Holiday Time in Pahrump - December 2023

Hello again.  Our last chapter concluded on Thursday, November 30^th.  Friday morning we were up and out of the house a little after 8:00.  We had to go down to the health center and get blood drawn for our lab work.  We have doctor’s appointments next week.  After we got home, we just did chores around the house.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  After that we just watched TV until bedtime.  Saturday was also a stay-at-home day.  We did some chores and I finished up the Christmas decorations.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then relaxed with the TV for the rest of the evening.

Sunday, December 3^rd, we relaxed around the house until about 2:00 when we left and went to the Saddle West Casino ballroom for the annual Silver Tappers Christmas show and fund raiser.  One of our friends, Debbie Forrest,  is in the group, but we would go anyway because they are enjoyable shows.  The show went from 3:00 to about 4:30 and was a pretty good production.  We went home after the show, had dinner and relaxed for the rest of the night.  Monday was a stay-at-home day for the most part.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 and then Jackie left a little before 5:00 to go get a manicure.  She didn’t get home until about 7:00, after which we had dinner and then spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Tuesday, December 5^th, we were up early and in the clubhouse at 9:00 for the first of the new Silver Seekers Board’s breakfast event.  Our new President, Don O and his wife Sharon, made a bunch of breakfast casseroles for the event.  We had over 30 people come, and everyone had a good time.  We also made almost $100 in profit for the Silver Seekers.  Yea.  After breakfast we went back home and relaxed for a while.  About 1:30 we left and went out to do some thrift store shopping before our doctor’s appointments at 3:30.  We went to a couple of places and got some pretty good bargains at Goodwill.  After shopping we went to the doctor for our six-month checkups.  Both of us are in pretty decent shape for our age, so there were no big surprises.  After the doctor we went back home and had some KFC we picked up on the way for dinner.  We then watched TV until bedtime.  I did have an hour break when I did my first tour of security duty for the month.

Wednesday, December 6^th, Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00.  I stayed home and did some office work and other chores.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 and then came home for dinner and then watched TV until it was time for bed.  Thursday I was out early for the 8:00 flag raising ceremony to commemorate Pearl Harbor Day.  Afterwards I went home, and we spent the rest of the day around the house.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner, then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Friday, December 8^th, we had a stay-at-home day.  I did some admin work and a few chores around the house.  Jackie went out at noon to go to Artesian Cellars for another girl’s lunch.  We went to happy hour at 4:30, then stayed for bingo.  I won one of the regular games for $12, which meant I made a whole dollar.  After bingo we went home and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.  Saturday, we did some chores around the house.  We went out for lunch at El Jefe’s Mexican restaurant and then ran some errands.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 and then came home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Saturday we went over to the clubhouse about 10:00 to do all the Christmas decorations for the various functions coming up.  After that we spent the rest of the day at home doing chores.

Sunday, December 10^th, we had a 10:00 meeting in the clubhouse for the Silver Seekers Association.  We were setting the calendar of activities for January.  The meeting went for about two and a half hours.  Normally we don’t do meetings on Sundays, but Don’s wife had a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday, when the meeting was originally scheduled.  We later went to the 2:00 ice cream social in the clubhouse.  After the social we went home and relaxed.  Jackie made a new recipe for beef stew, which turned out really well.  We had that for dinner then watched TV until bedtime.  Monday we were up and on the road about 10:00, heading for Las Vegas for a luncheon with our park’s RV group, the Lucky Rollers.  The group has monthly lunch dine-outs, but they usually try to have at least one or two a year in Las Vegas for the people in the group who don’t live in Pahrump.  The group is open to any Escapees member, not just people who live in our co-op.  The lunch was at Blueberry Hill restaurant.  We had never heard of it, but they have three locations in Las Vegas and have been around since the 60’s.  Rumor has it that it was one of Elvis’s favorite places to eat back when he used to play Las Vagas.  The place was large, clean and the food was pretty good.  We will probably go back again.  We had about 20 people at the lunch.  After lunch we did some shopping.  Half the group ended up in the Sketchers outlet store across the street after lunch.  We also stopped at Kohl’s before heading back to Pahrump.  We got back home about 4:30, so we skipped happy hour and just spent the night with the TV.

Tuesday, December 12^th, we went to Walgreens around 11:00 and got our Covid booster shot for the year.  After our shots we did some shopping.  We went to the party store here in town, which is closing up, and Jackie got some stuff for Saturday’s 50’s party in the clubhouse.  After we were done, we went home, had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.  Wednesday I stayed home and did some office work.  Jackie missed Pokeno because she was sick from the shot yesterday.  I went to happy hour at 4:00, then home for dinner and TV until bedtime.

Thursday, December 14^th, we had a meeting of the Silver Seekers at 1:00.  This was the first real open meeting we have had since I became Vice President of the association.  The meeting went pretty well.  After the meeting we went out and did some shopping.  We didn’t make it home in time for happy hour.  We just went home, had dinner, and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.  Friday was an open day, we had nothing special to do.  I did some office work and Jackie did some chores.  We had happy hour and then dinner.

Saturday, December 16^th, was a busy day.  We went over to the clubhouse about 10:00 and Jackie helped with the decorating for the 50’s party.  I spent a couple hours getting all my sound and video equipment set up for the party.  We went home for lunch and then we were back in the clubhouse by 3:30, with Jackie all dressed up in her poodle skirt and jacket.  The potluck went from 4 to 5, then I did the “Name that Tune” game at 5:00.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the game.  After that we did a bunch of 50”s songs and had a lot of dancers.  The party went until about 7:00 when everyone started heading for home.  I packed up the equipment and we went home and relaxed with the TV the rest of the night.  Sunday was a stay-at-home day.  I spent tome time out in the shed putting away stuff from the party and also did some office work.  My son Roy Jr. arrived at the Escapees Park about 3:30 or so to spend a couple of days.  He is done with his job at Death Valley.  The company he works for lost the contract for Stovepipe Wells, so he has been transferred to work at Lassen National Park in Northern California.  This is very near Mineral, California where our good friends Peggy and Vernon Bullock had their huge cabin in the woods.  Peggy sold the place a couple of years ago and now lives in Redding.  Roy will actually be staying in Chester, a small town about a half hour from Lassen.  The company has an old motel there which they use for employee housing.  He is now going from a place where it’s 125 in the summer to a place where he will see 10 feet of snow and temps close to zero this winter.  Jackie made meat loaf for dinner and the three of us had a nice dinner and talked for a while.  After Roy went back to his motor home, we watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, December 18^th, Jackie had a manicure appointment at 11:00.  I dropped her off and then drove to the Northwest part of town to pick up Roy.  He had taken his motor home to a truck service place to get the oil changed and new coolant/antifreeze put in.  I picked him up and then we went out to run some errands that Roy needed to do.  Since he is going to work in the cold country of Northern California, he needs some heavy boots and clothes.  We first went to Big 5 sporting goods where he got some snow boots and snow pants, heavy gloves and some head coverings.  We then went to Goodwill, just to see if they had anything worth his while.  They didn’t.  We then went home for a little while before going back to get Jackie.  After we picked up Jackie we went to Mom’s for lunch and then Jackie had to go to Secret Sister for a bit.  Actually, Roy found a nice polo shirt in there for ten bucks.  We then headed back home and waited until about 3:30 to drive Roy back out to get his motor home.  We all got back to the park in time for 4:00 happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and talked for a while before Roy headed back home for the night.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Tuesday Jackie had a ladies luncheon at 11:30 at El Jefe’s Mexican restaurant and Roy and I decided to go there as well.  The ladies were meeting in the back room, probably over a dozen of them, so Roy and I ate in the main dining room.  We had a great lunch and afterwards went out and ran a couple more errands that Roy needed to do.  Jackie was going to get a ride home from one of the other ladies.  After our errands we went back home, and Roy went over to his coach to do some prep work for his departure tomorrow.  He is supposed to be in Chester, California on Friday, so he is leaving tomorrow for the 600-mile trip.  Right now, he is planning on overnighting in Tonopah and then the Reno area before heading into California.  At 4:00 the three of us went to happy hour, then came home and chatted for a while before Roy headed back to his coach.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Wednesday, December 20^th, Jackie went to Pokeno at 1:00.  I did a grocery run to Smith’s, then came home and did some work in the office.  We didn’t go to happy hour as we had a park dine-out at Ohjah, the Japanese Steak House and Hibachi grill here in town at 4:00.  We had about a dozen people there and we all sat around the hibachi and watched the show as the chef cooked our food.  It is not inexpensive here, but the food is really good, and you get a lot of it.  Plus, the show the chefs put on is great.  We had a nice meal with friends and took home some leftovers.  After we got home we watched TV and then went to bed.  Thursday, I went to the clubhouse at 9:00 for the open meeting of the Board of Directors.  They had a lot of stuff on the agenda, so the meeting ran two and a half hours.  After the meeting we had lunch, our leftovers from last night, then at 1:00 went to the salon so both of us could get haircuts.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 and then a little later our friends Dale and Sue picked us up to go out for a dinner for just the four of us.  We went to Carmelo’s Bistro, a local Italian restaurant that we have yet to visit.  The owner used to be one of the Nye County Supervisors, but he lost the election last year.  We had a pretty decent meal.  Our calamari app was over cooked, but my angel hair with bolognaise and meat balls was excellent.  Everyone else enjoyed their meals as well.  The real kicker was that after we were done Leo, the owner came over and told us that a “Secret Santa” had picked up our meal and everything, apps, meals, desert and wine, were all on the house.  We both left a pretty nice tip, but still got a real bargain meal.  Dale dropped us off at home after we were done, and we watched TV for the rest of the night. 

Friday, December 22^nd, we did some chores around the house for most of the day.  We did go out about 1:00 for a late lunch at the Roadhouse Casino.  We went to happy hour about 4:30 and then stayed at the clubhouse for Bingo at 5:30.  Jackie won one small pot, I didn’t get anything.  After bingo we went home and watched TV until bedtime.  Saturday was the fourth anniversary of the loss of our last cat, Benji.  We still have not replaced him, the longest either of us has gone without a cat kid.  About 2:00 we gathered in front of the clubhouse for a Christmas Golf Cart Parade that we organized.  We had ten people participating, five in golf carts and two on bicycles, all of which were nicely decorated for the holiday.  We drove up and down all the roads in the park and actually had some people standing or sitting outside waiting for us to go by.  We were also playing Christmas carols and handing out candy treats along the way.  It was a great time, and we hope to be even bigger next year.  We did happy hour at 4:00 then went home, had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, December 24^th, Christmas Eve.  We had the usual Sunday social at 2:00, then we gathered again about 4:00 for a light snacks potluck and then the annual gift exchange.  Our friend Phyliss did it again this year and we had a couple of dozen people participating.  Everyone got a number and she told an old poem she has used for years for these events.  The poem announces a number, that person goes to the table and picks a gift.  Then there is another number called, and it may require taking a gift from someone who already has one or taking one from the table.  There may be multiple swaps with each number.  It is a lot of fun, and you have no idea what gift you are going to end up with at the end.  We got a couple of nice gifts in the end and had a great time.  After the gift exchange we helped clean up then headed back home.  We watched TV until it was time for bed.

Monday, December 25^th, Merry Christmas.  Jackie and I exchanged cards in the morning, which is our tradition.  No gifts for any birthday or holiday, only cards.  We then relaxed in the house for most of the day, although we were cooking a full turkey and a turkey breast for the Christmas dinner at 3:00.  At 3:00 we went to the clubhouse and had a wonderful Christmas dinner with about 40 of our friends and neighbors from the park.  After dinner we cleaned up and went home where we spent the rest of the evening watching TV.  Tuesday, we had mostly a stay-at-home day.  About 5:00 we left and drove to the Elks Lodge for a Lodge Meeting.  We were going to the meeting because an acquaintance of ours from the park was being initiated into the lodge.  We were there with several other members of our park as well.  After the meeting we went home and relaxed for the rest of the night with the TV.

Wednesday, December 27^th, Jackie had her Pokeno at 1:00 and I spent the afternoon in my office doing some work for one of the committees I am on.  After Jackie got home, we did a Walmart run, then came home and had dinner, then watched the TV the rest of the night.  We also did some packing for our trip this weekend.  Thursday, I had a meeting of the By Laws Committee at 10:00.  I am the chairman of the committee.  We met until about 12:30, after which I went home and did some more packing for the trip.  We did happy hour at 4:00, then had dinner and spent the evening with the TV.  Friday, we spent the day getting ready for the trip.  At 1:00 we went to the salon so I could get my toenails clipped and Jackie got a mani and pedi.  Since this takes several hours, I left her there, ran some errands and went home and did some packing.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then had dinner and relaxed for the night.

Saturday, December 30^th, we had our luggage in the car and were on the road by 10:00, heading back to Long Beach, California to go on another cruise.  It was a long, six hour plus trip, and unfortunately, we did have some rain along the route, although it was only for about an hour total during the trip.  Traffic was about normal, and we arrived at the Cove Hotel in Long Beach just about 4:00.  We always come to the departure port city a day early when we cruise.  We checked into the hotel and then had a cocktail with our friends Linda and Jim, who are also members of our park, and are also going on the same cruise tomorrow.  Jackie had contacted her Godson, Shane Cooper, who is now in his 20’s, and living in North Orange County.  Jackie had spent a lot of time with him as a baby and toddler, as did I after we got together in 1998, and he is now six foot four and definitely all grown up.  He came up from Orange County and met us at the hotel.  We went out to dinner and spent a couple of hours visiting with him before he left and went home.  After he went home, we went into the room and went to bed.

Sunday, December 31^st, New Year’s Eve.  We were up and in a cab headed for the cruise port by 10:30.  We leave the car parked at the hotel and they provide transportation to the cruise ship.  We are going on a six-night cruise aboard the Carnival Miracle, the same ship that we took in September to Alaska.  This one goes down to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for two days, then stops at Ensenada for one day, with three sea days in between.  We went on it because we got a good deal, and it was a New Years cruise.  The boarding process went very smoothly, and we were on the ship and having a cocktail by 12:30 or so.  We had a balcony cabin and got moved in there before dinner.  The ship left port at 4:00 and we were on our way to Mexico.  Since this was New Years, the dinner was a formal night, so we got dressed up and went to dinner.  Then there were all kinds of parties and such around the ship for the whole evening.  We actually stayed up until midnight and brought in the new year at one of the parties in the atrium bar.  After bringing in the new year we went to our cabin and went to sleep.

This is, of course, the end of the month, as well as the end of the year.  We will close this episode for now and get it published.  Look for the details of the rest of our cruise in the next chapter.  Goodbye for now.