A Record-Breaking July, and NOT in a good way

Hi there, welcome back.  Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, June 30^th, while we were in residence at the Escapees Co-op in Pahrump.  Monday, July 1^st, happy second half of 2024.  Today was mostly a stay at home day.  I had PT at 2:30, but was back home by a little after 3:00.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  We then watched TV for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, July 2^nd, we were on the road headed to Las Vegas for a Costco run about 10:30.  When we got into town we stopped at the Summerlin Omelet House restaurant for lunch.  We then drove to Costco and spent the family fortune on supplies.  After Costco we headed back to Pahrump, getting home in time to put stuff away and go to happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.  Wednesday Jackie had her Pokeno at 1:00.  Len was not feeling well, so I had the afternoon to myself and did some chores, including fixing a broken step on the porch.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home for dinner and an evening with the TV.

Thursday, July 4^th, Happy Birthday America!!  We went over to the clubhouse about noon for the 4^th of July hamburger and hot dog luncheon.  We had over 40 members and guests come for the festivities.  After we helped clean up we headed back to the house and spent the rest of this very hot day inside relaxing.  Friday we left the house about 2:00 on a very hot day.  We first went to my PT, which took about a half hour or so.  Jackie waited for me today.  After PT we went to Smith’s for some grocery shopping, then we went to Teriyaki Madness and picked up two teriyaki bowls for dinner.  We then went and got haircuts.  We didn’t make it home in time for happy hour, so we missed two in a row.  We had the teriyaki bowls for dinner, then spent the rest of the evening watching TV, including a really weird horror movie on HULU called “The Stranger.”  This is the 2024 movie by that name, there are several others.

Saturday, July 6^th, we got up early for the “First Saturday Breakfast” in the clubhouse.  This is a new thing started by this year’s Silver Seekers Board.  We had waffles and bacon and we brought the fixings for bloody Mary’s too.  After breakfast we went back to the trailer and spent the rest of the day inside staying cool.  We did go to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had dinner.  We spent the rest of the evening watching the TV.  Sunday was another hot day.  According to the National Weather Service Las Vegas hit an all-time high temperature of 120 degrees this afternoon.  The old record was 117.  Wasn’t quite that hot in Pahrump, but way to hot to be spending any time outdoors.  We went to the clubhouse at 2:00 for the ice cream social, then we went out to Goodwill to check out the bargains.  We came home and did some great T-bones for dinner, then spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Monday, July 8^th, was mostly a stay at home day.  I did have to go to PT at 2:30, but I was back for happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and spent the night with the TV trying to stay cool.  Tuesday, Jackie had a mani appointment at 10:30.  After she got back around noon, and after she had lunch, we went out and ran a couple of errands.  She had to go to the bank to make a Silver Seekers deposit, now that she is the “acting” treasurer of the group.  Then we had to go pay the Ice Man, the company that supplies bagged ice cubes to the clubhouse for resale by the Silver Seekers.  We got back home and did some chores, then went to happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and had pork chops for dinner, then watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, July 10^th, was a stay at home day, and the usual Wednesday schedule.  Jackie went to play Pokeno in the clubhouse at 1:00, and my friend Len came over and we spent 90 minutes in the shed jamming on our guitars.  For dinner we decided to get pizza from the newest pizza place in town, Max’s East Coast Pizza, which uses the name “Mia Ava East Coast Pizza” on its building and website.  We have been seeing a number of reviews that say it is a pretty good place for pizza.  I was disappointed right off when I went to website and found nothing for online ordering of food.  Then I called the phone number and got an answering machine that said to leave a message and they would get back to me.  Not what someone calling in an order wants to hear.  I decided I would just go there and order it to go.  The place was not too busy, two or three couples inside, some eating, some waiting for an order.  I placed my order for their large (16”) New York style supreme, which came with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions, and olives.  Then I decided to go ahead and try their Italian sub sandwich, The Soprano, which came with Salami, Capicola, Mortadella, Ham, Provolone, Tomato, Onion, Banana Peppers, Mayo, Mustard & Creamy Italian Dressing.  I would save that for lunch tomorrow.  It took the usual 20 minutes or so for the pizza and I took the food home.  I put the sandwich in the fridge for tomorrow and we had the pizza.  At best it was OK, better than the cheap mass produced fast food places like Dominos, Little Caeser’s, or Pizza Hut, but not nearly as good as the Pour House, Tower Pizza, or Nicco’s.  The dough was chewy, very little sauce and what there was didn’t have much taste.  The toppings were sparse.  It was cheesy and the sausage was spicey.  The final determination was, “it’s OK, but would not order again.”  Thus ended today’s experiment with pizza in Pahrump.  After dinner we watched TV and then went to bed. 

Thursday, July 11^th, we had pretty much a stay at home day except for my PT appointment at 2:30.  Friday we headed into Vegas about 11:00 or so for my six week follow-up appointment for my hip.  We stopped a new Greek place on Blue Diamond Road called Kabob Grill.  The food was excellent and we will probably be back.  My appointment was short and easy.  They did take a couple of x-rays and I was able to look at my new “super hip.”  The PA checked my incision site and said everything looked good and they would see me in another couple of months.  After the doctor’s appointment we headed back to Pahrump and got home in time for happy hour.  After that we had dinner and then watched TV until bedtime.

Saturday, July 13^th, Jackie had a ladies lunch at 11:00 and I did some chores around the house.  After she got back we stayed home the rest of the day.  Went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and watched TV until it was time for bed.  Sunday we packed our bag and were in the car by 10:30, heading South to Laughlin for another three night stay at the Riverside Resort and Casino.  This was another Comp visit, with us only paying tax and the stupid resort fee.  We got in just before 3:00 and checked in.  We then gamed some in the casino.  When we ran our players club cards through the machine Jackie won two free dinners in the Prime Rib Room, for which we had already made reservations for tomorrow.  We also got two free buffets and one two for one buffet coupon.  We had dinner in the coffee shop and gamed until bedtime.

Monday, July 15^th, we spent the morning in the room, then went down and used the two for one coupon for the breakfast buffet.  It was OK, but not worth what they charge, so good thing it was half off.  After we ate we drove into Bullhead city and spent the afternoon shopping at various places.  We got back to the Riverside, gamed a little, then at 6:00 went to the Prime Rib Room for dinner.  The dinners were free, but we did take advantage of the $2 movie ticket deal and got two movie tickets for later.  The dinner was wonderful and we had a great window seat overlooking the river.  After dinner we got in the car and went to the Tropicana to game a little.  We stayed until about 10:00 or so, then came back to the Riverside and went to bed.  Tuesday we left the room about 11:00 and spent the day in the Casino.  We went to the movies at 1:30 and saw “A Quiet Place – Day 0” which is a prequel to the other two Quiet Place films, both of which we have seen.  It was a great movie with a totally different cast and story line from the first two of the series.  After the movie we gamed, then went to the buffet with the free tickets we had.  Again, good thing it was free, because it was nothing to rave about.  We spent the rest of the night gaming and went to bed around 10:00.

Wednesday, July 17^th, We were our of the room at 11:00 check-out time.  We stopped at the In and Out Burger in Laughlin, then hit the road for home.  We got back about 2:30, unpacked and relaxed.  We went to happy hour then came home and relaxed with the TV the rest of the night. Thursday Jackie went over to the clubhouse at 10:00 to play cards.  I did some chores and office work.  I had my PT at 3:00.  When I got home we had dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching TV.

Friday, July 19^th, we had a 10:00 meeting in the clubhouse of the Silver Seekers Board to set the calendar for August.  We left the park around 12:30 and went out to a late lunch at El Jefe Mexican, then went to Walmart for some supplies.  After we got home we relaxed a while, then went to happy hour about 4:30, then stayed for Bingo.  Neither of us won anything.  Boo Hoo.  After Bingo we went home and watched TV until it was time for bed.  Saturday was a stay at home day.  We went to the clubhouse for a Silver Seekers lunch.  Today was enchiladas and rice and beans.  Don Olney, the Silver Seekers President, and his wife Sharon did the cooking and serving and several of us helped with the set up and cleanup.  The meal was quite good and we had about 30 people show up.  We spent the rest of the day in the house doing chores. 

Sunday, July 21^st, was another stay at home day.  We went to the ice cream social at 2:00.  They were short on ice cream today because apparently someone went into the fridge in the clubhouse kitchen and took one of the gallon containers of ice cream.  We have had other stuff disappear lately too.  I am not sure why anyone in the park would think that stuff in the clubhouse kitchen fridge was just there for the taking.  After ice cream we did some chores, then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with the TV.  Monday was mostly a stay at home day.  We did go out and run a couple of errands after lunch.  I was supposed to have PT, but they called the other day and cancelled.  We did a few chores and tried to stay cool.  We did go to the social hour at 4:00, then came home for dinner and TV the rest of the night.

Tuesday, July 23^rd, was another stay at home day.  I did some work in the office and Jackie went out to take a jacket to the seamstress to have the sleeves shortened.  Other than that we stayed home.  Went to Social hour at 4:00, then came home and had pork chops for dinner and watched TV until bedtime.  Wednesday, my friend Len picked me up about 12:30 and we drove to another friend’s house for our jam session.  The other couple had found another couple that recently moved to Pahrump and were looking for jam partners.  They invited them for today.  They were Jeff and Debbie.  Jeff plays guitar and mandolin and Debbie is just a singer, but a good one, and also does the washboard, which provides us with a percussion element.  Jeff is a good guitar player and they were both very nice people.  We had a really good time and jammed until about 3:00.  Jackie went to Pokeno in the afternoon.  After we were both home we went to happy hour, then came home and did pot pies for dinner.  We then watched TV until bedtime.

Thursday, July 25^th, was pretty much a stay at home day.  Happy Birthday to Jackie’s brother, Dennis.  The big 80 today.  I went to my PT at 2:30 and then did a quick trip to Home Depot for some things.  Jackie did some accounting work for the Silver Seekers in the office.  We skipped happy hour and just had dinner and then watched TV.  I did have my second night of Security Duty at 8:00.  Friday we left the park around 10:30 and drove to the Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue office so that both of us could give blood to the Red Cross.  We both gave our pint of blood, then drove our to the Living Free Café for lunch.  After lunch we stopped at Walmart for some supplies and the bank for some money.  We then went home.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Saturday, July 27^th, we had another stay at home day.  I did some chores around the house, Jackie went to the clubhouse in the morning to play cards.  We spent most of the afternoon and evening with the TV.  I made stuffed peppers for dinner, they were really good.  After a night of TV we went to bed.  Sunday was a day of leisure.  We went to the ice cream social at 2:00 then went back home and relaxed for the rest of the day.

Monday, July 29^th, was mostly a stay at home day.  Did a few chores and relaxed.  I had my last PT session at 2:30, so I am now done with that weekly chore.  After I got home Jackie went to get a manicure.  I went to happy hour at 4:00 and after Jackie got home we had dinner and then watched TV until it was time for bed.  Tuesday we stayed home for most of the day.  We did leave about 2:30 and went out to run some errands and go to Mom’s Diner for the monthly dine-out for the park.  Unfortunately, there were only five of us from the park that attended.  We still had a good meal and some conversations with neighbors.  After dinner we went home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Wednesday, July 31^st, Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00 and I went out to our friend’s house on the North side of Pahrump for guitar practice.  My friend Len wasn’t available today because of other appointments.  Jeff and Debbie, the new couple we met last week were there also.  The five of us played until about 3:00 and had a great jam.  After the jam Linda, the homeowner, offered us homemade Prickly Pear ice cream and coconut macaroons as a snack.  Well, I couldn’t resist that, so I was a little late getting home, a little after 4:00.  I went for a little while to social hour, then came home and made a pot of chili.  We had dinner, then spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Well, the month of July is now gone and it is time to put this episode online.  Just as a sideline, this past month has gone into the record books as the hottest July on record for Las Vegas and Southern Nevada, of which Pahrump is a part.  July saw a new all time high temperature of 120 degrees in Las Vegas, a record number of consequtive days over 110, 11 days.  Also a record average high temperature for the month.  It’s getting hot out there.  Until next time, be good and have fun.  See ya. 

Summer Roars in with Dragon Breath

Hello again.  Our last chapter concluded on Friday, May 31^st, as we awaited summer in Pahrump.  Saturday, the first of June, we had a chores day.  We did a quick shopping run and I spent time getting things set up for my recovery period after the surgery on my hip on Monday.  We went to happy hour.  Each week we lose a few more people to summer travels, pretty soon happy hours will be just a handful of us hard core heat monsters.  After happy hour we went home, watched TV and went to bed.  Sunday we had the Sunday paper and mainly relaxed around the house.  We went to ice cream social, then came home and spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing.

Monday, June 3^rd, THE BIG DAY.  We were up early, about 5:00, and on the road by a little after 6:00, heading for the surgical hospital in Las Vegas.  We arrived at the Valley Health Specialty Hospital.  This facility is set up and designed primarily for out patient, and semi out patient surgeries, mostly orthopedic I would guess.  They have a large intake and pre-surgical prep area, several operating rooms, recovery rooms and ten regular private hospital rooms.  The hospital rooms are for patients who, for whatever reason, cannot be discharged on the day of surgery.  This is strictly a surgical hospital.  I checked in and within 5 minutes was escorted to the prep area.  This is where I changed to the surgical gown and got in the bed to be prepped.  Lots of questions to be sure that I was the right person and they were doing the right procedure in the right place.  They had an excellent nursing staff in the prep area.  I was in there about an hour, talked to the anesthesiologist, but not the surgeon.  At some point the anesthesiologist gave me a shot and the next thing I know, I am in a recovery room. 

They let me recover for about a half hour after I woke up, I was a little loopy and disoriented.  Finally they helped me out of bed and gave me a walker and said, “let’s go over here.”  Surprisingly, I was not in any pain and could actually walk pretty well.  We walked around a small physical therapy suite, and then the PT guy took me to a set of steps, three or four up to a little porch, then the same back down.  He gave me a cane and had me go up and down a couple times.  I was able to do it without any problem.  After a bunch of paper signing I was released and walked to the car.  We drove home and I was able to sit in the car with no issues either.  I was still a little groggy, but we got home and I settled into my chair and watched TV for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, June 4^th, I woke up, got out of bed after a pretty good night’s sleep, and walked out of the living room with only the use of my cane.  The only problem with sleeping was that it is hard for me to sleep on my back, I am a side sleeper.  I spent the day in my chair, getting up from time to time to walk around the house.  Still very little pain and a lot more mobility than I expected.  I was a little nauseated, but still ate dinner.  Watched TV until bedtime.  Wednesday, I was sick to my stomach and didn’t have anything to eat but crackers.  I am sure this is a result of the anesthetic and the trauma to my leg, which is quite swollen.  The did give me a nifty machine that you fill with water and ice and it then pumps the cold water through a pad that you can put on the swollen parts.  I spent the day in my chair for the most part.

Thursday, June 6^th, D-Day anniversary.  Three days in and I felt much better.  I was now able to move around the house easily, sometimes without using the cane at all.  I felt better and started eating regular food again.  The day was much the same, some rest, some exercise, icing the swollen leg.  Still no pain to speak of.  We did go to the local Physical Therapy center at 3:30 so the PT guy could evaluate my needs and set up a schedule.  I was able to do all the exercises he had, various machines, with not too much problem.  I did get tired easily, probably from just sitting around doing nothing for a week.  Friday was exactly the same.  At this point I haven’t left the house, but I am beginning to think that I would like to.

Saturday, June 8^th, I am now completely free of the cane.  I walk around the house, with a little limp because the leg is still swollen and stiff, but without any pain or balance problems.  Jackie had a ladies lunch.  Sunday I actually got out of the house and went to the ice cream social.  Our friend Charlene is going back East for the summer and she lent us her golf cart for the summer since ours is still broken.  I was able to walk into and out of the clubhouse with no issues and it was good to see everyone again.  We had dinner and spent the night with the TV.  Monday was another house day.  I think I am about ready to stop the ice treatments.  Jackie has been doing a lot of work, hauling ice from the clubhouse and keeping it going.  She has been an outstanding nurse during this week and I am very grateful. 

Tuesday, June 11^th, another home day.  Jackie and I both went to a meeting of the Silver Seekers Board, or at least the five of us still in the park.  We were doing some planning for July and August, which didn’t take long.  Jackie left about 10:30 for a mani appointment.  After the meeting I went home and had lunch.  Then I spent some time out in my office in the shed.  Got this blog caught up, updated the checkbook, and did a few other regular office tasks.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, my first happy hour since the surgery.  After that we went home, cooked a lasagna in the outside oven, then after dinner relaxed with the TV until bedtime.  Wednesday Jackie had to meet with our friend Kim, who is treasurer of the Silver Seekers, to get up to speed with the books of the association.  Kim and Lee are leaving for their summer travels soon and Jackie is taking over the treasurer duties until she gets back.  About 12:45 we left for my first PT appointment.  Jackie had to miss her Pokeno today because of the PT appointment because I am not released to drive yet.  The PT went about 40 minutes or so.  They had eight or so different exercises and/or machines in my chart.  Only a couple of them really taxed me or caused some discomfort in my leg.  After the PT we went to Smiths for some grocery shopping and I was able to walk around shopping without any problems.  After that we went home, then went to happy hour.  I had my first alcohol at happy hour since my surgery.  We had dinner and then spent the night with the TV.

Thursday, June 13^th, the housekeeper came about 10:00 or so to clean the house.  After she left we had lunch and then we drove out to a Rehab facility on the North end of town to visit with a friend of ours from the Co-op, Jon Albinson.  A couple of weeks before the surgery on my hip, Jon was getting ready for his summer travels.  He was climbing the ladder on his large toy hauler fifth-wheel to get to his Starlink antenna on the roof of the trailer.  As he neared the top the ladder broke loose from the trailer and down he went.  At first he thought he had broken his hip, but it turned out to be his femur.  He had surgery where they pinned the break, but his doctor sent him to a rehab facility to get better.  He lives alone, so he needs to be somewhere where help is available when needed.  He has been out there a week or two and will probably be another couple of weeks, so we went out to visit for a while.  It turns out, the difficulty he is having, and most of the pain, is actually not from the break in the femur, but rather the damage he did to his knee, which he had replaced some years ago..  They are still trying to decide what needs to be done to fix the knee.  After our visit we headed back home.  We went to happy hour, then came home and had dinner.  We then spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Friday, June 14^th we were on the road a little after 11:00, heading into Vegas for my surgery follow-up at the orthopedic center.  We arrived and I had the interview with the nurse and the PA.  They took the dressing off of the surgical site and released me for whatever I felt I could do.  I have to come back in a month for the final follow-up.  We left the doctor’s office and stopped for lunch at one of the Distill restaurants.  After lunch we headed back to Pahrump, getting home in time to rest for a bit and then go to happy hour and Bingo.  We both won multiple Bingos, including Jackie getting one of the special games for $35.  Between the two of us we won about $80 or so.  Yea!  After Bingo we went home and watched TV until bedtime.  Saturday we went over to the clubhouse at noon for a hamburger lunch put on by the Silver Seekers.  After lunch we did a few chores around the house and relaxed.  I went to happy hour at 4:00, although there were only four other people there.  Things thin out during the summer.  Jackie didn’t go because she was getting ready to go to the Ms. Golden Years pageant tonight.  Our friend Debbie Forrest, my friend Len’s wife, is one of the contestants this year.  I decided not to go because I didn’t think I could sit in one chair in a crowded ballroom for three or four hours.  Jackie invited our friend Genny to go instead.  About 5:30 I drove the two of them to the Saddle West Casino and dropped them off for the pageant.  I went out and ran some errands, got the car washed, stopped at the bank for some money, and then went to El Jeffe’s Mexican place for dinner.  I had a nice taco salad.  After that I went home for a little bit, then drove back to the Saddle West so I would be there when the pageant ended.  While I was there I gamed a little and hit it big on a penny slot machine, cashing out $375!  Yea.  The pageant ended about quarter to nine and our friend Debbie won!  Yea again.  She will now be the Pahrump Golden Years Queen for the next year.  I congratulated my friend Len for becoming the Prince Consort.  We drove back home, dropped Genny off, and went home and watched TV until it was time for bed.

Sunday, June 16^th, Happy Fathers Day, and happy birthday to my oldest daughter, Tye.  We had pretty much a quiet day at home.  We did go to the ice cream social, with free ice cream for the fathers in the group.  We went home, did some chores and just relaxed for the rest of the day.  We had a meat loaf for dinner, then watched TV until it was time for bed.  Monday was pretty much a stay at home day.  I did have to go to the gym for my PT at 2:00, but I was done and back home by 2:30.  We did a few chores and I went to happy hour at 4:00.  Jackie was feeling puny and stayed home.  We had leftover meatloaf for dinner, then spent the rest of the evening with the TV.  Tuesday was a stay at home day for me.  Jackie went to a ladies lunch at the Artesian Cellars about noon.  We both had big lunches, so we just had light snacks for dinner and spent the night with the TV.

Wednesday, June 19^th, Jackie went to Pokeno at 1:00 and my friend Len came over for guitar practice about the same time.  Later in the afternoon we went over to our friend Millie’s house for a visit because her daughter Dion and her husband were in town visiting with Millie.  We had a nice visit before leaving to go to happy hour.  Millie and her kids also came to happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and had dinner, then spent the rest of the night watching TV.  Thursday was pretty much a stay at home day.  Dion and her husband stopped by just before lunch to say goodbye as they headed down to Las Vegas.  I spent the day doing some office work and other chores.  It was a quiet day at home.  I went to my PT at 3:30, so I missed the first half of happy hour.  I did get over to the clubhouse about 4:30.  We went home and had dinner, then we watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, June 21^st, the first full day of summer.  Today was a stay at home day.  Got a few chores done, mostly just relaxed around the house.  Went to happy hour at 4:00, then home for dinner and night with the TV.  Saturday we went out about 1:00 or so and went to the Roadhouse for a late lunch.  We both the excellent liver and onions.  After we ate we stayed and gamed for a while.  I broke even, thanks to a late jackpot on a penny machine.  Jackie lost her $20 investment.  After that we stopped at Goodwill to get our yard skeleton, Bob, some new clothes for summer.  He got new shorts and a Vegas Golden Knights tee shirt.  We decided to skip happy hour today and just stayed home and watched TV for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  Sunday was a stay at home day for me.  Jackie went out early, about 9:00, with a couple of the other women in the park, to Secret Sisters for a sidewalk sale.  Secret Sisters is a high end resale boutique that many of the “ladies of Pair-a-dice” like to shop.  I put a bit corn beef brisket in the crockpot for dinner.  We went to the ice cream social at 2:00, then came home and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing. 

Monday, June 24^th, Jackie spent some time with our friend Kim out in the shed office working on Treasurer stuff for the Silver Seekers.  Kim is the group’s Treasurer, but she and Lee are going away for a couple of months this summer and Jackie is taking over for the time they are gone.  Kim was showing Jackie how she keeps the books.  I went to my PT at 2:30, getting home around 3:00.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had leftover corn beef and cabbage for dinner.  We spent the rest of the night watching TV.  Tuesday I spent most of the day at home doing chores.  Jackie went in the morning for a manicure.  About 3:00 we left and ran a couple of errands and then went to Nicco’s Italian restaurant for the monthly park dine-out.  We only had six people today since a big proportion of the park is gone for the summer, and another big proportion of the park are older people who are pretty much shut-ins.  After dinner we went home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Wednesday, June 26^th, Jackie went out about 10:30 with Kim to go to the bank for Silver Seekers business, then out to lunch.  She came back just in time to go to Pokeno.  My friend Len came over about 1:00 and we played guitar for a couple of hours.  We went to happy hour at 4:00.  Our friend Jon Albinson, who had fallen off his RV a month ago or so, was back home recovering and made his first appearance at happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and had leftovers for dinner, then spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Thursday was mostly chores and relaxation day.  Jackie went in the morning for a pedi, leaving about the same time the housekeeper came to clean the house.  I worked in the shed while she cleaned.  I went to my PT at 2:30, then we went to 4:00 happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and Jackie made an excellent chili relleno casserole.  It has been a while since she made one.  Part of the reason is that we can no longer find whole green chilis in the large, 21 oz can.  We finally got three of the small cans, which provide the same amount of chilis, but the size of the individual chilis is smaller.  In the casserole it doesn’t matter, so it came out good.  After dinner we watched TV until it was time for bed. 

Friday, June 28^th, was pretty much a stay at home day.  We did a few chores but mostly relaxed.  We had leftover chili relleno for dinner, then went to Bingo.  Both of us won again, I won one of the special games for $30, and one of the regular games for $4.  Jackie also won a couple of regular games.  After Bingo we went home and watched TV the rest of the night.  Saturday we went out about 1:00 for a late lunch at Chat Thai Bistro.  After lunch we ran some errands, including a trip to Home Depot for some supplies to fix a broken stair, and Walmart for some supplies.  After shopping we went home, then went to happy hour at 4:00.  After happy hour we went home and spent the rest of the evening watching TV.

Sunday, June 30^th, the last day of the first half of the year.  Wow, time flies.  We had a relaxing day at home.  We mostly relaxed all day.  We went to the ice cream social at 2:00 and one of the other members, Bob, surprised us by paying for everyone’s ice cream.  (It’s a dollar each).  Turns out, he just won $4,500 on a penny slot machine at the Lakeside Casino just down the road.  Wow, I thought I was doing well last week when I cashed out $275.  After ice cream we went back to the house and stayed in the rest of the afternoon and evening.

It is now the end of the month, time to get this episode posted.  Until next time, have fun, stay cool, be safe.  Bye for now.

A Busy May in Pahrump and elsewhere

Hi there, welcome back.  Our last episode concluded on Tuesday, April 30^th.  Of course, we are still in Pahrump since our days of constant travel are behind us now.  Wednesday, May 1^st, MAY DAY, MAY DAY!  I had a meeting in the morning with some of the members of the By Laws Committee.  We were discussing what we needed to do to bring electronic voting to our Co-op.  With many of our members traveling a lot, it would greatly increase participation if we could do electronic balloting.  Jackie went to Pokeno in the afternoon.  My friend Len had other stuff today, so no guitar practice.  I spent the afternoon doing chores.

Thursday, May 2^nd, I had a 10:00 meeting of the By Laws committee, the last until September as the Co-op takes it’s summer break for formal meetings.  After the housekeeper finished we went out for lunch at Terrible’s Roadhouse.  We both had a hankering for liver and onions.  After lunch we went out and did some shopping.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home for dinner and an evening with the TV.  Friday Jackie had a 12:00 lunch with one of her girlfriends at a wine bar called Wine Down.  I had a meeting with one of the members of my By Laws Committee, a very nice newer member of the Co-op named Arlo, who is also an attorney.  We had a long discussion about common interest communities.  We went to happy hour and then home to dinner.  We watched TV until bedtime.

Saturday, May 4^th, Star Wars Day.  (May the fourth be with you)  I had a meeting at 11:00 with one of the groups I am working with.  About 2:30 or so we went over to the clubhouse to watch the Kentucky Derby.   There was no formal party planned, but a couple dozen people showed up to watch on the big screen TV together.  A group of us also decorated the dining room for tomorrow’s Cinco De Mayo party.  We stayed for happy hour then

went home and had dinner.  After dinner we watched TV for the rest of the evening.  Sunday, Cinco de Mayo.  We had a quiet morning and early afternoon.  About 3:30 we went over to the clubhouse with our taquito casserole and margaritas for the party.  There were about 30 or so people there and lots of great Mexican dishes.  I played some Mariachi music on the PA system and we had a good time.  We were all done and cleaned up by about 6:00.  We then went home and spent the rest of the evening watching TV.

Monday, May 6^th, was mostly a stay at home day.  We are working this week to get ready for our cruise next weekend.  I had a pedi at 3:30 and didn’t make it back for happy hour.  We had dinner and then watched TV until bedtime.  Tuesday was a busy day.  I had an appointment with my ophthalmologist at 11:00.  Jackie went with me because they always want to dilate my eyes.  The doctor confirmed that he felt that my cataracts had advanced to the point where they could no longer get me to 20/20 vision with just glasses.  They set up an appointment in a couple of weeks with the head office in Las Vegas to talk about surgery options.  Jackie drove home since I was light blinded for most of the day.  We had a planning meeting of the Silver Seekers board at 1:00.  During that time I also took a call from my urologist who told me that the enlarged testicle was just a benign sack and nothing to worry about.  After the meeting we undecorated the clubhouse from the Cinco de Mayo party.  We had happy hour at 4:00, then had dinner and watched TV for the rest of the night.

Wednesday, May 8^th, Jackie had Pokeno at 1:00 and Len and I went over to our friend’s house for guitar practice.  I also did some basic maintenance checks on the car in preparation for our trip.  Jackie then had a mani and pedi at 2:30, so she missed happy hour today.  We had dinner and spent the night with the TV.  Thursday, our last day before we leave for Long Beach and our cruise.  I had a Town Hall meeting at 9:00 where I held a discussion regarding the By Law change proposals that recently went out for a vote of the membership.  We then went to the China Wok for another MASA presentation and free lunch.  We then hurried home to got to the Silver Seekers Board meeting at 1:00.  This is the last meeting until September.  At 3:00 we both went to get haircuts.  We got back in time to get to the last part of happy hour, then went home and had dinner.  We spent the night watching TV and finalizing our packing.

Friday, May 10^th, we had the house prepped and the car packed by 9:30 and were on the road headed towards Long Beach.  We stopped in Barstow for lunch and were joined by Lee and Kim, two of our fellow Co-op members and friends who are also going on the cruise with us.  Traffic was a little rough once we got into the Los Angeles area, but we still made the Cove hotel in Long Beach about 4:30.  There are six of us from the park on the cruise.  Us, Kim and Lee, our friend Charlene, who has been on a couple other cruises with us recently, and another friend, Ed, who hasn’t cruised with us before.  We all had cocktails in the hotel bar and chatted for a while before going to our rooms.  Saturday morning we were all down in the lobby about 10:00 for breakfast in the hotel.  We all got our bags downstairs and took taxis to the cruise terminal around 12:00.  This is same hotel we have used twice before when cruising out of Long Beach.  It is a very nice hotel and has a package which includes one night stay, parking for the term of the cruise, and transportation to and from the terminal.  We got to the cruise terminal and processed through pretty quickly.  We were on the ship by about 1:30 and were able to go to our rooms.  The luggage didn’t show up until just before we sailed at 5:00.  This was a new ship to us so we spent some time exploring.  After we sailed we all had dinner together in the dining room.  After dinner we spent a little time in the casino, and went to one of the shows at 9:30.  We went to bed around 11:00 or so after a busy day.

Sunday, May 12^th,  Happy Mother’s Day.  Today was a sea day.  We spent the day with various activities around the ship.  Tonight was a formal dress night, so we got all dressed up for dinner with our group.  We spent some time in the casino and went to the production show at 9:30.  We did other activities after the show and went to bed about 11:00.  Monday was another sea day.  It was a little boring since this ship doesn’t have much in the way of activities beyond endless trivia contests.  We had dinner with our group in the dining room and went to another show at 9:30.  We also took in the late comedy show at 11:00 with a very funny comic, Larry Omaha.  After that show we went to bed.

Tuesday, May 14^th, our first port of call, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  We have been to Puerto Vallarta before, but it was many years ago on another cruise.  We went ashore about 10:30 or so and did some exploring and shopping and also had lunch at a nice restaurant.  We went back about the ship in the early afternoon and got ready for our shore excursion which started at 3:00.  This was an excursion we got through the ship.  They put us on a large tender boat at 3:30 and we had an hour long boat ride across the bay to a rural area south of town.  This was a private resort where we had a wonderful dinner with a hundred or so people, then were treated to one of the best variety shows I have seen.  It was all themed around Aztec culture and legend was really good.  Did I mention the excursion also had an open bar?  After the show we were back on the boat and back on the ship just 15 minutes before it sailed out of Puerto Vallarta.  We did a couple of things around the ship after it sailed before heading off to bed.

Wednesday, May 15^th, Happy Birthday to Jackie.  Today we are in Mazatlán and all six of us were off the ship at 10:00 for another excursion, this one a private outfit which Jackie found and set up for us.  Like Puerto Vallarta, we have been here before, but it’s been a while.  We had a driver with a truck that had seats in the back and he treated us to a personal guided tour of  Mazatlán.  We saw all the sights, we did some shopping, and had a really great lunch at a beachside restaurant.  I bought a new ring, Jackie got some stuff and we had a really good time.  It was a five hour tour and only cost $30 a person, which was also wonderful, much less than shorter trips arranged by the ship.  After the tour we went back on ship just before sailing time.  We spent the evening with different activities.  We had dinner in the steak house specialty restaurant even though we had a big lunch.  We were joined for dinner by our friends Lee and Kim.  We still stayed up until about 11:30 before hitting the bed.

Thursday, May 16^th, another port of call,  this time Cabo San Lucas, a port we have been to three times in the last year.  We still got off the ship about 10:30 and went into town for some shopping and lunch.  Today was a short day off the ship as we all had to be back by 2:30 and the ship sailed at 3:00.  We also learned that our friend Lee had been transferred off the ship to the hospital in Cabo.  He had not been feeling well last night at dinner.  Kim took him to the ship hospital in the middle of the night and he ended up staying there until they transferred him to the hospital.  Kim said they also took all their luggage ashore since they didn’t believe he would be able to come back to the ship in time for sailing.  Turns out they were right because he went into surgery very quickly after being admitted to the hospital.  He was going to stay there for the night and maybe be released tomorrow. 

Tonight was the second formal night of the cruise.  We got dressed up and had dinner with our group.  We also had some photos taken, which we ended up buying a couple of.  We spent some time in the casino and took in another show.  We went to bed around 11:00 again.  Friday was the last full day of the cruise and was a sea day.  Kim told us Lee had been released and they were flying out today.  They were flying back to Long Beach, via Salt Lake City, and would pick up their car from the hotel and drive home.  We didn’t do too much other than a few of the activities on the ship.  I did some karaoke and we had a final dinner with our group.  We also had to put our checked bags out in the hallway by 10:00.  Tonight we went to bed a little earlier since we had an early day tomorrow.

Saturday, May 18^th, disembarkment day.  We had to be out of the cabin by 8:30, so we were up early.  After we left the cabin we had breakfast and just waited for our number to be called to get off the ship.  This is a large ship, more than 4,000 passengers, so debarking took time.  They also got a late start, so we didn’t get off the ship until about 10:30.  Fortunately, everything after, getting our bags, clearing Customs, and catching a cab back to the hotel went quickly and flawlessly,  We were on the road rom the hotel before noon and headed back to Pahrump.  We were making good time until we got to the climb to Cajon Pass.  About halfway up traffic came to a near stop.  There seems to have been an accident of some kind on the Northbound side near the top.  We finally got to the pass and things cleared up.  We stopped for lunch in Yermo, at Peggy Sue’s Diner along with our friends Charlene and Ed.  We finally got home just a little before 6:00.  We got the car unloaded and just crashed for the rest of the evening.  Jackie had talked to Kim  and found that they had arrived in Long Beach late on Friday, drove part way home and spent the night at a hotel in Fortuna.  They then headed for Pahrump and got there a little before we did.  Lee is doing well and everything turned out as well as could be expected.

Sunday, May 19^th, I had a short meeting in the morning.  After lunch I was feeling really sick to my stomach.  I took a nap but it didn’t get any better.  Finally, about 4:00 or so I barfed my guts out.  After that I started feeling better.  Whatever caused the tummy problem was out of there.  I had some chicken soup for dinner and was OK for the evening.  We got some of our bags unpacked and did several loads of laundry, but I was not much help because I was feeling yucky.  Monday, I was feeling much better.  I had the remainder of the soup for lunch and then finished the unpacking and putting stuff away.  By supper time I was fine and we even went to happy hour, although I still didn’t want to have a drink.  After happy hour we had chicken burros for dinner, then watched TV until it was time to go to bed.

Tuesday, May 21^st, Jackie had a mani appointment at 10:30.  We both went to a presentation in the clubhouse put on by Nathan Adelson Hospice.  They gave a lot of good information about their hospice, and what hospice was and wasn’t.  They also brought pizza for the crowd, which pretty much guarantied an audience.  After the presentation we went out and did some shopping.  We got back for happy hour, then had dinner.  We watched TV until bedtime.  Wednesday, Jackie had her usual Pokeno at 1:00.  I didn’t have guitar practice with Len today because he was busy with a doctor’s appointment.  We both had haircuts at 3:30.  We skipped happy hour because we were having a BBQ and Howl at the Moon party at our outdoor gazebo in the back of the park tonight.  We had about 30 people there and had a good time.  I played guitar and sang for about an hour.  Only a handful of the people stayed until 7:30 for the actual moonrise, but we still had a good night.  After the moon came up and we howled, we packed up and went home to the TV for the rest of the evening.

Thursday, May 23^rd, we had a Board Meeting at 9:00, the last until after summer.  I set up for the 2:00 jam session after lunch.  I went back over the jam at 2:00.  We only had three other people come to participate.  Our friends from outside the park cancelled again due to poor health.  After the jam we did some chores and packing at home, getting ready to leave tomorrow for Phoenix and my brother Ken’s memorial service.  Friday we were packed up and in the car on the way to Phoenix about 9:30.  It is over 300 miles so it makes for a long day.  We stopped at the In-N-Out in Kingman for lunch and arrived at the Hampton Inn in Glendale, Arizona about 4:30.  We got settled in our room and relaxed for a little while, then went out to Cracker Barrel restaurant for dinner.  We went there because it was close and Jackie had something to return that she had bought at a Cracker Barrel when we were here in March, right after Ken died.  After dinner we went back to the hotel and relaxed with the TV the rest of the night.  This is a very nice hotel with really big, nice rooms.

Saturday, May 25th, we left the hotel about 12:30 and drove to the Knights of Columbus Hall in Glendale for Ken’s memorial.  Sadly, when we arrived and met with Susan she told us that her mother, Helena, had just passed away this morning.  Talk about stacking grief.  Her mother lived in South Carolina and Susan will be going back there later this week to deal with that.  There were a couple dozen family and friends in attendance, mostly from Susan’s side of the family.  My brother Russ, who lives in Las Vegas, and his wife Zen were there, and Jackie and I.  My brother Dave lives in Virginia and couldn’t come, and my brother Dennis, who lives in Cottonwood, Arizona, didn’t come because he has decided to be estranged from the family.  There were also a couple dozen members of the Arizona Rangers organization in attendance, in uniform, putting on the memorial.  Both Ken and Susan were members of the Rangers for over ten years.

In 1901, the original Arizona Rangers were created to rid the Arizona Territory of outlaws and corruption.  At the time, the Territory was very dangerous.  The United States Congress had denied the Governor's application for Arizona to become a State in part because there was no law and order.  The Rangers were well-trained, well-equipped, and very effective at apprehending even the most dangerous of outlaws, evolving into one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the country.  Modeled after the Texas Rangers, the Arizona Rangers were tasked with hunting down and arresting outlaws in the Territory, especially along the Mexican border.  By 1908, most of the outlaws had been arrested, killed, or had fled into Mexico.  The Rangers were disbanded for political reasons in 1909.  Shortly afterward, Arizona became the 48th state.  The “New” modern-day Arizona Rangers were officially recognized by the State of Arizona when the Legislature passed a new statute authorizing the Arizona Rangers to provide armed law enforcement assistance to any Local, State, Federal or Tribal law enforcement agency in Arizona, which was then signed into law by the Governor.  In addition, the Arizona Rangers are exempt from private security regulations and are authorized to provide armed public safety services for a variety of nonprofit organizations as well.  Ken was very proud of his affiliation with the Rangers as he always wanted to serve in Law Enforcement.  They left the group in 2022 when the started their full-timing life style.  At the time Ken was a Company Commander (Captain) of one of the local companies. 

The Rangers did a great job with the memorial.  After the memorial we went back to the hotel and relaxed for a while.  We then went out again and met Russ and Zen at a Mexican restaurant for dinner.  We had a nice dinner.  They are leaving tomorrow to go back to Vegas because Russ has to work.  After dinner we went back to the hotel and relaxed with the TV the rest of the night.

Sunday, May 26^th, we had pretty much a free day.  We relaxed in the hotel room in the morning, then went out for lunch at a place called Ceviche 101.  They specialized in ceviche, although they had other Mexican foods as well.  It was good, but pricey.  After lunch we did some shopping at a nearby outlet mall, getting a couple of things in the process.  We then spent an hour or so driving around the west side of town where I grew up and lived most of my life just sightseeing.  We then went back to the hotel and rested a bit before going out again to a Mexican restaurant in Goodyear to meet Susan for dinner.  We had a really nice dinner and a nice quiet visit with Susan.  After dinner we went back to the hotel and watched TV until it was time to sleep.  Monday, Memorial Day.  We were packed up and in the car headed back North by about 9:30.  Traffic was pretty light, being a holiday.  We stopped in Wickenburg for lunch, then continued on to Pahrump, getting home about 4:30.  We got the car unpacked, did some laundry, and watched TV until we went to bed.

Tuesday, May 28^th, we had pretty much a stay at home day.  Got some laundry done and some post-trip chores done.  Also spent a lot of time on the phone and computer getting ready for the surgery next week.  We did leave about 3:30 and went to Terrible’s Roadhouse for the monthly park dine-out.  Tuesday is rib night, so both of us had a half rack of ribs, which were very good.  There were a couple dozen people from our park at the dine-out.  After dinner we stayed and gamed for a while.  I put $20 in a nickel poker machine and played for a while.  When I had $1 left I hit a natural Royal Flush for $200.  My first natural Royal in many years.  I continued to play for another five or ten minutes on that last dollar and cashed out when I got down to the $200.  Yea!  Jackie lost her $20, but played for about 45 minutes on it. We then headed home and spent the rest of the evening watching TV.  Wednesday, we had a pretty normal Wednesday.  Jackie did go out early, about 7:30, to get blood drawn for labs she needed for her six month checkup with Dr. Wiggins next week.  I was supposed to also have a checkup, but I probably won’t feel like going to the doctor because I will be recovering from my hip surgery on Monday.  The cleaning lady came over in the morning and cleaned the house.  Jackie had Pokeno at 1:00 and Len came over for guitar practice, also at 1:00.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home for dinner and another night with the TV.

Wednesday, May 30^th, we were in the car and on the road headed for Las Vegas about 11:00.  I had a 12:30 appointment with my ophthalmologist to confirm that my cataracts had reached the point where they needed to be fixed.  After a quick exam he said I was ready.  He was ready to the first eye this week, but I told him that I was having hip surgery and would hold off on the cataracts for a couple of months.  He said no problem, just let him know and he would get me scheduled.  We then went out and did some shopping and had lunch.  We went to the outlet mall, which was fun, but a lot walking made my hip hurt.  About 3:30 or so we drove to Arizona Charlie’s hotel and casino in the middle of Vegas and checked into our room.  We are staying the night because I have my pre-op appointment tomorrow with the orthopedic center.  We decided it was less stress to just stay over for the night rather than drive back and forth on two consecutive days.  After we got checked in we rested for a while, then went downstairs and gamed for a couple of hours.  We had dinner in the casino restaurant, then went up to our room and watched TV until we fell asleep.  Thursday we were checked out of the hotel by about 10:30.  We drove to an Egg Works restaurant where Jackie had breakfast and I had lunch.  We then went to my pre-op appointment.  We met with the Doctor’s PA and nurse and found out everything we needed to so as to be ready on Monday.  Everybody was pretty upbeat and only said, as had everyone else, that the first two weeks after the surgery will be painful, but then it should start to get better if I stick to the PT schedule.  After the doctor’s visit we headed back to Pahrump.  We got back in time to go to happy hour with our group.  After happy hour we went home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

We are now done with the month of May, time to get this closed and online.  Until next time, be good, be kind, have fun.  Bye.

Spring has Sprung in Pahrump

Hello, our last chapter ended on Easter Sunday, March 31^st.  Monday was pretty much a stay at home day.  I had a lot of office work to do in conjunction with my being the Chair of the By Laws Committee.  We are putting the finishing touches on our amendment proposals for this year.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 and then came home for dinner.  I had my first shift of security duty for the month, after which we just watched TV and went to bed.

Tuesday, April 2^nd, I had a noon appointment with my dermatologist to cut out a basil cell carcinoma that he had found a couple weeks ago during my checkup.  They numbed me up and the doctor came in and took a pretty good size chunk out of my upper right chest.  It didn’t hurt though.  After I went home I just spent the rest of the day doing office work and some chores.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 and I did my second tour of security at 8:00.  Then we watched TV and went to bed.  Wednesday we went over to the clubhouse at 11:00 for a luncheon put on by MASA, the emergency medical transport insurance that we have.  We listened to his presentation and then had a lunch from Panda Express that he had delivered to the clubhouse.  After lunch Jackie played Pokeno with the girls and I went with my friend Len to a house elsewhere in Pahrump for our guitar practice.  This was an older couple (like I should be saying that) named Merlin and Linda, that Len had met at karaoke at the Elks.  He learned that they played music, mostly guitars, and were looking for jam partners.  So Len made arrangements for us to go over to their house to see if we could get something going.  They are a nice couple that appear to be at least eight or ten years older than us.  Both are not in real good health, Merlin is on oxygen, and Linda has trouble walking.  They have been guitar players for many years and lived in Quartzsite, Arizona for years.  They had a lot of experience with jam sessions.  We set up and had a two hour session that was a lot of fun.  After we were done Len dropped me off at home.  We were home the rest of the night and I did my last security tour.

Thursday, April 4^th, I had another meeting with the By Laws Committee at 9:00 which went a couple of hours.  When I got home our housekeeper was there cleaning the house, so I went to my office and worked.  Jackie went over to the clubhouse to play cards and I did chores and office work.  We went to happy hour, then home for a light dinner of leftovers from lunch.  We watched TV and went to bed.  Friday I had a meeting at 10:00 with some other members about board business.  At 10:30 we left and went to the China Wok buffet for another MASA presentation and free lunch.  We try not to miss any free lunch!!  After the lunch we did some grocery shopping and then headed home.  I spent the afternoon making up about 2 gallons of chili.  Tomorrow the Silver Seekers are holding the annual chili cookoff.  Since I am a board member of the Silver Seekers, I didn’t want to participate in the contest.  I volunteered to make the “house” chili, which would be available after judging for everyone to eat.  It turned out pretty good.  We went to happy at 4:00, then came home and had dinner and another night with the TV.

Saturday, April 6^th, I put my chili into a couple of crockpots at lunch time to heat up.  About 3:30 we went over to the clubhouse to help set up the cookoff.  At 4:00 they had the contest.  There were five chilis in the cookoff.  After the voting and prize presentation was over everyone had dinner, mostly my chili, and we had a nice time.  We were done by about 5:30, so we went home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Sunday we went to the ice cream social at 1:00.  After the social we went out and did some shopping.  We came home and I spent some time in the office doing paperwork.  We had dinner later and then watched TV for the rest of the night.

Monday, April 8^th, we went to the Living Free Café on the North side of town for the monthly Lucky Rollers lunch.  There were probably 30 or so people there.  The Lucky Rollers is the travel club of the Co-op and also the name for Chapter 14 or the

Escapees National RV Club.  After lunch we went back to the clubhouse for a meeting of the Lucky Rollers.  It was mostly discussing the upcoming campout for the Group.  We are going to the town of Beatty, about 80 miles North of Pahrump, but still in Nye County.  Since we no longer have an RV we are staying in the hotel next door to the campground.  We will be there three nights.  After the meeting I did some chores and office work.  We had dinner and then watched TV until bedtime.  Tuesday we had a workshop meeting with the Silver Seekers at 1:00.  After the meeting we went home and did few chores.  We did happy hour at 4:00, then came home for dinner.  Jackie made a very good casserole that could best be titled, “deconstructed stuffed green peppers”.  It’s a keeper.  We spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Wednesday, April 10^th, we had our usual Wednesday schedule.  Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00 and Len picked me up to go to our new jam friends house for guitar practice.  We had a good time and Jackie won a few nickels.  We went to happy hour, then came home for dinner and a night with the TV.  Thursday I had to be in the clubhouse about 8:00 a.m. to set up the Zoom for the monthly Town Hall meeting.  I was then back to do the Zoom for the monthly meeting of the Silver Seekers Board.  I am also the Vice President of the Silver Seekers, so I was also at the dais doing double duty.  After the meetings I went home and did some chores.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home for dinner and an evening with the TV.

Friday, April 12^th, Jackie went over to the clubhouse to play cards.  I did some chores and office work while she was gone.  We went to happy hour and then stayed for Bingo.  I won one of the regular games, and I was the only winner, so I got the whole $20.  Jackie didn’t hit anything.  After Bingo we went home and relaxed with the TV the rest of the night.  Saturday Jackie had a ladies luncheon at 11:00 and I stayed home and did chores.  Some laundry and stuff.  While I was working in the shed office in the afternoon I heard I suddenly heard a rushing sound and a lot of noise from just outside the shed.  I went out just in time to see our canopy we have over the outside patio lift up in the air and tear apart.  I felt the high wind and realized that a big dust devil had just passed over our yard.  The fabric on the canopy was several years old and brittle, so the sudden super high wind just ripped it apart.  Didn’t hurt the metal frame, just the canopy.  Now we have to find a new canopy.  We spent the whole day at home, went to happy hour at 4:00 and then relaxed with the TV the rest of the day.

Sunday, April 14^th, we went to the ice cream social at 2:00 and then stayed to play the left-right-center dice game.  We had a dozen players today, so the payoff was pretty good.  I won one of the three rounds.  After LCR we went home and stayed in the rest of the day.  Monday was another stay at home day for me.  Jackie went to get a mani at 1:00 and I went over the clubhouse and listened in on the Board’s workshop meeting.  I did a few chores, including removing and discarding the remains of the canopy over the patio.  I did find a company that sells replacement canopies, so I ordered a new one. We had dinner and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

Tuesday, April 16^th, I went out in the morning and drove to the Nye County Assessors office to finally apply for the tax exemption that the County provides to honorably discharged veterans.  The exemption is currently $138, although it is higher for those who are also disabled veterans, and can be used to offset either County property taxes, or MVD vehicle license fees.  I never bothered with applying in the past because our vehicles were “company” vehicles registered out of state and we never owned any property.  However, now that both our vehicles belong to us and are registered in Nevada, we can use the exemption.  After I was done with that I went home and did some chores.  After lunch we went out and did some shopping.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 and then came home for dinner and a night with the TV.  Wednesday we relaxed in the morning.  Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00 and I left about the same time with Len to go play guitar with our friends in town.  After we both got home we went to happy hour, then came home and I made tuna casserole for dinner.  We watched TV for the rest of the night.

Thursday, April 18^th, we were both at the monthly Board of Directors meeting in the clubhouse at 9:00.  I had to give a presentation to the Board regarding the proposed amendments to the governing documents that came out of the By Laws Committee, which I chair.  While we were at the meeting our housekeeper was cleaning the house.  After the meeting we went out for lunch at Taco Fiesta, one of the local Mexican restaurants, and then ran a few errands.  About 1:40 we went to my dermatologist’s office so I could get the stitches taken out from the minor skin cancer excision I had a couple weeks ago.  I had already gotten the report that the margins on the excised area were clean, so no more cancer there.  The wound was nicely healed and the stitches came right out.  I was in and out of the office in five minutes.  After that we went back home and relaxed until happy hour.  After happy hour we went home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Friday Jackie went to a girls lunch at the local wine bar.  I did some chores and my friend Len came over about 1:00 and we had some guitar practice.  I did get the newly purchased cover for our gazebo put up, so our patio looks nice again.  We went to happy hour at 4:00 and then had dinner.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Saturday, April 20^th, we went over to the clubhouse at noon for lunch.  Don O, our Silver Seekers President, had made a Mexican lunch, with enchilada style burritos, refried beans, Mexican rice, and chips and salsa.  It was a great lunch and we had about 35 people from the park, including some who are just guests staying here in rental sites.  After lunch we went home and did a few chores.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and watched TV for the rest of the night.  Sunday was pretty much a stay at home day.  We went to the ice cream social at 2:00, then went back home and did some chores.  We spent the rest of the day at home.

Monday, April 22^nd, was a chores and errands day.  Our first task was we went to a local independent insurance agency here in Pahrump to re-do our insurance policies on the trailer and the car.  We currently have Progressive insurance through the FMCA Insurance group, which is handled by an agency in Iowa.  We decided that we could reduce our insurance a little bit because we no longer need the high coverage limits that we have had for years.  We always carried large policies because we were operating a 16 ton motorhome, which could cause a lot of damage in an accident, and we traveled continuously, increasing the opportunities for accidents.  Now we mostly travel local and drive a small car.  I also wanted to change to a local insurance agent since we are now full time in Pahrump.  The agent wrote new policies for us with lower coverage limits, but we were still with Progressive.  The reason for this is that we still live in an RV full time, we just don’t travel with it.  Progressive is one of the few insurance companies that will write a full timers RV policy.  We saved a couple of hundred dollars and now have a local agent.  Ater that we went had lunch at Teriyaki Madness and then went to Walmart for supplies.  After we got home we did some packing for our trip tomorrow to Beatty with the camping group.  We went to happy hour at 4:00.  It was pretty quiet at happy hour because a big percentage of the regular attendees had already left for Beatty.  The people with RVs were arriving on Monday and leaving on Thursday.  Since we are staying in a hotel in Beatty, we don’t leave until tomorrow.  After happy hour we went home, had leftovers for dinner, and watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, April 23^rd, we finished packing in the morning and by about 10:30 we were on the road headed for Beatty.  It is only 85 miles or so and we arrived in Beatty about noon.  We had lunch at Denny’s, which happens to be in the hotel we are staying at.  After lunch we checked and found our room was available, so we checked in and took our luggage into the hotel room.  We then drove our to the campground to meet with the rest of the camping club.  For this trip we have 24 people at the campout, with three of us staying in the hotel.  We hung out with the group and had happy hour.  After happy hour most of the group left to go have dinner, so we went back to the hotel.  We went into the casino and

gambled for a while, but didn’t win anything.  About 7:00 or so we went back to the room and spent the rest of the night with the TV.  Wednesday we relaxed in the hotel most of the morning and went to the campground a little before noon.  Our friend Max was cooking ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch for the group.  We had a great time visiting.  We hung around with the camping most of the day, playing games.  Jackie did a craft decorating soap bars.  There was a pot luck for dinner after happy hour.  After dinner I set up and played guitar and sang for about 45 minutes.  We were still having fun with music when a storm rolled in and the winds were so high that we decided we needed to take down the two pop up canopies we had set up and get everything tied down.  Everyone scrambled and got everything put away and safe. So much for music night.  We then left and went back to the hotel where we spent the rest of the night in the room.  We also did a few geocaches today.

Thursday, April 25^th, the last full day of the campout.  We left the hotel around 10:30 again, then did a few local geocaches before we went to the campground.  We had some lunch at the campground with leftovers from the pot luck.  At 1:00 we had the official meeting of the Lucky Rollers, which is the name of the camping group.  They usually do three different drawings, with ticket sales going to the Lucky Rollers treasury.  We didn’t win the 50/50 drawing,

which was nice at $86.  We did win one of the brown bag gifts, which was a 12 pack of Blue Moon beer.  It will go to good use.  I also ended up with a bottle of Canadian Mist whisky which was won by our friend Jon, who happens to not drink.  Yea, score for us.  We also won one of the door prizes, which was a $15 gift card for Little Ceasar’s pizza.  We left the campground around 2:30 and went out to do some caching and explore.  About 4:00 we went to a local bar in Beatty for a drink, then went across the street to meet with the rest of the group at a restaurant called Smokin J’s Barbeque.  Everyone raved about this place and the group decided to have our dinner here.  The food was very good, if a little on the expensive side.  We had a nice time eating and visiting with the group.  After dinner the campers all went back to the campground and we went back to the hotel.  We gamed in the Casino for a while, then went back to the room and relaxed with the TV.

Friday, April 26^th, we were packed up and on the road by about 10:30, heading back to Pahrump.  We had rain the entire trip.  We got home around 11:15 or so and unpacked the car and got stuff put away.  While we were in Beatty we heard from some old friends from FMCA, Mike and Darlene Neighbours.  Mike and I were in various positions on executive board of the Full Timers Chapter of FMCA for about 10 years.  Both of us served at various times as Vice President, President, and Newsletter Editor, over those years.  We had not seen Mike and Darlene since the Summer 2022 FMCA rally in Tucson.  We met them about 2:00 at our favorite Thai food restaurant, Chatthai Bistro.  We had a nice lunch, then they came over to our place.  They had never been to the Escapees park here, so we gave them a tour.  We stopped in at happy hour for a little bit, then went back to our place and visited until they left around 6:00.  After they left we spent the rest of the evening with the TV.  Saturday was a stay at home day.  I did some chores and spent some time working on the golf cart, mostly just checking the basic stuff to see what the repair shop had done.  I also did some research and found the one thing the golf cart shop guy had said they couldn’t find, a wiring diagram for this cart.  Actually, it was a wiring diagram for the controller in this cart, which is all of the wires that actually make it move.  It doesn’t include the lights and other accessories, but those still work anyway.  Now I have a firm starting point.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home, had dinner and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Sunday, April 28^th, we had our usual relaxing morning.  After coffee and the paper I did some office work.  After lunch we went to the ice cream social and stayed after for a while playing Left-Right-Center.  After the games we did some grocery shopping and then came home.  We had dinner and then spent the rest of the evening with the TV.  Monday we left the park around noon and went to the Artesian Cellars winery restaurant for a birthday party for our friends Julie and Ginny.  Julie had won a prize at a charity silent action a while back which was a party for 20 people at the Artesian Cellars and included a wine slushy drink for everyone and a large charcuterie board.  We only had 16 people because a couple of the people Julie had invited couldn’t come for some last minute reason.  We had a really good time and actually spent almost three hours in the back room eating and drinking.  After the party we went to Walmart to return something from yesterday’s trip.  After our errands we went back home just in time to go to happy hour and sit and talk to many of the same people we had lunch with.  After happy hour we went home and relaxed with the TV the rest of the night.

Tuesday, April 30^th, the last day of April.  We had a meeting at 11:00 with the Silver Seekers Board.  We needed to have a special meeting to begin thinking about what we as a group are going to do during “homecoming week” as it is called.  This is the week before the Annual Membership Meeting of the Co-op, which is traditionally the first Saturday in November.  Since the week prior includes Halloween, a party for that was, of course, included.  We made up a rough schedule which we will adjust through the summer as we think of things.  We needed to have at least started on planning this early because in the next few weeks a number of the Co-op members are going to start leaving the park for their summer travels.  After the meeting we went back home and spent the rest of the doing some chores..  We went to happy hour and then came home for dinner and spent the remainder of the night with the TV.

This is the end of April, time to get this episode closed out.  Until next time, be calm and live on.  Bye.