Wednesday, March 31, 2010

One Fantastic Day Off Part 2

Up next, lunch (and drinks) with my friend Dawn.  She and her husband have spent the last several winters in the same RV park as we do, and she is from Wisconsin.

They are the couple we usually watch Sunday football with.  Dawn and I also walk  around the RV park together frequently so we have become good friends.  They will be leaving to go back to work next week and we wanted to get together and do lunch as we don’t have the opportunity to often enough.  She also felt there was a special reason to get together for sure ……..
An early celebration of my 60th birthday.

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As you can see…Dawn knows me well!!

We went to the Fort Mohave Steakhouse and had wonderful salads.  I had Cajun chicken and Dawn had shrimp.  Delicious!    AND because we were celebrating, the waiter brought us a piece of cake which we split….really, really good!  Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera.

Then, of course, we had to do a little shopping….we always manage to browse a little.  Maybe pick up some bargain…….it’s tradition.

The conveniently located next stop is “Cocktails”…..
Just in time for Happy Hour!!

An added bonus ….our very favorite bartender that has Mondays off was there filling in for someone else….very cool!!   After a couple of drinks we decided we had celebrated enough!!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

One Fantastic Day Off Part One

I started the day with my co-worker (and friend) Cindy.  She and I met at the KOA by the AVI Casino.  A lady that has come to our casino the last several winters is camped there.  She invited Cindy and I to come to her motor home this morning.

She looks 50 but is at least 72.  She is petite, blonde, and vivacious.  What an admirable lady she is ………and lady is completely the proper word.

She is also a talented wire wrapper.  Her jewelry is incredible and it is fun to see what she is wearing whenever she comes to play.  But today she invited Cindy and me to a private showing of her pieces. 

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These are the two pieces I ended up with…I wish I could take a picture to do them justice.  She had many wonderful pieces and I would love to own several of them, but for now I will settle for these two.

Tomorrow, more about my day off……….lunch is up next!!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

PREENING IN THE MIRROR


 LOOK'IN GOOD SUSIE !!!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Sweet Sixteen

Today is my oldest (of 5) grand daughter's birthday.  Delilah Mary is 16!!  How can that be???  Time goes so fast!!


Have  a wonderful birthday Delilah!!  Can't wait to see you in May!!


Happy Birthday Delilah.....................

Friday, March 26, 2010

SEARCHLIGHT, NEVADA

SEARCHLIGHT, NEVADA IS THE ONLY TOWN WE PASS THROUGH BETWEEN LAUGHLIN AND LAS VEGAS, SO WE'VE DRIVEN THROUGH HERE A LOT OVER THE YEARS.  WE USUALLY STOP TO USE THE RESTROOM AND HAVE THE MINER'S BREAKFAST AT THE NUGGET CASINO ON THE WAY INTO VEGAS, AND THEN STOP AGAIN ON THE WAY HOME FOR THE RESTROOMS AND NURSE OUR HANGOVERS FROM TOO MUCH FUN IN VEGAS.

SEARCHLIGHT HAS A COLORFUL HISTORY BASED ON MINING, BUT IS BEST KNOWN TODAY AS THE BOYHOOD HOME OF SENATOR HARRY REID, THE MAJORITY LEADER OF THE US SENATE.

About 55 miles south of Las Vegas, Searchlight has no stoplight and no real grocery store. It has two small casinos --Terrible's and the Nugget -- several gas stations, a McDonald's, an elementary school named for Reid, a senior center, a community center, library and museum, a volunteer fire station, a church, a cemetery where Reid used to dig graves with his father, a bait shop, several RV parks and hundreds of homes that are mostly double-wide trailers or modular houses.

THIS COMING WEEK-END YOU'RE GOING TO BE READING, AND WATCHING SEARCHLITE, NV ON THE NATIONAL NEWS AS THE TEA PARTY EXPRESS HOLDS A RALLY THAT WILL GET NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PRESS COVERAGE.

 A Tea Party Express rally coming Saturday, a sort of conservative mini-Woodstock in the desert that organizers expect to draw 5,000 to 10,000 people -- maybe more -- from across the country, most of whom want to end the career of Nevada's most powerful politician.

"THE SHOWDOWN IN SEARCHLIGHT" WILL BE SOMETHING FOR THE BOOKS.  CAN YOU IMAGINE 10,000 PEOPLE SHOWING UP FOR A POLITICAL RALLY IN A TOWN OF ONLY 1,000 RESIDENTS?

THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR THE RALLY IS SARA PALIN, ALONG WITH MANY OTHER CONSERVATIVE TALKING HEADS.  ENJOY THE NEWS COVERAGE AND NOW YOU KNOW WHERE SEARCHLIGHT, NV IS LOCATED.

SHOWDOWN IN SEARCHLIGHT NEWS

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Orlando

Like most licensed professionals, I have to have continuing education credits to maintain my license. I recently found a meeting in Orlando to earn these credits. To give an idea, I earned 20.5 credits in three days at the cost of $750 (over $2,500 if you include other expenses) and that is not enough for one year of license (75 for a three year period). It is probably a good thing, it forces us to make an effort to stay abreast of new things. That is good for patients. This is the lecture hall. There were 500 surgeons from 26 countries...........







The entire experience was bad. Our travel experience was the worst I ever had. I bought a package of air fare, lodging and rental car from Delta.com. I entered my card number and appeared to be approved. I was able to print off my itinerary. Later I learned that an itinerary is no good without a confirmation number. The moment I learned this important fact was about an hour before our flight left. I use "our" loosely as we actually had no tickets on that flight. And one hour before a flight leaves to Florida during spring break is NOT the time to find out you have NO tickets. We were lucky enough to fly stand-by 4 hours later. But the hotel and rental car reservations were imiginary as well. Replacement would be at "la$t minute rate$". Not checking for a confirmation number cost us a lot of anxiety, over $1,000, and nearly wrecked the whole trip.


The weather was cloudy, rainy, and about 5 degrees warmer than Spooner. Hmmmm. I got to the meeting (Renee cought some sort of bad 24-hr bug in the terminal of plane, she did not get out of bed except to throw up). I parked in the lot. I decided to leave 2 1/2 hours later to see if she was still living. I asked to have my parking ticket validated. The answer was "no, we did not contract with the hotel for that as most attendees are staying here. ( "here" incidentally, was an insanely expensive posh resort hotel who "discounted" attendees at $240 per night---we were at the the Days Inn for $30, oops, I mean $69). so I was fuming when I got to the parking attendent about having to pay for parking at a meeting that cost me $750 for tuition. That is when I found out that my 2 and 1/2 hours of parking cost me $16!! Fuming became an understatement, This is a family blog so I cannot tell you what I told her.....


This is a picture of our rental car. Parked from thenceforth discretely across the street about 1/2 mile from the conference. On a residential street. For FREE.


Being Swiss is not always easy, but one cannot change nationality...........




...........on the last day, the sun came out and the temp got all the way up to 70. I handed in my "attendence verification sheet", and promptly cut class.......





 
.....I remind the reader, it was a HERNIA conference! I had heard about how to repair hernias for two solid days. A hernia is a small surgery. Probably their coronary artery bypass conference must take a month!! Brain surgeons must LIVE in Orlando (their kids love that!) No. two days was enough. This was the resort. I was embarrassed to walk in there. I was always looking around for security. I was the only one without a tie and jacket. I needed an escort,.......to the door!.............





no, the pool was the place for me. and my book on history........







......and for Renee.................







.....We found a neighboorhood bar. They are as rare in Florida as snowmen. At last we had beer to cry in. We made the best of it.........






Uncle Hans

Monday, March 22, 2010

Leonburger



There is family member the blog has not met. Here Renee is on the trampoline. we are playing with her son and his friends. She is calling her dog...........Sam.......







This is Sam, or, more correctly...... SAM !

 
 
 
..................Sam is a rare breed called a Leonburger. The breed was "created" in Leonburg, Germany many years ago. They used Mastif, Newfoundland, and other large breeds to create a "guarding" breed for personal protection. He is very gentle, almost afraid on new things or sudden movements or noises. But a strange car or person in the yard, and he makes a noise that will rattle the windows. He charges and is VERY intimidating. He has never harmed anyone, but I think an intruder with ill intentions would be at severe risk.



He is so shy that he is afraid of his own shadow, he hates new things or ideas, but he leaped up on the trampoline like he owned it. Go figure? We could not get him off......




.........The young man in the middle is Spencer, Renee's youngest. To the left is David, a friend. To the right is Andy, another friend. They have visited several times, and now part of our Cable Lake family...........










............Spencer aspires to be a welder and is enrolled in Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in Rice Lake to learn this trade. He starts in August for a one-year course. He loves his mother, you can tell by the head-lock. He just moved into our guest house. He was lucky enough to "transfer" his job at Menard's in Bloomington, Minnesota (twin cities) to the Menard's in Rice Lake.........







.....As you can see, spring is almost 3 weeks early here. It looks like Stockton........or Frankville! The ice will go off soon, and we pick Mom up in Abbotsford on wednesday night (meeting Neil half-way to GB) so she can see the ice go off. Her visit and the ice-off may make a good blog............



 
Uncle Hans

Sunday, March 21, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE HANS

Happy Birthday, Uncle Hans................

Enjoy the day!!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

SPRING FLOWERS

WITH ALL THE EXTRA RAIN WE’VE HAD HERE ON THE DESERT THIS WINTER AND SPRING, THE DESERT BLOOM OF FLOWERS SHOULD BE SPECTACULAR.  BLOGGERS FROM YUMA HAVE BEEN BLOGGING BEAUTIFUL SPRING FLOWERS.

THE HEAT (90 DEGREES), HASN’T HIT OUR NECK OF THE WOODS YET, BUT IT’S IN THE FORECAST.

JUST TO GET YOU WARMED UP I’M POSTING THESES PICTURES FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOOD GOLF COURSE. LOS LAGOS. THEY’RE NOT WILD FLOWERS, BUT THEY SURE ARE PRETTY SPRING FLOWERS.

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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

WACKJACK

FROM THIS MORNINGS LAS VEGAS SUN NEWSPAPER.

•••
Nevada casinos are making a lot less money on nearly all of their games except for baccarat. A surprise big loser for the casinos: blackjack.
While gaming revenue as a whole has plummeted to 2004 levels, blackjack — which generated about $1 billion last year — has fallen to levels not seen since the late 1990s. Blackjack, the biggest moneymaker among casino table games, generated $996 million in 1998.

Blackjack revenue fell 20 percent last year, on top of a 12 percent drop in 2008 from the previous year. The games also are holding less for the house than they did a few years ago, or about 11 percent versus 12 percent in 2006.
On the Strip, blackjack is down 34 percent from its peak, while slots are down about 20 percent, according to calculations by Frank Martin, a San Diego-based mathematician and gaming analyst.

Martin attributes some of the decline to backfired attempts by casinos in recent years to make blackjack games more profitable. These include the spread of 6-5 odds games and a proliferation of specialty blackjack games and side bets with worse-odds jackpots that attract novices while turning off seasoned blackjack players.

“Unlike slots, where the payback setting is a mystery, blackjack has to advertise the rule changes that increase house edge,” Martin said.

The rapid descent of casinos’ biggest moneymaker in table games is a bad sign, especially for older or smaller casinos that can’t afford other attractions like baccarat, which is attracting Asian players with money to burn and other high rollers who prefer the mystique and relatively little decision-making involved in baccarat versus blackjack, Martin added.

I TOLD YOU NOT TO PLAY BLACKJACK WHERE THE PAYOFF WAS LESS THAN 3:2,  AND LOOKS LIKE THE CUSTOMERS ARE LISTENING.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

I’M STILL HERE

 I’M STILL HERE AND JUST DIDN’T FEEL LIKE BLOGGING THIS WEEK.  OUR DAYS OFF LAST WEEK HAD SHITTY WEATHER.  IT WAS COLD AND RAINING.  WE WERE TRAPPED INSIDE THE CAMPER.

 THINGS IMPROVED THIS WEEK AND ON OUR DAY OFF AFTER COMPLETEING THE LAUNDRY WE HEADED OVER TO THE AVI. WHAT? ON YOUR DAY OFF YOU WENT TO WORK?

WHILE AT THE AVI WE CHECKED ON THE COWBOYS WE HAD BEEN DEALING BLACKJACK TO ALL WEEK-END AS THEY WERE HAVING A TEAM ROPING EVENT.


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AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE STANDS, IT WASN’T A HUGH EVENT.  THE HORSES AND COMPETITION WAS FUN TO WATCH.


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THEN WHILE PARKED IN THE PARKING GARAGE I HAD MARY FINISH WAXING THE PICK-UP.  NICE JOB MARY !!

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WE DO OUR WAXING IN A CASINO GARAGE AS THERE ARE NO SHADE TREES HERE ON THE DESERT.

NEXT STOP AT THE AVI WAS THE EXTRAVAGANZA SHOPPING SPREE.  I GOT THIS YEAR’S BOTTLE WAX, AND SOME BUNGEE CORDS.  I’M NOT SURE WHAT MARY BOUGHT AS I WAS QUICKLY DONE SHOPPING AND OFF TO THE ROAD RUNNER BAR INSIDE THE CASINO.

TOMORROW WE ARE HAVING OUR CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE AS WE WILL BE WORKING ON WEDNESDAY.  AS USUAL WE WILL PUT IT IN THE CROCKPOT OVERNIGHT AND ENJOY IT THE NEXT DAY.

“SUNNY & 80”

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Paper or Plastic?

Paper or plastic?  Do they even ask anymore?  The places I frequent only have plastic these days, except for Trader Joe’s.  They have paper bags.
All retailers have their own reusable bags these days…..for a price, of course.

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As you can see, I have plenty of reusable bags.  I used them almost exclusively for a while.  That would be the length of time it took me to run out of plastic bags and wonder what in the hell I was going to line my wastebasket with.  Oh yeah I can purchase plastic bags to line my wastebasket with-but, but what does that solve?  I am right back to using plastic bags for garbage.

No one, as far as I know, has come up with something to use in your wastebasket besides plastic bags.  So why  bother with reusable grocery sacks?  I don’t think that solves the problem of what to do with your garbage.  Any thoughts??

Friday, March 5, 2010

Cheesedays, Monroe, Wisconsin

We wanted to share this exciting news with you! Hope you all can come to Cheese Days in Monroe on September 17, 18 and 19 this fall. It should be fun. Take care!

Janice and Dennis


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


March 3, 2010

Contact: Noreen Rueckert, Cheese Days Coordinator, 608.325.7771, cheesedays@tds.net


CHEESE DAYS ANNOUNCES 2010 KING AND QUEEN

The history page on the Green County Cheese Days website is full of facts. On the timeline are various noteworthy events, famous firsts, and names of those who have served as parade marshals, contest winners, and royalty. But it is the unofficial and previously unpublished history of the festival from 1976 that tells the story of this year’s Cheese Days King and Queen.

For many years, the banks in Monroe took turns hosting a VIP and dignitary reception prior to the big parade on Sunday. In 1976, a young male employee at Commercial and Savings Bank (now Wisconsin Community Bank) was happily enjoying the complimentary wine when one of the young ladies serving as a Cheese Days co-queen (now known as ambassador) noticed he was not wearing one of the commemorative festival buttons. Call it fate or just simple Cheese Days luck, but she knew it was her job to make sure he got a button pinned to his shirt.

The bank employee and the queen both recall that the parade was nearly rained out a few hours after they met, but the sun came out almost immediately afterwards. Their story together is definitely proof of a sunny ending, as by the following festival they were engaged to be married. Now 34 years later, Dennis and Janice (Wettach) Everson have been selected to represent the festival as this year’s Green County Cheese Days King and Queen.

Cheesemaking is an important part of Janice Wettach’s family traditions. Her grandparents, John and Clara Rechsteiner, operated the Mud Branch Cheese Factory near Argyle. Her mother, Helen, who resides in Monticello, was a “cheese queen” for a June Dairy Month celebration in Mt. Horeb back in 1938.

Janice’s 100% Swiss heritage is also a proud part of the family history. Janice’s maternal and paternal grandparents emigrated from the canton of Appenzell in Switzerland and often spoke the Swiss language, particularly when adults had conversations not intended for children’s ears. The youngest of three children in the family, Janice was nicknamed “the klie” (translated from Swiss – “the little one”), and her family was active in the Old World Swiss Club. Janice works as a registered nurse at Monroe Clinic in the rheumatology department.

Monroe’s Wisconsin Community Bank has had a number of name changes since it was known as Commercial Saving Bank, and Dennis Everson has been an employee at the location since 1975. Throughout his tenure at the bank, he helped with financing numerous cheesemaking operations in the Green County area. Dennis has seen many changes take place in the cheesemaking industry. Among the most notable are the transition from basic varieties to specialty and artisan cheeses, technology and automation in the cheese plants, and computer programs that guarantee consistency in production.

During the festival, Dennis will overlook his Norwegian heritage. “I’ll be a Wettach for the weekend,” he jokes. His mother, Joan, resides in Monroe.

Throughout the years, Dennis and Janice have had many ties to various aspects of the Cheese Days festival. Janice has served on the ambassador selection committee. Dennis co-chaired the festival several times, and served as both president and treasurer for several terms each. Both are experienced at the Cow Milking Contest, and both have “done time” working at the Monroe Optimist Club deep-fried cheese curd booth. Their niece Lindsay (Wettach) Brockert was an ambassador in 2002, and niece Wendy Flanagan is the artist responsible for this year’s button design.

The couple has two children who have also been involved with the festival. “They’ve grown up with it, it has been part of their lives,” says Janice, of their sons, Erik and Kyle. As boy scouts, they rose early in the morning to help with clean up of the festival grounds around the downtown square. They often appeared in the Children’s Parade, and both were candidates in the Prince and Princess Contest. Erik is currently attending the University of Wyoming where he is working toward his doctorate in Geophysics, and Kyle is currently attending dental school at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

The Everson family’s involvement with Cheese Days did not always go smoothly. When bank president Jack Kundert suggested that his employee, Dennis, serve as chairperson of the Cheese Days raffle, the raffle committee selected a car as grand prize. Shortly after the committee purchased the soon to be infamous 1978 Ford Pinto, the news broke that the Pinto had a tendency to explode in rear-end collisions. Sales were far less than brisk, but by Saturday of the festival the car was paid off. Dennis drove it in the parade on Sunday (thankfully with no incident), and the tickets sold netted a small profit that final day.

The Eversons are currently involved in many other community activities, including the local literacy council, Monroe Arts Center, and Grace Lutheran Church; and boy scouts and the YMCA board in the past.

“We love Cheese Days, we always have, and this is like coming full circle,” said Janice of their royal appointment. Both Dennis and Janice are looking forward to celebrating with family and friends, sharing the fun with festival attendees, and adding new stories to the personal history they share with the oldest and best food fest in the Midwest.




Wednesday, March 3, 2010

SMOKING RANT

I HAVEN’T BEEN ON A GOOD SMOKING RANT IN A LONG TIME, SO IF YOU’RE IN THE CLEAN AIR, HEALTHLY NON-SMOKING CAMP YOU CAN SKIP TODAY’S BLOG.

THE NO-SMOKING LAWS GO INTO EFFECT IN WISCONSIN ON JULY 5TH OF THIS YEAR.  INTERESTING THAT THEY WAITED UNTIL AFTER THE FOURTH OF JULY WEEK-END.

THE FIRST NEVADA CASINO TO GO SMOKE FREE WAS ON THE SOUTH SHORE OF LAKE TAHOE, RIGHT ON THE CALIFORNIA BORDER.  THE CASINO CLOSED LAST MONTH.

ILLINOIS CASINOS WENT SMOKE FREE RECENTLY AND BUSINESS IS DOWN 20%.  ACROSS THE STATE LINE IN INDIANA WHERE SMOKING IS ALLOWED, THE CASINO BUSINESS IS ONLY DOWN 2%.

THAT’S WHY I SPEND SO MUCH OF MY TIME IN NEVADA AND ON ARIZONA INDIAN RESERVATIONS.

WACKJACK

TODAY ON THE VEGASREX BLOG HE RENAMED THE 6:5 BLACKJACK GAME, "WACKJACK".  RIGHT ON THE MONEY !!!  SEE HOW THE SAHARA CASINO RIPPED OFF ALL THE NASCAR FANS LAST WEEKEND WITH "WACKJACK".

Monday, March 1, 2010

'SUP?

"BESIDES WHAT YOU'VE REPORTED IN THE BLOG WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO ON YOUR DAYS OFF?"




INCOME TAX
WE GOT OUR SHOE BOX FULL OF TAX PAPERS SENT OFF TO WADENA, IOWA FOR THE ACCOUNTANT TO PREPARE OUR INCOME TAXES.  THAT'S ALWAYS A GOOD JOB TO GET BEHIND YOU.


BRUNCH
THE NEIGHBORS ACROSS THE STREET HAD A SUNDAY BRUNCH WHICH WE WERE INVITED TO.  IT WAS AN INTERESTING GATHERING.  THIS YEAR THE NEIGHBOR HAD PUT A BAR IN HIS ENCLOSED PATIO, AND WAS SERVING BLOODY MARY'S AND SCREWDRIVERS.  AS I SAT AT THE BAR WITH TWO OTHER GUYS IT CAME OUT IN CONVERSATION THAT I AM 61 YEARS OLD, THE GUY ON THE NEXT STOOL WAS 71, AND THE BARTENDER WAS 81.


WE CUT OUT EARLY AND MADE THE WEEKLY WALMART RUN, AND WHEN WE GOT HOME A FEW STRAGGLERS WERE STILL DOWNING THE VODKA.



WAXED THE HONDA
WE GOT THE ANNUAL COAT OF WAX ON THE HONDA, AND NEXT ON THE LIST IS THE PICK-UP.



NEW WORK UNIFORMS
IT'S BEEN ABOUT SIX YEARS SINCE WE GOT NEW UNIFORMS AT THE AVI CASINO.  THEY ARE COMFORTABLE AND WASH UP WITH NO IRONING, BOTH IMPORTANT POINTS.



OF COURSE I HAVE TO LOSE THE CAYE CAULKER BASBALL CAP WHEN I'M DEALING.

ANTIQUE SHOW
SUNDAY MARY CHECKED OUT AN ANTIQUE SHOW, WHILE REX BELLIED UP TO THE BAR FOR THE OLYMPIC GOLD HOCKEY GAME WITH OUR PACKER WATCHING FRIENDS COLE AND DAWN.

SEE OUR LIFE IS MUCH LIKE YOURS.  I DID ENJOY NICK'S BLOG THIS WEEK WHEN HE WROTE ABOUT BEING TWOGETHER.

BLOG NOTE:  NO "UNCLE HANS" DIDN'T TAKE THE PHOTOS FOR TODAY'S BLOG.  I FORGOT TO CHANGE THE WATERMARK ON THE PHOTOS FROM HIS LAST BLOG.  I WOULDN'T WANT ANYONE TO WORRY THAT "UNCLE HANS" HAS RUN AWAY FROM HOME.