Still at Home in Pahrump

Hi there, welcome back to our story. Our last chapter ended on Thursday, October 1^st, while we were in our new home base lot at the Escapees RV Park in Pahrump, Nevada. Friday was a stay at home day. We spent an hour or so putting up Halloween decorations around the lot to get into the “spirit” of the season. We spent the rest of the day just relaxing around the coach.

Saturday, October 3^rd, we went out about 1:00 and went to Mom's Diner for lunch. We also stopped and picked up mail and stopped at Albertson's for some stuff we couldn't get at Walmart the last time we went. Lately most Walmarts are looking like they are going out of business because the shelves are so empty. They need to look at their corporate logistics division and see what the hell is going on. We have seen it all over the country, and it not just because of the Covid thing, we saw it a year ago. After our errands we went back to the coach and relaxed for a while before leaving again around 5:00 to go to the Elks for karaoke. The usual crowd was there and I got to sing three songs while Jackie got to play the slots for a couple hours. We were done a little before nine, went home and watched TV and then went to bed.

Sunday, October 4^th, we decided that our freezer inventory was getting low enough that we had to do a Costco run. So we left the coach about 11:00 and drove to Las Vegas. We stopped first at the Omelet House in Summerlin for Breakfast. They have a really extensive and great menu. I had a corn beef hash omelet that was wonderful. Jackie had an avocado and shrimp omelet that she liked a lot too. After breakfast we stopped at a Great Clips so Jackie could get a haircut. We then went to Costco, gassed the car for the first time in over a month, and went in to shop. $400 later we had lots of stuff in the car and headed for home. We were back by 2:30, put everything away, and spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Monday, October 5^th, was the first day of the Beat the Odds Chapter rally here in Pahrump. This is an

FMCA Chapter that we have belonged to for a number of years. They have two rallies a year, one in the Fall in Pahrump and one in the Spring in Laughlin. A couple of years ago they did both rallies in Laughlin, but have come back to Pahrump this year at the member's request. Although it is a rally, there are not a lot of organized activities this year because of the Covid crisis. We went over to Preferred RV Resort about 10:30 to register for the rally. The rally is at the RV park, but we are the only one's who are actually from Pahrump, so we decided to not bring the coach over. After registration we went back home for most of the rest of the day. At 5:00 we went back over for a happy hour with the group. They didn't have any food, because no wants to be sharing, but we did all sit around outside in our lawn chairs and talk and drink for about 90 minutes. After the happy hour we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Tuesday, October 6^th, was the day of the slot tournament for the Beat the Odds Rally. This is really the heart of all their rallies and is a main feature. The tournament was at the Pahrump Nugget Casino, which is right across the street from Preferred RV Resort where most of the rally people are staying. The Nugget had six slot machines set up in one area, with nice Plexiglas shields between the machines. They looked like fairly new, electronic machines. There were, I believe, 27 people playing in the tournament, each of which paid $50 when they registered for the rally. Since the Casino doesn't take any cut, that makes for quite a prize fund for the Chapter to dole out at tomorrows banquet. The tournament was set up with two five minute sessions and there were five groups of people playing in each of the two sessions. The new machines were nice as they displayed the players name and had a display of all six scores as the session went on, and also had cool “1^st Place, 2^nd Place, and 3^rd Place” flashing signs on top whenever a player reached one of those positions. Lots of lights, lots of noise, lots of excitement. I was in the second group in both sessions and Jackie was in the third group of each session. I finished in third place in both my sessions, so I should have a good score. Jackie finished last in her first session, but second in the second session. We won't know all the scores and where we placed until tomorrow at the awards banquet. The last time we were with this group they paid money out down to at least half the group with the smallest prize being the $50 entry fee being refunded. After the tournament was over we left the casino and headed back home. About 4:30 we left again and drove to the Symphony Restaurant, which is located in the Pahrump Winery. The Winery, in turn, is located on the same property as the Wine Ridge RV Resort, which is where we have always stayed when we came to Pahrump. Had we not gotten our lot in the Escapees Park this summer we would be at Wine Ridge right now. We were there for an impromptu dinner set up by the wife of the Beat the Odds President for anyone who wanted to come. Symphony is considered probably the best fine dining in Pahrump, and we hadn't been there for a while, so we said we would go. They had tables for four set up to ensure compliance with all the Covid protocols and we sat with two people we knew from the Chapter, but didn't know well. We had a very nice evening with some really good food. I had a porterhouse steak that was tender and cooked perfectly, Jackie had blackened Mahi Mahi, which was also good. Oddly, we were at a winery, but couldn't drink because the place recently lost it's liquor license over some mix up when the place was sold a couple years ago. After dinner we went back to the coach and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, October 7^th, was a stay at home day for the most part. We did a few chores around the coach, but mostly just relaxed. About 3:30 we left to run a couple of errands and then go to the Pahrump Nugget for the Beat the Odds closing banquet. We went an hour or so early so we could do some gaming, then at 5:00 we went into the banquet hall for cocktails. About 6:00 they served dinner, the usual banquet food, salad, a plate with portions of chicken and pork along with a potato and veggie. Cake for desert. The food was OK, nothing special but good. After dinner they awarded the prizes for the slot tournament. They paid down to 13^th place and based on the scores they announced for the lower places I missed being in the money by just a couple of points. Oh well! In past Beat the Odds rally they have always had a Bunco tournament on the third day and awarded prizes for that too, but the clubhouse in the RV park was closed and it is hard to “social distance” in Bunco because you are always up moving from table to table. As a result they had no Bunco. Boo Hoo! After the prizes were given out we chatted with people briefly, then headed back home about 7:30. We relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.

Thursday, October 8^th was an early and busy day. I was up about 5:15 a.m. because I had an appointment at the dermatologist's office to have one of my small malignant skin cancers removed. The appointment I had a couple weeks ago they did three biopsies and two turned out to be small cancers. Today they did the one on my right ear. Regular readers will know that this was the one that popped up when we were in Northern California and Oregon during the summer. Today they did what is called a Mohs procedure. Basically the doctor comes in, takes a little more tissue from the site of the biopsy and gives to a mobile lab that is set up right in the doctor's office. They check it for cancer cells right away and if there are still cancer cells the doctor brings you back into the room and shaves a little more off. I only had two bites before they said I was clear. They bandaged my ear up and sent me home with some prescriptions for infection. Next month I get the same procedure for the one on my neck.

I was done and headed back home by 9:00. At 10:00 we were in the car headed for Las Vegas so Jackie could go see her neurologist about her headaches and get the results of the EEG from last time. We stopped for breakfast at the Omelet House again, then went to the doctor. It was a short appointment, the doctor told her the EEG was normal, and with all the other tests she has had, CT's, MRI's and such, there is no physical abnormality inside her head and there are no other treatments other than time. He said the brain has to get over the shock of the blow to the head. After the appointment we started back towards home. We did stop along the way and pick up four geocaches before we headed over the hump. We were back home by about 3:30 and spent the rest of the day and evening in the house.

Friday, October 9^th, we left the coach about 10:30 and drove to the China Wok buffet for another free lunch put on by MASA, the emergency services insurance we have. We had to listen to the same 30 minute sales pitch we have heard a dozen or more times, but got a free lunch at the end. After lunch we ran some errands, the mail store and Walmart. After shopping we headed home. I did a few chores and then relaxed for the rest of the day. About 5:00 we went to the Elks for karaoke. Normally on Saturday, they changed it to Friday this week because the Elks had an event on Saturday. It was the Elks State President's visit. Saturday we left the coach about 10:30 and went to the outdoor events area of the RV park for a meeting of the local Escapees Chapter, the Lucky Rollers. Although mostly made up of members in Southern Nevada, it represents the entire state. We had a half hour business meeting and then had a lunch hosted by the Chapter. I was the official cook, making a whole bunch of hamburgers, hot dogs and brats. We had a good time getting to know some more of our fellow park residents. About 1:00 we went back to the coach and stayed in for the rest of the day and evening.

Sunday, October 11^th, we had the usual coffee and Sunday paper in the morning. About 1:00 some friends of ours from the RVing world, Geoff and Johanna Matthews, came up to visit. They are also full timers and have been staying in Las Vegas for the last month or so. They are leaving in a few days and wanted to see us before they left. Geoff and Johanna were vendors at a lot of FMCA events and we got to know them first through that. They sold the satellite business they had, but are still vendors, now for a health insurance company. They also belong to several FMCA chapters of which we are also members, including the Full Timers and Overland Trail Blazers. We sat outside and talked for quite a while. Since they have never been up here, we also took them on a little driving tour of both the Escapees park and the “highlights” of Pahrump. About 6:00 we did some burgers on the grill and had a nice dinner. They left around 8:00 and headed back to Las Vegas and we spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Monday, October 12^th, we left the park about 10:30 and drove again to the dermatologist's office for a follow up on some cysts that Jackie had asked about a month ago at our checkup. It was also supposed to be a follow up appointment for me regarding my biopsies, but I already have that info and have had one of the cancers removed already. Jackie got in and the doctor looked at the cysts and said they had shrunk to nearly nothing and, in his opinion, it would be an unnecessary surgery to remove them unless and until they flare up. So Jackie didn't have anything cut out today. Yea! After the appointment we went back to the coach and stayed in the rest of the day. I did a few chores, relaxed a bit and Jackie did some rock painting. Tuesday was a stay at home day. We did a few chores around the house and did our laundry at the park's laundromat. After the laundry was done we just stayed in for the rest of the day.

Wednesday, October 14^th, we stayed at home until about 2:00 when we went out to run some errands. We went to the UPS to pick up mail and a package first. The package was a compact temporary spare tire, what they call a “donut tire”, for the car. Ford, in it's infinite wisdom, decided that they would no longer put spare tires in their smaller cars, opting instead for a little 12 volt compressor and a bottle of tire sealant. As regular readers will know, this summer we picked up a nail while geocaching near Goodyear, Arizona, and because we had no spare we had to have a tow truck come out and take the car to a tire store. We had tow coverage, but it was still a pain in the you know what. Since I have been looking for a reasonably priced spare and finally found one on Ebay for less than $200. Now at least we can put on the temporary spare and drive to a repair facility.

After the mail we did a quick Walmart run, then went to the Pour House, which is a bar and restaurant that specializes in Indian food. I don't like Indian food, but they also have the best pizza in Pahrump, so I was OK too. Jackie had an Indian dish that had lamb, beyond that I don't know, but she liked it. I had a pizza which was as good as I remembered from last year. On the way home after our late lunch I got a text from my son, Roy Jr., that he had checked in to the Escapees park. Last year Roy, who is in his late 40's, decided to simplify his life, he sold his condo in Phoenix, bought an older Class A motorhome, about a 34 footer, and hit the road. He spent all summer working as a camp host at several Forest Service camps and loved the life. The camps, which were near Flagstaff, Arizona, have closed for the winter so he decided to come visit us for a few days before probably going back to Phoenix for a bit.

After we got home he came over and we spent several hours talking and catching up. He told us that the company he worked for already told him they wanted him back in Flagstaff next summer, and were also pitching him a winter job at a State park in central Alabama. He hasn't decided on that yet. He was tired from his drive from Flagstaff, so he went back to his coach about 7:00. We didn't have a dinner, but we did give him the left over pizza which made him happy. We spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Thursday, October 15^th, we went to the clubhouse about 9:00 for the monthly meeting of the park's board of directors. There was a lot of information about what they were doing to upgrade and maintain the park infrastructure. The meeting lasted about 90 minutes, after which we went back to the coach and took our showers and such. About 1:30 Roy came over and we talked for a bit. We then went out in the car to try and get a couple of geocaches, but the ones we went to were off the beaten track so we decided not to try. Roy then got a phone call from the company he works for about a potential job in Alabama this summer. He needed to think about the offer and make some calls, so we went back to the park and dropped him off at his coach and we went back to ours. About 4:00 he came back over and we sat and visited. He decided to not take the Alabama job since it didn't pay much and was almost 2,000 miles away. We later cooked some pork chops on the grill and had them with sweet potatoes. Roy went home about 7:30 and we relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.

Friday, October 16^th, we went out about 1:30 or so with Roy to run some errands and do some geocaching. We were able to get four new finds in about an hour. It took a while because there are not many caches left in the Pahrump area that we haven't already found, so the unfound ones are a ways apart. After caching we went to Smith's for some groceries. We needed a few things that Walmart was out of and Roy needed some groceries too. After shopping we stopped and picked up mail, then headed back to the coach. Jackie made chili relleno for dinner and Roy went home about 7:30. After Roy left we watched TV until bedtime. Saturday we went out, with Roy, to a late lunch at the Lakeside Casino cafe. After lunch we went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. About 5:00 we left to go to karaoke at the Elks Lodge. Roy didn't want to go with us because we would probably not be home until after 9:00 and he has a dog that needs frequent walks. In addition, he wanted to go to bed early because he is leaving in the morning and heading down to Arizona. He travels longer days than we do and will do the almost 300 miles in one trip. He is headed to Congress, a small town northwest of Phoenix, where there is another Escapees RV park. We went to karaoke and sat with our friends Len and Debbie. We had the usual crowd and long rotation, I got to do three songs, but it was fun as always. About 9:00 we were done and headed home. After we got home we watched a little TV and then went to bed.

Sunday, October 18^th, we had the usual Sunday morning paper and coffee. When I went out to walk Roy went with me and we had a nice chat while we walked. About 10:00 he came over and said goodbye and told us that he had made reservations at the Escapees park in Congress, Arizona and would be going there today. He also left us a gift of a couple of packages of marijuana gummies that he bought at the weed store here in Pahrump. Marijuana is legal for recreational use here. Jackie has used marijuana a little bit many years ago, I have never used it at all, although I have said several times that I might give it a try now that it is legal in so many places. We spent the rest of the day in the house doing chores and relaxing. I did go out and fly my drone a little for the first time in many months. About 5:30 Roy texted that he got to Congress OK. We spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Monday, October 19^th, we went out after lunch to run a few errands. We went to the post office and then went to the early voting polling place to drop off our ballots. Nevada has had early in person voting for a number of years now, but this year they legalized the practice of sending a mail ballot to every registered voter, not just those who requested one. We filled out our ballots and sealed them up, but I was not comfortable putting them in the mail, so we took them directly to the polling station and dropped them in the sealed box there. So now, we have voted. Turn off the political ads. We did a Walmart run for some supplies and then picked up our mail at the UPS store before heading back home. We spent the rest of the day in the coach. Tuesday we went out after lunch to the laundromat in town that we used to go to before we came to the Escapees park. We had to do our queen size comforter, some blankets, some pillows and some other big things that really wouldn't go into the standard size top loader machines here at the Escapees. It took a couple of hours and we were all done. We went by the UPS store and picked up a couple of packages and then went back to the coach. One of the packages was a new sound bar for our living room TV and I spent another hour or so getting it set up and working. We spent the rest of the day in the coach.

We are now about three weeks since the last time we published. We still have a little over a month to go here in Pahrump before we head out to Arizona. Until next time, enjoy this little quote about our Covid “hunkering.” “Hunkering down and quarantining has helped me understand why dogs get so excited about something moving outside. I just barked at a squirrel.” See ya soon.