some other goodies, for an unscheduled brunch event.  She also used a lot of the leftovers in the kitchen, like the leftover corn beef from St. Patrick’s Day used for corn beef hash.  Very yummy.  After lunch we ran some errands, then came home and just putzed around the house for the rest of the day.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and relaxed for the rest of the evening.  Sunday was a relaxation day.  At 4:00 we had a private happy hour at our gazebo for our friends Max and Nancy, and Rhea and Mike.  We had a really nice time and chatted until about 6:00.  We had dinner and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Monday, March 31^st, Jackie had a ladies get-together at the Artesian Cellars restaurant.  I stayed home and just worked on projects around the house.  After her lunch we ran some errands, then came home for dinner and another night with the TV.  We are now at the end of the month, so time to close out this chapter of our story.  Until next time, be nice.

February in Pahrump - A Month of Celebrations

Hello again.  Our last chapter ended on Friday, January 31^st while we were at our home in Pahrump.  Saturday, February 1^st, was a stay at home day for me.  Jackie went to help decorate the clubhouse for Valentines Day at 10:00 and then at 1:00 went with her friends Rhea and Linda to Secret Sisters resale store for some shopping.  I stayed home and did chores all day.  Among the most important things completed was I got our 2024 taxes finished and emailed to the IRS.  Last year we got our refund back in just over a week when we filed the first week of February.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  After dinner we watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, February 2^nd, we went out about 10:30 and went to Walgreens so we could both get our Covid shots for the year.  After our shots we went to the Nugget and gamed for an hour or so, then went to one of the new restaurants in town, Dad’s American Diner.  It took the spot of a Mexican Restaurant which relocated to the building that used to be the Red Sky BBQ place.  Musical chairs for food.  Dad’s was opened by the same couple that owns an upscale Italian restaurant which is located in the same strip mall.  It is not a big place and has a very limited menu, breakfast and burgers mostly.  Jackie had breakfast and I had a burger and fries.  The food was OK, but nothing spectacular and nothing that you can’t get as good or better elsewhere in town.  The service was attentive, but slow.  And, attention to detail was greatly lacking.  Jackie didn’t get the avocado that the menu said came with her omelet, and she asked for burned toast (as always) and it came barely warmed.  My bacon BBQ burger didn’t have the bacon or the onion it was supposed to have.  They did bring avocado and bacon after we pointed out the deficiency, but I am not sure we will be back for seconds.  After lunch we headed home and spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing some chores.  We didn’t go to ice cream.  After dinner I had my second night of security, then we spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Monday, February 3^rd, we had nothing planned for today because Jackie historically gets sick after a covid shot.  She was feeling a little out of sorts today, but not too bad.  I spent the day doing some chores around the house, Jackie just relaxed with her computer and the TV.  I went to happy hour at 4:00, then we had dinner and I did my last tour of security for the month.  We watched TV until it was time for bed.  Tuesday, I had a 10:00 dental appointment to get my new permanent crown fitted.  I also got my upper dental plate back, so now I can eat more normally.  At 1:00 I had a budget committee meeting in the clubhouse and at 1:30 we left to go to the chiropractor.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home for dinner.  We watched TV the rest of the night.

Wednesday, February 5^th, Happy Birthday to me!  Yea, made it to 78.  We had a pretty normal Wednesday, I went to play guitar with my jam group at 12:30 and Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00.  We went to happy hour at 4:00.  Jackie made a nice Key Lime pie for my birthday, which we shared at happy hour.  After happy hour we had dinner, then watched TV until bedtime.  Thursday was a busy day.  First of all, when I checked the bank account first thing in the morning, like I always do, our income tax refund had hit the bank.  We only filed our return last Saturday.  Wow.  At 10:00 I had a committee meeting for a new Policy and Procedure group.  At 11:30 Jackie had a mani appointment.  We had lunch and then went to a 2:00 chiropractor appointment.  About 2:30 we went out to do some car shopping to try and find something to replace our C-Max, which is going to be totaled by the insurance company.  We only have two major brand dealerships in town, the Chevrolet-GMC dealer and the Chrysler-Dodge-Ram-Jeep dealer.  I have been watching the used car inventories off and on for both dealers and the selection of vehicles the Chevy dealer had that I thought met our desires had fallen to zero.  We have agreed that our last two vehicles have been top tier models for their brands with most of the “bells and whistles” that we like.  We want to get the same luxury items in the new vehicle.  The Jeep dealership, Saitta-Truedeu, had at least five cars that met our requirements, no more than five years old, no more than 50K miles, and top tier models.  We went there and looked at the cars, and settled on two Buick compact SUVs.  Both were Buick Envision Essence models, one a 2020, and one a 2023.  We drove both around and did some comparisons.  The older one had almost the exact same milage as our C-max, 56K, the newer one only just under 30K.  The older one was $22,000, the newer one was $28,000.  However, the newer one was still under the factory warranty for at least another year or so.  We had the dealership write up offers for both, using $12,000 as the down payment.  The payment for the newer one was, of course, higher for than for the older one, but it was still affordable, so we decided on the newer one and made the deal.  Since we haven’t yet gotten the insurance payment for our C-max, we thought we would just be able to give the dealer some “earnest” money to hold the car until we got our settlement.  However, the dealer just told us to write a check for the down payment, which they would hold for a week.  We did all the paperwork and drove the car home.  What a deal!  We didn’t get home until about 7:30 in the evening, but we had a new car.  We call it a combo birthday anniversary gift, since tomorrow is our wedding anniversary.  We spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Friday, February 7^th, Happy 21^st wedding anniversary to us!  We were on the road, in our new (to us) Buick and headed to Las Vegas about 10:00.  Jackie is having an MRI of her head at the direction of the doctors hired by out attorney.  The MRI was at 12:30, by 2:00 we were having a late lunch and then making a quick stop at Costco to pick up some vodka.  We were back home just before 4:00 and went to happy hour to tell everyone about our new car and exciting day.  The car was just wonderful going over the hill, although I am going to have to get used to going for gas more often again, since it is not a hybrid, just an all gas 4 cylinder.  After happy hour we stayed for Bingo and made out there too.  I won one game, Jackie one two games.  And because it was a Valentine’s Day themed night, with a big participation, the prizes were bigger.  Yea!  After bingo we went home and watched TV until bedtime.  Saturday, Jackie went to her monthly Ladies Lunch at 11:30 and I went to the Men’s Lunch at 12:00.  We only had four guys, so I drove so everyone could see the new car.  Both the men and women went to Mexican restaurants located only a block from each other.  We all had a good time.  After lunch we went back home and went to happy hour at 4:00.  We then relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.

Sunday, February 9^th, Super Bowl Sunday.  As always, there was a big party in the clubhouse, which started at 2:00.  We went over about 1:30.  There were some fun games and the crew doing the party made both pulled pork sandwiches and Philly cheese steaks.  Of course, for Kansas City BBQ and Philly, the two teams playing.  There were lots of snacks and probably half of the park in attendance.  I was running a $1 per square pool and another member was running a $5 per square pool.  I won’t go into great detail but we were sitting at a mostly KC supporters table and it was a grim afternoon.  After the game was over, about 7:30, we went home and watched TV until bedtime.  Monday our housekeeper came about 10:00 and spent a couple of hours cleaning.  I did some office work out in the shed and finished cleaning out the C-Max so it could be towed away for salvage.  After lunch we went out to run some errands.  While we were out we got a call from the Co-op office telling us that a tow truck was coming in the park to pick up our car.  We gave our OK, so when we got home the car was gone.  No long goodbyes, just no more C-max.  Now we just have to finalize all the paperwork for the total loss payout, give most of it to the Jeep dealer for our new car, and we are finished with the property loss part of our claim against State Farm.  After we got home we went to happy hour, then came home and had some chicken enchiladas for dinner.  We spent the remainder of the evening watching TV.

Tuesday, February 11^th, we had a 10:00 chiropractors appointment.  After that we went home and had lunch.  I did some office work and also went over to the clubhouse to do some work on the computer systems for the various Zoom meetings we hold.  I am a member of the Communications and Technology Committee and we are making some improvements to our Zoom abilities.  I also did some office work, including finalizing the settlement with State Farm Insurance regarding our C-Max.  Now  that they have the car and title they sent the settlement funds, which is just over $14K.  I transferred it to the bank and it should show in our account tomorrow.  We can then let the Jeep dealer know they can cash the down payment check we left with them last Thursday.  The Buick will really be ours then.  Yea!  We went to 4:00 happy hour, then came home and had pork chops for dinner.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Wednesday was the usual Pokeno for Jackie and guitar practice for me.  We went to happy hour and then went home for dinner and a night with the TV.

Thursday, February 13, I had a 9:30 appointment
with the dermatologist.  They did a biopsy on a mole that looked “suspicious” and had to pu
t in a couple of stiches.  I have to come back in two weeks to get the stiches out and see what the lab says about the mole.  Jackie went with me to the doctor so as soon as I got out of there we went down the street to the chiropractor for an appointment.  After the chiropractor we stopped and had lunch at our favorite Mexican place, El Jefe, which is right in the same area as both the doctors.  We went home and I went over to the clubhouse to make the spaghetti sauce for tomorrow night’s dinner.  I have never made that large a batch of sauce, but I made 12 quarts and it turned out pretty good.  After I was done it was happy hour time.  We then went home, had dinner and watched TV the rest of the night.  Friday, Valentines Day.  Also one of my granddaughter’s birthday.  Her middle name is Valentine, so it’s easy to remember.  I went over in the early afternoon to set up my equipment for the dance after dinner.  About 4:00 we went over to start getting ready for the spaghetti dinner.  I heated up my sauce and helped in the kitchen.  At 5:00 we fed about 45 people and everyone seemed to enjoy the food.  Yea! After dinner I started the dance music and we had a group of about 20 people who actually stayed all night (up to 8:30) and danced and partied and had a good time.  After the dance we went home and crashed for the night.

Saturday, February 15^th, I had to go over to the clubhouse and clean up my equipment and get it put away.  We then had the rest of the day to ourselves.  We generally relaxed, did a few chores, and just had a pleasant day.  Sunday Jackie went with her friend Linda to the Secret Sisters sidewalk sale.  She came home with a couple of really nice things.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing.  We went to the ice cream social because it was the Sunday when they celebrate birthdays and anniversaries for the month, and we had both in February.  Double cake!!  We then went home, had dinner and watched TV until bedtime. 

Monday, February 17^th, we had a chiropractor appointment at 10:00, then came back home for a lunch in the clubhouse.  They had sloppy joes and leftover pulled pork from Super Bowl.  We had a nice lunch, then went out and ran some errands.  We got back in time for happy hour, then dinner and the TV for the rest of the evening.  Tuesday we were on the road again to Las Vegas so Jackie could do her follow up appointment with the pain specialist.  She got the results of her MRI, which were all good for her head.  They did find some weird things in her spine, but she has never complained about back pain, so I don’t what that’s all about.  I think she has been released from having to see the pain specialist again.  After the appointment we went to Sam’s Club for some stuff, stopped for lunch, and then headed back home.  We got back for happy hour then went home and relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night. 

Wednesday, February 19^th, was the usual stuff, Jackie Pokeno and me going for guitar practice with my friends.  Happy hour at 4:00, then dinner and a night with the TV.  Thursday I was over in the clubhouse about 8:30 to help setup the Zoom for the monthly Board of Directors meeting.  The meeting started at 9:00 and the first thing they did was appoint me to the Board to fill a vacancy that occurred last month when one of the Board members resigned.  I had put my name in for consideration, just like I did a few months back, but this time I was selected.  I went up and participated in my first Board meeting in two years.  After the meeting I went into the back room and got it set up for the jam session.  The jam started at 1:00 and we had myself and my regular practice partners, Len, Todd, and Debbie. We were also joined by three members of the Co-op, Scott, Bob, and Barbara.  We had a really good two hour jam with a wide variety of songs, from blue grass to modern rock and everything in between.  I was really happy to finally see a good size group.  We also had a half dozen or more in the audience.  After the jam I cleaned up the room and then went to happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and watched TV until it was time to go to bed.

Friday, February 21^st, I had a 10:00 meeting of the By Laws committee, but we didn’t have enough for a quorum, so the meeting was over by 10:30.  We had a 2:00 chiropractor appointment, which was over about 2:30.  I think we are getting close to the end of our treatments from after the accident.  Our contact at the attorney’s office is indicating that they are about ready to release us from treatment and make a demand on the other party’s insurance.  We’ll see, it will be nice to have this over.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and watched TV until it was time for bed.  Saturday, I went over to the clubhouse about 2:00 or so and set up my equipment for the entertainment tonight.  At 4:30 we went over for the end of happy hour and then stayed for the 5:00 “Potato Bake” put on by the Silver Seekers.  They had baked potatoes with all the toppings.  After dinner, about 6:00, I started with my “Name That Tune – Sixties Edition” game show.  We had about 20 people that stayed and everyone seemed to have a good time.  We were finished by a little after 7:00.  I packed up my stuff and we went home to watch TV for the rest of the night.  Sunday was a complete day off for us.  We did some chores around the house and just relaxed.  We went to the ice cream social at 2:00 and had dinner at 6:30, then spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Monday, February 24^th, the housecleaner came in the morning.  Jackie played cards in the clubhouse from 10 to noon.  I did some office work in the shed.  At 1:00 both of us went to the clubhouse to meet with the Silver Seekers Board to do the March calendar planning.  Although I am not on the Silver Seekers Board anymore, I still do the calendars and flyers for them.  After that meeting we went home and did some chores.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  We watched TV for the rest of the night.  Tuesday, the days have been getting warmer, but today was just wonderful, high 70’s for most of the day.  We had a 1:15 chiropractor appointment after which we went home.  About 4:00 we went to the Elks Lodge for the lodge meeting.  Another of our Pair-a-dice friends, Ed, is getting initiated tonight.  We had about 8 people from the park there.  He brought in two big pizzas so everyone could get some dinner before the meeting.  The meeting was over about 7:45, after which we drove home and then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Wednesday, February 26^th, we had the usual day.  Jackie played Pokeno in the afternoon and I went to a friends house for guitar practice.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  The rest of the evening was spent watching TV.  Thursday we had a chiropractor appointment at 11:00.  We were officially “released” by the chiropractor and don’t have to come back for any treatment related to the auto accident.  This should trigger our attorney to make a demand on the other drivers insurance.  We’ll see what develops from this point forward.  After the chiropractor we went to Teriyaki Madness for lunch, then we both got haircuts.  After we were done there we went to Walmart for some supplies.  After we went home and put everything away we went to happy hour.  After happy hour we had fish tacos for dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, February 28^th, happy birthday to my brother Russ.  I went to the dermatologist at 10:00 to have the stitches taken out from my biopsy two weeks ago.  I also learned that the biopsy came back as “pre-cancerous”, so I have an appointment next Thursday to have further “excision” of the site.  This means taking a bigger chunk out of my back.  At about 1:00 we drove to Saitta Dodge/Jeep, where we bought our new car, to have a couple of minor issues taken care of.  The salesman made the appointment to have an after-market alarm system removed and to reset the oil change reminder.  The alarm had a large, annoying red light that flashed all the time, whether driving or parked.  The dealership changes the oil on all their resale cars before they go on the lot, they forgot to reset the reminder.  They don’t sell GM cars like our Buick, so they probably didn’t realize it even had one.  After we were done there we drove to the other car dealership in town, Pahrump Valley Motors, which sells Chevrolet and GM trucks.  We needed to get a new key fob for the Buick since it only came with one.  I had called last week to order one, but we had to bring the car in so they could program the new key.  This took about an hour and half.  We made it back to the park just in time to go to happy hour.  After that we had dinner then watched TV until bedtime.

This marks the end of February, time to get this published.  Until next time, be nice.