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.