The High Rollers

   Some people flee to Vegas to gamble; some go for the shows; some for the sights: Egypt, France, New York. It's like you are there. Some go for the sun in winter, swimming, or golf.

   Not us.

   We holed up in the condo for a week. DeRay said we could have been in Karen's basement.

   Except for the view! Ed walks to the window the first morning and proclaims, "The view is spectacular." We were on the 9th floor. When DeRay and Ed came in November, they were only on the 2nd floor, which distressed Ed.

   We checked in on Saturday; Karen and Norm came on Monday and Norm didn't step out of the condo until they left on Friday - a day early because of the impending storm.

   Clare and Marilyn drove back to her house each night to sleep in their "chairs". They tried to get home by 10 so Gary could lock the gate; except they got later each night. Clare thinks he'll get over it in a month or so.

  Ed said his favorite thing was the High Roller. "That's because it's his ONLY thing," DeRay observed. Clare, even though her painful hip is waiting to be replaced, was kind enough to take us and Karen agreed to keep us company.

The High Roller is 550 feet high and almost as wide.

 Sexy leg, Ed.

Clare might be considered a little loony . . .

she gets messages on and talks to her watch. . .

 Grandview Condos

Density in a desert.

 South Point Casino.

 Artificial grass. Don't you love it?

 I have a little shadow that is tall & slender. Ahhhh.

 Each morning, I walked around the condos and casino

until I discovered the storm drain system.

  

 How would you like to drive with a car over your head?

 Karen had the most fun cutting hair on her vacation.

We aim to please.

  

Clare did the grocery shopping

each morning on her way back to the condo.

 Chef Marilyn.

Eating was our favorite pastime.

Marilyn made a beautiful quiche and pecan tarts

but that was before I got my camera out.
DeRay did sourdough hotcakes and biscuits;
we made gruel and sausage gravy w/biscuits.
And other things.
Especially desserts.

 Movies galore: "The Ant Man," "Martian", "Aloha"

"The Intern" "Tomorrowland" "Million Dollar Arm"
"The Importance of Being Ernest" etc. etc. 

Clare even showed Amy's watercolors on the Big Screen.

  

 Marilyn enjoying the movie.

 "I'm having a good time, Mom, if your husband wasn't so rude."

He had put Ed down, thinking he was funny.

I like how it's "my husband" instead of Ed's "dad".

I always get the blame. 

 Ed went swimming twice;

I went six times.

DeRay not at all.

 Imagine swimming outside in January.

 The first time Ed swam,

a bitter wind was blowing.

He didn't swim again for five days
even though the water was warm.

Because Ed won’t wear a mask for the C-Pap machine for sleep apnea,

he uses a mouthpiece.

Ordinarily, I take a spare when we travel in case something

happens to the one he is using.

I didn’t forget this trip and I even reached for one but couldn’t

find the one I wanted so gave it up thinking,

“His mouth piece is only two months old.

Surely it won’t break.”

It did.

Mid-week.

Curses. Why didn’t I bring a spare?

We propped up the head of his bed with pillows. 

 Clare did Marilyn's hair.

 Oh yes, Pughs and Pinochle are synonymous.

 Just for old times sake.

 For Dad, Uncle Robert, Uncle Kelly. . .
We played another fun game one day that Karen brought.

We also had book reviews;

Karen's daughter-in-law published a book

"One Day at a Time"

Desirae Ogden's journey with cancer.

Free on Kindle or you can buy hard- or softbound.

Ron reported on and showed pictures

of his service trip to Ghana,

"Vision for All Ghana 2015"

and his talk in church on Happiness.

 Some people listened to the weather report

and went home a day early.

 It wasn't DeRay, Ed, or me.
I had been sleeping on Clare's air mattress
(more comfortable than the hide-a-bed)
the furthest corner from the bathroom
but when they left,
I took my sheets and blanket
and slept on the bed they had been using -
not 8 steps from the bathroom.
I got up 3 or 4 times during the night
when I had to stumble past the couch and chairs,
dining room table and kitchen
to get to the bathroom.
Sleeping on the bed next to the bathroom,
I didn't get up once during the night.
Since we're getting close and personal,
I will mention that this is the first trip
in nearly 60 years that I haven't packed antibiotics
for bladder infection.
When I started going to a female doctor,
she told me about this exercise
that strengthens the membranes
and I haven't had a bladder infection since--
after suffering for 58 years.

 From swimming outdoors to snowshoeing. . .

Our kind neighbor cleared our driveway and sidewalk
with his snowblower on his way home
from doing the church sidewalks.

We didn't want to read Saturday's paper anyway.

As Ed always says,

"Now we're to the best part."

HOME.
"Know what the bad news is?
The really bad news?"
"What?"
"Now I don't have anything to look forward to."
At my age,
I look forward to having nothing to look forward to.