Hello Again

Hmmmm there seems to be a pattern emerging here - posting about once a month. I really wish I would do better, but I just don't seem to find the time or want to do it; however, right now I have nothing but time on my hands because I am sick with the flu. This has forced me to a "do nothing" few days (at least I hope it will only last for a few days). Well that was wishful thinking - I haven't even had the energy to type or think. I swear it was not until today that I actually feel like my brain is functioning. So the update on "the flu" is that I got the swine flu and have never been so sick in my life. I do believe that my fever finally broke and I am on the road to recovery (please God).

My main concern right now is getting my energy and stamina back to be able to do the SF Ghost Hunt Walking Tour, which Debby has scheduled for us to do on this coming Saturday. We have all been wanting to do it for quite some time and it should be really fun (providing I can breath).

I am sure there is no way I will be able to remember what has happened in the month I have been gone. I did have a good time with my sister Joy visiting. Joy, Kathy and I hit the quilt show two days and spent MUCH money and bought some beautiful stuff. Kathy decided that she would try quilting and I promised her "IF" she did not like quilting I would make all her projects for her. This last week she actually made her first quilt top that turned out really beautiful. I don't have a picture of it, but I will post one later. I am going to do the quilting for her (I don't want to frustrate her too much trying to do it on her machine). We had a good time "playing" together and she is a quick learner (she has much sewing experience and is very precise which helps with with quilting).

In the process of getting ready to help Kathy learn quilting I ended up with two more quilt tops. I have a large "cheater quilt" on my frame that I am practicing on to try different things. I was having a great time with that and then getting knocked on my butt with the flu and left that untouched for almost two weeks! I have to get that done and off the frame so I can get some of these tops that are stacking up taken care of. I do know Kathy is anxious to actually have a completed quilt in her hands too.

Ummmm what else? Oh yeah - I ended up packing up my stupid sewing machine and sending it back to the factory. They seriously have to get it right this time! They have had it since 11/4 and I am choosing to take that as a positive sign that are COMPLETELY going through the thing and don't darn send it back unless it works PERFECTLY! Of course I am not holding my breath on that one.

Well yesterday I thought I was heading back to a real life, but today - not so much. I feel like I am catching a fricking cold - ah go figure! Perhaps I am just letting go of some of the mucus that has been collecting. I am taking medication to break up the congestion in my chest and I think I am stretching my wishful think about as far as I can go. The whole SF trip is not looking good so good at this point

Anyway, I think it is time for me to hit the publish button and send this on it's way.

Later . . .

Fast Week

Well the week is coming to an end and we will be heading back home tomorrow. Joy and I have had a really good time sewing and generally messing around. We have visited with friends, but mainly the time has been spent in her sewing room. I completed a "strip" quilt that I really love. I have been wanting to do one and it really helped to have her show me what to do (I did the whole thing myself with her guidance). The binding is sewn on, but the hand work still has to be done.

Next project was to make a pillow case. We had made one years ago and I had completely forgotten how to do it. So we both made one at the same time and they turned out really cute. I want to be able to make some more by myself and I now feel confident enough to do it.

We moved on to place mats. I have been wanting to do place mats for a long so Joy showed me two different ways to do them. One way is to sew and turn and the other is to quilt and then bind. The quilt and bind is really professional looking - more time consuming, but worth it once the project is finished. I have to take the place mats home and complete them there. I also bought some material to do some autumn type mats that I think will be beautiful and perfect for Thanksgiving.

We will have sewing to do when we are home at my house and I am looking forward to being home. It is always nice to visit, but there no place like HOME!

Later . . .

Geez . . . .

WELL - I certainly have not been doing a good job of keeping up with the blog. I want to blame Facebook, but maybe I am just being lazy. I really put out an effort to keep posting while Debby was in Iraq, but since she has been home - no posts.

I am thinking a lot has happened since the last post and I know I have pictures connected with it, but I am on my Macbook and the pictures are on my Mac (I am visiting with my sister Joy for a week in Ventura). At least she now has wireless access - thus this blog.

Kathy, Paul, Debby, Max and I all went to our Timeshare in Nevada the first part of September. We finally got to fish in Red Lake. Max and I have been wanting to fish there for a long time and the last time we were going to fish there it was solid ice. We had the float tubes and it was a beautiful and calm day. I caught one fish and got one bite, but I took a book along with me and when I got tired of fishing I just floated around and read - ahhhh the life! We did a lot of exploring in Paul's new Ford truck. We found some beautiful lakes in the area and were able to fish in some. That fishing trip is what prompted the purchase of our new Ford Escape - the need for a 4x4 to get to some of the fishing spots. We went out in search of wild horses and THAT required a 4x4 for sure. We did get to see some, but it was from quite a distance, but it was still fun.

We ventured off to Sacramento for a birthday gathering for Katie and JD. That turned into a "thing" as the keys to Max's mother's car were lost. We did the key search for a while and then called AAA to come out. Before they arrived Max & Paul managed to get the car open (there was some hope the keys just might be in the trunk). No luck for keys in the trunk so we used AAA to have a locksmith come out and when he arrived (an hour and a half after the 45 minute wait for the tow truck) he informed us that it might take him up to 3 hours to get a key made because it was some special chipped key! The decision was made to just drive Annette home and have her come back the next day with the extra key to get the car. I think we managed to leave around 9:00 PM (we had started to leave about 5:00 PM). We had to stay because it was our AAA card.

Oh I forgot that Max and I went to Fremont for her to do a photo session with the teacher she has found to help her progress in her photography. That was fun - I sat and worked on the binding for a quilt while they took pictures and were messing around with lighting. The guy is very nice and seems to be a very good teacher - patient and clear.

The next weekend Paul, Max and I took our old mattress and box spring to Max's mother and then went fishing the next morning. We got up EARLY and headed out to be there when the sun came up. Max used her float tube, but I got lazy and just did not feel like going through the motions to get out in the water. I fished from shore throwing lures. I managed to hook 9 nice trout and fall in the lake once. The water was not too cold and thankfully I was able to change into my waders and let my clothes dry out. Max and Paul got lots of hits, but did not manage to hook any fish. I was very happy and the experience brought back the thrill of fishing again.

I got my new car just in time to make the trip to my sister's house in Ventura. I am really happy with the car and the way it drives. It is equipped with bluetooth and that is very cool for using the cell phone. It also came with 6 months of Sirius radio which was awesome - never lost a signal the entire drive. We are having fun sewing (I am in the process of making a really cool flannel strip quilt). I had to take my mondo expensive Creative Vision to the shop so they could send it back to the factory. This is the second machine that has gone hey-wire on me. I sent a very frustrated email to my dealer and she forwarded it up the food chain. The president of the company stepped in and I got a phone call from the head of quality control and was assured that they would take my machine and completly go over it and promised when I got it back it would be working perfectly. All I can say is it better. I have been very patient but VERY frustrated with the machine since I first got it.

I wish I had some pictures to post, but sadly the narrative will have to be it for now. I am going to put some effort into keeping up with the blog if I only do a weekly entry. I like having it and it is really nice to go back and see what was happening before. Easy to forget things as time passes.

Later . . .

Niners & Raiders

Well thank goodness Debby is safely home from Iraq! In a way it seems like the year went by quickly and in another way it seemed to drag. The family (Kathy, Paul, Michael, Debby, Max and I) got together for the Niner/Raider game. Everyone except Max and I are Niner fans and Max and Debby bet on the teams every year - who will win the most games - who wins the pre-season game (which was the Niners). Thank goodness it was a close game! It was just fun to be at Debby's and have her home and be able to have a friendly rivalry over the game. We had a simple dinner of hot dogs and potato salad. She just arrived home Saturday morning, so she was very tired and we left her to get some sleep after the game was over.

We bought chilles (from Hatch New Mexico) and have to do some roasting. Ya can't really roast the chilles on a gas BBQ so we ended up picking up a decent sized grill. Hate to do it for once a year, but decided it would be the backup in case we run out of propane (which happens to be the case right now - both tanks are empty). We have room to store it in the shed and it will not be in the way since we are not getting the lawn mower in and out (gardeners). OMG the house smells soooooooooooo good right now with all the chilles sitting on the counter waiting to be bagged and put in the freezer!

I was able to get the binding sewn on one of the baby quilts that I had done while watching the game. I finished a quilt for Sunny (Debby's Yellow Lab) and gave it to Debby today. I have a quilt on the frame ready to be quilted, but probably will not get to it until the beginning of the week. At least it is loaded. The part I hate the most about the quilting process is cutting the backing for the quilt top. I am getting better at doing it and working better with larger sized material that has to be squared, but it is still something I consider a hassle. It probably also is that I never know what to use. With the dog quilts it is difficult to pick a patterned material and I have been using plain muslin, which seems to do the trick and look good. I am anxious to actually get one of my good quilts on the frame to quilt - time just seems to get away from me.

We are going to Genoa this coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday for a wedding. Max is taking pictures of the bridesmaids getting their hair done and getting ready for the wedding. The wedding is on Friday - so we will be coming home on Saturday. Then the next week we will be going back to Genoa for a week of fishing and general vacation relaxation.

Later . . .

Weekend

Had a fun Friday - Michael's 26th BD. He actually had his "party" Thursday night at the Karaoke Bar he and his work friends like to go to on Thursdays. Since Karaoke does not start until 9:30, Max and I skipped the drinking and singing part of the celebration. We all went out to dinner at his favorite Mexican place and then came back to our house for a good session of Rock Band II. Mike loves to place the drums!

Max and I both had "training sessions" on Saturday. I took an embroidery stabilizer class in Sunnyvale and she did a 2 hour session with a photographer (Kathy tagged along as her model). We were both pleased with what we learned. Max found this guy that she really likes in Fremont who gives lessons at his studio for $50 an hour - amazing since most people she looked up were charging in the hundreds!

We are having our typical "do nothing Sunday", but I did run across a problem when I looked in my fabric cabinet and found that one of my bottles of distilled water was EMPTY (Yes,it was a new bottle). Needless to say I had a bunch of molded fabric and a mess on the bottom of the cabinet. I had to unload the entire cabinet (Yes it was FULL of material) to check the flooring behind and under the cabinet. Everything looked okay, but I am guessing it had to have leaked some onto the flooring. We had to "un-earthquake" the cabinet to be able to move it - what a pain in the butt.

Ahhhhhh well back to do nothing Sunday - all the fabric can wait until tomorrow. I do think this is a good opportunity to do some rearranging and thinning out of stuff I have in my sewing room. Less really is better sometimes! I have so much stuff that it is hard to make a decision as to what I am going to sew next. I have so much material I have a hard time deciding what to use. This will be a great opportunity to get rid of anything that is not 100% cotton AND something that I think I will actually use in the NEAR future.

Later . . .

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Now playing: Rob Thomas - Her Diamonds
via FoxyTunes

Not Quilting Yet

When I did the embroidery before my machine was acting up a bit - so I decided that instead of quilting I should do some more embroidery and see if my machine would behave. I decided to put a design on the front of the shirt that I put the fairy on the back. Then Max asked me to put a cloud and rainbow on one of her shirts. They both turned out nice - I added the hummingbird as an additional touch to the flowers. It seemed to do okay except it cuts threads sometimes and then sometimes it doesn't. It is frustrating to have a machine that cost that much money and have it not do the things that it is suppose to do (and is why it cost so much money). I will say it does do a nice job of sewing and embroidery and the bells and whistles that don't work are not that big of an issue - merely an annoyance!

I am still missing the grand kids, but adjusting to the quiet and loneliness. They certainly kept me focused and busy. Right now I am working on losing the 6 pounds I gained while they were here. So much easier to put on than take off. Also much easier to be watching what I eat when I am not feeding kids.

Later . . .

Missing the Grandkids

Glad I didn't decide to slice the top of my finger off while the kids where here. I managed to do it in a spot that if I bent my finger it would come open. I took a pretty good slice right at the top of the knuckle - opps! I was cleaning the drain in the sink and slipped. It is having a difficult time healing because of the bend. To keep it from bending, we made a splint from a card reader that would not work with my memory sticks.

After the grandkids left, we knew that Jesse was coming down with his kids so we left the pools up with water. It is amazing the attraction of that little pool! Jesse went swimming with the kids and they had a blast in the bigger pool.

I have my sewing room back and did some embroidery yesterday (I would give it up again to have the kids - the house is quiet and LONELY). I made the horse shirt to donate for a silent auction that is being held for R.E.A.C.H. I am doing it for the benefit of Michael. I am also making a dog quilt and a baby quilt. I added the spools of thread to the front of the shirt that I had previously put "When Life Gives You Scraps - Make Quilts" on the back. I am hoping to get something on my quilt machine today and get back in the grove of quilting. I am thinking I would like to try to use a pantograph and see how that works out. I have sooooooooooo many things to learn and try.


Our fishing trip is just around the corner September 4th - 11th) and we are all looking forward to taking off for a week. Max and Paul are looking forward to not only float tubing in the lakes, but being able to fly fish in the Carson River. Time will tell how my knee will hold up for tubing.

Later . . .

Time Flies

Things have pretty much remained the same - swimming, board games, video games, baking cookies and eating breakfast, snacks, lunch, snacks, dinner and dessert (they eat all the time). We have run across some really good games and some really not so good games) above Chutes and Ladders, Hungry Hungry Hippos and Crazy Crab). Deanna fell in love with "Crazy Crab" and "Hungry, Hungry Hippos". Chutes and Ladders was a success along with some OLD game called "Spooky Old Tree". There was another game that was only for two players - "Guess Who" that everyone liked. It is nice that the kids can all play board games and Deanna does excellent for "almost" four.

The time has flown by and Denise will be arriving today to take them home tomorrow. I have loved having them here, but it is a handful and VERY time consuming and patience trying. Makes a big difference in my life when I am used to being home alone every day. All that said, Max and I are going to miss them like crazy once they are gone. IF ONLY we lived closer, we could have them more often for shorter periods of time.

All I can say is that the pool was the best $25 investment I have made in a long time. They spent hours in the pool almost every day. Yesterday was the only day that it was actually too cool for them to go swimming (go figure Livermore in August).

Later . . .

Mustang Building Saturday

Max and Devin set down to work on the Mustang project. It turned out to be quite the challenge, but turned out really well. Devin had a great time building it and Max was very patient and let him do it himself (with gentle guidance and help where actually needed. He decorated it (with some sticker placement help from Max) and then played with it both inside and out. Of course it does seem to run better on the kitchen floor than on the carpet or the bricks of our patio. There is one place around the side of the house that has a long run of cement, but short turning radius. He really loves the car (and I think I will have to buy one for Max).


Between the swimming and 30 minutes each of video games, I have been able to finally get the binding on two baby quilts and my queen size quilt. At this moment I only have one baby quilt left to bind. Too bad I have MANY quilt tops that need to be quilted and then that means more binding! I seem to always poke holes in my fingers when I am sewing binding because I just can't use a thimble.

Last night we tried playing some games that we had never played before - some were good and some were - NOT! Shark was rejected, M&M Party Game is still under consideration (a bit too much for Deanna) and everyone liked Kerplunk. Because M&M took so long, we did not get too Chutes and Ladders. It was a general consensus that Kerplunk was a keeper. We have more games to explore this afternoon. Max got pictures of us playing games, but they are on her computer and I will have to get some copies (I was busy playing and did not have my camera).

Max has a bridal shower that she is going to shoot this afternoon and she wants us to wait to play games until she gets back. We always have stuff happening - so no problem on that request.
We have video games and the pool and of course EATING which seems to be a constant around here (smile).

Later . . .

Family Craft Night

Kathy, Paul and Michael came over for "family craft night". This is where we all get together and work on our chosen craft. After we had a "picnic" in the backyard of McDonald's, we all set down around the table to do our things. Max was teaching Desirae how to tie flies while Paul was tying flies. Kathy was helping Devin and Deanna make beaded necklaces and bracelets. I was doing hand work on one of my quilts trying to get the binding done. After a bit Devin, Michael and I switched to Rock Band. Devin on bass, Mike on drums and me on guitar. We actually did quite well and progressed to getting our "Tour Van".

Everyone had a really good time (I love craft nights). Right now Max and Devin are working on his car - that will be another post.

Later . . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAX!

What a fun filled day! We played video games, played in the pools, had a delicious dinner, had a great cake with ice cream and enjoyed a phone call from Debby (who is about ready to come home from Iraq). Max barbecued tri-tips for dinner and Kathy, Paul and Michael joined us.

The day before Max took Devin with her for a photo shoot she had to do for a friend and then to Radio Shack to find a "work" project they could do together. They ended up with the coolest 1965 Ford Mustang radio controlled car they are going to build. While they were gone, Desirae, Deanna and I baked the cake and did cards and decorations for the next day. Desirae decided the best places to put the decorations and cards (all over the bathroom mirror so she would see it when she first got up, all over the house and around her computer).


As an added note - this may be the sweetest thing in the world, BUT you end up paying the price when she is WIDE awake in the evening and does not stop talking, playing, kicking the wall etc. until around midnight. Desirae can fall asleep with tons of noise and she does not care, but poor Devin, Max and I paid the price for my afternoon snuggle. To give Devin some peace of mind and rest, we moved him to a room of his own. Of course, the night we changed him Deanna was asleep as soon as her little head hit her pillow!

The plans for tonight are that Paul, Max and Desirae and going to tie flies while Kathy, Devin, Deanna and I do some crafts. Max and Devin plan to build the car on Saturday. More pictures after the evening is over.

Later . . .

Max's Birthday

Max called in sick on Wednesday (she took the day off for Thursday) and her "peeps" at work set up her desk for a birthday surprise. She works with a great bunch of people and they did themselves proud. Max felt awful after she saw the pictures of what they had done and she did not show up. They picked out "special" cupcakes just for her!

She is very special . . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAXINE!

Later . . .

Another day done

Today was another good day. We had beautiful weather and the kids swam while I cleaned the hot tub cover. We have been blessed with some really nice weather - it is hot, but not unbearable hot. Max surprised us all by popping in for lunch and that was a nice change of pace. Max barbecued hot dogs for dinner and that was a treat for me (have not had a hot dog in a long time). Thank goodness it really cooled off so heating the oven for baking cookies was not miserable. I missed the opportunity to get pictures of the cookies before they were eaten and also the left over chocolate on the faces of three happy kids.

The days are long, but they are a lot of fun. I love watching them grow.

Later . . .

The Grandchildren

I must say they are keeping me busy. Now I completely understand why one has children when they are younger. Actually things have been going quite well. The age difference shows up a bit when it comes to playing in the pool. Deanna wants to play, but is not as confident in the water environment as the other two. She tends to stay in the little pool and entertain herself - with dog toys it seems. The pool is their major attraction and it is what they want to do all the time. I wish we had one that was bigger so I could actually get in with them and teach them how to swim.

We all watched a movie yesterday "Flushables", which was quite interesting and really pretty cute. I am taking the opportunity to work on hand work (sewing on binding) while they are playing in the pool, playing video games or watching a movie. It has not been so hot lately so sitting outside with them is easier to do. If it is really hot, I just sit inside by the sliding glass door so I can see them while they play in the water. I will not let in the hot tub unless I am right there with them - too easy to fall in there.

Max decided to paint the girls' fingernails on Sunday night - Desirae chose green sparkle and Deanna choose red like my toe nails. Hardest part was having them sit still until they dried - which Desirae accomplished and Deanna did not.

We have thawed out cookie dough to make cookies tonight. We also need to make a cake for Max's birthday, but that will be on Wednesday (not her birthday, but the cake making). Max is taking Thursday off for her birthday and we are having Kathy, Paul and Michael over for a barbecue. We are also considering going to a matinee Thursday afternoon. The movie of choice will either be "Return of the Ice Age" or "Up".

Later . . .

Max's New Toys

Max was cruising eBay and ran across a fly tying vise that she has been wanting. It is one step down from the one Paul has and is "totally cool" (her words not mine). We decided to bid on it and give it a "snipe". Figured if we could get the vise plus all the extras for the price of a new one we would be ahead of the game. As luck would have it (or crafty sniping) she won the bid. Great bunch of stuff and more than she expected. Unfortunately, the vise had a knob that broke off during shipping, but it can be drilled out and replaced - so no harm and we are still ahead of the game.

Max is looking forward to tying flies with Desirae while they are here visiting. Of course Paul and Max will get together to tie before we go fishing in September (and that vacation is just around the corner).

Later . . .

The Grandkids have arrived

Max and I make the drive to Cal City after she got off work on Thrusday. With the 5:00 PM traffic it was about 10:45 before we arrived in Cal City. We had a nice day on Friday with Denise and the kids and then we were able to spend a little time with Duane Friday night. We packed up the kids and headed home around 11:00 AM on Saturday.

We got them settled in and the adventure begins! It is such a MAJOR help to have Max around to help out - I will be missing her a lot this week. After a good pancake breakfast, we set up their new swimming pool. While we were filling the pool they all took a dip in the "no so hot" hot tub. I had turned the temperature down a while ago because we don't really use it when it is hot. Then enjoyed themselves and once Devin got over his fear of falling they had some fun - especially with the jets! Desirae was especially happy because she had never been in a "hot tub" before (and she still hasn't been in a HOT one).

They transferred to the other pool - which is much larger than the one we had last year and had some fun. My battery went dead on my camera, but I will get pictures tomorrow. The new pool has much more room for splashing and playing, but Deanna tends to bail when a lot of splashing is happening. I did get out the little plastic one and she played in that for a bit by herself.

It is GREAT to have them here, but I must admit it is a major adjustment on my part.

Later . . .

Flight Day for Warren

Warren, Ann and Jesse came down for dinner on Friday night and then Max cooked breakfast for everyone before we took off at 0800 to make the drive to Sonoma for Warren to take his airplane ride. We wanted to arrive when they opened and get Warren in the air before it got too hot. We were warned the plane he would be flying was enclosed with glass windows and it gets pretty hot in there if it is hot outside.

We arrived early enough for Warren to be the first in line to fly the "Texan" that he wanted to fly. The people there were extremely nice. Warren had a wonderful time with the pilot doing loops and rolls and such. Warren was given the controls and he got to fly quite a bit over the area. Initially they were going to fly to the coast, but when they arrived it was really foggy, hence they came back to our area; which was nice because we got to watch. Max got some really great shots. I got most of the adventure on video, but I cannot get it on my Mac. I need to go buy a firewire cable that has 4 pins on one end and 6 on the other (I have one that is 4 and 4, but it will not work with my Mac).


Warren had such a good time and he was VERY happy. He was given a certificate and a t-shirt. I am sure it is something that he will treasure for a long time. He told me it was the BEST father's day he had ever had! It actually looked like it would be fun to take a flight with them. Don't think I would be up for the loops and rolls, but going in an open bi-plane might be fun.

Anyway, that was the weekend and it turned out well. Kathy and Paul did not go with us as Michael had to work and Paul was working on the bathroom. We did see everyone for a bit on Friday night after Kathy came back from Red Bluff with Michael (he was vacationing with his grandparents while we were in Vegas and stayed on for another week).

We are gearing up for the grandkids. We are driving down on Thrusday after Max gets off work and then coming back on Saturday - that will give Max a day off with the kids before she has to go back to work. We are going to keep them until mid-week so that Max can have a weekend with them. I know they will keep me busy, but I will try to blog with pictures of the kids while they are here.

Later . . .

Home from Vegas

Now that we are home I have some additional pictures to post from Vegas.

When we were in the Bellagio they had a section of ceiling at the reception lobby that was made of blown glass flowers - it was awesome to see and the picture does not do it justice. The Bellegio had some amazing things in there garden area. We got to see all the little love birds snuggled up together (2x2) in their bird house sleeping. It was adorable.

There was also the most amazing motorcycle on display at Treasure Island. It was made of metal and it was all woman - from the head right down to the boots on her feet going back to the back tire. It was hard to get good shots, but I did get photos of all the different parts using my flash.

When we went to the Stratosphere and out to the top - the wind was really blowing. It was a clear night and the lights of the city were great. Max was doing all she could to get some shots since she did not have her tripod with her it was a challenge (as you can see). We really had a nice time at the Stratosphere.

We had a great time overall, but the strip is a bit busy for my liking. Fremont Street was fun and even though there were a lot of people it was not as crazy packed like the strip. The light show was very cool and I am in awe that someone actually had to program that whole thing! We stayed up way to late on Thursday night, but we managed to get up and out of the condo by 10:00 AM for the quick flight back to SFO.

Later . . .

More Vacation

We all slept in yesterday - staying up way to late running around Vegas. It is much nicer to be out and about at night when the sun is not cooking your brain. Paul took Kathy to Lawry's for her birthday dinner and Max and I got to join them. OMG I really have to say that was probably the best meal I have had - EVER. They are famous for prime rib for a reason. They served everything at the table and the chef cut each piece of prime rib cooked the way we requested it. The meal came with salad, mashed potatoes and gravy and Yorkshire pudding. You could order veggies and stuff if you wanted and also lobster to go with your prime rib. They also had some of the best creme brulee I have ever tasted. It was a real treat for everyone - Happy Birthday Kathy!

We then caught the bus and headed downtown to the Circus Circus and Slots of Fun. We gambled for a while and then headed home early (that would be around midnight). It is nice to have a condo to come back to. Gives us the opportunity to sit around and chat and relax before we headed to bed.

Today is our last day here and this is the day we are doing the Fremont Street Experience. I love the laser light show and then we will have our "last chance" to strike it rich (haha).

Later . . .

More Vegas

We have been having a really good time. Considering the heat we have been doing really well walking all over the place and checking out ALL the casinos. Monday we did the walking trip to Paris, Bally's, Bellegio, Caesers Palace, Flamingo, Palazzo, Treasure Island, Venetian, Wynn's O'Sheas and the Casino Royale. We stopped at the Flamingo and went to Jimmy Buffett's Margritaville for Volcano Nachos. OMG check them out.

The Bellagio, Venetian and the Paalazzo were amazing places. The stores and such were incredible. We saw some blackjack tables that the MINIMUM bet was $1k. We put some money in the slots in all the places and had fun. This guy is a real person doing the painted no movement thing and swear we thought he was real when we first saw him at the Venetian.

Last night we grabbed a bus and went down further down the strip to the Stratosphere where we had a buffet dinner that was excellent and saw"The American Experience" which was a show with people singing impersonations of Elvis, Brittney Spears, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood and Michael Jackson. It was a really good show and we all enjoyed it a lot. We then made our way to the top of the Stratosphere to see the night view of Vegas which also amazing. We took pictures, but they are still on the stick cause there were not really enough to make a disk.

Today we are slow playing it until we go to dinner for Kathy's BD at Lawry's for what is said to be amazing prime rib. Then we plan to go to the Circus Circus and Slots of Fun this evening. Tomorrow we are doing the Fremont Street experience and then Friday it will be homeward bound.