Greetings from Las Vegas. This is Day 8 of our trip report, covering Tuesday, October 19, 1999.
We've got sort of a routine going here, with Roz helping to open the Rio spa with a 6:00 a.m. workout while your sedentary writer works on his trip reports.
Just after 11, we picked up our car from valet and made the short drive over
to Schuler's Roadhouse on Spring Mountain for a luncheon get-together with a
group
of wonderful online friends, all of whom were meeting each other for the first
time.
Besides Roz and me, our little gang included Bert and Pam Townes from Atlanta, who were celebrating their 14th anniversary today; Judy and Jeri Kennedy from Fort Walton Beach, Florida; and Faith and Bob Hendricks from Richmond, Virginia.
We had no trouble passing more than two hours together in animated conversation. As happens 99 percent of the time, those who are friendly and helpful online turn out to be exactly that in person. And all of us, I think, are grateful to Jim Poston for moderating such an enjoyable and friendly forum on the onelist system.
I'm really looking forward to our friends' trip reports. Faith and Bob, especially, will regale you with their earthquake news, and that's all I'll say about that.
Dan Schuler did a great job delivering the drafts and serving us the famous Montgomery Inn ribs from Cincinnati, as well as such items as salads, BBQ pulled pork sandwich, Cincy-style chili, grilled chicken breast, etc.
The meeting ended all too soon, and we had to say goodbye to this terrific group and be on our way.
Roz and I next drove down to the U.S. Post Office on Industrial and mailed ourselves a heavy box of things we have no room for in our luggage, including many of the materials related to our Sun City Anthem house purchase.
Then it was over to Walker Furniture for a couple of hours exploring Walker's
emporium. We have settled on a Southwest contemporary style for our living areas,
going with soft desert colors and pastels in furniture and window treatments.
We found some lovely stuff, and were assured that it will still be available
when we are ready to place an order next spring. We are hoping to fill the house
with new furniture and
accessories, bringing nothing with us from "back East" if possible.
Then it was back to The Rio for an early dinner at Mama Marie's Cucina, for which we have a $30 credit as part of our package. Roz had Salmon A La Griglia, which is grilled salmon brushed with infused olive oil, served with potato and vegetable. I had Fileto Rosto, medallions of filet mignon, seasoned with rosemary and garlic, accompanied by the same vegetables. Total cost to us after the credit was $20.
We then played a Red-White-And-Blue slot for a few minutes, winning $20. After
this, we settled in for what we hoped would be at least an hour of blackjack,
but we were blown away so fast that we were gone from the table with a $500
loss in less than 10 minutes. Add to this an
additional $40 loss at video poker and we had a horrendous session of gambling,
though we're still $430 ahead.
As I write this report and watch extra innings of the Mets-Braves game, Day 8 comes to an end.
--Best wishes from David ...in Las Vegas
