A Warm October in Pahrump

Hi there.  Our last chapter concluded on Tuesday, September 30th, while we continued our well-earned retirement in Pahrump.  Wednesday was pretty normal;  Jackie going to Pokeno, me playing guitar with my jam group.  It was also one of my great granddaughter’s birthday, Zoe.  She is the daughter of my oldest granddaughter, the oldest of my oldest daughter’s children.  In other words, the first child of the first child of my first child.  We went to happy hour, then came home for dinner and a night with the TV.

Thursday, October 2nd, we got of to an exciting start.  At 10:30 we drove to our attorney’s office to pick up our settlement checks from our auto accident last December.  I won’t say how much in this public forum, but it was more than we would have had we not gotten an attorney and it will help make our retirement more comfortable.  There is also a very interesting side story.  An acquaintance of ours, another member of the Co-op, has been working in Singapore for the last year or so and came back for a brief visit with family.  When he came to happy hour one night in early September with a box full of fortune cookies he brought back with him.  Everyone at the table took one and my fortune said “Next month will bring financial abundance.”  The first day of the next month we got our checks from the accident.  Yikes!  Jackie had a mani appointment at 1:00 and I went across the street to play guitar with my friend Scott.  We went to social hour, then home for dinner and night watching the TV.  Friday, we went to the China Wok buffet at 11:00 to listen to another MASA presentation and get a free lunch.  MASA is Medical Air Services Association, it provides insurance for any type of emergency medical transportation, land or air.  After lunch I had to go to the office to sign off on the weekly payroll for the Co-op employees.  The Board President is out of town and left my as “acting president” for the weekend.  At 5:00 we went to the clubhouse for Bingo.  Jackie won a couple of games while I continued my losing streak for another week.  After Bingo we went home and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Saturday, October 4th, we went to the clubhouse at 9:00 for “First Saturday Breakfast” put on by the Silver Seekers.  We then spent the rest of the day doing chores and relaxing.  We went to happy hour, then came home and had dinner.  We watched TV for the rest of the evening.  Sunday, another Sunday-Funday.  We left the park about 10:30 and drove to Las Vegas for the day.  We stopped at a breakfast restaurant on Blue Diamond highway as you come into Vegas, called Whidbeys.  It is just breakfast and lunch, but the food and service are excellent.  After lunch we did a quick stop at a new thrift store just down the street from the restaurant.  We then headed to our real

destination for the day, the Las Vegas Sphere.  We have come here to see the Wizard of Oz in the Sphere.  For those who don’t know, The Sphere (also known as Sphere at the Venetian Resort or The Las Vegas Sphere) is a music and entertainment arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States, east of the Las Vegas Strip. Designed by Populous, the project was announced by the Madison Square Garden Company in 2018, known then as the MSG Sphere. The venue, which seats 17,600 people and has total capacity of 20,000, is being marketed for its immersive video and audio capabilities, which include a 16K resolution wraparound interior LED screen, speakers with beamforming and wave field synthesis

technologies and 4D physical effects. The venue's exterior also features 580,000 sq ft of LED displays, making it the largest in the world. Sphere measures 366 feet high and 516 feet wide. The arena cost $2.3 billion, making it the most expensive entertainment venue built in the Las Vegas Valley.  Sphere opened on September 29, 2023, with Irish rock band U2 beginning a 40-show residency called U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.  Director Darren Aronofsky's docu-film Postcard from Earth opened on October 6, 2023.  Since its opening, the venue has also hosted residencies ranging in length for Phish, Dead & Company, the Eagles, and the Backstreet Boys, and has begun screening an immersive 4D version of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.  The venue is owned by Sphere Entertainment, which was created as a spin-off from the original MSG Company.  The sphere-shaped project was designed by Populous, with an interior that includes the world's largest LED screen.  MSG initially estimated the project cost at $1.2 billion. In February 2020, the company said the cost had increased to $1.66 billion as a result of design changes consisting of guest enhancements. The cost continued to increase, eventually surpassing $2 billion due to the 2021–2023 global supply chain crisis and the 2021–2022 inflation surge. With a final expected cost of $2.3 billion, it is the most expensive entertainment venue in Las Vegas history, beating out the $1.9 billion Allegiant Stadium.

We came here for the Wizard of Oz movie. The Wizard of Oz at Sphere is a 2025 American 4D film. Created specifically to be screened at Sphere in the Las Vegas Valley on the venue's 160,000 square-foot video screen at 16K resolution, it is an "immersive" version of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1939 musical fantasy film The Wizard of Oz. The film's visuals and soundtrack were remastered and enhanced to fit the venue's capabilities, and multi-sensory effects were added to immerse audiences in the film. It is the third film to be screened at the venue under the "Sphere Experience" program. The Wizard of Oz at Sphere began screening on August 28, 2025, and is scheduled to run until March 31, 2026.  

As guests enter the Sphere's atrium, the room is lit and designed to resemble sepia-toned Kansas as depicted in the film's opening scenes. Replicas of Professor Marvel's cart and the Wizard's hot air balloon, as well as glass-case displays showcasing historical prints of L. Frank Baum's original Oz books and a pair of ruby slippers from the late Debbie Reynolds' personal collection are showcased. The audience is then led into the auditorium 45 minutes before showtime.  As the audience is seated, the Sphere's screen displays a sepia-tinted image of a large modern-day auditorium resembling that of Radio City Music Hall in New York City. At showtime, the sound of an orchestra tuning up and a conductor's baton can be heard, signaling that the film is about to begin as the lights dim. The auditorium's curtains then rise up on cue with the film's opening theme to reveal the MGM "Leo the Lion" logo (with the Cowardly Lion taking Leo's place inside the filmstrip circle and roaring once), segueing right into the opening credits sequence whose cloud background fills the entire screen, followed by the film itself. Highlights of the film experience include wind, fog and leaves blowing around the auditorium during the tornado scene, which now places the audience inside its funnel, foam-made apples falling from the ceiling when Dorothy and Scarecrow deal with the angry Apple Tree, snow falling onto the audience when Glinda the Good Witch of the North lifts the spell on the poison poppies, pyrotechnics during the scenes in the Wizard's throne room, and life-size flying monkeys flying into the audience through the use of UAV technology. After Dorothy's final line ("Oh, Auntie Em. There's no place like home!") and the original film's "The End" card and cast list, an added closing credits sequence crediting all those who worked on the film experience spread across the screen.  At the conclusion of the film, the audience is led out of the auditorium and back into the atrium, now lit and designed to resemble the Emerald City in Technicolor. They are then directed by the Wizard's Guard towards a life-sized replica of the Wizard's throne room (complete with a projected motion-capture image of his ghostly green head) where guests interact with him.

It was an expensive afternoon, tickets are not cheap, but it was well worth the experience.  We really enjoyed it.  After the movie we got in the car and headed back home.  We got back to Pahrump about 5:00, but instead of going home we went to the nearby Lakeside casino.  We gamed for about an hour, then ate dinner in the restaurant.  We finally got home about 7:00 and spent the remainder of the evening watching TV.  A very special Funday-Sunday.

Monday, October 6th, I had a practice session at 11:00 with friends Scott and Bob, who are currently the other members of the Pair-a-dice jam group.  About 4:00 I went down to the Quail Run outside recreation area here at the park to set up to provide some music for our Howl at the Moon party tonight.  The three of us in the park’s jam group are planning to do about 45 minutes or so of music.  The party started at 5:00 with a bring your own something to do on the BBQ.  We did hamburgers and chips.  We had a couple dozen people come to the party, which was a pretty good turnout.  At 6:00 our little makeshift group got up and played.  We weren’t horrible and got some polite praise for our performance.  Our timing was off because the moon didn’t come up until we were almost done with our set.  After the music we just stayed around and visited around a campfire until about 7:30.  After the party we went home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Tuesday was mostly a stay at home day.  I had a 1:00 meeting with the people that are going to be presenting a New Member Orientation meeting next week, just to be sure everyone knew what they were supposed to cover.  We spent the rest of the day just relaxing around the house.  We had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, October 8th, I was up and out of the house by 6:45 am to go to the dermatologist to have the basil cell carcinoma taken off of my forehead.  I was fortunate that they got clean margins on the first slice they took from the site, so I was stitched up and out of the office by 9:00.  We went to the clubhouse at 11:00 to attend another MASA presentation.  He usually comes to our Co-op once or twice a year to try and get new people, and he always brings Panda Express lunch for everyone.  After the lunch  I spent the rest of the day just doing chores.  We went to happy hour where I had to explain the giant bandage on my forehead.  After that we came home and had leftovers for dinner and watched TV for the rest of the night.  Thursday, I had a 9:00 Town Hall meeting, which turned out to be pretty contentious with some of the older members complaining about the lack of participation by the younger Gen X people that are now coming into the park.  At 1:00 there was a Silver Seekers meeting which was mostly just outlining upcoming events in the park.  After the meetings we went home and spent the rest of the day just doing chores and relaxing.  We had dinner, then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Friday, October 10th, I had a practice session with the park jam group at 1:00, then we went out and did some shopping after.  We went to happy hour, then came home for dinner and another night with the TV.  Saturday, I was up early to go out and be the security guard for our annual park garage sale in the clubhouse.  We had slow but steady traffic for most of the morning.  I understand that the Silver Seekers ended up making about a $1,000 on sales of donated stuff.  They also sold 63 hot dogs for whatever profit that brought in.  The sale was over at 2:00, after which I just relaxed for the rest of the day.  We did go to happy hour but then came home and had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.  

Sunday, October 12th, another Sunday-Funday.  We just stayed home and relaxed, watched some movies on TV and just had a relaxing day.  I made chili Colorado for dinner, after which we went to the clubhouse for movie night.  Tonight it was “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything!  Julie Newmar” which was a very funny movie about drag queens.  After the movie we went home, and I did my last tour of security for the month.  We then watched a little TV and went to bed.  Monday I had a 9:00 Board meeting to set the agenda for this month’s regular meeting, followed by another Board Budget meeting.  Both meetings were pretty short, and I was back home by about 10:00.  At 11:00 we left to go to the Lucky Rollers Camping Club monthly lunch.  We had planned to go to the Dry Creek Saloon, but when everyone got there we found that they didn’t open until 1:00 on Mondays.  The President of the club had made reservations, but when she called they told here they didn’t have any.  Somebody messed up.  No big deal, we went next door to the newly remodeled Jackpot Joanie’s casino and they were happy to take our party of 20 with no advance notice.  The staff did a wonderful job setting up a big table and taking care of us.  Plus, the food was excellent.  Kind of glad we had to change.  After lunch we ran some errands, then headed home for the rest of the day.  We went to happy hour, then came home and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, October 14th, our housecleaner came at 10:00.  About 12:30 we went out for lunch at the Sushi place here in town.  We had a nice lunch, then headed home and spent the rest of the day doing chores and office stuff.  I went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and we had dinner, then watched TV until bedtime.  Wednesday, Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00, I did some office work.  I skipped guitar practice this week because I have 3:00 New Member Orientation meeting that I have to attend and present information to.  At 3:00 we did the meeting, which lasted until almost 4:30.  After the meeting we went home and had dinner, then watched TV for the rest of the night.

Thursday, October 16th, I had a Board meeting at 9:00, however, we were unable to start then due to problems with the Zoom system.  Several of our Board members are out of the park and need zoom to attend the meeting.  The meeting was recessed until 12:00 while my friends Don and Scott, and myself, tried to fix the problems.  We ended up going back to the old computer and got it working, deciding to try and figure out what the problem with the new computer is later.  The meeting started at noon and only went about a half hour.  After the Board meeting I went home and relaxed for a while since I was highly stressed from the Zoom difficulties.  I was the one primarily responsible for getting and installing the new computer and was worried about figuring out what the problem was.  Jackie had a 1:00 hair and nail appointment and didn’t get home until just before happy hour.  We came to happy hour about 4:30 because there was a 5:00 “picnic basket dinner” scheduled.  We had hamburgers, hot dogs and sides.  There were about 40 people show up so it was a good turnout.  After the dinner we went home and relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night.  Friday I went across the street and played with some of the park musicians for about two hours.  After that we went out to do some shopping, then came home, had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.  

Saturday, October 18th, Jackie had her ladies luncheon at 12:00, they went to the Pour House.  I went with the Mens Group, The Romeos, and we went to the Roadhouse.  Our group only had four today, the ladies had a couple dozen.  We both had a nice lunch.  After the lunch my friend Max and I went to the gun show at the Pahrump Nugget.  Only bought a holster today.  Jackie got home shortly after I did.  I went over to the clubhouse to work on the zoom system and within a half hour I had it fixed, tested and working properly.  It is a lot easier when you are not under pressure.  We did happy hour, then came home and the pizza that Jackie brought home from her luncheon, for dinner.  We watched TV for the rest of the night.  Sunday was Sunday-funday and for the most part we stayed home and relaxed.  We did go out in the afternoon to Walmart to get some supplies.  We had steaks for dinner and then spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Monday, October 20th, I went over to the clubhouse about 11:30 and starting setting up for the jam session at 1:00.  By 1:00 we had 13 people participating in the jam.  We had one bass player and one on “drums”, which was actually a cajon, a wood box specifically built to be a percussion instrument, and one with a washboard.  The remainder of the people were guitar players.  We had a great session and went over the two hour scheduled time by about 15 minutes.  After the jam I broke down the setup and then went to happy hour.  After happy hour we went home, had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.  Tuesday I had a calendar meeting at 9:00 with the Silver Seekers.  After that meeting I had a 10:30 appointment with the dermatologist to take out the stiches on my forehead.  The incision has healed nicely and the stiches came out with only a couple being scabbed over and harder to get to.  After the appointment I went home and just did some chores and relaxed around the house for the rest of the day.  I went to happy hour, Jackie stayed home since she had a “jammie” day.  We had dinner later and watched TV for the rest of the night.

Wednesday, October 22nd, Jackie had a 10:00 appointment with her doctor to get some more Novocain shots in the back of her neck for the headaches she has been getting for quite a while.  The last time was in April and she hasn’t had any headaches of that type until the last few weeks.  She was only in there about half an hour, getting the shots and talking to the doctor about other issues.  After the doctor we went back home.  Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00, I didn’t have guitar practice because most of my Wednesday group was at the jam on Monday, so they cancelled Wednesday’s session.  I spent the afternoon in the office doing some work and playing.  Thursday, we left the park about 10:30 and drove the 40 miles west to Shoshone, California, to spend the day with the park’s camping group, the Lucky Rollers.  They had eight people in six rigs that have been out there since Monday.  There was another six people, including us, that came out today.  We had a nice lunch, then had the raffle drawing, where we won a bottle of 100 proof vodka.  Yea!  They then had the club meeting where it was decided that, due to the number of club members who no longer had RVs and didn’t go to camp outs, and the apathy on the part of many of the other club members regarding camp outs, the club was going to go in inactive status for 2026, reporting the same officers and members to the Escapees National club, but not doing any formal campouts or having any meetings.  We would continue the monthly dine-outs, but just as social events.  After the meeting we had an afternoon of talking and playing games.  At 5:00 we had a pot luck dinner that was very good.  At 6:30 we packed up our stuff and left, getting home by just a little after 7:00.  We spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Friday, October 24th, I had a luncheon in the clubhouse with the Board and the employees of the park.  This BOD has tried to do this at least quarterly to keep open communications between all of the Board and the employees.  We had sub sandwiches and sides and a nice discussion with the employees.  After the meeting I went back home and we spent the rest of the day working around the house and relaxing.  We went to Bingo at 6:00, Jackie won one game, I didn’t get anything – again!  After Bingo we went home and watched TV until it was time for bed.  Saturday we went out about noon and went to El Jefe’s for lunch, then ran some errands.  We also got out annual Covid booster shot.  We had to go to CVS instead of Walgreens because Walgreens only had the Piezer vaccine and CVS only has the Moderna vaccine.  All our previous Covid shots have been the Moderna, so we to stick with it.  After we got home, we just spent the rest of the day relaxing.  

Sunday, October 26th, this was a stay at home day.  I didn’t have any reaction to the Covid shot, but Jackie was feeling tired and kind of poopy.  She always has a mild reaction to the Covid vaccine.  We spent the entire day just relaxing with the TV.  Monday, we had lunch at the clubhouse, the Silver Seekers had ordered Subway sandwiches for lunch.  We had a half sub and chips for $3 each.  After lunch my friend Len came over, and we played guitar for an hour or so.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing around the house.  We went to happy hour, then came home for dinner and another night with the TV.

Tuesday, October 28th, our housecleaner came at 10:00 and I went over to the clubhouse to work with my friend Don on the Zoom system.  We bought a new computer a couple of weeks ago and are having some sound issues.  After working with it for about an hour and a half we finally had it working properly.  Spent the rest of the day around the house.  Wednesday, I had a short Board meeting at 1:00 and Jackie played Pokeno at 1:00 also.  After the meeting I went home and did some office work and relaxed.  We went to happy hour, then went home for dinner and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Thursday, October 30th, Jackie had a 1:00 mani and I took her so we could run some errands afterwards.  We went grocery shopping and made a couple other stops before heading home.  We went to the clubhouse at 7:00 for a showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Although I am familiar with the movie, I have never actually seen it, nor has Jackie.  A dozen or so Members of the park are big fans and went to a lot of work to set up the “shadow cast”, which is live actors that play out many of the scenes from the movie as they are showing on the screen.  They also had all the props for use at various points in the movie where fans of the movie throw stuff and yell stuff.  We had probably 50 people in the audience, and it was a great night.  We got home about 9:00, watched a little TV and went to bed.  Friday was Halloween.  I went over to the clubhouse after lunch and got all my

equipment set up to do music and karaoke at the party tonight.  Jackie made a pot of pea soup for the potluck tonight as well.  At 4:00 they had a parade of costumes that went all through the park.  We were in our golf cart for that and had a good time.  The pot luck was great and we had about 60 people in attendance, with lots of food.  About 6:00 or so we started to the music and had a great dance party, interspersed with the occasional karaoke singer.  The party went until 9:00, and probably lasted longer than that, but I stopped the music and went home.  It was really a great time.  We watched a little bit of TV, then went to bed.

That is it for October.  We will get this online and start the next month’s diary.  Until next time, be careful but have fun.

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.