Vegas Bound ......

Today is the first day off that Rex and I have had together since November 19th!! We celebrated by going to Vegas and having lunch with Paul.
That was one reason we went to Vegas, the other was Rex wanted to go to Best Buy and Circuit City. Ever since he dropped the TV he has been thinking about getting a new one. Today he put thought into action and bought a Sony 23 inch flat screen TV. As I am sitting here writing this, he is watching his new toy and let me tell you the picture is absolutely great!! Especially when you consider all we have for TV reception is a roof antenna. That is just amazing.
We also went to Trader Joe’s, Wild Oats, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. As much as I dislike Vegas, there is every kind of store in the world there and I DO like to shop!!

No More Wind !!!

I woke up this morning to two things..silence and stillness. When the wind blows, the camper rocks just like the cradle in the nursery rhyme. Also the wind is loud. When I actually got out of bed it was real apparent that today was different from the last SIX days of wind..people were out and about!! Thank goodness!!

I made some sweet potato bread in the bread machine today, boy does it smell good!! It tastes good too but the smell is really wonderful. Rex had to sample it right away, this is one of his favorite breads. Mine too for that matter.

Tonight at work the band was so good.....the music was reminiscent of the Big Band Era, relaxing and mellow. Not often we get that type of music at work and I for one really enjoyed it.

The burros were back today, they must have decided to enjoy a day without wind with a nice long hike to the RV park. They sure are something...enjoyable to see at any rate, but they sure can be pesky.
For me today of day 5 of 6 which means tomorrow is my 6th day of work in a row but then I have two days off...Thank God!!

The Big Wind of '06

By Mary

Remember my ranting and raving about the wind last Wednesday?? That was six days ago and the wind is STILL blowing…let me tell you people are getting mighty cranky!!

I think we have mentioned before all the development going on around here. This area has grown so much in the seven years we have been coming that it is just amazing. Anyway because this area is so popular, golf courses are being built left and right. There is a new one at the corner of HWY 95 and Boundary Cone Road which is the road we live on. There is another one under construction about three miles up Boundary Cone and on the other side. The first step in this construction is to totally clear the land of all vegetation. What do you think is happening in this very strong wind and cleared land? See picture.



I bet the developers of this project are REALLY cranky!! These sand drifts remind me of snow drifts…but it is sand…wonder if this is what the Sahara Desert longs like only on a larger scale??

Otherwise we are just plugging away at work…Rex had another big work week. He got 45.5 hours, I got 38. Winter at the AVI can be labor intensive, but as Rex has often mentioned….need all the hours we can get to take a long vacation in ‘08.

The AVI has grown along with the area in general these last seven years. One of their newest additions is a separate building housing and events center. This is called Mohave Crossing and has enough interior room for roping and penning cowboy events. This means we get to see a lot of cowboys (and cowgirls) here, complete with six inch belt buckles and spurs on their boots. Can’t forget the Indians…..we have our share them too.

The West is a very interesting place!!

WILD BURROS

THE WILD BURROS IN THE BLACK MOUNTAINS TO OUR EAST ARE LEFT OVER FROM THE GOLD MINNING DAYS OF THE 1800’S, THEY WERE USED BY THE MINNERS TO PULL HEAVY CARTS OF ORE OUT OF THE MINES. WHEN THE GOLD MINNING PLAYED OUT THE CREATURES WERE TURNED LOSE TO ROAM WILD IN THE MOUNTAINS.

IN IT’S HAYDAY THE BLACK MOUNTAINS IN OATMAN ARIZONA AREA PRODUCED ABOUT $36 MILLION IN GOLD. TODAY THE BURROS ARE PROTECTED BY THE GOVERNMENT JUST LIKE THE WILD MUSTANGS OF NEVADA. A COUPLE OF THE CRITTERS WANDERED DOWN OUT OF THE MOUNTAINS AND DOWN TO RV PARK THIS AFTERNOON.





ON A SIDE BAR: I’M ENJOYING THE LAST OF THE WISCONSIN DEPPLER’S BABY SWISS FROM CHEESEDAYS. WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A TRIP INTO VEGAS ON THURSDAY WITH A STOP AT THE TRADER JOE’S MARKET, MAYBE I CAN FIND SOME “IMPORTED” SWISS CHEESE FROM WISCONSIN THERE…………….

AROUND HERE IT’S ALL “HAPPY COWS” FROM CALIFORNIA.

JUST WORK'IN

WRITTEN BY REX

I'VE REALLY SLIPPED INTO THE "COUCH-POTATO" MODE HERE IN THE MOHAVE VALLEY. ONLY FOR ME IT ISN'T HOURS ON THE COUCH WATCHING TV, IT'S ENDLESS HOURS SITTING IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER. I REALLY ENJOY THE NEWSPAPERS, POSTVILLE, WAUKON, DECORAH, LA CROSSE, MOHAVE VALLEY, AND LAKE TAHOE. I ALSO SPEND A LOT OF TIME READING OTHER RV'ERS BLOGS, SEVERAL OF THEM I READ DAILY.

MEANWHILE MY WINTER'S LIST OF THINGS TO DO IS GROWING LONG. THE CURRENT PRIORITY IS HAND WAXING THE OUTSIDE OF THE TRAILER, AND I CAN REPORT THAT I HAVE THE BACK DONE AND THE OTHER THREE SIDES TO GO.

I'M STILL NOT SURE ON HOW WE ENDED UP ON NEVADA'S NEW MINIMUM WAGE LAW, BUT THERE WERE LOT'S SMILES AND PAPERS FLYING AROUND THE PIT LAST NIGHT SO IT LOOKS HOPEFUL. THAT $1 AN HOUR WOULD MEAN AN EXTRA $1,000.00 EACH FOR MARY AND I. I ALSO STATED THAT WE EXPECT TO EARN 25 WEEKS PAY IN 23 WEEKS, AND THAT'S WELL ON THE WAY TOO. WE WORKED THE WEEK-END (FRI. & SAT.) BEFORE THE START OF WEEK #23, AND MY FIRST TWO FULL WEEKS BACK TO WORK HAVE BEEN SIX DAY WEEKS, SO ONLY TWO WEEKS IN AND I ALREADY HAVE FOUR OF THE EXTRA TEN DAYS I HOPE TO WORK THIS WINTER. SO WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?............

WELL IT GOES LIKE THIS, THE MORE MONEY WE MAKE THE MORE TIME OFF WE CAN TAKE. IN 2006 WE TOOK 16 WEEKS OFF, AFTER WORKING EXTRA IN 2005 AND PUTTING TOGETHER A TRAVEL FUND. IN 2007 WE PLAN TO WORK MORE AND ONLY TAKE SIX WEEKS OFF PUTTING TOGETHER A TRAVEL FUND FOR 2008. WE LOVE THOSE EVEN NUMBERED YEARS !!!

I'M STILL THINKING "BEACH BUM". TONIGHT SHOULD BE INTERESTING AT THE CASINO, WE HAVE A LIVE FIGHT CARD, AND COWBOYS COMPETING FOR PENNING CHAMPIONSHIPS. ACROSS THE RIVER FROM THE CASINO THE INDIANS BUILT A HUGH EVENT CENTER, CALLED MOHAVE CROSSING, IT'S BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD A RODEO INSIDE !! IT'S A VERY IMPRESSIVE BUILDING AND THE COWBOYS LOVE COMPETING INSIDE OUT OF THE WIND AND DUST. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, THOSE COWBOYS LOVE TO DRINK AND GAMBLE WITH BOTH HANDS COME NIGHT TIME.

THE FIGHT CROWD TENDS TO BE MOSTLY (LARGE) HISPANIC MEN FROM LOS ANGELES. THE MIX OF THESE TWO GROUPS TONIGHT IN THE CASINO WILL BE VERY INTERESTING.