Visiting With Old Friends - 1100

A couple of former co-workers live in the Las Vegas area and we look them up when we are here.  I sent an email to each of them and we managed to meet up on Wednesday and Thursday.  

First up was Bob & Ihsan who we met at the Green Valley Ranch casino for a late lunch.  Gerry and I arrived early and she managed to win $48 and I lost $28 so we broke even overall.  I should have kept the money in my pocket and let her carry the load.

Bob & Ihsan frequent the casino enough that they have a Presidents pass that gives them certain perks.  One was to get in the short line for the buffet and not have to wait so long.  Gerry didn't want to give up her machine but reluctantly joined us just before we were seated.

We all picked out our selection of food and were seated at an out of the way table so we could carry on a conversation.  Ihsan is from Jordan and we wound up talking politics and it got rather spirited for a while.  I enjoy hearing other peoples point of view even if it doesn't agree with mine.  After a while we changed to another topic and chatted for a while longer.  It was great seeing them again and remembering times from the past.  Management finally ran us out of the area since they were getting ready to setup for the dinner rush hour.  No two free meals there.

Gerry gambled some more and won a few more dollars and we finally called it quits and headed for Costco for gasoline and water.  The gas went up $.04 since the day before but is still about the cheapest fuel in the area.  We like Costco's bottled water since it is consistent and they sell it in 40 packs of 16 oz bottles.

Thursday Bill and Sharon drove out to Boulder City from Summerlin which is on the northwest side of Las Vegas.  It was a long haul but they hadn't been out this way for a long time and didn't seem to mind the drive.

We sat around the motor home and chatted for a while and then went to the Southwest Grill in Boulder City for a late lunch.  It was a neat place and had an interesting menu along with different odds and ends for sale on shelves.  I ordered my usual club sandwich and Gerry and Sharon had rancho burritos.  Bill hadn't seen a patty melt on a menu for a while and ordered one which he liked.

They served the water and drinks in quart mason jars with lots of ice.  It was a welcome treat on such a hot day.  I asked the waitress to take our picture and she happily agreed to do so.  She did a great job.

Sharon, Bill, me and Gerry.

After lunch we drove around the town and looked at some of the beautiful homes in the area.  Some have fantastic views of Lake Mead and were obviously expensive homes.  

We went back to the motor home and visited some more before they finally had to leave so they could try and beat some of the rush hour traffic.  It was great seeing them again and maybe we can meet up with them when they are back on the east coast one of these days.

This is post 1100 on my blog and it seems like I just posted the first one.  Some posts have been difficult since nothing much was happening and others had so much to write about that I had to omit parts of it.  I don't post every day but if we are doing interesting things, then I will post for a week or so without missing one.

We are still at the Elks Lodge in Boulder City and will extend a few more days so our mail can catch up to us.  We don't know when we will be somewhere long enough to pick up the mail in the future and thought it was worth it to stay a couple more days here.  The people at the lodge are very friendly and caring so that makes it that much easier to hang around longer.

We had chicken fried steak, corn on the cob, potatoes, salad and ice cream for dinner tonight.  We sat at a table with two Elks from New York state and hit it off with them and their wives.  They are on a driving trip from NY via car and just arrived in Boulder City about an hour earlier.  We chatted non-stop with them at dinner, then joined them in the lounge area for more conversation and to listen to the entertainment couple who were playing there.  

It was a very enjoyable dinner and evening and we finally called it quits in time to watch The Amazing Race.  The girl who never stops talking and her "date" came in first this evening.  I can't imagine traveling with her and having to listen to her non-stop talking.  She does have some nice traits that I won't mention here on the blog.

That was our last couple days, how were yours?