Monsoon Time in Pahrump

 Hi there, glad to see you back. Our last chapter concluded on Friday, July 29^th, with us still parked on our lot at the Escapee's RV park in Pahrump, Nevada. Saturday we went out after lunch to run a few errands after which we went back to the coach and relaxed. We went to the 4:00 happy hour at the clubhouse and then home for dinner. After dinner we watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday I had plans to do some work outside on the air conditioner project, however about lunch time it started raining and it rained, on and off hard rain, all day. It didn't clear up until about 6:00, just in time for me to be able to cook some nice t-bones on the BBQ. After dinner we watched TV and then went to bed. Monday we went out after lunch to do a Walmart run. Before we went to the store we stopped at the Nugget Casino for some gaming time. Both lost about $40 but had fun. After shopping we returned home and spent the rest of the day inside. We did go to happy hour at the Clubhouse. Jackie made chili relleno casserole for dinner and it was good. Spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Tuesday, August 2^nd, I had to take a quick trip in the morning to the Pahrump office of the Ophthalmologist I am seeing to have them take some pictures of my eyes. I am trying to get approval for eyelid surgery to open up my eyes a little and they had called and said the insurance wanted some pictures of my eyes to go with the test results the doctor sent them. After that I headed back to the coach and we stayed in for the rest of the day. Jackie was feeling a little down today because her intermittent cough isn't getting better and she is still having trouble sleeping. I did go to happy hour in the clubhouse after which we had leftovers for dinner. I also had security duty this evening for an hour, but we spent most of the night with the TV. Wednesday was a stay at home day. Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00. My friend Len came over to help me lift the new air conditioner into the housing I installed in the wall of the shed. I plugged it in and it worked! Yea! Now I just have to get the materials to do the finish trim on the inside and caulk the outside and that project will be done. I also spent some time cleaning up and rearranging the shed and covered patio. I had security duty tonight again, but other than that we spent the evening with the TV.

Thursday, August 4^th, I went out after lunch to Home Depot to pick up some supplies I needed for our improvement projects in the shed. After I got home we went to the happy hour at the Clubhouse and I did my last shift of security duty for the month. After I was finished we watched TV and went to bed. Friday I did some work on the air conditioner trim work and we went out to run some errands later in the afternoon. One of the places we stopped was Goodwill where we found a good Samsonite hard side suitcase for $10. We are looking to buy some cheap but usable hard sided luggage for our Panama Canal cruise in February. We don't travel enough to justify buying new stuff. After we got home we had dinner and then I spent some time putting together a new small storage cabinet that was delivered today. We watched some TV and went to bed.

Saturday, August 6^th, we went out about 12:30 for a late lunch at China A Gogo. After lunch we hit went to another thrift store in town and found two more Samsonite hard side cases, the same model as the one we got at Goodwill, just a different color. They were also only $10 each. I also got a really nice, brand new blue blazer that fits perfectly, also $10. We now have two medium size and one large case, which should be enough for the cruise. Yea! After our shopping we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the evening relaxing with the TV. Sunday was a stay at home day. I did a little work in the shed and my office. We went to root beer floats in the clubhouse at 2:00. The regular crew was sick, so I had to help scoop the ice cream. We only had seven people, so it went pretty quick. I made a pot of chili for dinner and we spent the evening relaxing with the TV.

Monday, August 8^th, would have been my mother's 97^th birthday. Happy Birthday mom in heaven. We had a stay at home day today. I finished the air conditioner project today, completing the trim work on the inside and sealing around the casing on the outside. The next one to tackle is the ceiling fan on the patio. We went to happy hour at the clubhouse and then had dinner at home. We spent the rest of the evening with the TV. Tuesday we were up and out early, REALLY early. We left the coach at 6:00 a.m. and headed into Las Vegas for my eyelid surgery. I had been scheduled at the out patient surgery center for 7:45. Once we got there I got called in pretty quickly and prepped for the surgery. I had thought I was going to be put out, but they did a very light, twilight anesthesia and I was quite alert during the procedure, even talking to the doctor. I would say the whole surgery process was maybe an hour with another couple hours for prep and recovery. I my recovery time they wheeled me out the car and Jackie drove us home. I have to ice my face every hour for 15 minutes to keep swelling down, but I don't really have any pain, just some discomfort. After we got home I spent the rest of the day and evening sitting in my chair, icing my face every hour and watching TV.

Wednesday, August 10^th, we were out early again heading for Las Vegas, at least a slightly more reasonable 9:30 departure time. Today we were going to the urologists office for my consult after my UTI last month. During the treatment process some “issues” with my bladder and prostate were seen on two CT scans and they recommended seeing a specialist. Today was truly just a consultation, the doctor interviewed me, looked at the CT reports, and told me that I did have an enlarged prostrate and that I needed to come back for some tests. At the end of the month I have a “flow test” to see how strong my urine flow is. Then early in September I have to have a cystoscopy, which in layman's terms is the camera up the pee pee. Not looking forward to that one. After the doctor's appointment we stopped for lunch and then headed back over the hill. We didn't dally in Vegas too long because it was starting to look stormy, but we didn't have any rain except for a couple drops on the windshield coming over the pass. After we got home we went to happy hour and spent the rest of the night with the TV.  The photo to the right we took in the Red Rock Canyon park on the way to my doctor's appointment.  These little gas powered three-wheelers are the latest tourist craze for touring the Red Rock Canyon.  There was a line of about a dozen of these colorful little buggies.

Thursday, August 11^th, we had a more relaxing day. I had a meeting in the morning with the Audit committee I am the chairman of. After the meeting we had lunch and then did a Walmart and mail run. We went to happy hour in the clubhouse, had dinner and spent the rest of the evening with the TV. Friday was a stay at home day. We had a big meeting in the clubhouse at 2:00 which was for all members of the park. It was called to give the members a chance to vent about some issues that have been occurring at the park. It was mostly a gripe session, but I think it helped some people get some things off their chest. In my estimation it stems from a Board of Directors that has abdicated their role of governance and management of the park to untrained staff and also has neglected, some say refused, to communicate with the membership. There is an election of three of the nine Board members in November and I am one of the eight people running for the three open seats. After the meeting we had happy hour with some friends in the clubhouse then went home for dinner and TV watching the rest of the night.

Saturday, August 13^th, we left the coach about 1:00 and went out for a late lunch at the Roadhouse Casino. After lunch we went to the laundromat to do our laundry. We don't usually like doing laundry on weekends, but we were so busy last week we couldn't get it in. As it turned out, by the time we got to the laundromat in the mid afternoon it was pretty empty. The photo is of our traditional laundry day Skip-Bo card game.  After our laundry we went home, put everything away and relaxed for the rest of the evening. Sunday was a stay at home day. Other than going out to the shed after lunch for some guitar practice neither of us left the coach all day. Very relaxing day. We did a “Thanksgiving in August” dinner with turkey breast, stuffing and gravy, then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Monday, August 15^th, we went out after lunch to run some errands. Jackie needed some prescription refills from Walgreens and we had some packages at the UPS Store to pick up. We also stopped and put gas in the car for the first time in two months. After our errands we went back to the coach and then at 4:00 went to happy hour at the Clubhouse. After happy hour we went home and had dinner, then watched TV until it was time for bed. Tuesday Jackie went out about 10:30 to get a haircut. I stayed home and did some chores. We went to happy hour at 4:00 and then did some chicken on the BBQ for dinner. We spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Wednesday, August 17^th, Jackie went to the Clubhouse for Pokeno at 1:00. I did some office work and chores around the coach in the afternoon. We went to 4:00 social hour, then came home and watched TV until bedtime. Thursday I did some office work in the morning. About 1:00 I had a meeting with the Co-op's office manager regarding my work on the Audit committee. After my meeting we went out for a late lunch to a place called “The Place to Go” here in Pahrump. The place has been open for a couple of years now and has gotten really good ratings and reviews, but for some reason we have not gone there. I don't know if it was it's location in a little strip mall, actually right next to our dentist's office, or the fact that we thought it was just a burger joint. At any rate, it is primarily a sandwich and burger place, but they have wings and salads as well and the sandwich menu is pretty extensive. I had a Philly cheesesteak and it was one of the best I have had in a while. Jackie had the gyro, which had real lamb and she said it was good as well, although the meat was slightly dry. Because this was our only meal for the day we had the fish taco appetizer, which was two HUGE fish tacos, one for each of us. They were also excellent in my opinion. Jackie had great onion rings and I had the tater tots which were also very good. We definitely will be back again. The only down side of the place is they don't have a beer and wine license which I think would help boost their business. After lunch we headed back to the park, went to happy hour at the Clubhouse and then spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Friday was mostly a stay at home day. Did a few chores around the coach and generally relaxed. About 6:00 we left and drove to the Roadhouse Casino for dinner and some gaming. Being Friday we had to wait so we gambled a bit. When they called us to eat we went in. We both had the salad bar and the Friday special, which was two pieces of fish, two fried shrimp and some hush puppies, for $5.99. We both had drinks and the total was still under $30. After we ate we gambled for another hour or so. All in all, I did OK, leaving having only lost less than $4. Jackie didn't do well, but still had fun. We went back home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

We are now three weeks into this Chapter and it is time to get it online. We haven't been doing too much, so not much in the way of pictures for this episode. Until next time, remember the words of the comedian and actor George Burns. “You know you’re getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you’re down there.” See ya soon.

Summer in the Desert

 Hello again, welcome back to our story. Our last chapter concluded on Thursday, July 6^th, with us parked on our lot at the Escapees Co-op park in Pahrump. It also found both of us not feeling a hundred percent, Jackie with an annoying cough and me with a stubborn urinary tract infection. Friday found us once again pretty much house-bound with our maladies. We spent the day on the computer or watching TV and hoping to get better soon.

Friday, July 8^th, I was supposed to have my last class at the Sheriff's Office for my position on the Peace Officers Advisory Review Board, but because of my UTI issues I had to email the training sergeant and let her know I wasn't going to make it. We again spent the day with computers and the TV. Saturday was another stay at home day. I was waiting for some improvement in my UTI conditions, but I only saw incremental changes and it seemed that the amount of blood in my urine was increasing, not decreasing.

Sunday, July 10^th, I finally decided to go back to the urgent care when the blood issue in my urine was still very high this morning. After lunch I went to the same ER. Fortunately, it was very quiet. In fact, there was no one in waiting room when I arrived about 1:00. The girl behind the check in desk even remembered me, asking if I had been in recently. I checked in and within ten minutes was called into the exam area. After the nurse took my vitals a very pleasant woman doctor came in. She took her time and got my whole story and told me she was glad I came back in as she was concerned it might be more than just a UTI. She told me that she was going to order a shot of strong antibiotics and also order a CT scan. She also said she was going to change my oral antibiotic, although she was unsure at that point to what. She wanted to eliminate the possibilities of kidney issues, like stones or tumors, as well as any masses in the bladder. I figured I would have to come back for the CT, but they walked me down to Desert Radiology, which is in the same building, and there was no one waiting there either. I got in for the CT again in about 15 minutes. After the CT I went back to the Urgent Care and waited. This is where the waiting was the longest since they had to wait for a radiologist to read the CT and write the report. I guess regular doctors are not legally qualified to read raw radiology data. After an hour or so of waiting the doctor came back in and told me that my kidneys were fine. My bladder was infected, but it was in the lining, as is common, and there were no masses present. She concluded it was, in fact, just a really bad infection of the bladder and urinary tract. I had gotten the shot, which was in my butt and hurt, and left with my report and headed to Walgreens to pick up my new prescription. Even at Walgreens I was lucky as my phone rang with the automated message that my prescription was ready just as I walked in the door. I got my new sulfa based antibiotic and headed home. We spent the rest of the day watching TV.

Monday, July 11^th, we stayed home for most of the day. We did go to the 4:00 happy hour at the clubhouse for the first time in a week. Yea! Since yesterday I seem to be seeing some improvement, still a lot of blood in the urine, but the other symptoms are improving. Tuesday we finally went out of the house for a while. We went to our favorite Thai restaurant, Chat Thai, for lunch, then ran a couple of errands. After we were done we went back to the coach and relaxed for a bit before going to the clubhouse for happy hour. We had a light dinner and then spent the night with the TV. Wednesday was going to be a stay at home day. Jackie went to her Pokeno game at 1:00 and I did some office work and played some guitar. About 3:30 I got a call from the Urgent Care that I went to twice in the last week and a half. They told me that they had gotten the culture report back on the urine sample I left on Sunday and she said it showed no bacteria, no infection. Therefore, they said, it was not a UTI and that I should go in and see my primary care doctor as soon as possible. I called our doctor's office and described my problem, including the blood in the urine for almost nine days, and what the Urgent Care had just told me. They couldn't find my doctor, so they asked another doctor in the practice and he said that I was to go immediately to the hospital emergency room because it appeared I might have a bleed inside somewhere. Well, that scared the crap out of me, so we drove to the ER and dropped me off. I know how long ER visits can be, so no sense Jackie hanging around since they don't even let you inside the hospital anymore unless you are a patient. I got in, got processed and registered and into an ER room. Eventually a doctor came in and I gave him all the details, starting just before the July 4^th weekend. He was very skeptical that it was a UTI as well, saying it was more likely a prostrate problem, which is more common in men that a UTI. He had blood drawn for more tests and also set up for another CT, this one with contrast to better see the organs. I was mostly just waiting, but I did the CT and finally, about 9:30 he came in and told me he was wrong, by all diagnostics, it was a UTI. He said everything in the CT was normal except the bladder, which showed some nodules on the inside wall. He said they could be infection, or they could be something else and I needed to see a urologist ASAP, even if the blood in the urine clears up. He had me get another shot of antibiotics and a new prescription for an even stronger one. His only answer to both the samples I gave to the Urgent Care coming back negative for bacteria was that the lab screwed up. Jackie had already come back to the hospital and was waiting in the parking lot, so we headed home and got ready for bed. Long day.

Thursday, July 14^th, I had a committee meeting at 11:00 in the clubhouse. After the meeting I went back to the coach and we gathered up our dirty laundry and went to the laundromat in town. After laundry we ran a couple of errands, including picking up my new prescription, then headed back to the coach to put everything away. We went to happy hour at the clubhouse then returned to the coach for dinner. We then spent the rest of the evening relaxing with the TV. Friday we stayed around the house for most of the day. About 2:30 we went out and back to the healthcare center so Jackie could get an MRI of her head. It had been ordered by the neurologist several weeks ago in response to her complaint of continued headaches. I dropped her off at the center and ran some errands. I did a Walmart run and picked up mail. By the time I got done and back to the center she was just about done. After that we headed back home. We went to happy hour at the clubhouse at 4:00 and then went home. I did some stuffed peppers for dinner and then we watched TV until it was time for bed.

Saturday, July 16^th, we went out for a late lunch at the Roadhouse Casino. We both had the liver. Did have a bit of a bout of poor service. We both like our liver medium, that is a little pink inside rather than overcooked. However, the bottom piece of my liver was very rare, almost raw inside. I told the waitress and expected they might take it back and nuke it or something. She came back from the kitchen and said “they told me since it had been served and you starting eating they couldn't take it back into the kitchen for sanitary reasons. They said they would be more careful in the future.” That was it. I can see the reasoning for not fixing the piece I already had, but they could have offered a new piece cooked properly. After lunch we gamed for an hour or so. I had a decent run for a change, coming out $80 ahead after hitting four deuces twice. Jackie only lost $20. We then headed back to the coach a relaxed for a bit before leaving around 5:00 for karaoke at the Elks. There were very few singers tonight so we all got to do four songs. We also learned that tonight was the last karaoke until September, so we will have to find something else to occupy us on Saturdays. After karaoke we went home and relaxed with the TV until bedtime. Sunday was a stay at home day. It was overcast all day and we even had some light rain on and off. I got a few chores done in the coach and we just had a relaxing day at home.

Monday, July 18^th, another mostly cloudy start to the day. The Monsoon is definitely with us. For the most part we stayed home today. We did go out after lunch to pick up mail and do a couple of chores. We went to happy hour at the clubhouse then went back home and had dinner. After dinner we spent the rest of the night watching TV. Tuesday we left the park about 11:00 and drove to Jackie's new hairdresser so she could get a haircut. After the haircut we stopped at El Jefe's Mexican restaurant nearby for lunch. We had a great lunch. This is the best Mexican food in Pahrump. After lunch we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the day relaxing. We went to happy hour at 4:00 in the clubhouse, then went home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Wednesday, July 20^th, we had a stay at home day. Jackie went to the clubhouse for Pokeno at 1:00 and I stayed home and did some chores and played. We went to happy hour at 4:00 and I had my first cocktail in two weeks. I am off of the antibiotics that I have been taking, so vodka is back on the menu. Yea! I made an effort at making chopino for the first time for dinner. It is basically a tomato based seafood stew or soup. It turned out OK, although in the future I will use better quality seafood than the mix I bought at Walmart. After dinner we watched TV until bedtime. Thursday was a stay at home day. I had a committee meeting in the morning at the clubhouse and did a few chores around the house. Generally we just relaxed. After dinner we spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Friday we went out to Denny's for brunch about 11:30, after which we picked up mail and did a Walmart run. We returned to the park and put stuff away, then relaxed for a couple of hours. A little after 4:00 we left again, picked up our friend Linda Sullivan and drove to the Elks Lodge for dinner. Tonight they were having a 26^th anniversary “birthday” party for the Lodge, which was chartered in 1997. They had baby back ribs and sides of beans and potato salad and the ribs were excellent. In addition to our friend Linda, our friends Len and Debbie also came and sat at our table. We had a very nice dinner. After the dinner the Exalted Ruler had an informal meeting with Lodge members to talk about were to put the large metal Elk stature the lodge recently purchased. We stayed until about 7:00, after which we left and went back to the park. Linda had security duty tonight and had to be home. After we got home we relaxed with the TV until it was bedtime.

Saturday, July 23^rd, I went out after lunch to Home Depot to get some stuff I needed for my A/C project in the shed and to drop something off at the UPS store. After I got home I went down to the park's shop and spent about ninety minutes building a two by four frame for the air conditioner to install in the wall of the shed. It is nice to go to the shop because they have all sorts of power woodworking and metal working tools and supplies. After I was done with building the frame I was hot, so we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach. Sunday we went out about 1:00 for brunch at the China Wok, the local Chinese Buffet. We had a nice lunch, then returned to the park and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the coach.

Monday, July 25^th, we went out a little before 1:00 to the nail salon. Jackie was getting both a pedi and manicure and I was getting my toenails trimmed. After I was done I left Jackie there and went out to run some errands. I drove to the hospital to pick up copies of my records from my visit to the ER last week. I needed them to take to the Urologist when I go in a couple of weeks. I then stopped at the Intermountain medical center to pick up the records from Jackie's MRI on her head. She needs those when we go to the Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist on Friday in Las Vegas. I finally stopped at the post office to get some stamps. I arrived back at the nail salon and only had to wait about ten minutes before Jackie came out. We went back home and relaxed for a while. We went to the happy hour at 4:00 and then came back to the coach where we relaxed for the rest of the evening. Tuesday was a stay at home day. I had a meeting at 10:00 regarding my audit committee responsibilities. I spent about 90 minutes after lunch out in the shed working on my air conditioner project before I finally got too hot. The rest of the day we spent inside. We went to happy hour at 4:00, came home and had dinner then watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, July 27^th, Jackie went to play Pokeno at the clubhouse at 1:00. I did some chores around the house while she was gone, including another hour or so working on the air conditioner project in the shed. I have almost finished the basic installation of the box that holds the A/C unit and goes through the wall of the shed. This was the part of the project that concerned me the most, so I was happy to be close to done. After dinner, about 8:00, I went out for my first tour of duty as security for the park for this month. I have two more nights this month, then next week I have three nights as my tours for August. After I got back at 9:00 we watched some TV and then went to bed. Thursday was laundry day again. We went out about 11:30 and had brunch at Mom's Diner. After lunch we went to the laundromat and did our laundry. When we were finished we ran a couple of errands, picking up mail and a quick stop at Albertson's to get some steaks that were on sale. After that we went back to the coach and put stuff away. We spent the rest of the evening in the coach relaxing.

Friday, July 29^th, we were in the car and headed for Las Vegas about 10:00. We are going to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist in Vegas to see about Jackie's persistent cough. When we got to the doctor's office we were seen by one of the Nurse Practitioners who talked at length with Jackie about the issue. She seemed pretty convinced that it was related to acid reflux but wanted to put a small scope up Jackie's nose to look at her throat. This was the kind of diagnostic tools I had hoped for when I suggested to Jackie that she go to an ENT specialist. After she numbed Jackie's nose she went in with the scope and told Jackie that her throat was, in her words, “a hot mess” with inflammation in the larynx and on the vocal cords. She said that she was now quite certain that it was primarily a reflux issue and explained that she suffered from the same thing. She told Jackie that it was important to take the acid reflux medications first thing in the morning, otherwise they didn't do much good. This was something none of the other doctors have explained. She wrote another prescription for something to take in the evening before bed and told Jackie to come back in six weeks for a check up. After the doctor we drove into Henderson and had lunch at an In N Out, then went to Costco for some supplies. We were back on the road by 3:00 and home before 5:00. I went out at 8:00 for my last security shift for July. Pretty quiet in the park tonight. After I got back we spent the rest of the evening in the coach.

We are now a little over three weeks into this episode, so it's time to close it out and get it posted. Until next time, remember that friendship picks you up when the world lets you down. See ya soon.

Early Summer in Pahrump, It's Getting Toasty

Hi there, glad to see you again. Our last episode concluded on Saturday, June 18^th, while we were parked on our lot at the SKP Co-op park in Pahrump. Sunday was the first day of our first cruise vacation in about twelve years. We had the coach prepped and the car packed by 10:00 when we headed out bound for the City of San Pedro in the Los Angeles area. On Monday we are boarding the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Navigator of the Seas, for a four day cruise, going to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico. We had a fairly routine drive with only a couple of traffic issues. We stopped at the Mad Greek in Baker for lunch, then got on the 15 Freeway headed for Los Angeles. We had a twenty minute slow down just before Barstow because of an accident, and then when we got into Los Angeles proper we hit some traffic and construction slow downs. The nice thing was that our thrifty little car got 42 MPG for the trip. We arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Pedro about 3:30. We had some issues when we checked in because the internet company we used to book the room, SleepParkFly.com, failed to send the reservation to the hotel. Fortunately, they had a room available, so we got checked in and just relaxed after our long drive. This hotel is only a few blocks from the Port of Los Angeles Cruise Terminal and offers secured parking for our car for the duration of the cruise and transportation to and from the port. We had a couple cocktails in the hotel lounge and went to bed.

Monday, June 20^th, we had coffee in the room and the free breakfast in the restaurant. We were checked out and waiting in the lobby at 11:00. The shuttle bus took us and our luggage to the ship at noon and we started the screening process to get on the ship. It only took about a half hour to do the health and documents checks and by 12:30 we were on the ship. We couldn't get into our stateroom until 2:00, so we had lunch in the buffet. About 2:00 we went down to the room and got unpacked as our checked luggage had arrived. We had a Junior Suite which was located in the very back of the ship, actually looking out over the stern. We were also on deck 10, which is the second highest passenger deck on the ship. We had a big room for a cruise ship and a really nice, big balcony. After getting unpacked we wandered around the ship for an hour or so, getting a feel for the layout. Except for the bars and buffet nothing was open.

At about 6:00 the ship sailed out of the port. We went up on deck to watch the departure, then walked around some more. We were followed out of port by a Carnival Cruise ship which was also doing the four day cruise. We checked out the shops but didn't buy anything. This ship has far fewer shops than previous one's we have cruised on. We went to dinner in the dining room about 7:00 and had a nice window seat and a very nice dinner. After dinner we visited the casino, watched a couple of game activities and at 9:00 went to the upper deck showroom for karaoke. It was really busy, but I did get to do one song. After karaoke we walked around some more then went back to the stateroom and bed.

Tuesday, June 21^st, was our day at sea. We spent the day just exploring the ship and enjoying some of the activities. We had a very nice lunch in the main dining room. We spent some time in the casino and stopped at a couple of the bars. In the early afternoon we spent an hour or so in the casino participating in a slot tournament. It was a $50 buy in with a $500 prize for the winner. I finished second in my qualifying round and made it to the final round. I finished second in the final round as well, although I was in first place with less than a minute to go before the eventual winner hit a big payout and pulled ahead. Sadly, second place in this tournament didn't pay anything. Later in the afternoon we went to the main showroom for bingo. We didn't win anything there either, although I was only one number away from winning in the $1,500 last game when someone else called bingo. Second place again, damn. For dinner we had reservations at one of the specialty dining rooms, the Chops Grille Steakhouse. We went at 6:30 and had an excellent meal. I had a nice steak and Jackie had rack of lamb. After dinner we played in the casino a bit, had a few drinks, and took in the late show in the main theater, which was called Show Girls. It was a fun show. After the show we listened to some music and headed off to bed about 11:00.

Wednesday, June 22^nd, was the day for our port call in Avalon on Catalina Island. Both Jackie and I have been to Catalina many times before, so while we planned to go ashore for a bit, we weren't a big hurry. We had coffee in the room and relaxed for a while and finally went up and got our tender tickets about 10:30. Because the big cruise ships can't dock in Catalina, everyone has to be taken to shore in a small boat. On our previous cruises these were usually the larger, enclosed lifeboats from the ship. However since this ship has up to 4,000

passengers they actually contract with a ferry company that uses much bigger 90 foot ferry launches, and has four of them running back and forth between the ship and the shore. It still took almost an hour for us to finally get called to the tender. After we got on Catalina we went to a local restaurant for brunch, then did some exploring and shopping in the beach area. We also were able to get a geocache. After spending a couple of hours walking around we were tired and took the tender back to the ship. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. The ship left Catalina at about 5:30 to spend the night cruising and heading for Ensenada, Mexico. We had dinner in the main dining room at 6:45 and had another great meal. After dinner we went to the casino for a while, then went to the ice skating rink for Stars on Ice show. This was probably the best show on the whole cruise. Very interesting watching an ice capades type show on a cruise ship. After the ice show we gamed for a bit then headed back to the cabin for bed.

Thursday, June 23^rd, was our port call in Ensenada, Mexico. Here the port was capable of handling the large cruise ships, so we were tied up at a pier in the port. We had breakfast in the buffet and relaxed for most of the morning. At noon we went up to the highest deck of the ship and for the first time we did an Escape Room experience. We have been wanting to do an Escape Room for a couple of years and we found that the ship had

one we decided to give it a try. We were among a group of 12, the maximum for the room, none of whom we knew. They were all younger than us, but friendly and excited. We also had a couple of people in our group who had done escape rooms before, which was helpful. It was a great experience, with lots of interesting and difficult puzzles. Jackie and I actually had some good input in solving a couple of the puzzles and the group worked well together, solving the room with almost three minutes to spare. Yea us! It was a lot of fun and we will probably do one again when we can.

About 1:30 we went off the ship and took a shuttle bus to downtown Ensenada. We have spent enough time in Mexico over the years to not be too impressed with the shopping and stuff. We walked around for a bit, I bought a tee shirt and Jackie went to one of the pharmacies for some albuteral sprays, which are way cheaper in Mexico than in the states. We had some tacos for lunch in a sidewalk cafe and it was actually pretty good. After a couple of hours we had enough of Mexico and went back on the ship. We had walked quite a bit, so we spent a couple of hours resting in the cabin. We also packed our bags as the checked luggage had to be put out in the hallway tonight. The ship sailed from Mexico about 6:00, after which we went to the dining room for dinner again. We had the same waiter as we did yesterday and she was very nice. We had another great meal. After dinner we spent some time in the casino and then had some drinks in the piano bar. We went to the late night “adult comedy show” at 10:15 and it was OK, but more slightly blue than actually “adult” comedy. After that show we headed back to the room for our last night aboard ship.

Friday, June 24^th, we had to be out of the cabin by 8:00 a.m. and we were able to do that. We expected to have to sit and wait forever in one of the lounges before our deck was called to disembark, but this ship had a different system and as soon as we got down to the gangway they sent us off the ship. We got into the terminal and found our large bag right away. A porter took us and our bags to the Customs area and after showing our passports we were out on the street waiting for the shuttle back to the hotel. It was the best disembarkation experience we have ever had. We got back to the hotel and picked up our car from the garage, found a nearby gas station to top off the tank, and we were on the road headed back to Pahrump by a little after 9:00. The trip back was uneventful with few traffic issues. We stopped in Barstow for lunch at a Mexican restaurant, and were back in Pahrump by 2:45. We unpacked our bags and were able to make the 4:00 happy hour. After happy hour we went back to the coach and relaxed with the TV until about 9:00 when we decided we were tired and went to bed. Cruise vacation officially over.

Saturday, June 25^th, was a stay at home day. I spent much of the day in the man cave catching up on blogs and checking account updates. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching TV, just resting up from a week of nonstop activities. Sunday was also a stay at home day for the most part. I did make a run to the mail store in the afternoon and we went to the 2:00 ice cream social, but other than that I mostly worked in the office on various projects. Monday we went out about 12:30 to lunch at a place called China A Go-Go, located in the same complex as our UPS store. We had gone here right after they opened, about four or five years ago, and I was not impressed. They had a very limited menu at the time and I didn't care for the food. We decided to try again and found a completely different place, extensive standard Chinese menu, and nice decor. The food was very good this time, I had sweet and sour pork and Jackie had a seafood medley dish. The only downside was the service was very poor. The server was inattentive and indifferent. We will probably try again because the food was good, but they need better servers. After lunch we did a Walmart run, then headed back to the coach. We did happy hour in the clubhouse and then had our leftovers from lunch for dinner. We spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Tuesday, June 28^th, we stayed around the coach for most of the day. About 3:30 we left and drove downtown to Romero's Mexican Restaurant for the monthly dine out for the Silver Seekers group at the Co-op. The Silver Seekers is a group that is in charge of most of the activities at the Co-op clubhouse and also raises money in various activities to support the activities and also improve the clubhouse. It was a small group, only about seven people, because in the summer a big part of the population of the park travels. We still had a nice early dinner and nice conversation with friends. After dinner we picked up our mail, then headed back to the coach where we relaxed with the TV for the rest of the evening. Wednesday Jackie went to the clubhouse at 1:00 for her Pokeno group while I did some office work in the coach. After she was done at 3:00 we left and went to the medical center so she could get a chest x-ray which had been ordered a couple of days ago when she talked to the doctor's office. She still has the intermittent cough that she has had for a month now. After the x-ray we picked up mail, then headed back to the coach. We did some hamburgers on the grill for dinner then watched TV for the rest of the evening.

Thursday, June 30^th, approaching the middle of year at midnight tonight. Today was laundry day. We left the coach after lunch and went to the laundromat in town. We were back at the couch at about 4:30 with clean clothes and bedding. We put everything away and made the bed, then had dinner. I made some spaghetti and meatballs. After dinner we relaxed with the TV until bedtime. Friday I was up early to go to my 9:00 training at the Sheriff's Office, but I had an email sent late last night canceling the class for today. Had a full day with not plans. We ended up just having a stay at home day. I spent most of the day in the man cave and Jackie spent most of it on the coach as she was feeling a little icky today. We didn't even go to happy hour. Watched TV after dinner and went to bed.

Saturday, July 2^nd, we left the park about 1:30 and went for our usual late Saturday brunch, this time going to the Pour House, one of our favorite places because they have Indian food, with lots of lamb dishes, which Jackie loves, and the best pizza in town for me. We had a nice dinner, although it seemed the staffing had changed since the last time we were there and things were a little slower and the food quality was a little less. After lunch we did a mail run and stopped at Walmart for a couple of things. We then headed back to the coach and spent an hour or so relaxing. We left again about 5:00 and went to the Elks Lodge for karaoke. It was a slightly smaller crowd, which meant we got four songs in instead of three. We finished a little after 9:00 after which we went home and spent an hour with the TV before heading to bed. Sunday was a stay at home day. Jackie spent most of the day relaxing and still not feeling a hundred percent because of her persistent cough. I spent several hours out in the shed working on the installation of the new air conditioner we bought for it. The first thing I had to do was rearrange the place to clear the wall by the door where I plan to put the through the wall a/c. Later I spent another hour or so marking out and then removing the wallboard from the area where the a/c will go. We never left the park today and after dinner we just watched TV until it was time for bed.

Monday, July 4^th, Happy Birthday America! We had another stay at home day. At about 2:00 we went to the clubhouse for an Independence Day cookout and party. Everyone brought their own items to BBQ on the grills outside the clubhouse as well as a side dish to share. We had about 30 people at the get together, which is surprising considering it is the middle of summer and the park seems pretty empty. We just did burgers, although there were some people who did steaks. The party ran a couple of hours and was a great way to celebrate the holiday with friends and neighbors. After the party we went home and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the coach. Tuesday I had a meeting at 11:00 in the clubhouse with the Audit Committee. We are trying to abide by the By Laws of the Co-op that a committee of members is supposed to review the books and records of the Co-op, but because of a lack of members volunteering it hasn't been done in over six months. The result is that the financial records are a mess right now. I don't think it has anything to do with fraud or anything bad, it's just bad data entry and failure to do the necessary monthly reconciliation of accounts. We have our work cut out for us. After the meeting I drove to the Intermountain Health facility, where our doctor's office is, to go to the urgent care. I have developed a urinary tract infection sometime late last week and over the weekend and it has gotten very unpleasant. I know what the issue is and what the course of action is, a course of antibiotics, but yesterday when I tried to use the call in service for minor issues they told me that UTI's were not on the list because the doctors wanted a urine specimen to look at. After two and a half hours I saw the doctor for exactly one minute when he came in, said you have a UTI and we are prescribing Cipro. Well, no shit Sherlock (I said in my head). I drove to Walgreens, picked up my prescription and went home. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing in the coach.

Wednesday, July 6^th, Jackie went to her Pokeno group in the clubhouse at 1:00 while I stayed home and worked on getting better. When she was done at 3:00 we left and went to the Health Facility again, this time so she could see a doctor about her intermittent cough again. It hasn't been getting better. The new doctor thinks it is related to acid reflux and gave some new meds. After the doctor we picked up mail and did a Walmart run. I only had to go to the bathroom twice during the entire trip. We then went home and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing. Thursday was a stay at home day for me as worked on getting better. Jackie had an 11:00 manicure appointment, which took a couple of hours. After she got home we just stayed in for the rest of the day.

We have now reached the point where we are a little over three weeks since we last published. We will close this episode out with some words from the late "television philosopher," Andy Rooney. “It’s paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.” See ya soon.

The Closing Days of Spring in Pahrump

 

Hi there, welcome back. Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, May 30^th, with us still parked in our home spot at the Escapees Co-op RV park in Pahrump. Monday was Memorial Day and a stay at home day for us. I left the coach a little before 8:00 so I could attend a flag raising memorial here at the park. It was a very nice ceremony. I went back to the coach and had my coffee and morning paper before doing a few chores around the place. At 11:00 we took the golf cart and went over to our park's little outdoor picnic area, called Quail Run. We were there for a Memorial Day picnic put on by our friend Millie. Everyone brought their own food and we had lunch, then played some games. It was an enjoyable couple of hours with friends. After the picnic we went home and relaxed until 4:00 when we went to the clubhouse for happy hour. After happy hour we went back to the coach, did some fish on the BBQ for dinner, then relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, May 31^st, the last day of May. About 9:00 the technician from a local WiFi company arrived to put in high speed wireless wifi. Although we have unlimited data on our Verizon hot spot, the fact that so many people use Verizon in this area means that it is often very slow. Since we are going to be spending more time here now, we wanted something faster for when we are in town. About 3:30 we left the park with Millie in the car and headed for the Terrible's Roadhouse casino for another “dine-out” with members of the RV park. There were 16 people at the dine out and we had a great time. The Tuesday special at the Roadhouse is baby back ribs and every person in the party had the special. They were very good. Since the Red Sky restaurant closed up we no longer have anywhere to get great ribs. After eating we stayed and gamed for a half hour or so, not doing well at all. We then drove back to the park, dropped Millie off and spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Wednesday, June 1^st, was a stay at home day. Jackie went to the clubhouse at 1:00 for her Pokeno game with her girlfriends. Our friend Len came over about 1:30 and he and I went out to the shed for some guitar practice. We had a good time although it has been a few months since we played together. Jackie was done a little after 3:00 and Len left shortly after that. We went to the clubhouse for happy hour at 4:00, then spent the rest of the evening in the coach relaxing. We did some burgers on the BBQ for dinner. Thursday was laundry day again. We went to the laundromat after lunch and did all our laundry. After we were finished we went back home and put everything away and made the bed. We spent the rest of the night relaxing with the TV.

Friday, June 3^rd, I again left the house about 8:30 and went to the Sheriff's Office for more training for my Review Board position. Today the presenter was the Sheriff herself, Sharon Wherely. She is just coming up for reelection after her first four year term as Sheriff. She has lived in Pahrump since 1965 when she was in her early twenties. She spent most of her career as part of the security force at the National Security Site, which is the fancy name for the nearby nuclear test site, where nearly all of the land based nuclear testing has been done over the years. She gave a talk today about the history of Nye County and the Nye County Sheriff's Office. It was very interesting and informative. By my estimate next week should be the last training session since they told us there would be eight weeks of training. After the training I went home and we spent the rest of the day in the park. We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had some clam chowder that Jackie made. Millie joined us for dinner as she loves Jackie's chowder as well. After Millie left we watched TV and went to bed. Saturday we left the park about 1:30 and went to lunch at El Jefe's Mexican restaurant. After lunch we went back to the coach and relaxed for bit. A little before 5:00 we left and headed to the Elks for karaoke. It was a big crowd tonight and included our friends Tom and Phyllis, who just got back from a six week Florida vacation, and Len and Debbie. We still all got to do three songs. After karaoke we headed back home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV. Sunday was a stay at home day. We spent the day doing some chores and relaxing. We did go to root beer floats at 2:00, but other than that were in the house all day.

Monday, June 6^th, we went out after lunch to run some errands. We needed to do a Walmart run and make a couple of other short stops. After our errands we went back to the coach until 4:00 happy hour at the clubhouse. After happy hour we went back to the coach, had dinner and spent the rest of the night with the TV. Since we got our new wifi service we have started exploring some of the streaming services, including Hulu, which we get by virtue of having Verizon phones. We just started watching The Handmaids Tale and have already done the first three episodes in the last couple of days. Tuesday I left about 11:30 and went to play golf with my friends Len and Tom. We only played nine holes on the executive course here in Pahrump, which given the nearly 100 degree temperature, was enough. After Len dropped me off after golf it was a stay at home day for the rest of the day.

Wednesday, June 8^th, my brother Dennis' birthday. I went over to the clubhouse at 10:00 to help the Election Committee count the votes on a ballot measure that went out to members of the co-op back at the first part of the year. The measure had seven proposals for changes to the co-op by laws or standing rules. None of the changes were earth shaking, most were housekeeping issues or changes needed for relatively minor problems that have come up. It took the group three hours to count the votes. Once we were done I went back to the coach and had a quick lunch. Jackie had gone over to the clubhouse for Pokeno at 1:00 and at 1:30 my buddy Len came over and we spent a couple of hours practicing guitar. Len left about 3:30 and at 4:00 we went to the clubhouse for happy hour. After happy hour we came back to the coach and spent the rest of the evening relaxing. Thursday we were up early and out the door by 7:30 to take Jackie to the doctor. She was seeing her Neurologist today as a follow up since she is still having almost daily headaches. The doctor is going to try her on a different medication and also ordered another MRI of the brain, which is scheduled for early July. After the doctor we ran some errands, picking up mail and doing a quick Walmart run. We then stopped for breakfast at Denny's before heading back to the coach. We stayed in for the rest of the day.

Friday, June 10^th, I was again up and out of the coach by 8:30, headed to the sheriff's office for training. Today is supposed to be my last day. When I signed up for this Board I was told I had to go through 8 weeks of training by the Sheriff's Office. This is week 8. The instructor today was again the Undersheriff, who talked about the Dispatch section and warrants, both arrest and search. It was an interesting presentation, but nothing I didn't already know. The Undersheriff verified that, at least as far as he knew, this was the last week for me. Of the 12 people who were appointed or reappointed to the Police Officers Advisory Review Board in January, I am the only one who has been to every one of the 8 classes over the last 10 weeks. He said they are going to try to schedule one day for make up sessions with anyone who didn't attend one or more of the sessions. After that he said we would be sworn in and start seeing cases. I really don't know how the make up session is going to work and how many of the appointees actually get sworn in since attendance has been exceptionally poor. I guess we will wait and see. After the training I stopped for a quick lunch then headed back to the coach. Except for going to happy hour at 4:00 we stayed in for the entire day. We are in a heat wave and the temps are approaching the 110 mark, which is hot even for the desert. We had some pork chops for dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Saturday, June 11^th, we went out about 1:00 for a late lunch at the Roadhouse restaurant. After lunch we stopped and got mail and went to Albertson's for a couple of things we couldn't find at Walmart. After our errands we headed back to the coach. Normally we go to the Elks on Saturday evening for karaoke, but out friend Len called this afternoon and told me that karaoke was canceled for tonight. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing with the TV. Sunday was a stay at home day. Jackie is fighting allergies and the wind was really blowing today, making her not feel a hundred percent. We just relaxed for the entire day.

Monday, June 13^th, we went out briefly after lunch to run a couple of errands. After we got home we relaxed until happy hour at the clubhouse. We had dinner and tonight I had the first of three nights of security duty. I go out about 8:00 and check all the co-op buildings and make sure that they are secured properly. I also go around the entire property, checking for street lights out and anything that looks like it needs attention. The whole process only lasts an hour or so and I have the duty for three nights this month. After my tour of duty we watched TV and went to bed. Tuesday was a stay at home day for me. Jackie had a couple of appointments in the afternoon. She left about 12:30 to get a haircut, then came home for a bit before leaving to go to the local hospital for a breathing test ordered by our doctor. She came home a little disappointed because they couldn't do the test because her allergies kept her coughing too much. They will have to reschedule it for later this summer. While Jackie was gone I did a few chores and relaxed. I had another shift of security duty at 8:00, after which we watched TV and then went to bed.

Wednesday, June 15^th, Jackie went to the clubhouse for Pokeno at 1:00, then had a nail appointment at 3:00. For the first time in about 12 years she is getting acrylic nails done again. While she was busy I did the laundry at the clubhouse laundromat. We wanted to have the laundry done before we left for our cruise this weekend. After everything was done we had dinner and then watched TV until it was time for bed. I did have to go out for an hour of security duty at 8:00 p.m., my last shift for this month. Thursday was my eldest daughter, Tye's, birthday. Happy Birthday baby girl. We left the park about 12:30 and went out to do chores. I dropped Jackie off at the nail salon to get a pedi and went to Supercuts to get my hair cut. After the haircut I picked up mail, then went back to the nail salon to get Jackie. After she was done we did a final Walmart run before we leave on Sunday for our California cruise adventure. After Walmart we headed back home, did the happy hour with the SKP crew, then watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, June 17^th, was a stay at home day. We spent a good part of the day getting stuff together for our cruise and starting the packing process. Other than going to happy hour at 4:00 we didn't leave the motor home today. Saturday was a busy day. I had a meeting in the morning with one of my committees that I serve on here at the park. After the meeting I went out to gas up the car for our trip to Los Angeles on Sunday. We spent a few hours finalizing our packing for the cruise. About 6:00 we left again, with Millie along, and went to Carl's Jr. for dinner. After dinner we went to the Saddle West Casino so Jackie and Millie could go to the annual “Ms. Senior Golden Years” pageant. While they were in the ballroom I did a little gaming out in the casino. The pageant ended about 9:00 and we went back to the park, dropped Millie off and went home. We spent the rest of the night with the TV. Tomorrow is the big day when we leave in the morning to drive to Los Angeles to catch our cruise ship on Monday.

At this point we are close to three weeks since our last posting, and with our cruise adventure starting tomorrow it seems a good time to get this episode posted. Until next time, remember that real friends don’t get offended when you insult them. They just smile and call you something even more offensive. See ya soon.

Warming Up In Pahrump

Hello again. Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, May 8^th, Mothers Day. We are on our lot at the SKP Co-op RV park in Pahrump, our home base, and will probably be here for a while. Right now we have no firm plans for travel this summer except for a short cruise out of Los Angeles in late June.

Monday, May 9^th, we left the coach about 11:00, picked up our friend Millie, and drove to the El Jefe Mexican restaurant for the monthly “dine-out” with the Escapees Club Chapter, Lucky Rollers. While most of the active members of the Lucky Rollers live in the SKP Co-op park, it is only necessary to be a member of the Escapees Club to be a member of the Lucky Rollers. The Chapter represents Escapees for the entire State of Nevada. We had a couple dozen people at the dine-out and it was a lot of fun, and the food was great. After the dine-out we went back to the coach for a while. About 3:30 we went out again and I dropped Jackie off at the hairdresser so she could get a haircut and also get her new wig thinned out a little. While she was doing that I did a mail run. When I was done I picked her up and we went back to the coach. Jackie was happy with her haircut and now has a place in Pahrump to get her hair cuts. Up to this point we always had to drive into Las Vegas because she didn't have anyone up here that she liked. We spent the rest of the evening in the coach.

Tuesday, May 10^th, Jackie went to a 10:00 meeting with some people from the clubhouse group because she will be in charge of the ice cream freezer and the cookie jar for a few weeks while some of the other women are out of town. At 10:30 she left in the car and drove to the dentist to get her teeth cleaned. I did some office work while she was gone. She got back around noon and we spent the rest of the day working around the house. The wind was still blowing, but not nearly as strong as over the weekend. We went to the clubhouse at 4:00 for happy hour with the group, then went home and had dinner. After dinner we spent the night watching TV. Wednesday was basically a stay at home day. I did some chores and worked on some RV repair projects. I did go out to Home Depot for some parts, but other than that I was home all day. Jackie went to the clubhouse at 1:00 for Pokeno with her friends. We went to the 4:00 happy hour, then had dinner and watched TV until it was time for bed.

Thursday, May 12^th, I went over to the clubhouse a little after noon and got set up to do the Zoom broadcast for a monthly meeting of the Silver Seekers group. The meeting started at 1:00 and by 1:30 it was done and I cleaned up all the equipment and we went back to the coach. We left then and did a Walmart run. After Walmart we went home and put everything away. About 4:00 I left and drove to the dentist while Jackie went to the clubhouse for happy hour. The dentist put in my new permanent crown and got everything properly fitted. This is the last of my dental work now until my next cleaning appointment in the Fall. After the dentist I went home and we had dinner, then relaxed with the TV until bedtime. Friday I was out of the coach by 8:30, headed to the Sheriff's Office for my weekly training session for the Peace Officers Advisory Review Board. Today's training was on the custody operations for the Sheriff's Office. The structure of the jail command, what types of employees they have, and how the jails are operated.

Nye County has a large (230 nominal population) jail in Pahrump, built in 2017, and a smaller jail dating back to the 90's in Tonopah that holds around 75. Currently the Tonopah jail is used as a holding facility for arrests in the North County and for female inmates. The County also has a contract with the Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) to old ICE detainees up to a maximum of 100. This is a substantial source of income for the Sheriff's Office and currently funds 30 detention deputies. The jail staff is a mix of civilian civilian Detention Technicians, Detention Deputies, who are “Peace Officers” by state law, but undergo a lesser level of training than Sheriff's Deputies, and regular Sheriff's Deputies. After about 90 minutes of classroom instruction the training sergeant took us on a tour of the Pahrump jail. I found it to be a well thought out design for a small jail. After the tour we were done for the day, about an hour earlier than normal. I went back to the park and we went out to Mom's Cafe for a late lunch, then ran some errands. After our errands we went back to the park. At 5:30 we went over to the clubhouse for the monthly bingo session. Neither of us won anything in bingo, but we had fun. After bingo we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Saturday, May 14^th, we went out about 1:00 for a late lunch at Johnny's, one of the Mexican places in town. After lunch we picked up our mail and did a quick run into Albertson's for some things that Walmart didn't have the other day. After our errands we went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. About 5:00 we left and headed to the Elks Lodge for karaoke. To our surprise, when we got there we learned that karaoke had been canceled for tonight. We sat at the bar and gamed for hour, then headed back to the coach. Worked out OK because Jackie hit a jackpot and cashed out $50! After we got home we spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Sunday, May 15^th, Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife, Jackie. Today was a stay at home day. We went over to the clubhouse at 2:00 for root beer floats, but other than that we just relaxed around the house and did a few chores. Today was also the full moon along with a full lunar eclipse. About 8:00, after the sun went down, we went over to one of the small parks here at the RV park for a “moon watching” party with some of the other residents. Unfortunately, there was cloud cover and we missed both the moon rise and the beginnings of the eclipse. By the time the clouds cleared enough to see it, the moon was in full eclipse and starting to come out. At least we got to see it in it's “blood moon” phase. We had about ten people at the little gathering and we still had a good time sitting out there in the cool evening and chatting. After we got back to the coach we watched some TV and then went to bed. Monday was a shopping day. We left the coach about 9:30 and headed over the hill to Las Vegas. We first stopped at one of the shopping centers in the Southwest part of the valley and visited Kohls, Ross, and Big Lots where we bought a few odds and ends. We are sort of shopping for stuff for our upcoming cruises, but we didn't actually get much in the way of clothes. We went to the In n Out in the same center for lunch, then drove to Costco for some serious food shopping. We were running low on a lot of meat and meal stuff, so we spent a bunch. After Costco we went back over the hill and unloaded everything at the coach. We went to the happy hour at the clubhouse, then back home where we relaxed in the coach for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, May 17^th, we left the coach about 1:00 and went into town to do our laundry. We were done about 3:00, after which we made a stop at the UPS store to pick up mail, then head back to the RV park. We went to the 4:00 happy hour at the clubhouse and after happy hour went home and had dinner. We spent the rest of the night with the TV. Wednesday I left the RV park by myself about 10:30 and headed back over the hill to Las Vegas again. I had an appointment at the ophthalmologist to be tested to qualify for upper eye lid surgery. The doctor had recommended I consider the surgery last year and again this year during my checkup. I never gave it too much thought but I now notice that my lids are very droopy and interfere with my vision. They gave me a test that checked my field of vision twice, once with normal facial expression, and then a second time with the upper eyelid taped up. According to the doctor it was a no brainer that I would be approved for the surgery. Medicare requires these tests and prior approval before they will pay for the procedure. I am now tentatively scheduled to have the surgery on August 9^th. I also stopped at a couple of stores while I was in Vegas and made it back over the hill just in time to go to happy hour at the clubhouse. After happy hour we had dinner and then relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.

Thursday, May 19^th, we left the park about 12:30 and went out to lunch at the Artisan Cellars winery for lunch. They don't have a huge food menu, but what they do have is really good. We had a nice lunch and shared a bottle of nice wine. After lunch we went to pick up mail and then did a Walmart run for a few things before going home. About 3:00 the guy we hired to wash the motor home arrived and spent an hour cleaning the outside of the motorhome. At 4:00 we went to happy hour then came home, had dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching TV. Friday I left at 8:30 for another session of training at the Sheriff's Office. Today the Undersheriff was the instructor again and talked about the Records section of the department, as well as the laws and policies regarding official records. After the coffee break he had another introductory session covering the detective division. We got finished about noon so I stopped for lunch then went home. I spent an hour or so washing and putting up our old outside window shades on the motor home. It appears that we will be staying in Pahrump for most, if not all, of the summer because of the cost of travel right now as well as the fact that we really don't want to go to California at all. Since it will be getting really hot soon, I dug out the old outside shades, which we stopped using when we had the inside ones installed a couple of years ago. They will help keep the inside of the coach dark and cooler when the real summer heat hits. After that I did some inside chores and office work, then relaxed the rest of the day.

Saturday, May 21^st, we left the park about 11:30 and drove to the Saddle West Casino to visit the Home Show that was being held in the ballroom. It was a decent sized gathering of business around Pahrump that something to do with home improvement or maintenance. We picked up some good information and free goodies but missed out on the door prize drawings. After the show visit we drove to the VFW post near our RV park for a veterans tribute rib dinner, but when we got there learned they were out of ribs. We then went to the Mountain Falls Country Club restaurant for lunch. It was a nice day so we were able to eat at a table on the patio overlooking the golf course. We both commented that it didn't look like we were eating in Pahrump, more like Palm Desert, near where we used to live. After lunch we went home and relaxed for a bit. A little before 5:00 we left again and drove to the Elks for karaoke. They had canceled last week without notice, but he was there tonight, so we got some drinks and enjoyed the show. Our friends Len and Debbie came tonight, the first time we have seen them in about three weeks. I got to do three or four songs and had a good time. We were done a little before 9:00, then drove home and watched a little TV before going to bed.

Sunday, May 22^nd, was a stay at home day. I did a few chores around the coach and we went over to the clubhouse about 2:00 for root beer floats. Today I did have my first tour of duty as part of the Security Committee of the park. Members of the committee are assigned by the chair of the committee and usually do three or four nights per month. The security person goes out about 8:00 at night and does a tour of the property, checking on all the Co-op buildings and making sure they are locked up properly. They also do a full sweep of all the streets, looking for water leaks, burned out lighting, and anything else that looks out of place. The final step is locking up the clubhouse at 9:00 and making sure it is secure. Members of the Co-op are allowed to be in the clubhouse after 9:00 and there are combination locks on a couple of the doors for that purpose, but it is rare that anyone actually does go in after 9:00. Because today was my first tour I went out tonight with our friend Linda Sullivan, who has been around for a number of years. The whole process took about an hour, after which I went back in the coach and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Monday, May 23^rd, we left the park about 10:45, with Millie in the car, and drove to the China Wok buffet for another of our MASA luncheons. MASA is basically medical transport insurance, which we bought into in 2007. We have a lifetime membership, but existing members are still invited to the sales presentations. Makes for a free lunch several times a year. After the meeting and lunch we went to Walmart for some supplies and picked up mail before heading back to the park. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach. I did go out at 8:00 for an hour of my security patrol, on my own tonight. Tuesday was a stay at home day. Did a couple of chores around the coach and spent some time in the music room with my guitar. We did happy hour in the clubhouse at 4:00 and I went out at 8:00 for my last “tour of duty” this month on security. After I got back a little after 9:00 we spent the remainder of the night with the TV.

Wednesday, May 25^th, we had another stay at home day. Jackie went to the clubhouse at 1:00 for her Pokeno group while I stayed home and did some chores and practiced guitar. After dinner we watched TV and then went to bed. Thursday we left the coach about noon and went to Denny's for lunch. After lunch we picked up mail and did a quick Walmart run. At 2:00 we went to the nail salon where Jackie got a pedi and I got my toe nails trimmed. After our chores we went back to the park. We did happy hour with the clubhouse group, then went home for dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, May 27^th, I was out of the coach by 8:30 and headed to the Sheriff's Office for more training. Today the lecture was on the county ordinances that created and regulate the Peace Officers Advisory Review Board. The lecture was supposed to be given by the County Manager, but he got tied up with something and the Undersheriff had to sub in for him. We also had the Sheriff in the class for most of the session giving her perspective on the POARB. The session was out about noon, a little early, after which I stopped and picked up mail, stopped for a quick lunch, then went back to the coach. We went out about 1:00 to do a casino visit for some gaming and went to the Pahrump Nugget. Neither of us did well, losing or $40 stakes in an hour or so. After that we went back home and stayed in the rest of the afternoon except for going to the clubhouse for happy hour. After cocktails we went home, made dinner and watched TV until it was time for bed. Saturday was pretty typical, we left about 1:00 for a late lunch at the Pour House, a place that primarily serves Indian food, but also has great pizza. Jackie usually gets a lamb dish and I get a pizza. We had a great meal after which we picked up mail and then drove back home. We relaxed for a while before heading out about 5:00 to the Elks Lodge for karaoke. It was a big crowd, including our friends Len and Debbie. I learned that one reason for the increased crowd, most of whom were familiar to me, was that the Moose Lodge was no longer doing Saturday karaoke. Everyone got three songs in for evening. Jackie spent most of the night at the bar playing poker. After karaoke we went back home and watched TV until it was time to go to bed.

Sunday, May 29^th, we left the coach after lunch and went into town to run some errands. We went to Home Depot first, mainly to scout small air conditioner units and ceiling fans. We got approval from the Co-op to put an A/C in the storage shed as well as a ceiling fan in the enclosed patio area. We wanted to get an idea of what the retail costs would be so we can do some shopping. After Home Depot we did a Walmart run, then headed back home. We put away our stuff and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach. We did some pork chops and corn on the cob on the BBQ for dinner, then watched TV until bedtime.

We are now about three weeks into this episode and it is time to get it published. Until next time, ponder the words of actress Mae West. “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” See ya soon.

More Spring Adventures in Pahrump

 Welcome back. Our last chapter concluded on Easter Sunday, April 17th, while we were at our spot in the SKP park in Pahrump. Monday my brother Ken and his wife Susan came over about 10:30, picked us up, and the four of us went to Las Vegas to visit with one of our other brothers, Russ and his wife Zen. Russ has lived in Las Vegas since the mid-80's and works as a supervisor at the Golden Nugget Casino in downtown Vegas. Zen cooked a fabulous lunch and we all ate our fill. We all sat and talked and caught up until about 4:00 when we left and headed back over the hill to Pahrump. Ken and Susan dropped us off about 5:30 and went back to their coach up at the Wine Ridge RV Resort. We changed clothes, fixed a cocktail and just relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.

Tuesday, April 19th, we left the coach a little after 1:00 and headed to our dermatologist's office. I try to go at least every six months for a “body check” since I have a history of skin cancers. Over the years I have had all three of the most common skin cancer types removed. Jackie also goes because she has occasional small items of concern on her skin. Today I was mainly concerned with my eczema, an issue I have dealt with on and off all of my life. The doctor told me my skin was exceedingly dry and I needed to moisturize it. He gave me a prescription for the eczema break-out on my legs, and recommended a good moisturizing cream. For the first time in a long time he didn't find any other issues on my skin and I didn't even get sprayed with the liquid nitrogen. Jackie had two little lesions that he sprayed. After the doctor we went to Walmart for some supplies and then stopped at Walgreens to pick up my prescription. We also stopped at the bank so Jackie could get some nickels for the games she plays at the clubhouse. After our errands we went back to the coach and relaxed until 4:00 happy hour at the clubhouse. After happy hour we went home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Wednesday, April 20th, we had a stay at home day. About 11:30 we went over to the clubhouse for a pot luck luncheon followed by a show put on by a local group called the Pahrump Valley Silver Tappers. This is a group of about fifty local women who sing and dance and put on a pretty good show. Everyone in the group is 50 or older and the leader of the group, who still performs a little, is 97. Our friend Debbie Forrest is a member of the group. She didn't dance today because they were in Yuma for a few months and she had not had enough time to learn the new numbers the group was doing. She was behind the scenes, helping with the dressing changes of the performers. Our other friends from outside the park, the Howells, also came. The show went about 90 minutes, after which we went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in. Thursday was a stay at home day. We went to the clubhouse at 9:00 for the monthly meeting of the Co-op Board of Directors. That meeting went until a little after 10:00. Shortly after we got back to the coach I got a phone call from my son Roy Jr. that he had arrived at the SKP park and was up front waiting for the office to open. A couple years ago he sold his condo in Phoenix, bought a motorhome and has been full time since. He is not even 50 yet, so he can't retire, but he has found his niche doing work camping. He has done several stints with the U.S. Forest Service in Northern Arizona and for the last four months or so has been working in Death Valley National Park as a maintenance guy for the contractors who run the hotel at Stovepipe Wells. He has finished his contract there and is on his way back up to Northern Arizona to work at one of the Forest Service campgrounds near the Grand Canyon. He stopped here at the SKP park to visit for a week or so. We managed to get him parked in the spot right next to us. Jackie played Pokeno with the girls in the clubhouse in the afternoon. We had pork chops on the BBQ with Roy for dinner, then sat and talked with him until about 8:00, after which we watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, April 22nd, I left about 8:30 and headed off to the Sheriff's Office for my second training class for my work on the Peace Officers Advisory Review Board. This session was on the ethics, culture and code of conduct for the Nye County Sheriff's Office. The class was taught by the Undersheriff, the second in command of the department after the elected Sheriff. In Arizona this position went by the title of Chief Deputy. It was interesting and lasted until 1:00. After I left I ran some errands, picked up mail and a newspaper and headed back to the coach. We relaxed for a few hours and then at 5:00 some friends who live in the park, just down the street from us, Dale and Sue Vice, picked us up to go to dinner. We have known Dale and Sue, who came in the SKP park about the same time as us, for a while and I have worked with both of them on various committees. They are very pleasant people and we wanted to get to know them better. Jackie mentioned this to Sue a week or so ago and she invited us to have dinner with them on their anniversary. We went to the Mountain Falls Country Club and had a very nice dinner. We learned a lot about their history, having been married for 27 years, and truly got to know them better. After dinner we came back to the park and sat with them in their park model for another hour talking. About 8:00 we walked back to our place and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Saturday, April 23rd, we left the coach about noon and went out for lunch at the Pour House. This is an Indian restaurant that also has excellent pizza, thus pleasing both Jackie and me. Roy went with us to lunch and the two of us shared a pizza while Jackie had a lamb dish. After lunch we all did a Walmart run before heading back to the coach. We relaxed for a while and about 5:00 Jackie, Roy and I left again and headed for the Elks Lodge for karaoke. Roy doesn't sing, but wanted to go along to hear me and do some gaming with Jackie at the bar. The usual crowd was there, including our friends Tom and Phyllis. Roy and Jackie both hit jackpots at the bar and both walked out with over $60 more than they came in with. Karaoke ended about 8:30 and we went back to the park. We relaxed with the TV for the rest of the evening.

Sunday, April 24th, about noon my brother Russ came up from Las Vegas, and my other brother Ken and his wife came over from Wine Ridge RV Resort up the road, for a family get together. This was the first time that I have been with more than one of my four brothers at the same time since my mom died back in 2009. I have seen all of them at least once over the years since, but only one at a time. We had a great time sitting on the patio and talking. Later in the afternoon I did some hamburgers on the grill and we had a great cook out. Russ and Ken left around 5:00 after which we went in the house and relaxed for the rest of the night. It was good to see family together again. Monday we went out about noon to have lunch with some friends of ours from the Escapees, Les and Kim. We had planned to go to an Italian place, but Kim called us just before we left to say it was closed for the day. We ended up going to Romero's, a pretty good Mexican place here in town. We had a very nice lunch and learned some more about our friends. After lunch we did a couple of errands and then headed back to the coach. About 4:30 we, along with Roy, drove up to the Wine Ridge RV Resort to have happy hour with Ken and Susan. They are leaving on Wednesday to continue their travels, so this will be the last time in a while for us to see them. We had a nice happy hour and headed home about 6:00. We stopped at Lakeside resort for dinner since we had not planned anything at home. After dinner we went back to the SKP park, Roy went home and we watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, April 26th, we both were up and out of the coach about 8:30 when we went to the medical center to have our blood tests done. We have our annual physical next week with our primary doctor and needed to get the lab work done. I again left the park about 12:30 and went to the dentist. Last year, when we got decent dental insurance for the first time, I went to a local dentist here and started a process of fixing some issues I had. That was almost exactly a year ago and today I started the final part of the process. I had some decay under a crown that I had in my lower jaw. The tooth had a root canal years ago, so I had no pain, but the dentist said it needed to be addressed before the tooth got too weak to support the crown. They had to remove the crown, then fix the decay, then build the stub of the tooth back up, take some molds and have a new crown made. I was in the chair for two and a half hours and left with a temporary crown, no lower partial, but at least no pain. I have to go back in two weeks for the final fitting of the new crown. After I got home we just watched some TV before Jackie made a nice chili relleno for dinner. Roy joined us for dinner and watched some TV with us afterwards until he went home about 8:00. We watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, April 27th, we had a quiet morning. Jackie went over to the clubhouse about 12:30 to play Pokeno with the girls. Roy came over with his bass guitar and he and I spent a couple hours jamming in the shed/music room. After Jackie got done we all went to Walmart for a few things. After we got home we had happy hour and then watched TV until bedtime. Thursday Jackie left about 10:30 and went to the DMV Office to renew her drivers license. After she left I used the golf cart to run back and forth to the laundry room here at the SKP park doing our laundry. I was done with laundry by about 1:00, sadly, Jackie was not done with DMV. She ended up not getting home until almost 4:00, sitting all that time waiting in the office. I spent another couple hours in the afternoon doing some work in the yard putting up shade screens for our gazebo. We had happy hour with Roy in the coach and afterwards we had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, April 29th, I left the coach about 8:30 and headed to the Sheriff's Office for another training session for my Peace Officers Advisory Board position. The instructor was again the Undersheriff and the topics were the Nevada laws regarding the Peace Officers Bill of Rights, Nye County Sheriff's policies regarding discipline and internal investigations, and a review of the labor agreement between the Deputies Association and the County. It was interesting in that in my day, the mid-80's, when I was the Commander of the Internal Affairs unit, there was no such thing as a Peace Officers bill of rights and certainly no labor agreements. The session ended about 12:30 and I headed back home after a quick stop for lunch. We spent the rest of the day hanging around the coach, doing a few chores and relaxing. We had happy hour and dinner with Roy, then spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Saturday, April 30th, the last day of April. We left the coach with Roy about 12:30 and went out for lunch and some errands. We stopped at the mail store to pick up some packages that had been delivered, then went on to the 5280 Mexican Grub, a Mexican restaurant and bar in the northwest portion of the valley. This is a fairly new place and we were first here last fall shortly after it opened. They have really good food. They used to run a food truck in Las Vegas before they decided to move to Pahrump and open a brick and mortar restaurant. They still use the truck for special events. We had a really nice lunch, then headed back to the coach. I did some chores around the place and we decided not to go to karaoke at the Elks tonight since none of our friends were going to be there. We had leftovers from lunch for dinner and then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Sunday, May 1st, May Day, May Day! We had our usual relaxing Sunday morning and I did a few chores in the early afternoon. At 2:00 we went over to the clubhouse for root beer floats. After our snack the three of us went to Home Depot to buy some chairs for our patio in the front yard. We bought six relatively inexpensive stack chairs that fit nicely under the gazebo. After we got home we put the chairs on the patio, then relaxed for the rest of the day. We had happy hour with Roy, then watched TV until bedtime. Monday my son Roy left about 9:30 headed today for Mesquite, Nevada. He is going to overnight there, then go to St. George, Utah on Tuesday morning to have some service done on his motorhome. After he is done in St. George he is headed for his summer job on the North rim of the Grand Canyon. Jackie left about 12:30 and drove into town for a pedi appointment while I stayed home and did some chores. We went to happy hour at the clubhouse about 4:00, then after we got home we had dinner and spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Tuesday, May 3rd, we left about 1:30 and drove to my ophthalmologist appointment for my annual exam. Basically my eyes are good, no glaucoma, mild cataracts which are not severe enough for corrective action yet, and 20/20 corrected vision. I do have viscous floaters in one eye, but the doctor was clear that there isn't much that can be done about that. He did recommend that I consider having my drooping eyelids corrected. This is the second time he has brought it up and I asked some questions to be sure that it was covered by insurance and not a major surgery. He said it is an outpatient procedure, twilight anesthesia, and short recovery period. He also said that they do some standard testing to be sure I meet the Medicare requirements to have the surgery. I made an appoint to go to their Las Vegas office for testing in a couple of weeks. Since they had dilated my eyes for the exam Jackie had to drive home while I kept my eyes closed to avoid the bright light. We did go to the clubhouse for happy hour, then came back, had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, May 4th, May the Fourth Be With You! We left the coach about 11:30 and drove to the Intermountain Medical Center for our annual visit with our primary physician. We got in fairly quickly and had a good examination and time to talk to our doctor. All in all we are pretty good shape, the labs were mostly good as were the vital signs. He did send me for an xray of my hip because of some pain I have been having, but other than that we got our prescriptions renewed, recommendations for pneumonia shots and covid boosters and we were on our way. It was about 2:00 when we got done, so we went for a late lunch to Chatthai, one of our favorite Thai restaurants. After a great dinner we went and picked up mail and then headed back to the RV park. We went to the happy our at the clubhouse at 4:00, then back home and the rest of the evening with the TV. Thursday, May 5th, Happy Cinco de Mayo! We a mostly stay at home day, doing a few chores and relaxing. Jackie went out for an early dinner with some of the other women in the park at Romeros, one of the Mexican places here in town. She was back about 5:30 and we spent the rest of the evening relaxing with the TV.

Friday, May 6th, I had a day off from my Sheriff's training because they had some sort of drill scheduled for today that would keep all of their people busy. I did a few chores in the morning and about 2:00 we did a Walmart run for some supplies. After we got home we put stuff away, then went over to the clubhouse for happy hour. After happy hour we went home, had dinner, then watched TV until it was time for bed. Saturday we went out about 1:00 to the Roadhouse for a late lunch. After lunch we gamed a little, but neither of us had much luck. We went back to the coach until about 5:00 when we went to the Elks for karaoke. The usual crowd was there, however our friends the Forrest's couldn't make it and the Howell's are out of town. We did meet a group of younger Escapees, members of the Escapers group, one of whom is actually on the list for Pair-a-dice. Karaoke was over about 9:00 when we went home and watched a little TV until bedtime.

Sunday, May 8th, Happy Mothers Day. We had a relaxing morning and about 11:30 went over to the clubhouse for one of our friend Millie's “Dilly Muffin” party, the name being a play on her name, Millie Duffin. Today was a fairly small group, only about seven people, but we had fun. We played some games and just spent a couple of hours chatting and enjoying the company of friends. At 2:00 we had cake and ice cream as a Mothers Day celebration courtesy of the park. After the cake and ice cream we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing with the TV.

We are now three weeks into this episode and it is time to get it online. Until next time, ponder the words of Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard . “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” See ya soon.