Las Vegas, Here We Come!!

December 27-30, 2018
Thursday-Sunday

Joe has never been to Las Vegas, so as part of his Christmas present we took him to Vegas.  Vegas is like no other city that I've ever been too.  It's hard not to feel the excitement and energy of this sparkly city.  It's not just the energy of the people or the lights, it's also the various themed casinos.  You can walk a few hundred feet and be in Rome, then Venice or you can find yourself in the world of pirates or at a circus...it's all very magical.  It was nice to feel the magic through someone elses eyes, it brought a little more life to the city for me as I had lost some of that magic a few years ago. I was in Vegas when I got the news that my father had passed away.  It's hard not to think of that when I go there now, but having Joe with me and watching him absorb the city helped soften the association I have with the city.

We stayed at Harrah's for two nights.....Harrah's is not kind to me....but I went to the Venetian as a new rewards member and received $20 slot play which turned into $150 which was fantastic!  I won it on a Family Feud machine, where I actually got to play fast money....how cool is that, considering we have a very real possibility of being on the show.

We had tickets for Cirque du Soleil The Beatles LOVE show at The Mirage which was fabulous, one might say really groovy, man 😊.  It certainly was a show for the senses, sometimes I felt a sensory overload but it's Vegas and one should expect that.

 

Google Photos is really cool.  I can now make collages & animate my photos thus saving space & time in the uploads - Just use your imagination or turn on some Beatles music to get the full effect 😁

On Saturday, we left the strip and went to a Comfort Inn in Henderson where we had stayed on previous trip.  Joe was leaving that evening and it wasn't worth the money for Wilson and I to stay on the strip Saturday night, plus we like the Comfort Inn and it's right in front of the Sunset Station Casino so if we wanted to gamble a little more we had the option.  We arrived prior to being able to check in, so....we spent an hour or so at the casino.  I was happy because I finally found my beloved Mr. Cashman machine which I found quite elusive on the strip...it's an older game and it seems that its being fazed out on the strip.  I enjoyed myself playing the machine (I didn't even lose) while the boys found a tv and watched football games.

Leave 12/27- Pasadena, CA 10:38am, 50° sunny
Rte. 210E►15N
MUSIC - Joe puts on Travelling Wilbury's, our official travel song
Gas - Barstow, CA - Arco $3.33/gal
2:48pm NV Welcomes us 
Arrive Harrah's, Las Vegas, NV 3:48pm
Miles traveled 256.3
Leave 12/29 - Las Vegas, NV
Arrive Comfort Inn, Henderson, NV
Time - early afternoon
Miles Travelled - 10?

Pasadena Visit with Taleen

December 25-27, 2018
Tuesday-Thursday

Taleen is a friend of Joe's from Boston College and our next stop was a visit with her before heading to Las Vegas.  Her family has a condo in Pasadena, practically right on the route of the Rose Parade which, by the way, the city was preparing for while we were there.  Wilson and I almost made it to the parade the first year that we were on the road but because of the way the holiday landed it was a day later then what we thought it was so we missed seeing it.  It's not as if I love parades but the Rose Parade is iconic and it brings up memories from my childhood that I would certainly want to go to it if the opportunity arose.
Okay...I digress...back to Taleen.  She is dancer and a theater person and is working to make it in that industry.  She is currently in a production of Evita which will be heading out on tour within the next couple of weeks.  Of course Wilson and I looked at the schedule and plan to attend her performance while she is in Macon, GA.  We had no plans to go through Macon, but our schedule is such that if something sparks our interest we can always change direction and do/see whatever sparks our interest.

While Taleen was at rehearsal Wilson, Joe, and I took a drive to Santa Monica.  I'm not sure what it is but it seems as if every time we are in the LA area we end up in Santa Monica.  We wanted to go to the beach and because S.M is tradition we headed in that direction.  It has also become a bit of tradition to eat at a Mediterranean restaurant, Hummus Bar Express, on the Promenade (a street in downtown S.M. that is closed off to cars, sort of like Church Street).  It doesn't look like much from the outside but the food is really good.  They have the best babaganoush and bread.  I always get the Veggie plate with falafel and babaganoush and this time I had the beets...DELICIOUS!  I could eat this way all of the time...in fact, when we go out we often go to Mediterranean restaurants because I like the food so much.

We have spent time with Taleen and her mother, Michelle, on a couple of different occasions.  They always make us feel welcomed and this time was no different.  Michelle came to Pasadena and we all went out to dinner after one of Taleen's rehearsals.  We went to a fried chicken joint, the Crack Shack, in downtown Pasadena which was really good.  Afterward we headed out for ice cream frozen yogurt, which was a little crazy considering it was a bit cold....I opted for a coffee since Starbucks was right next door.  The next time we're in the area though I will have ice cream as there is a spot that my friend Mike (Waterbury neighbor who lives outside LA - we had lunch with his family and mother in Santa Monica the first year of our trip) suggested.  The place is called Carmela Ice Cream in Pasadena and apparently their specialty is crazy flavors, which intrigues me.

Leave Santa Monica, CA 3:32pm, 60° cloudy
Rte. 5N►101N►I10E►5N►110N►Orange Grove Ave Exit
Arrive Taleen's, Pasadena, CA 5:32pm
Miles traveled 109.3

San Diego Christmas

December 17-25, 2018

The pet/house sit in San Diego was really nice.  Milo and Chloe were the two dogs that we took care of and they were both extremely sweet.  We got into a nice routine of waking up, walking to our local Starbucks where we had coffee and did puzzles then returned to feed the dogs and took them for a walk.  The house was comfortable but the best part of the sit for me was that we were so close to Gabriela.

Joe flew in to San Diego on the 22nd so we had over three days where our whole family was together.  It seems like forever since that happened.  The homeowners were more than happy to allow us to have the kids stay with us which was great!  The vagabond life that Wilson and I live really seems to suit us, we enjoy the travel, staying in other peoples homes, and especially taking care of "our" pets.  As I said previously the pets often feel as if they are our own which has been really nice.  We enjoy having the opportunity to have pets without having to travel with them.

When we are housesitting we make the house our home for the period of time that we are there.  It almost always feels like "home" to us....the kids, however, don't feel that way.  This was the first time Gabriela spent time with us in our temporary home and the third time that Joe did and neither of them truly felt comfortable there.  The fact that it was Christmas time accentuated that for them but they made the most of it, after all it's the fact that we were together that was important.  Our hosts were Jewish so the only thing that was Christmas like was the poinsettias by the front door, but I did my best to create a bit of holiday cheer....
What did I do you might ask....I made a Christmas tree.  This is not the first year that we didn't have a real tree, there was one year that I pinned lights on the wall in the shape of a Christmas tree, which to this day is one of my personal favorite trees.  This year we went to the 99 cents store and I picked up supplies to make a tree.  I must say I was quite proud of the results and I think that the kids were appreciative of my efforts.  We also continued our Christmas Eve tradition of watching White Christmas while having a snack dinner.

Christmas morning was pretty low-key.  Gabriela and Wilson went to Starbucks, picked up our coffee to go and when they came back we had breakfast and opened gifts.  It was really very nice despite the fact that we were celebrating in someone else's home.
Once the gift giving was over we set out to cleaning the house getting ready for our departure.  Gabriela was off to Belgium later in the day and we were off to Pasadena with Joe.

Leave Santee, CA 8:58am, 50° the truck is wet from dew
Rte. 52W►805N►5N
Gas - Solana Beach, CA - Arco $3.35/gal - we didn't really need it but we heard on the news that gas prices were going to increase the next day so we filled up
Arrive House Sit, San Diego, CA 9:41am
Miles traveled 22.9

California...finally

December 16-18, 2018

California is really far away....we finally reached the San Diego area, two days before our next pet/house sit starts.  We are staying in Santee, about a half hour away from our house sit and only 15 minutes from where Gabriela lives and works.

We arrived on Sunday, settled in and then connected with Gabriela.  She came to our hotel and we went out to dinner all together.  She's busy with studying for exams so we won't see her again until Thursday.

Monday was a "free" day.  Where we are staying there are several malls so I did a little Christmas shopping.  We're all a bit up in the air as to future plans so no big items this year.  The important thing is that we'll all be together and I'm extremely thankful for that.

I shopped but I also spent time at Gabriela's lab participating in a study for her friend and roommate Brittany.  I've been wanting to do a study but normally the participants need to be younger but this one they needed people my age...YEAH!  Unfortunately the program was not working correctly so I wasn't able to complete the main survey.  To my surprise I was paid $25 for my time, which I didn't realize would happen.  The study was a reading/comprehension study which would compare non deaf readers to deaf readers, very interesting.  On Thursday I'll be doing one of Gabriela's studies as well, hopefully all goes well with that.

Leave Casa Grande, AZ 9:31am, 50° sunny
Gas - Casa Grande Arco $2.62/gal
Rte. 10W
Gas - Yuma, AZ Exit 3 Love's $2.55/gal - we filled up before getting into CA knowing that gas prices are far higher in that state
12:40pm/11:40 am CA Welcomes us - time change as we cross the border
Arrive Rodeway Inn, Santee, CA 4:00pm/3:00pm
Miles traveled 338.4

The Push to California Begins

We begin our journey to California where we will have a pet/house sit in San Diego beginning on December 18th.  We took the sit so that we could be in San Diego for Christmas with Gabriela.  The bonus is that Joe will be flying out to spend Christmas with us, we haven't all been together for the holiday since 2015.

December 11, 2018

Leave Columbia, SC 8:17am, 31°, finally no rain and the sun is shining!
Rte. 20W
Across the Savannah River and at 9:51am GA Welcomes us - We didn't stop but at Exit 183 there is a Laurel & Hardy Museum..who knew?  Perhaps next time
►285S►85S►65S
1:40pm/12:40pm (time change) AL Welcomes Us
Gas - Hope Hull, AL Shell $1.99/gal $1.94 w/card (exit 57)
Arrive Atmore, AL Fairfield Inn & Suites (paid in points) 5:29pm/4:29pm (our first casino camping experience was across the way at Wind Creek back in 2016)
Miles traveled: 491.4
RADIO - 102.3 Columbia
RADIO - 97.1 Atlanta

December 12, 2018

Leave Atmore, AL 8:30am, 38°, sunny
Rte. 65S►10W
9:41am AL Welcomes Us - Once again we stop at the visitor center to see Elvis.  This time Elvis is wearing a Santa's hat and he talks....thank you very much :)

10:59am LA Welcomes Us
Gas - LePlace, LA Marathon Gas $1.99 - This was not a quick and easy off and on location
We pass Lake Charles and the Isle of Capri Casino....makes me a little sad because we've spent the night there the last three times we traveled through the area
3:28pm TX Welcomes Us
Arrive Beaumont, TX Fairfield Inn & Suites (paid in points) 4:09pm
Miles traveled: 458.7
*Note - Next time through here we need to eat at Joe's Crab Shack, it looks interesting


December 13, 2018

Leave Beaumont, TX 8:53am, 62°, break in rain but very overcast and high winds (up to 50mph), rain, sleet, and snow scheduled for various area of TX...we'll only encounter high winds
Rte. 10W►610N (around Houston)►10W
Gas - Katy, TX - Buc-ees (exit 739?) $1.87/gal - this store is a cross between Love's Travel Center and WaWa on steroids
Arrive Quality Inn, Sonora, TX 4:20pm
Miles traveled 450.4
RADIO - 106.9 Houston

December 14, 2018

Leave Sonora, TX 10:40am, sunny & windy
Gas - Sonora, TX Alon $2.49/gal
Rte. 10W - If you ever follow this path make sure you have enough gas as Texas is a big state and there is a lot of miles between exits
Gas - 1st exit for Van Horn, TX , Love's $2.75/gal....we only pumped a little due to the high price (lol)
Gas - exit 49? before hitting the suburbs of El Paso, Shell $1.99/gal $1.94 w/card
Arrive El Paso, TX TownePlace Suites 5:20pm/4:20pm - Along The 10 in El Paso there are lots of choices to stay.  We'd find one then see another, then another...finally we had to pick.  We used points again.
apparently we hit a time change as we entered the El Paso area.  I didn't realize that until I called my sister later in the evening.
Miles traveled 372.8
RADIO - 102.7 & 106.7 San Antonio

December 15, 2018

Big News!  We've been selected to go to LA for Family Feud...of course if I didn't see you this summer you may not know it, but my three sisters, one brother-in-law, my son and I tried out for the show.

Leave El Paso, TX 9:59am, 47° cool & sunny....the good thing is that the wind has diminished
I left my travel mug on the back cover of the truck when we left.  We drove nearly a mile before I realized it, to my surprise it was still there...luckily I realized it just before we got on the interstate.
Rte. 10W
10:28am NM Welcomes us
1:09pm AZ Welcomes us
Arrive Comfort Inn, Casa Grande, NM 4:27pm
Miles traveled 382.6
RADIO - 92.3 El Paso

*Travel Note - I've forgotten what it was like driving through this landscape...it's beautiful to me.  It can be a bit desolate but the rocky mountain outcrops that you see in the distance makes the drive beautiful.  The mountains appear like cardboard cutouts in a movie scene....awe inspiring

On The Road To Columbia, SC

November 28, 2018

Another nice visit was had in Media but it's time to get back on the road.  We are heading to Columbia, SC where we will pet/house sit at my cousin's house while they are in Israel.  We'll take two days to get there.

Leave Media, PA - 9:06am, 34°, windy

Rte. 476S (The Blue Route)►95S
enter DE at 9:20am (no welcome sign), ►495S (around Wilmington)►95S 
9:44am MD Welcomes us, we travel the Fort McHenry Tunnel on 95 through Baltimore - As we travel through MD I see signs for Upper Marlboro where my very good friend Naomi lived, she passed a couple of years ago and I miss her very much.  Delays around DC due to an accident and construction.  Virginia welcomes us at 11:43am
Gas - Exit 110, Shell - $2.34/gal $2.29 w/card 
►295S (around Richmond)►95S
2:42pm NC Welcomes us

Arrive - Quality Inn, Kenly, NC 4:15pm - (frustrating stay as there was issues with our room.  The water wasn't on and after several trips to the front desk it was turned on but it was gross, we'll never stay there again!  The good news is that the price was reduced by half.
Miles traveled - 398.4

November 29 - December 11, 2018

Back on the road, a relatively short trip to Columbia.  Stephen and Sandra left for their trip on the 28th, a neighbor took care of Maddie and Ally until we arrive.  The dogs were very happy to see us, I like to think that they remember us :)

It was here that I decided I needed to get my act together so decided to get back on my diet and to start exercising a little bit.  Having the dogs made it much easier to get into the rhythm of walking and I tried to do it daily even though it rained a lot while we were there.  I also started using exercise bands in an effort to firm up my under arm "wings".  

We went to a University of SC men's basketball game and were going to go to a women's game against Baylor (in preparation of possibly seeing Baylor at the NCAA final four in April) but Maddie took off for two hours and we didn't want to leave her out while we were away.  

Stephen & Sandra had a wonderful trip.  It was very interesting hearing all about it.  I guess I need to add Israel to the list of places to go :).  We stayed a few more days with them, hanging out and playing cards.  It rained the whole time that we were together and it was cold.  

We'll be heading back to Columbia in January for a month while Stephen & Sandra head down under.

One last thing to note about Columbia is that gas is super cheap here, we paid $1.84 with our Shell card...that's not a typo, gas under $2.00....crazy :)

Leave Kenly, NC 10:56am, 44° clear

Rte. 95S
SC Welcomes us 12:35pm
Gas - Exit 164 Pilot $2.15/gal

►20W
Arrive Columbia, SC 3:01pm
Miles Traveled 206.7

Next Stop, Media, PA

November 23 - 28, 2018

A short but sweet visit with Joe, but it's time to continue our journey southward.  Our next stop is Media, PA where Wilson's sister lives.  Media is a second home to us and while we're on the east coast we find ourselves here on a regular basis.

While here we enjoy visiting with Patti along with her son (Jeff) and her three grandchildren.  Patti had all sorts of leftovers from Thanksgiving so it was nice for me to be able to use those to make new meals.  I made scalloped potatoes with ham, which was the night we invited niece Beth for dinner.  Without a kitchen of my own it's always nice for me to be able to cook in a kitchen that I feel comfortable in, the fact that they are always so appreciative and complimentary about my cooking doesn't hurt either ☺.  It's always fun getting together with them.

 

Dancing lesson with Jeff & Alexa*

The Floss, The Hiker, & Orange Justice - too funny

*Clip has been edited in consideration of a young girl feeling self-conscience 

while having a little fun at her father's expense 

While in the Philadelphia area we always try to get together with nephew Ray as well.  He's a very busy man, juggling the family business, a music career, parenting his young son, Rory, and so much more.  He is a very passionate, interesting man and he often reminds me of my own son not only in his demeanor but also his looks.  We spent a few hours with him, which included lunch and a haircut for young Rory.  Although we didn't get a chance to spend time with his wife, Anne, we were able to pop in to their business to say hi before heading back to Media.

I think I enjoy my time with Ray and Beth so much because they are only a few years younger than I am.

While we're in Media I'm able to get my "kid" fix with the grand nieces.  It's always fun spending time with them.  They are the sweetest little girls and I feel fortunate that they are in our lives.  They seem to enjoy us too which makes it reminiscent of visits with my own aunts and uncles in that they look forward to seeing us as I did with mine.

I must admit that spending time with them also stirs the wishful grandmother in me.  That chapter in my life is still a ways off but I do long for it sometimes.  As a parent I think I was good but I think I'm going to be a great granny (my choice in monikers), I'm emotionally available on a whole different level now. 
*In case you haven't noticed yet I'm trying to also be more emotionally available within this blog....hoping to share more than we went here or we saw that.

Back to it .... We had planned to visit a cousin-in-law in Hatteras, NC, but due to illness we ended up staying an extra day in Media which did not leave us time for that visit.  Hopefully we will be able to connect with them on our way back north in the spring.  If we didn't have a commitment in Columbia, SC we would have made the visit, but there were two little beagles awaiting us there.

Leave Boston, MA - 8:55am, 30° 

Rte. 90W (The Pike)►84W
10:25am CT Welcomes us, 11:57am NY Welcomes us
►287W, over the Mario Cuomo Bridge, formerly known as the Tappan Zee 
1:02pm NJ - I didn't see a Welcome Sign, so I'm not sure if they actually welcomed us, but we did cross the Hudson into NJ
Delaware Water Gap Sign - reminders of our first trip and our time spent there...and respent when we had to return from Gettysburg to pick up our backpack that was left...Interestingly enough, we've driven to Philadelphia this way many times and I don't ever recall seeing this sign
►202S
Gas - Raritan, NJ, Shell Cash price $2.59/gal $2.49 w/card - we thought this was a good deal but found it cheaper in less than five miles away
►31S►579S►295N
2:52pm PA Welcomes us
►295N changes to 295W in PA ►95S►476N (The infamous Blue Route)

Arrive - Media, PA 3:50pm
Miles traveled - 352.4