Busy times

It’s very hard to believe that we have been here in Acton, CA for 2 weeks already but its true.  Tomorrow morning we leave and start heading back to Livingston, Texas to take care of some business there. 
The only bad thing about this park is that it is a little far away from everywhere we need to be.  It’s 20 miles down the freeway to Santa Clarita where we have seen Ed’s brother and our karaoke buddies, Terry and Sharon.  Last Wednesday we had a very nice dinner with Jim and Debbie.  Debbie is a great cook and dinner was wonderful.  Then on Thursday it was Sharon who cooked and it was great also.  Friday we drove another extra 30 miles to Northridge to son Terry’s house.  They had there annual St. Patrick’s Day party and party we did!! Great food!! Saved me from cooking corned beef this year!! Daughter Stacy and her family was here also, so Saturday we were on a quest to find a prom dress for 17 year old granddaughter Ciera. But before we could do that, we stopped at a go cart racing place so that the boys could compete. 

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Then it was on to the mall.
Four stores and with the help of Mom, Grandma and Aunt Sarah, Ciera finally found the perfect dress.  She didn’t want long and she didn’t want poofy.
 



       Winner!!



Sunday we had a big storm come through here.  It’s been cold and rainy just about every day since.  Tuesday we had one more dinner with son Terry and wife Sarah.  Wednesday we drove another 96 miles south to Laguna Hills to have dinner with Ed’s sister Jeannie and husband Bill.  Thursday it was dinner and karaoke night with Terry and Sharon. Friday it was dinner with Ed’s brother Jim and wife Debbie. 
The two weeks have flown by.    It’s been great to see everyone again, but I am really ready to start traveling where it is warm again. 

This is what we have been looking at since last Sunday’s storm. 

Of course, the weather for next week is predicted to be in the 70’s!!!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

We are  in Acton, California staying at the Thousand Trails park.   This park is not one of the best we have stayed at, but its about 20 minutes away from Santa Clarita, where we used to live.  We are spending time visiting family and friends. 

Today, I need to catch up on laundry.  Funny how the clothes don’t clean themselves!

Have a great day and don’t forget to wear your green!!

Happy Birthday Ciera

Today our lovely granddaughter turns 17. So very proud of the young lady she has become….as beautiful on the inside as out. 


       
       

Leaving Las Vegas

This morning we left Las Vegas.  We have spent the past week with friends and family. We had a lot of fun. They all arrived on Tuesday and the first order of business…2 for one buffets.

We gambled a little there at Terribles but no one had really good luck. 



Wednesday evening we provided dinner for the group and then took Terry and Jeri on to Fremont Street.  They have never spent any time in the Las Vegas area so this was something that we told them they had to see.
Look what Ed found…
Fremont Street is the old Las Vegas. About 15 years ago they closed off the street to traffic, put a cover over it and each night they have laser light shows.

                 




Thursday night we met everyone at a casino called Ellis Island.  A very small casino off strip that Steve and Carol found.  One of our group had won big the night before and we all wanted our chance.  We walked out with an extra $100 of the casino’s money!!
Friday we went to Boulder Station to sing Karaoke.  Janice and Jerry had heard us sing when they were at Emerald Cove.  But the rest of the group wanted to hear. 



They said the enjoyed it.  Ed sang 2 songs and together we sang one.
All the singers that night were very good.

Saturday I was able to connect with my cousin Bill and his wife Toni.  We have not seen each other in about 12 years.  I wanted them to take us to their favorite hangout and guess what…..we ended up back at Boulder Station.  It was wonderful to reconnect and catch up.  They treated us to a fantastic meal at the steakhouse in the casino and we played video poker at their favorite bar. 
All in all we didn’t leave too much of our money in Las Vegas.  We now are in Needles which is close to Laughlin and we will be playing bingo and going to the casinos there.  Lets see if our luck holds!!

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess

I’ve posted this before but my granddaughter is celebrating Dr. Suess’ birthday today in her kindergarten class.  They all had to dress as there favorite storybook character.  Savannah chose Curious George!

So to honor Dr. Suess…..here it is again!

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. In Springfield there is a National Memorial Sculpture Garden in his honor.  Since Ed grew up in Springfield we usually take a trip back to the area.  I like to visit this special place when we do.


Dr. Seuss at his desk with The Cat in the Hat watching.



The Grinch and
his dog Max.











Horton


Yertle the Turtle

Hoover Dam and Mel’s Diner

Yesterday we met up with friends, Jeri and Terry and Steve and Carol and went out to Hoover Dam.  In all the times I’ve been to Vegas I’d never been out to see Hoover Dam. It was amazing. Hoover Dam was built in the 1930’s and was the largest government work program during the depression.  The dam was finished in 1935 and first started to generate electricity in 1936.  Today there are 9 generators on the Nevada side and 8 on the Arizona side. 

It’s so large I couldn’t get it into one picture.
These generators provide electricity for Nevada, Arizona and California. 
It’s one of the largest hydroelectric power facility in the US.


Lake Mead is the reservoir formed by the dam. 
As you can see from the water lines, the lake is very low.  While talking to guide during the tour we took, they are beginning to worry.  Snow melt in Colorado and Wyoming is what feeds the river so it should be good this year but they need several years to totally fill the lake.  In all the years, only once have they had to release water over the spillway. This water helps provide irrigation for crops in California, Nevada and Arizona.


Now they have a new marvel at the Hoover Dam. Highway 93 runs across the dam and to get to Arizona you had to cross the dam.  However, its only a 2 lane road and it sometimes took several hours to get across.  They now have a bridge that crosses the river.  It’s a longggg way down!!!


After spending several hours touring the dam, we were hungry.  We went back into Boulder City to Mel’s Diner.  Ed always gets a kick out of this since the actress who played Alice was named Linda Lavin.  It’s a very small little diner and we were lucky to get in because they closed at 3pm.  Only open for breakfast and lunch.  Food was very good and the company even better.



Group picture at the Lake Mead Overlook.