February 25, 26 & 27, 2016 Lake Havaso

     Thursday- February 25th .   We left Riverside Park in Laughlin about 10:00 AM heading to Lake Havasu Az.  to have a recall on our RV fixed.   We received the notice shortly before we left Salem on this trip south and since Salem has no Winnebago dealer we decided to have it done at 3T in Lake Havasu, Kent really likes the work they do there and it is a 68 mile drive there. The recall was on the propane hose on the motor home, When the repair was done, the mechanic told us that our recall was the worst he had seen, and he said we must have lost a lot of propane from the way it was leaking, he was glad we had it fixed when we did. We had noticed or thought we were going through propane fast, but we thought it was because of the cold weather and we had run the furnace quite a bit.  If any of you readers have a recall on this problem, be sure and get it fixed as soon as possible.
     We got right in with the motor home and the job only took about 15 minutes so we left Lake Havasu about noon and we drove 421 miles to Bakersfield California where we spent the night in an RV park there. There isn't a whole lot to write about when we are just driving to get to our destination, you don't realize how many people (mostly Men) spend their lives driving mile after mile staring at the highway, doing their job hauling freight. I started waving at them as we passed them and they got a big smile and waved back, one tooted his horn. Such a simple thing to do to brighten up someones day. The orchards are in full bloom and the crates or supers are all over the edges of the vineyards and orchards for the bees to make their honey in. Those bees are in Bee Heaven with all those flowers to get pollen from. I bet they really get a lot of honey from them. I also noticed the crops are planted in such straight perfect rows, you can tell they are planted by computer driven equipment. My dad took so much pride in his corn rows being so straight driving his old John Deer tractor, he is probably looking down, admiring  the beauty of those straight rows these farmers have today.
     Friday  February 26th  We got a good start this morning and we drove to Coring, California. We stopped and I made us lunch at 11:30 and we watched our soap "The Young and the  Restless" before hitting the road again. It was about 387 miles. Another long day on the road, this has not been fun.
     Saturday   February 27th   We drove in a down pour again today, stopping at Starbucks near Yreka for Kent's daily frappe and we called our friend Sue who lives near there and she met us there and we relaxed and visited, while we got our phones and our iPads charged up at Starbucks. We drove to Grants Pass where we stopped for Mass at St. Annes Church. We drove about 270 miles to Seven Feathers Casino, where we ate dinner and spent the night. It was dark when we got there and we were very tired.

February 23 & 24 2016 Laughlin, Nevada

     Tuesday Feb. 23   When you check into the RV Park, they give you 2 free tickets for a free breakfast buffet and 2 tickets for a dinner buffet. This morning we used our two breakfast tickets and ate way too much food. After breakfast, we went to the movie theatre. There are a couple of movies that we think are real good. Yesterday while on our walk, a lady gave us a coupon for buy one dinner, get one free. I think we will use that after we get through the movie. The movie we went to today was, "RACE"  It is the true story of Jessie Owens back in 1936 who was an African American who came from a very low income  family. He was an excellent athlete in field sports and could run faster than anything or anyone. Remember back then the black people were not accepted and treated very cruel. In fact they weren't allowed in the Olympics, Hitler didn't want any one of color or Jews to be allowed there. It is a beautiful story about the hard work and determination these people had  to accomplish with little support. I would highly recommend this movie to everyone.
     Wednesday Feb 24:  We are going to our second movie this morning at 10:00 so we have to get moving pretty fast today. We are going to see, "Revenant", the commercials look pretty good. It was a real bloody, violent movie and it went slow. There is a lot of good acting in it but the storyline was slow. I wouldn't recommend it. Just not my kind of movie.  The movie "Grand parents" is not doing to good. In Mesquite our friend there said that about one half the senior citizens got up and left the theatre shortly after it started. That same movie here in Laughlin,  they have a full sheet of  paper listing the warnings of the movie. Very sexually graphic, people in Laughlin have walked out too and complained. Tonight we used our free dinner tickets and came home to watch TV  We are heading to Lake Havasu in the morning.

February 18 & 19 & 20 2016 Laughlin, Nevada

     Thursday Feb.18     We said our goodbyes to our friends Gary and Connie this morning and we headed for Laughlin, Nevada, we have reservations for a week. We fought a real strong wind all the way and that is not good for our mileage per gallon. We were sure glad we had reservations because when we pulled in at 4:00 PM and checked in, they were completely full. There was a large motor home behind us and they were upset  because they had no large sites for them and they needed 50 amp. All they had was a 30 amp.  There are about 300 spaces in this campground.  A lot of people stay for the winter, I can't imagine staying in a campground in the desert with nothing to see and do but go to the casinos. We are usually here with our friends and we play cards and our fast track game a lot. Our friends had to cancel their reservations this year, we sure missed our time with them and all the fun we have together. We hope to see them later on.
     Friday Feb. 19  Everyone knows how Kent has a Starbucks frappe everyday, down here the Starbucks is 1 mile from our campsite and Kent has been walking there most days. I walk part way with him and I stop at the Aquarius Casino and he stops there on his way back. He says the walk was tough at first, but now it is getting easier. Kent saw on TV where the desert flowers are really in bloom this year and the pollen is the highest in a decade. Kent never has any allergies and this year he is really suffering, I always have allergies and trouble breathing. Tonight we went to one of the best fish places here and the wait was about one half hour. We played a slot machine for 10 minutes and then we started visiting with another person waiting when they called our name. They seated us and brought our beverages and took our order, wow we were all excited how fast we were getting served. Shortly the waiter told us our food was about ready and   as he was walking away, the lights went out and we were in complete darkness. They had no backup lighting or flashlights but with everyone now days owning a cell phone, there was soon and warm glow of light. The waiters were bringing out the food that was ready, using their phones to get around. Soon we heard sirens from police cars and firetrucks screaming all the way  up the strip of Laughlin.  everyone was told we had to leave, they had to shut down by state law. So much for the fantastic fish dinner! At least we weren't on a slot machine with money in it, those people had to stay to get their money. The street was full of people leaving the casinos and some just arriving to check in at the Casinos. There was a little old lady who was gambling with her husband in the Aquarius casino and she couldn't find him in the casino and she was pretty shook up. Kent and I took her back inside and then they had back up lighting on and we found her husband for her. We wondered how they would know what to do with all the people sitting at the slot machines waiting for their money. We stopped  and listened in on a conversation with the casino worker at a slot machine with the player on his walkie talkie, talking to the control person and they were telling them the serial number of the machine and he knew how much money was played
and won and it looked like they were giving out pay vouchers to be used when they reopened. We walked backed to our house on wheels and because we have a converter to convert the  battery to electricity, we had lights, TV and I fixed us dinner at home. Not as good as the fish would have been, but good. It was kind of eerie, scary with the whole town on black out. I can't imagine the panic and fear the people in New York suffered in that terrible day of the twin towers. We found out later that night the electrical transformer overheated and caught fire. They called in the city of Bull Head next door to help with it. All that hub bub and the next morning the casinos were in full operation with the parking lots full. I didn't go to any of them as I thought they might tighten up the winnings to make up for having to close for the night.
     Saturday Feb. 20th  Today we walked the river walk along the river heading back to the Riverside Casino where we will go to 4:00 PM Mass that is held in the theatre at the casino. Father hears confessions on two metal folding chairs before Mass each week. They have beautiful music and the theatre is packed. Father Blaise Baran is such a cool Priest, we both really enjoy his sermons and he always has a joke or two. There must be 350 or more who attend the Mass, that is a lot of money in the collection box.

Feb. 16, 2016 Mesquite, Nevada

     Tuesday Feb. 16    Still in Mesquite, Kent and I are entered in a slot tournament today. We don't usually do well in these tournaments, it is fun to try. They have about 40 old slot machines and you draw a number to pick your machine. When they say go, you start hitting the play button as fast as you can, or at a steady pace and you keep doing this for 10 minutes. The machine stops automatically when the time is up. The 4 or 6 people with the highest score go into another round later in the day. Some of these people are pros at hitting the button just right to get a rhythm going so the machine doesn't stop and waste time. It sounds so easy, but your arm really gets tired and you have to switch hands without stopping and being a lucky person really HELPS!  LOL  After the slot tournament, we did our laundry and paid our bills. That evening we ate dinner at the Orleans Casino and went to the Elvis Dinner Show. The  Elvis impersonator plays at the Orleans Casino every Tuesday night.  We sat by a neat couple from Elktin, Oregon, population 134 who are pretty new to RVing and had a lot of questions. She said living in such a small town, just being around people was great. When we first started on this adventure we also had the same questions and our good friends John and Linda Burgelhaus were real helpers for us and we share the same kindness to others. Elvis did a great job entertaining us and the table full of ladies out on the town was another entertaining show and yes Kent and I danced a couple of dances, what a fun night!

February 12, & 13, 2016 Mesquite, Nevada

     Friday  Feb. 12  It felt so good to sleep in and not have to get ready to go someplace, I think Pepsi was even happy to have us home with him. Our plan for today is to head to Mesquite to spend a few days with our friend Gary who lives there. He and Kent spend a lot of time in the Keno room, I have a good book that I haven't had time to read, so today is the day! Mesquite is about an hours drive from Vegas. I fixed us lunch to eat on the way, Kent and Pepsi sat in front and I sat in back reading my book. We arrived there late afternoon, Gary met us at the Orleans where we ate dinner and I won $60 on the slots, thats because we weren't there enough to give it back. We will be dry camping for a couple of nights at the Virgin Casino and then we go to the Orleans where they have a nice camp ground with full hook-ups and a beautiful pool to lounge in the sun by.
     Saturday Feb. 13 Kent spent the day with Gary, Pepsi slept and I read my book and checked in on the gamblers, playing a little slot on my way through. We went to the 4:00 pm Mass at the beautiful church here.  They built this church a few years ago, it is so large and they really fill it up. I wonder how many of the people are snow birds like us? We thought Gary and his friend were meeting us for dinner after Mass, but somehow there was a mix up, we wound up eating tacos at Taco Bell across the street and watching a movie.

February 10, 2016 Las Vegas

     Wednesday February 10, 2016  Today is our last day with Bob and Jan and their friends from Minden, Nebraska,  I think Jan and I are about gambled out.  We got to spend some time with their grandson Brandon, who lives-in Ft Collins, Colorado, he comes every year for the Super Bowl Game, we had  a great time with him too. After our lunch, Jan and I played the slots awhile, went back to her room and discussed our soaps, grand children our kids and Jan filled me in on all of our relatives and friends in South Dakota. Each year it is harder to say goodbye,  We have to thank the good Lord for each precious day we share together. Bob, Jan, Kent and I ate a late dinner in the deli at the casino, Kent and I headed back to our camp ground and tomorrow we will head for Mesquite, Nevada to visit our friend Gary for a week. Bob and Jan flew home to Nebraska to a lot of snow. It was a real nice time like it is every year, Bob's back was bothering him but he was a real trooper in attending all the things we had going.

February 08 & 09 , 2016 Las Vegas

     Monday Feb. 8th I have spent every day at the Luxor with my sister,  we meet at lunch time after Jan has watched her soap "The Young and the Restless".  Kent and I watch it too, except we record it to watch in the evening.  Bob missed a step on the ladder at home and he is suffering with a lot of back pain, he lays on his heating pad off and on.  Jan and I share a slot machine and we move around and try them all. We do a lot of visiting while we are playing the slots  and sometimes we get a Starbucks and go to their room and look at pictures we each have on our I Pads. What would we do without all this modern technology? You have to keep up with the latest in the computer field or you will be bored and out of the loop. I think back in time to my mom and granny, I thought they were old when they were in their 50's and 60's. We think we are pretty young and spry getting around doing all that we do.  I am sure our kids look at us like we did our parents and grand parents and chuckle how silly we are or how we slow them down. Our grandmas and great grandmas all lived to their mid 90's, so look out world,  here we come. Jan rents one of those scooter carts she buzzes around in and I hurry to keep up. Someone asked me why I didn't get one too, and I said I think I might run over somebody, they go pretty fast.We went to the  Public House in the Casino for dinner, they have the best food there,  Jan and I ate the corn chowder, it was so good, I have never ate it before. About 9:30 PM Kent goes and gets the motor home and He picks me up in the drop off zone. We head home and watch TV and go to bed for another busy day in Vegas.
     Tuesday Feb 9th  Today is almost my last day together with my sister. The time is flying so fast and we are having so much fun. We did a little better on the slots today, Kent joined us with his money, we all put in $5 and we started winning Jan and I started doubling our bet. Kent even joined in on the double. LOL We moved to a few other machines and when we quit to go the Irish Pub at the Excaliber Casino we were all up $20.00. We played forever on that machine and had so much fun, not a big $ amount but we sure had fun and that is why people go to Vegas, for fun!!!!!  We always eat the fish dinner at the Irish Pub every year, as it has real good food.

February 06 & 07, 2016 Las Vegas, Nevada

     Saturday 06  Today we are headed to Vegas to spend 6 days visiting my sister and her husband Bob. We had so much fun yesterday with Kent's girls at the Annenberg Retreat and shopping,  ending the day with a delicious steak dinner prepared by Chef Eric We ate a lot of good meals in Palm Springs, so we will have to do a lot of walking to get back in shape. We are staying in a nice campground here in Vegas that is not too far from the Luxor Casino where they will be staying.  This is our 4th annual Super Bowl spent in Vegas with my sister and friends. None of our girls made the trip this year, they are missed already. We spent a quiet night in the motor home watching TV, resting up for some long hours in the casino with the Nebraska people

     Sunday 07 We had some errands to run this morning, so we wound up getting to the casino after my sister arrived. This year I am really excited about the game and will be watching all of it on the monitors in the Casino.  Our team the  Green Bay Packers didn't make it, so Peyton Manning was our favorite. I love his commercials and I even rewind some of them. The casino was very full with all the people betting on the game and we had a great time playing the slots hoping to win some money. Kent parks the motorhome close to the casino with a parking pass and that makes it nice we don't have to walk for blocks and feed a meter. Tomorrow will be a lot quieter and Jan and I will get to visit more and share pictures.We go to their room on the casino floor level and enjoy the silence for our visiting.

February 5, 2016 Palm Springs

     Another beautiful day in Palm Springs!!!  We Picked up Cindy and Dee Dee  in the motor home to go sight seeing,  Eric is golfing again and we are going to tour the "Annenberg Retreat!!!   When we arrived we found out the parking was very limited and there were no MOTOR HOMES allowed. Kent being a retired salesman explained we really weren't any larger that the pick-ups and we can fit in where any car parks. They radioed to the parking lots and they sent us on through. As we were driving in, it was fun to see all the heads turn, they were on their walk-talkeys and sent us on through. We got an excellent parking space real close to the entrance to the retreat, when we got out of the motor home, there were about 12 men in black suits, sun glasses and shiney shoes,  heading towards us.  We thought we were had!! We figured out later that they were secret service men checking out the area for the arrival of President Obama in two weeks. The 200-acre Estate completed in 1966 features a Midcentury Modern residence and 3 cottages. The grounds include a 9 hole private golf course, which features large elevated greens with deep bunkers, challenging water hazards and spectacular mountain vistas, 11 lakes, a tennis court, a swimming pool and a collection of sculpture and art works. Sunny lands is a beautiful 15 acre site where visitors can explore stunning examples of art, architecture and gardens.
When we arrived there was a yoga class going on outside where anyone can participate in. They have it everyday for people to just walk in and join the group, we saw all these people and wondered what they could be doing. Some people were seated on the lawn enjoying a picnic lunch.
     For more than 40 years Ambassadors Lenore & Walter Annenberg welcomed political, business, educational, and entertainment leaders to Sunnylands. The Annenbergs envisioned Sunnylands as a place where intimate and solution-driven meetings could take place.The retreat is a place to "address serious issues facing the nation and the world community. Since 1966, Presidents of the United States, Heads of state and leaders from government, business, science and the arts have found an oasis for reflection, relaxation and meetings at Sunnylands.

     This place is so beautiful and the art work, gardens, pictures of all the celebrities who have stayed here over the years can keep you busy for hours. I would go back again and visit areas we didn't have time for.

February 4, 2016 Palm Springs

We have been all over Palm Springs with Cindy and Eric and we have spent time at their place on the golf course enjoying the sunshine. Dee Dee flew in today and Cindy and Eric picked her up at the airport. We gave them some time to settle in before we joined them. They were all outside working on their tans when we arrived at their place. It was time for Kent to have his frappe for the day, so we all went with him to Starbucks and he treated everyone.
The girls and I did some shopping in one of the shopping centers while the guys entertained themselves. Tomorrow afternoon we are taking them to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and to the Thursday night street fair and then out for Mexican dinner to a restaurant they heard was real good. It was quite a busy day, so we didn’t stay to visit when we dropped them off, we headed back to our campground and our kitty Pepsi.

February 3, 2016 Palm Springs

We ate lunch at the the golf course with the kids and we took off for a busy day sight seeing. We first went to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, it opened to the public in September,1963, it is the worlds largest aerial tramway, elevation 8516’ above sea level. It has two 80-passenger enclosed cars that rotate all the way to the top of the mountain traveling up the sheer clifs of the Chino Canyon. It is a 10 minute ride up the rough terrain with the tram rotating all the way up. We didn’t see any wild life, but sometimes the mountain goats and wild life are visible. When you reach the top, you can spend and much time as you want dining in the restaurant and gift shops or just enjoying the mountains and views outside. It is very cold there this time of year, so dress warm if you plan to go outside to take pictures and enjoy the beauty of it all. There was a lot of snow on the observation deck and a very cold wind blowing, keeping you from staying outside taking pictures for very long. In the winter there is snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. In the summer hiking and guided nature walks are available. After we did the tram, we headed to the street fair, it was across town from where we were. There are always a lot of people with their booths set up selling there products. A lot of beautiful crafts were on display to buy, a lot of jewelry and some very unusual items, very interesting to see. They had some quarters of every state made into jewelry by cutting out the image that is engraved in the coin. They were just beautiful and I wish I had bought one of the Oregon or South Dakota quarters. From here we went out for Mexican dinner to a place that the girls had heard about. It was a long day, so after dinner we were all ready to call it a day and go home.

Cindy & Eric

Kent & Dee Dee

Notice the Tram

Not A real Mountain Sheep

February 02, 2016 Palm Springs

     The Elks Club we are staying in is pretty nice, there are orange, lemon and grapefruit trees all over with an abundance of fruit to eat.  Kent picked a sack of grapefruits for Cindy , she has a juicer and she makes juice every morning.  I drink so much water, I really like the lemon slices in my glass of water. I have a container of lemons all sliced up and ready to drop in my glass.

     There are several cats that live in the trailer park at the Elks Club, Pepsi goes crazy when they are outside waiting to be fed. Kent has a bag of cat food that Pepsi won't eat, he keeps it in the motor home and he feeds the stray cats twice day. The cats sit on the steps and rub noses with Pepsi through the screen  door. It is real cute to watch them.