September in Pahrump - Summer is Finally Waning

Hello, welcome back.  Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, August 31^st while we were at home in Pahrump.  Monday, the 1^st of September, is an important anniversary for us as it is the day in 1998 that I moved to Indio, California from Phoenix to be with Jackie and start our new life together.  Today was also Labor Day, being the first Monday in September.  We had a holiday BBQ in the Clubhouse, and I was the fry cook, making hamburgers and hot dogs for about 40 people.  We had a really good time and visited with friends and neighbors.  After the BBQ we went home and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.  We did go to happy hour, then came home for dinner and another night with the TV.

Tuesday, September 2^nd, our housekeeper came at 10:00.  After she left, we went out and ran some errands.  I also went to the Clubhouse to pick up our official ballot for the Board of Directors election.  I am running again this year, so we have to be sure to vote.  After we got home, we relaxed, then went to happy hour.  We came home for dinner and relaxed for the rest of the night with the TV.  Wednesday, I went to play guitar with our group at noon, Jackie went to the clubhouse for Pokeno.  After we got home, we had to make a quick run back to Smith’s grocery to return a bag of cheese we had bought yesterday that we discovered had mold inside the unopened bag.  We got back in time for happy hour, then home for a nice dinner of chicken enchiladas, thanks to our friend Linda, who brought us home a Costco chicken yesterday.  After dinner we watched TV and went to bed.

Thursday, September 4^th, I went to a “Meet the Candidates” Town Hall in the clubhouse at 9:00.  Four of the seven candidates for the Board of Directors were present in person, the other three were on Zoom.  We all got to give an introduction and then answered a couple of questions.  Although there were probably 30 people in the room, very few had any questions.  After this was over, I went back to the house, and we had pretty much a stay-at-home day.  We went to happy hour then came home for dinner and a night with the TV.  Friday, I had a “pop up” jam session in the clubhouse at 11:00.  Our neighbor Scott, who plays bass guitar, was the only one to show up, so we played for about 90 minutes.  We are trying to set up a bi-weekly jam within the park to practice.  After the jam session we went out and ran some errands.  After we got home, we just had dinner and watched TV. 

Saturday, September 6^th, we had a stay-at-home day.  At 5:00 we had an “International Bacon Day” potluck in the clubhouse.  Jackie made bacon wrapped chicken bites, which turned out pretty good.  There were only a couple dozen people there, but we had plenty of food and had a good visit with friends.  After the potluck we went home and relaxed with the TV for the rest of the evening.  Sunday, another Sunday-Funday.  We left the house about 11:30 or so and drove to the South Point Casino in Las Vegas to go to the movies.  We saw The Conjuring: Last Rites, which is the most recent part of the Conjuring franchise.  It has been the leading movie for the last couple weeks and was a pretty good movie.  It did get off to a slow start, which was also a little confusing as it included some flashback sections.  However, the last half was very exciting, so we left happy.  After the movie we gamed for a little bit, neither of us winning anything.  We then drove back home and spent the night watching TV.

Monday, September 8^th, we had luncheon at the Lakeside Casino, which is right down the road from the park.  This was the Lucky Rollers camping group.  We had about 17 people and had a nice lunch.  After the lunch we stayed and gamed for a little while and I hit a natural Royal Flush for $200.  I cashed out and we left to go the nearby Mormon church for the Red Cross blood drive.  Jackie gave blood, but unfortunately, they were not able to get a good vein on me again.  The same thing happened a couple months ago when we tried to give blood.  I guess old age has made my veins weak.  After that we went home, went to happy hour, and then went to a local taco shop for dinner with some friends from the park.  They had $1.75 street tacos, so we had a nice dinner of tacos.  After we got home, we watched TV and went to bed.  Tuesday, I had a 10:00 meeting with the Budget Committee.  I then went to the dermatologist for my 6-month checkup.  I got sprayed with the liquid nitrogen in a number of areas, which is the norm for my visits.  I also had to make an appointment to come back in a couple of weeks so they could do a biopsy on a suspicious spot on my forehead.  Another chunk to be taken out.  After I got home, we went out and ran some errands.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 then came home and had dinner and watched TV until it was time for bed.

Wednesday, September 10^th, I was up and out early to go to the attorney’s office to sign some release papers regarding our auto accident in December.  We have settled on the amounts to be paid by the other driver’s insurance (State Farm) and now just have to wait until the attorney figures out who gets what.  They get a third off the top, we get whatever is left after the medical bills are paid.  We shall see.  After that it was a typical Wednesday, me going to play guitar with my jam group, Jackie playing Pokeno.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then home for dinner and another night with the TV.  Thursday, Patriots Day.  We all remember where we were on September 11^th, 2001.  We were getting ready for work in our house in Indio.  We went to work but spent almost the entire day watching the events in New York on TV.  We had an 8:00 flag raising ceremony here at the park.  We left the park about 10:30 and headed to Las Vegas.  Jackie had an appointment with Dr. Nishyama, our Orthopedic guy, regarding her knees.  She had cortisone shots back in April which were wearing off and her knees were hurting.  While she was in the doctor’s office I watched the Silver Seekers meeting on zoom on my phone.  When she was done, she said the doctor recommended gel shots instead of cortisone.  It is supposed to work better and last longer.  He has to get the insurance authorization first, so we have to wait to come back down for the actual shots.  After the doctor’s appointment we did some shopping, then drove to Arizona Charlies Hotel and Casino and checked in for the night.  Jackie had gotten an offer for a free night in the mail, so we figured we would use it for this trip.  We have to go to Costco for some supplies and normally we would have had to go right after the doctor and then drive home.  Now we can wait until tomorrow and have a nice relaxing evening.  After we took our stuff to the room we went down and gamed a little while, then had dinner in the casino restaurant.  We then went up to the room and watched TV until it was time to go to sleep. 

Friday, September 12^th, we got up, had our coffee and relaxed in the room until we checked out right at 11:00 am.  After we checked out, we drove across the street to a little fast-food place called POPS, which actually stands for Pride of Philly Steaks.  We have read that they have the most authentic cheesesteaks in Vegas.  The building is an old Wienerschnitzel building, the original design, an A-frame building with a drive through in the middle.  They did have a wide selection of cheesesteak types and lots of add-ons available.  We both had a fairly traditional cheesesteak with beef, onions and provolone cheese.  It was very good, probably not quite as good as the one at the Summerlin Omelet House, but still good.  I would go back.  After lunch we went to Costco and did our shopping.  We got back to Pahrump around 2:30 and put stuff away and relaxed.  We went to happy hour and then stayed for Bingo.  I finally won tonight two regular games without having to split the pot, and the cover-all game, which I had to split three ways.  All total I won $48 for the night.  Yea.  After bingo we went home, watched a little TV and went to bed.  Saturday Jackie went to the clubhouse in the morning to play cards.  I just did some chores and worked around the house.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Sunday, September 14^th, another Sunday-Funday.  We had a relaxing morning, then at 1:00 we went to the Saddle West Casino.  We were here for the Annual USO show put on by the local dance group, the Silver Tappers.  These are all ladies over 50 who put on some great shows.  We know a couple of the ladies in the group and usually try to attend their shows.  Tonight’s show was very good with all new routines and costumes.  We did a little gaming, some before the show, some after.  We didn’t win anything either time.  Afte the show we bought some KFC and went home for a quick dinner.  At 7:00 we went to the clubhouse for a Movie Night put on by the Silver Seekers.  Tonight’s movie was a compilation of parts of various episodes of a Canadian TV show called “The Red Green show.”  Neither of us were familiar with the show, but those that were said it was very funny.  It is sort of a Canadian version of Tim Allen’s character in the American show, Home Improvement.  Red Green’s main bit is he uses Duct Tape for EVERYTHING.  It was very funny and very entertaining.  One of the members brought popcorn for everyone and we watched it on the new 80-inch TV in the main room.  After the movie we went home and relaxed with the TV until it was time for bed.  Monday, I had a 9:00 Board meeting to plan the agenda for the regular Open Board Meeting on Thursday.  This only took about 45 minutes.  After the meeting we went out and ran some errands.  At 4:00 we went to happy hour.  Today was our friend Charlene’s birthday, so we had cake and ice cream that someone had brought.  After happy hour we went home and had dinner, then watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, September 16^th, was mostly a stay-at-home day.  About 3:00 we took part in tele-visits from the Home Health Care specialist with United Health Care, our health insurance provider.  These visits took a little over an hour for the both of us.  We went to happy hour, then came home for dinner and another night with the TV.  Wednesday, our cleaning lady came at 10:00.  Normally she comes on Tuesday, but she was doing something else yesterday and had to change.  I made a quick run to the Family Dollar down the road for a couple of things we needed to make our taquito casserole for tonight’s Mexican themed potluck.  At 12:30 I went to my usual jam session and Jackie went to play Pokeno.  After we got home, we made the casserole and went over to the clubhouse about 4:30.  We had a very nice dinner with lots of nice Mexican dishes.  Actually, ate too much.  After the dinner we went home and spent the night on the couch with the TV.

Thursday, September 18^th, I had a Board meeting at 9:00.  The meeting went until about 11:30, after which we went out for lunch at El Jefe.  I dropped Jackie off for her mani appointment and I went to Goodwill to get some clothes for our new little skeleton.  We bought a small skeleton to be our big skeleton Bob’s daughter.  I had to buy a dress and wig.  Easy to get now that all the Halloween stuff is out for sale.  I then went back and both Jackie and I got haircuts.  After the haircuts we went home and relaxed for the rest of the night.  Friday we were up and out early because Jackie had an appointment at the Orthopedic center in Las Vegas at 9:45.  She went to get gel shots in her knees because they have been hurting lately.  After the appointment we stopped for lunch, then headed back to Pahrump.  At 1:00 I went across the street to my friend Scott’s place for a quick jam session.  I now have  periodic jams with my Pahrump group, the Pair-A-Dice group, and my friend Len just one on one.  Getting a lot of guitar practice in.  We went to happy hour then came home for dinner and another night with the TV.

Saturday, September 20^th, we both had our dine-out groups at lunch time.  The ladies went to Dry Creek Saloon; the guys went to Rubalcaba’s.  Everyone had a great lunch and nice visit with friends.  After lunch we went out and ran some errands, then spent the rest of the day just doing chores and relaxing.  We didn’t go to happy hour and didn’t have dinner because we had big lunches.  We spent the night watching TV.  Sunday, another Sunday-Funday.  No work, just spending time together.  We relaxed most of the day but did go out and game for a little while at the Nugget.  We then went home and had dinner and relaxed with the TV the rest of the night.

Monday, September 22^nd, was pretty much a stay-at-home day.  My friend Len came over about 1:00 and we played guitar for an hour or so.  Otherwise, it was just chores and relaxing around the house.  We had dinner and then spent the rest of the night watching TV.  Tuesday was a busy day.  I had a 9:00 meeting with the Silver Seekers to put together the Park’s calendar for October.  I do the calendar and all the flyers for the various activities around the park.  The flyers go on the bulletin board, the Electronic Bulletin Board (EBB) in the clubhouse, and in the monthly newsletter that goes to all members.  Right after that meeting I had to go to the office to help the President of the Board and our Maintenance Manager interview candidates for a new Maintenance Associate for the park.  We had four interviews and settled on one candidate to hire.  Then at 3:15 I had to go to the dermatologist’s office to have a biopsy taken on a spot in the middle of my forehead that the doctor found at my last appointment.  After that I came home, and we had dinner and relaxed with the TV for the rest of the evening.  I did have to go out at 8:00 for my first tour of Security duty for the month.

Wednesday, September 24^th, I went to guitar practice at 1:00 and Jackie went to Pokeno.  After we got back, we went to clubhouse for a Baked Potato dinner.  It was actually quite good.  We had dinner and visited for a while, then came home.  I did my security tour, and we watched TV until bedtime.  Thursday was a stay-at-home day.  I had my six-month tele-visit checkup with my urologist.  Everything is just peachy.  We did some things around the house and watched some TV.  We had dinner and I did my security tour, then we closed the night with the TV.

Friday, September 26^th, I had a meeting at 1:00 in the clubhouse with the CommTech committee working on the Zoom system and talking about the purchase of a new master computer for Zoom.  We have been using an old, donated computer and it just isn’t up to the task.  After the meeting I went home for a bit, then we came down for Bingo.  Jackie won a couple of games; I was shut out.  After Bingo I did my last tour of security for the month, then came home and we watched TV for the rest of the night.  Saturday, we went out in the afternoon to run some errands, including getting our seasonal flu shots at Walgreens.  We came home and went to happy hour, then had dinner and watched TV.

Sunday, September 28^th, another Sunday Funday.  We just stayed home and had a TV day, watching a couple of movies and other TV shows.  We did some ribs in the crock pot, and they were very good for dinner.  Monday, we went to the clubhouse at 10:00 for a safety seminar that was presented by the Nye County Sheriff's Office.  I was impressed that the Sheriff and Undersheriff both came, as well as a Patrol Sergeant and four Patrol Deputies.  They gave a nice talk and answered questions for the members that attended.  At 1:00 I had another hour or so of guitar practice with my friend Len, then relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.  We went to happy hour then came home and had dinner.  Spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Tuesday, September 30^th, I had a 9:00 session at the Nye County Administration office for another Peace Officers Advisory Review Board.  It took about two and a half hours for the three members of the Review Board to listen to all the information and then come to a conclusion on the case.  My four-year term on the POARB ends this year, so I had to fill out an application to get reappointed to the Board.  While I was gone, our house cleaner came and did the house.  At 1:00 I had a meeting of the Board of Directors in the clubhouse where we discussed the 2026 Co-op Budget, which needs to be approved at the next regular Board meeting.  After an hour or so we finalized our recommended changes and set a final meeting for the week before the Board meeting where we have to make final approval.  We went to happy hour and then relaxed for the rest of the night.  We have now reached the end of September, and it is time to get this month’s episode of our life diary completed and published.  Until next time, be good.

August in Pahrump - Spotty Monsoons

Hello again.  Our last chapter concluded on July 31^st, while we were enduring the desert summer in Pahrump.  Friday, August 1^st, Jackie went out in the afternoon with her friend Lenita to have lunch and go to their new manicurist to make appointments.  They both had gone to one that was leaving and moving to the Reno area.  I stayed home and did chores and office work.

Saturday, August 2^nd, Jackie went to the clubhouse at 10:00 to play cards.  I also went to the clubhouse where Don Klein and I installed our old TV.  We bought a new Vizio smart 4k HD tv and I donated the old one to the park.  It was a 50 inch, a little larger than the one we replaced.  I spent the afternoon relaxing and playing games.  We went to happy hour, then came home and watched TV until bedtime.  Sunday, our Funday was basically staying home since we had no plans.  We did go to the ice cream social at 2:00 and they had banana splits.  Yum.  We went home, had dinner, then spent the rest of the night with the TV. 

Monday, August 4^th, I had a 9:00 Board meeting, which only went about 10 minutes.  We just had to meet to approve some expenses.  After lunch we went out and did some shopping and ran errands.  After we got home, we had dinner then spent the night with the TV.  Tuesday, our house cleaner came at 10:00.  I did some office work while she was here.  We spent the whole day at home.  Went to happy hour then had dinner and spent the evening with the TV. 

Wednesday, August 6^th, was the typical mid-week activities, Jackie playing Pokeno, me going to the music jam.  We went to happy hour, then came home, had dinner and watched TV for the rest of the night.  Thursday, Jackie went to play cards at 10:00, then she later went to a mani appointment.  I had a dentist appointment at 4:00.  Back in March the four-tooth bridge that I have in my upper jaw got loose and I was pretty sure that I broke the tooth on one side that holds the bridge.  I went to the dentist that we were going to and after seeing him, getting examined, and sent home with only a “we’ll call you when your insurance clears” talk, I decided that they didn’t know what the hell they were talking about and I called my old dentist, EZ Dental, which we left a year ago because Jackie didn’t like them.  I never had a problem, so I called and they got me in Today.  I was there for almost four hours, they ended up pulling both of the teeth which had held the bridge.  The one I thought broke clean through, the other was cracked on one side and could no longer be used to even support a single crown.  So, after pulling the two teeth, getting impressions, and X-rays, I finally left about 7:45.  I had a little pain, so I took some ibuprofen when I went to bed.  Quite the day.

Friday, August 8^th, this would have been my mother’s 99^th birthday.  We went out for a late lunch and then came home in time to go to a late happy hour and then Bingo.  Jackie won one card, I didn’t get anything.  After Bingo we went home and watched TV until bedtime.  Saturday Jackie had her ladies luncheon at El Jefe’s, and I was supposed to go with the Men’s group, but not having any front or top teeth, I couldn’t eat or chew much, so I skipped the luncheon.  I just stayed home, did some chores and relaxed.  We went to happy hour, then came home and had dinner.  Soup for me.  We watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, August 10^th, for Sunday-Funday we just went out and did some shopping.  Since I can’t have any real solid food, we didn’t have any special meals.  We hung around the house most of the day, staying cool, and then watched TV until bedtime.  Monday, we went to the Dry Creek Saloon for lunch with Sharon, Ashily and Jake.  I went along since they said they had soup.  Turns out they don’t have soup, but they did have crab cakes which I could manage to eat and they were pretty good.  After that we went home and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.  In the evening we watched TV and went to bed. 

Tuesday, August 12^th, we left to go into Las Vegas about 11:00 or so.  Jackie had an appointment with a Sinus Relief doctor.  She has been getting a lot of sinus headaches lately and wanted to be checked out.  She was only in the office for about 20 minutes, then came out and said the doctor told here there was nothing wrong with her sinuses.  Oh well.  We stopped a Panera Bread for lunch since they have soups.  We had a nice lunch, then headed back over the hill to home.  We skipped happy hour and just spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Wednesday, I went to my guitar practice in the afternoon and Jackie went to Pokeno.  We went to happy hour and then spent the night with the TV.

Thursday, August 14^th, I had a Town Hall meeting at 9:00, then a Budget Committee meeting at 10:00.  I spent the rest of the day just doing chores and office work.  Friday,  I went into the Dentist’s office at 9:00 to get my new upper partial.  Turns out the lab forgot one tooth.  They sent me home and had me come back at 4:30 while they sent the partial back to the lab for a quick fix.  I spent the day at home, then went back at 4:30 and was happy to have working teeth again.  Yea.  Jackie had  ladies lunch in the afternoon.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Saturday, August 16^th, Jackie had a haircut at 1:00, I had a meeting with a couple of Board members at 2:00.  After that I went to the Clubhouse and set up my sound equipment for tonight’s Elvis Memorial Day party.  Apparently,

August 16^th is the day Elvis died.  We had a pot luck at 5:00 and I started music and karaoke at 6:00.  Our friends Tom and Phylis came over for the karaoke.  We had a number of singers and kept the party going until 8:00.  Right after the party I had to do my first tour on Security.  After that we watched a little TV and went to bed.  Sunday, we pretty much stayed home.  We went to the ice cream social for a birthday celebration for our friend Joyce.  I had another tour of security, but mostly we just watched TV and relaxed.

Monday, August 18^th, I had a 10:00 meeting on irrigation.  I don’t know anything about landscaping or irrigation, I only came because I am on the Board.  After the meeting we went out and ran some errands and had lunch.  When we came home we spent the rest of the day and evening around the house.  I had to do my security tour at 8:00.  Tuesday, I had a calendar meeting with the Silver Seekers at 9:00.  I spent most of the rest of the day in the shed doing office work.  I had my last tour of security for the month, then we watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, August 20^th, Jackie had Pokeno in the afternoon and I went for guitar practice.  In the afternoon we went out and ran some errands.  We had dinner and spent the night with the TV.  Thursday, Jackie had cards at 10:00 and I just did chores and played for the afternoon.  We had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, August 22^nd, we went out for a late lunch at Terrible’s Casino and then stayed and played a while.  We went to Bingo at 5:30.  Jackie won one pot, I didn’t win again.  We went home and watched TV for the rest of the night.  Saturday, was a stay at home day.  Sunday was also mostly a stay at home day.  We did go out for groceries in the afternoon, then came home and played some cards.  We watched TV for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Monday, August 25^th, Jackie went out to lunch with her friend Rebecca at noon.  I went to play guitar at 1:00.  It seems the group I play with has decided to jam on Mondays now.  After we were both home we went to happy hour, then came home, had dinner and watched TV.  Tuesday, we had mostly a stay at home day.  We had an appointment at our attorney’s office regarding our car crash last December.  We are finally settling with the other parties insurance and had to sign off on the releases.  It will be a couple weeks until we actually see any money, but we are hoping for a reasonable amount after attorneys’ fees and medical costs.  We went home to happy hour, then came home for dinner and another night with the TV.

Wednesday, August 27^th, Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00.  I did some office work on some Co-op stuff.  We skipped happy hour and just had dinner, then spent the night with the TV.  Thursday Jackie had a mani at 1:00.  After she got home she made a chili relleno casserole for the pot luck this afternoon.  The potluck is “Breakfast for dinner” themed.  We went to the clubhouse about 4:30 for the 5:00 potluck.  There was a lot of good food and we had a nice early dinner.  After the potluck we went back home and watched TV until it was time for bed.

Friday, August 29^th, we went out about 1:00 or so and had a late lunch at what used to be the Pourhouse Restaurant, but is now rebranded as Steelbound Brew house.  Unfortunately, the new brewery has been finished almost a year now and is still not open because of bureaucracy in the County.  The food is still the same as it was when it was the Pourhouse, mostly Indian food, but with some American stuff, like really good pizza, thrown in.  I had pizza, Jackie had lamb Tika Marsala.  Both were very good and we took leftovers home.  After lunch we went to the laundromat across the street, for the first time in over a year.  Since we got our new trailer two years ago we don’t go to the laundromat because we have our own washer and dryer.  We can’t do our heavy comforter though, so we have to go to the laundromat to do it.  While the comforter was washing I took the car to the Dodge dealership for a free car wash.  After I got back we put the comforter in the dryer and waited.  When it was done we went home and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching TV.  Saturday, Jackie played cards in the morning.  After that it was mostly a stay at home day.

Sunday, August 31^st, the last day of August.  We went out at about 2:00 and met our friends Linda and Jim Sullivan at the Dry Creek Saloon for lunch.  They had advertised that from 1:00 to 9:00 on Saturday everything on the menu was half price as a celebration of Labor Day.  We had a really nice lunch with drinks and everything for about $40.  After we were done, we went home and went to happy hour.  We then went home and watched TV for the rest of the night.  That is, it for this month.  Time to get published.  Be good.

July in Southern Nevada - It's a Dry Heat

Hi there, welcome back to the story of our life.  Our last episode concluded on Monday, June 30^th, while we were enduring a hot summer in Pahrump.  Tuesday, July 1^st, we had a stay-at-home day.  I did some chores around the house and just relaxed.  Wednesday was our usual, me going to play guitar with my jam group, Jackie playing Pokeno.

Thursday, July 3^rd, Jackie had a 1:00 dentist appointment for an exam and cleaning.  I dropped her off and went to Walmart, which is almost next door, and did some grocery shopping.  She called me to say that she was done just as I was checking out.  Good timing.  We went home and put the groceries away, then left again about 2:30 to go get haircuts for the both of us.  We didn’t get back in time for happy hour, so we just stayed home, had dinner and spent the night with the TV.  Friday, July 4^th, Happy Birthday America.  Today we had a 3:00 BBQ party at the clubhouse.  We had a pretty good turnout, considering it was summer, and a lot of our residents are gone.  It was a bring your own meat, and a dish to share meal, so we brought a couple of small steaks.  We had a good time with the group.  There was no happy hour today as the party went past 4:00.  Saturday, we had another stay-at-home day.  I got some office work done and relaxed for the day.  We went to happy hour, then home for dinner and a night with the TV. 

Sunday, July 6^th, another Sunday-Funday.  Today we left the park about 11:30 and drove to Beatty, an old mining town about 80 miles North of Pahrump.  When we got there, we first stopped at Smokin’ J’s BBQ restaurant for lunch.  We first found this place over a year ago when the park’s camping group came to Beatty for a campout.  They have excellent BBQ.  I had some ribs and pulled pork, Jackie had rib ends.  We had a great meal and took home enough leftovers for another meal.  After lunch we explored town a little, doing a couple of geocaches, and visiting a ghost town just southwest of Beatty, called Rhyolight.  This was a turn of the century mining town that at one point in the very early 1900’s was one of the largest towns in Nevada.  They actually had block and concrete buildings, many of which are still partially standing.  It is a protected property now and a tourist attraction.  After our fun day we headed back to Pahrump and spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Monday, I had a 9:00 meeting in the office with two other Board members to address an issue with a visitor.  We got that done and I spent the rest of the day doing Co-op office work.  We went to happy hour and then home for a night with the TV.  We are binge-watching the entire Jurassic Park movie series, and tonight we watched the second movie, which neither of us had seen before.  We are trying to see the entire series before we go to the theater to see the latest Jurassic movie. 

Monday, July 7^th, I had a 9:00 meeting in the office with the BOD President and Secretary about an issue with a renter, which we took care of.  I did some office work and then after lunch we went to Walmart for some supplies.  We came back for happy hour, then had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.  Tuesday was another stay-at-home day.  I did a few chores and relaxed.  We went to happy hour, then had dinner and watched TV for the rest of the night.  Wednesday was again the usual routine, guitar practice for me, Pokeno for Jackie.  We went to happy hour, then came home for dinner and another night with the TV, and another Jurassic Park movie. 

Thursday, July 10^th, we left the park about 9:15, heading for Las Vegas and an appointment at the Orthopedic Center for Jackie.  This was a follow-up to the appointment about three months ago when Jackie got cortisone injections in her knees for the pain.  We saw the doctor, but since Jackie’s knees were not really hurting yet, nothing was done expect to make another appointment for a month or so from now.  After the doctor’s appointment we went to a restaurant, Khoury’s Mediterranean Grill, for lunch.  We met with our friends Don and Julie Klein, who had also come to Vegas for a doctor’s appointment.  We had a nice lunch, then they went to Costco, and we went to Sam’s Club.  After our shopping we headed back to Pahrump, getting home in time for happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and watched TV for the rest of the night.  Friday Jackie had a mani appointment at 1:15 and I stayed home and did some office work.  After she got back, we went out to Tower Pizza for a late lunch.  Jackie had the baked cod; I had the fish and chips.  After we got back, we went over for happy hour and stayed for Bingo.  Just before Bingo started, Jackie went into the ladies room and found a gun sitting on the back of one of the toilets.  She came and got me, and I found it was a real gun, a small “Detective Special” two inch, five shot, revolver.  The gun was fully loaded with hollow point rounds.  I unloaded the weapon and took it into safekeeping.  No one in the clubhouse at the time knew anything about the gun.  I won one regular game, but had to split it, so I only got $7.  Better than nuttin.  After bingo we went home and watched TV until bedtime.

Saturday, July 12^th, Jackie had a ladies luncheon at noon, and I had a men’s lunch.  They went to the Living Free Café; we went to the Dry Creek Saloon.  We both had a good lunch.  After we got home, we relaxed and did some chores around the house.  We spent the night with the TV.  Sunday was another Sunday-Funday.  I actually started the day by calling the Sheriff’s Office and asking for a deputy to come out and take custody of our lost gun.  The deputy came about ten minutes after I called.  He took all the information, and the gun, and it was now out of our hands.  In the afternoon we went to the Lakeside Casino about 1:00 and had a nice lunch, then stayed and played until about 4:00.  I lost, Jackie broke even, but we had a fun afternoon.  After that we went home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Monday, July 14^th, I went to the Co-op’s package room to begin the install of the new video surveillance system.  The Co-op keeps the first two RV spots, and the shed between them, for Co-op use.  They are never available for members use.  These lots or for employees, or occasionally short term visitors.  The shed is used as a package room for all package deliveries.  We have regular gang-box type mailboxes for members regular mail, but the mailboxes are small.  The normal delivery services, UPS, FedEx, DHL, and the Postal Service, don’t deliver to induvial lots, they take everything to the package room.  We have volunteers that come in at 2:00 and work for a couple of hours, calling people with packages and signing them out.  Don Klein helped me with the camera installations.  By midday we had finished installing the two interior cameras and setting up the video unit and monitor.  Tomorrow we will do the two outside cameras.  It was too hot to work outside this afternoon; the temp was over 110.  About 2:30 we left to go the doctor’s office.  Jackie had been prescribed some drugs by Dr. Wiggins last month for her headaches, and she seemed to be having some bad reactions to the medication.  She had called to let them know she was going to stop taking the medication and they told her to come in and see the doctor.  Dr. Wiggins was not in but the other doctor in his part of the practice was and saw Jackie.  He told her to stop taking the medications and recommended that she let him give her a shot of anesthetic, actually Novocain, in the back of her head, around where the nerves entered the head.  He said he had a lot of success with other patients complaining of  headaches.  The shot was painful, but Jackie got through it.  Now we can see if it works.  Tuesday Don and I met again at the package shed in the morning and installed the last two cameras, which are on the outside of the shed.  By lunch time we were finished.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing chores around the house.  Jackie didn’t have a headache last night or today.  Yea!

Wednesday, July 16^th, we had the usual activities.  I went and jammed with my guitar buddies; Jackie went and played Pokeno.  After we both got home, about 3:30, we went to the grocery store for some supplies.  After we got home, we had leftover green chili for dinner, then watched TV, including the last of the old Jurassic Park series.  We are now prepared to go to the movies for the new Jurassic World movie.  Thursday, I went over to the clubhouse in the morning and met Don Klein.  We spent about three hours working on the new camera surveillance system for the clubhouse.  We did some testing and mapping out locations, and we installed the first of the new cameras.  About 11:00 I started getting the BBQ grill outside the clubhouse going so I could cook hot dogs for the Hot Dog Lunch the Silver Seekers were doing today.  I cooked up a couple dozen hot dogs and went home to get Jackie.  We had a nice lunch with friends and neighbors.  After lunch we went home and spent the rest of the day doing stuff around the house.  We skipped happy hour so I could make stuffed green peppers.  Yum!  They turned out well and we have leftovers for another night.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Friday, July 18^th, Don and I worked in the Clubhouse installing the remaining five new inside cameras for the surveillance system.  After that was done, we went back home and spent the rest of the day doing things around the house.  I had a security tour at 8:00.  Saturday, we went out and ran some errands, then came back and spent the rest of the day at home doing chores and relaxing.  Another security tour this evening.  Sunday, we had a Fun Day at home.  We watched TV, played some cards and just relaxed for the entire day.  I did have to do a tour of security at 8:00, but other than that it was a day off.

Monday, July 21^st, I had a 10:00 dentist appointment.  A few months back I broke one of the teeth that holds my front bridge in place.  I went to the dentist we had and didn’t like the way he diagnosed my issues.  I decided to change back to my old dentist, and my appointment finally came around.  The bridge is very loose but has not fallen out yet.  He did all the x-rays and diagnostics and came up with a treatment plan that will cost just under $2,000, which is less than other dentist was going to charge, and way less than I expected.  I didn’t get anything done today because I have to be off of my baby aspirin regimen for a week or two before they can extract the broken tooth.  After I got home, I did some work around the house.  I had a meeting with the Board President and Secretary at 2:00.  I did my final tour of security for month in the evening.  Tuesday, I went to the Quonset hut and met with Don, and we installed the two new security cameras inside the building.  We are going to put two outside at a later time.  After I was done, we went out for a late lunch, then did some grocery shopping.  We came home and went to happy hour, then came home and had dinner.  We spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Wednesday, July 23^rd, we had our usual Wednesday, except that my jam session with the big group was cancelled, so Len came over to our house and we jammed with just the two of us like in the old days.  Jackie played Pokeno.  We went to happy hour and relaxed for the rest of the night.  Thursday, Jackie went to the clubhouse in the morning to play cards.  I met Don at the Quonset hut to install the two cameras for inside of the Quonset hut.  This took us a couple of hours. We went out and ran some errands in the afternoon then relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Friday, July 25^th, I had a 9:00 Board meeting which went about an hour.  We both went and got haircuts about noon, went out for a late lunch, then came home for Bingo at 5:30.  Jackie won a couple of games, I struck out.  After Bingo we went home and watched TV until bedtime.  Saturday, we had a stay-at-home day, just doing some chores and relaxing.  We also did some packing for our outing tomorrow.  We watched TV and went to bed.

Sunday, July 27^th, we left the park about 10:30 with our overnight bag in the car and headed south towards Laughlin, Nevada.  We had two free nights at the Riverside Casino and Hotel in Laughlin, so we decided to have a Sunday, Funday and Monday.  Whatever.  We stopped at Angie’s seafood in Vegas for lunch and both had lobster rolls.  We then continued down, getting in Laughlin about 2:30 or so.  We got checked into the hotel after a LONG wait.  Lots of people checking in at the same time. Once we got our room we went up and unpacked, then came down to the casino to game.  Through the players club we had gotten two free movie tickets, so we went to the show in the Riverside and saw the latest

Jurassic World movie.  Dinner was popcorn.  The movie was good, but the connection to the previous five movies in the series was pretty loose, none of the actors from the original five movies were in this one.  We still enjoyed it.  After the movie we gamed a little, then headed up to bed.  Monday, we got up and had coffee and relaxed a bit begore going down for the brunch buffet.  We had also gotten two free buffets from the players club.  After brunch we drove to Oatman, Arizona, an old 1915 mining town that was on the original Highway 66.  It is strictly a tourist town now, with bars, souvenir shops, and burros, LOTS of burros, burros EVERYWHERE.  On the way into town, they get in groups and block the road, so you have to slow down or stop, then they come up to the windows looking for food.  We had drinks at the bar in the hotel, the bar and restaurant are complexly covered in dollar bills, every wall, pillar and the whole ceiling are covered in money.  We have a dollar somewhere in the mess that we put there back in 2008.  We didn’t look for it.  We checked all the shops, petted the burros, and left after a couple of hours.  When we got back to the casino we gamed a bit, then changed clothes and went to the Prime Rib Room for dinner.  We didn’t have free tickets this time.  We had a great meal, with leftovers for tomorrow’s dinner. After dinner we gamed some more, then headed up to the room and went to bed.

Tuesday, July 29^th, we checked out of the room at 11:00, stopped at the In and Out in Laughlin for lunch, as is our custom when we come to Lauglin, and then started the drive back home.  We stopped in Searchlight to go to the bathroom, then gamed a little in the casino there. We then continued home, getting back about 2:30.  We went to happy hour, came home and had our leftovers for dinner, then watched TV until bedtime.  Wednesday, I went to the jam session in the afternoon, Jackie played Pokeno.  We went to happy hour, then came home and had dinner then watched TV until bedtime.

Thursday, July 31^st, I met Don at the Quonset hut, and we installed the two cameras on the outside.  We are now done with the camera project.  We now have four cameras inside and outside of the Quonset, four cameras inside and outside of the mail and package room, and twelve total inside and outside of the clubhouse.  In the afternoon we did some chores and relaxed.  We had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

We are now at the end of the month, time to get this published.  Be good until we meet again.

June in Pahrump - It's a Dry Heat!

Hello again.  Our last chapter ended on May 31^st, while we enjoyed the beginnings of summer at home in Pahrump.  Sunday, June 1^st, we went out for some supplies in the afternoon.  After we got home, I noticed that the refrigerator seemed uncommonly warm inside, then I noticed that there was an error message on the display inside.  It seems that the fridge has stopped working.  We were having Dale and Sue Vice over for dinner at 5:00, so we only had time to empty out the freezer portion of the fridge before they came over.  Fortunately, we have a nearly empty refrigerator in the shed, plus we had some space in our chest freezer for food.  We had a nice dinner and visited with the Vices.  After they left, about 7:00 or so, we spent the next hour emptying out the refrigerator portion of the box.  Again, lucky we had somewhere to take all the food.  With the box now empty, we headed off to bed.

Monday, June 2^nd, after my morning coffee and shower, I started troubleshooting the now warm refrigerator.  The error message indicated a problem with a fan in the freezer compartment.  I spent a couple of hours pulling the refrigerator out of its little cubby hole in the kitchen so I could look in the back.  I was hoping that it was just a clogged vent or something.  The condenser coil in the back was, in fact, very dirty, but cleaning it did no good.  About 3:00 I called two of the local appliance repair shops.  I had to leave voice mails for both.  About a half hour later, while we were at happy hour, Jack’s Appliance Repair called back.  I told them what was going on and they said the service guy was in the neighborhood and could come over in about a half hour.  That made me very happy.  He did show up, a nice guy named Miguel.  He talked to me, did some diagnostics, and said that it appeared the circulation fan motor had died.  As it turns out, he had a replacement in his truck and after less than an hour and a half the fridge was fixed.  It needed about 24 hours to cool down completely, so we just watched TV for the rest of the night and went to bed.

Tuesday, June 3^rd, again, after coffee and a shower, I started the process of putting the refrigerator back into its cubby hole.  After that was done, we did a thorough cleaning inside and then put all the frozen and regular food back into the fridge.  We were done by mid afternoon and everything in the kitchen was normal again.  We went to happy hour, then came home and had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.  Wednesday we were back to normal, with me going to guitar practice in the afternoon and Jackie playing Pokeno.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Thursday, June 5^th, after lunch we went out to do some grocery shopping and other errands.  When we got back, I went to happy hour, Jackie didn’t feel good, so she stayed home.  After I got home, we had dinner, then spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Friday Jackie woke up and was still not feeling well.  She has had a chronic upset stomach for about a week or so and wanted to go to urgent care.  After lunch we went to urgent care, and she got a prescription for some anti-nausea pills and was told to buy some Pepto Bismal.  We went to Walgreens and picked up her stuff, then stopped at KFC for some dinner.  After we got home, we had dinner, then spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Saturday, June 7^th, we went to the clubhouse at 11:00 for a potluck brunch.  Because a lot of our members have left for the summer, there were only a dozen or so people at the brunch, but they all brought some good stuff.  We had a nice brunch and a visit with friends and neighbors.  After the brunch we went home and did some stuff around the house.  About 5:30 we left and picked up our friends Linda and Sharon and drove to the Saddle West Casino for the annual Ms. Senior Golden Years pageant.  One of our friends, Debbie Forrest,

is this year’s queen.  We have known Debbie and her husband Len since about 2007.  Len is also one of Roy’s guitar jam session friends.  The pageant was about two hours and again this year there was someone we knew competing.  Dianne Sauter is currently a visitor to our Co-op as she and her husband are full-time RVers.  A couple years ago she ran for Sheriff of Nye County but lost.  She did well in the pageant, finishing as second runner-up.  After the show we dropped our friends off and went home to watch TV until bedtime.

Sunday, June 8^th, my brother Dennis’ birthday.  He is eight years younger than me and lives in Arizona.  We were picked up at 10:00 by our friends Dale and Sue Vice for a Sunday-Funday trip.  We drove north around the Spring Mountains to pick up US-95, now I-11 in some areas, and then headed back south towards Vegas.  We stopped in Indian Springs at the Terribles Casino there.  There is a Bob’s Big Boy inside the casino.  It has been decades since I have eaten at a Bob’s.  We had a really nice lunch, and I had a strawberry shake, which was as good as I remember.  Indian Springs is an interesting place.  It is just a few miles east of the Nye County line in Clark County, the home of Las Vegas.  Creech Air Force Base is right across the street from the casino.  Creech is one of the primary bases for the Air Force’s drone activities.  It is the training base for drone pilots and was where most of the drones operated in the Middle East during the various conflicts over there were piloted from.  After lunch we drove up into the Spring Mountain Recreation Area, which goes up in the 8,000-foot elevation areas of the mountain range which separates the Pahrump Valley from the Las Vegas Valley.  There is a ski area, a number of campgrounds, a lot of high-end houses, and it is a very nice area to drive through.  While we were up there, we drove through one of the campgrounds just to see what it was like.  Dale and Sue still have a trailer they travel in and wanted to see if the campsites were big enough for them.  Turns out they are, or at least a number of them are, and they can be reserved.  Also, while we were driving through, we spotted one of our friends and fellow residents of our Co-op, Jon Albinson, camped there with his camper.  We knew he was out of the park but didn’t know he was up in the Spring Mountains.  We stopped and visited with him for a while before continuing out touring.  We stopped at the visitor’s center for the area.  It is interesting too that there is a monument at the visitor’s center in commemoration of a 1955 plane crash on Mount Charlston, the tallest peak in the range and which overlooks the visitors center.  It was an Air Force C-54 (DC-4 in civilian life) plane which was flying from Burbank, California to Groom Lake Air Force Facility, better known as Area 51.  At that time the then Top-Secret U-2 spy plane was being developed and tested at Area 51.  The plane had 14 passengers and crew.  The four crew were Air Force personnel, the others were a mix of Lockheed Aerospace engineers and Officers of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  Since all operations surrounding the U-2 at the time were Top Secret, the plane was flying without any outside navigation or communications.  It got caught in a storm and strayed into the Spring Mountains where it hit the side of Charleston Peak, killing everyone on board.  The information sign at the memorial said that even the families of those killed were not told any of the details of their death beyond the fact that they were killed, until decades later.  After visiting the center, we drove through Northwest Vegas and then back over the mountains to Pahrump.  We got home about 4:30 or so and spent the rest of the evening watching TV.

Monday, June 9^th, we had a stay-at-home day.  Jackie is having some major problems with her stomach and bowels.  Still constipated and in pain much of the time.  Since going to the urgent care didn’t accomplish much she is trying to hold out until next week when we see our regular family doctor.  I did some office work and other stuff around the house.  Tuesday we were up and out of the house by 8:30 and headed to the medical center to get our blood drawn for tests for our upcoming semiannual checkup at the doctor.  Because we didn’t get in right when they opened, we ended up waiting for an hour and a half to get in.  After that we went back home and spent the rest of the day around the house.  I went to happy hour at 4:00, but Jackie wasn’t feeling well.  We then watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, June 11^th, I went to my normal jam session at 12:30, but Jackie wasn’t feeling well, so she skipped Pokeno.  After I got back, we just stayed around the house for the rest of the day and evening.  Thursday, I had a 9:00 Town Hall meeting in the clubhouse.  I was the “featured” speaker, talking about the proposed amendments to the Co-op By Laws that were just sent out for a vote of the membership.  As chair of the By Laws Committee this year, I was tasked with explaining the proposals.  I guess I did OK as there were no questions and few comments.  Jackie had an 11:00 manicure appointment, which she felt well enough to go to.  After she got home, we went out for lunch at the Nugget Casino.  We went there because we had appointments at 1:45 to give blood there at the casino.  Jackie’s blood draw went OK, but mine not so much.  They had trouble getting the catheter into a vein and then for whatever reason it clogged up.  They weren’t able to get a full bag of blood from me, only about three quarters full.  I am not sure if they even send that to the blood bank, but they beat the crap out of my arm with their digging around.  This was a private blood bank, so I think I will stick to the Red Cross in the future.  After giving blood, we went home and went to happy hour at 4:00.  We then came home and had dinner and spent the night with the TV.

Friday, June 13^th, ooouuu, scary.  I had a short Board meeting at 1:00 for an unexpected expense authorization.  After the Board meeting, we had a jam session in the clubhouse.  Since it was sort of a last-minute thing we only had myself, two people from the park and one of my regular jam group, playing.  We had a couple of spectators, and we still had a really good time.  We played for about an hour and half and then packed up.  I went home and we spent the rest of the night with the TV.  I did go out and pick up some take-out fish and chips from a local place for dinner.  Saturday, we had another stay-at-home day.  Jackie was still feeling poorly and didn’t go to her ladies luncheon.  I did go out with two other guys for the men’s dine out.  We went to El Jefe Mexican.  I brought a taco salad home to Jackie afterwards.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing around the house.

Sunday, June 15^th, Happy Father’s Day.  I heard from both my daughter Tye in Kentucky, and my son Roy in California.  We were originally going to go to an early dinner at the Elks Lodge, which was having a Father’s Day rib cook, but Jackie wasn’t sure she wouldn’t get sick, so we cancelled and just stayed home.  We spent the day watching movies on TV.  I made some chicken soup hoping it would help Jackie feel better.  Monday our house cleaner came.  We had pretty much a stay-at-home day.

Tuesday June 17^th, we had a 2:00 appointment with our regular doctor for our semi-annual checkup.  Mine was pretty routine, for my age I am still fairly healthy.  The doctor told me that I didn’t need to come back until next year, I could skip the 6-month checkup.  Jackie spent a great deal of time discussing her issues with the doctor.  He gave her a prescription for her belly pain, which is basically a gut antibiotic, just in case some of the reticula in her tummy are infected.  He also talked to her about her headaches and is going to start her on a pill for migraine headaches to see if that helps with the constant headaches.  After the doctor’s visit we went home.  I went to happy hour and then we had dinner.  I did my first shift of security for the park in the evening.  Wednesday, I went to guitar practice in the afternoon.  Pokeno was cancelled because they were doing some maintenance on the floors in the clubhouse.  Jackie didn’t really feel like going anyway.  I skipped happy hour and did my security patrol at 8:00.  We watched TV and went to bed.

Thursday, June 19^th, we had mostly a stay-at-home day.  I had another security shift in the evening.  Friday, we went out and ran some errands in the afternoon.  We went to happy hour and then home for dinner and a night with the TV.  I did my last shift of security.  Saturday, we had another stay-at-home day.

Sunday, June 22^nd, we went out after lunch to the Pahrump Nugget casino for some gaming for our “Sunday-Funday” time.  Neither of us won, but we had fun.  After that we stopped at Smiths for a few supplies, then headed home.  We went to happy hour, then home for dinner and a night with the TV.  Monday was a stay-at-home day.

Tuesday, July 24^th, I had a 9:00 calendar meeting with the Silver Seekers.  That lasted an hour or so.  We spent the rest of the day working around the house.  Wednesday, we had our usual guitar practice and Pokeno.  Went to happy hour then home for an evening of TV.  Thursday, Jackie had a mani appointment in the afternoon.  I did some office work and other chores.

Friday, July 27^th, I had a 9:00 Board Meeting which went until about 11:00  After that we went out for lunch at Dry Creek Saloon, a local bar and restaurant, and then went home.  We went to Bingo at 5:30.  Jackie won; I didn’t.  We watched TV and went to bed.  Saturday, I went out in the morning with our Board President, Sharon, and our Maintenance Manager, Ashliy, to the golf cart place to shop for another golf cart for the Co-op.  We found a nice one and bought it.  After I got home, we went shopping, then came home and relaxed for the rest of the day.

Sunday, July 29^th, we had a stay-at-home day.  Monday, we had a stay-at-home day on the LAST day of June, halfway through 2025.  Wow.  Until next time, stay safe, be good. 

 

 

  

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.