Getting to know Laughlin [part 2]

The look of the Laughlin Casinos from the River. A walkway goes in front of the Casinos along the river for a nice place to stroll and watch activity on the water while behind you just through the doors ,the slots are calling , ding, ding, ding....


Saying goodby to Kim,
Connie, Bob and Mary stand on the Riverwalk and wave, wave, and then wave again to Kim until she is out of sight. We stand and watch the river for a while and decided to walk to another Casino to try our luck .. Looking at all the slots we can not find the one labeled "winner" so we move on .

Another "two for one" dinner buffet is the best we can do.

Wednesday Afternoon ,

Feb 20, 2008 we climb on the PORT OF LAUGHLIN river boat for a tour of the Colorado River and the Davis Dam.

More than 20 dams have been built on the Colorado and its tributaries, As a result, the river rarely reaches the Gulf ...

Four of the Dams on the Colorado River, which is the life line of the West and Southwest, are Glen Canyon , Hoover, Davis and Parker Dams..

The primary purpose of Davis Dam is to re-regulate Hoover Dam releases to meet downstream needs, including the annual delivery of 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico. This is in accordance with the 1944 water treaty with Mexico.

Just below Davis Dam are campgrounds on the river . It seems like an inviting place to camp and spend a few days on the AZ side of the Colorado River. There is a launch for your boat or Jet Ski.

The water below the Davis dam is monitored very closely. We are told every drop is accounted for so if you are thinking of dipping out a bucket of water , it will be known and you may be ask to account for it!!!!!!!!

On the Boat is a very entertaining fellow who loves to flirt with all the ladies, and he is very good at it!!!. So good , that Connie's hat suddenly got very tight. He sang songs with us and to us, delivered our beer , danced with us and posed for pictures. Needless to say there was a very large tip jar on the upper level of the boat.

The Riverside Boat Tour has its own special beer [courtesy of Miller Lite]. If you drink too much there is this map of where you are.

This couple followed the cruise boat to the dam and seemed to be the "official escort" .. They were observed following the Port of Laughlin on its other trips also. They waved and circled us laughing and having fun .
Connie's hat getting tighter..

Let me see,,,,, hummmm,, a condo here and the yacht ,,could I talk Mary into this?

This water taxi takes you from one Casino to another if you are not inclined to walk the Riverwalk. Most people do the walking..

The water level on the River changes high to low in just a short time. Witness this tree at the "shore" . Yesterday I seen this same tree with a boat behind it with the water back where the brush is now. I would never have believed this.

Our favorite 'First Mate" making it safe to debark back at the dock.

Leaving the boat there is one last chance for information .

Laughlin, NV. part I

Monday Feb 18, 2008 at 8:30 AM ,destination ,Valley International Airport

Our faithful shuttle driver , Cliff ,pick up Bob and Mary and headed down Agate to the next stop at the Dotsons. About half way down the street we hear a noise and look behind and Bob and Mary's luggage are scattered about all the way down the street. It seems the conversation overshadowed the need to shut the back hatch of the van. If this was not bad enough , a group of six men on bicycles happened to be following and witnessed the mishap. A lot of laughing and teasing ensued. "Great way to start out." " "Hope you have better luck with the slots".. Dang.

Almost 3 hours on the plane sees the group in Laughlin and boarding the 3 buses to our Hotel, The Riverside. Getting off the bus we spot Kim waiting for us with smiles and hugs.








We check out rooms 766 & 786 and head down to the Casino. Connie and Bob check out the poker room where they are going to try their luck and skills.


View of the pool and hot tub from the 7Th floor rooms

Looking straight across at the dock from our room ,where the free water shuttle runs every 10 minutes 24/7. This is where many of the people who work at the casinos "park and ride". It saves congestion on the only Bridge across the Colorado River from Bull Head City, AZ.







The water taxi coming across from the AZ side and Docking at Riverside.



e.



The first night we walk to the Aquarius to try the buffet dinner. Two for one Coupons have been handed out to our group on the bus ride. It was VERY good..But it is early and there are more Buffets to try.
We decided to go to the River Palms Casino for a comedy show tonight. It was a fun show with 3 comics , some slots were played, Mary turned $1.00 into $4.00 on a penny machine. Then we come back to the other end of the "strip"..


Tuesday morning we meet up for a great breakfast buffet at the Riverside. Then it is talk , talk, and more talk.. Too soon 3 PM comes and Kim heads out for California.

At 10 each morning Connie and Bob report to the Poker room for the Texas Hold Em tournament. The game is fast and the luck is elusive so they are usually out of game in 30 minutes. They both said it was fun and different from the Poker games in Paradise Park.


Next comes Part 2 ,, the River Boat Tour of the Colorado River and Davis Dam.

The Tomato Show

For your enjoyment [but not as much as ours] is basket number 4 of this years harvest of Tomatoes. They will be appearing on the Table for only a short time as they will be consumed within 24 hours. If you do not have your ticket to the "Show" you will have missed out.


Also this year is the always exciting and mysterious special guest creation . It makes us wonder how and why he appears. We dubbed him the Red Devil.




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Grass Fire in Harlingen

The week of February 16, 2008, seen high winds in Rio Grande Valley. Harlingen had gusts of 52 mph. Of the many grass fires , one was just to the south of Paradise Park. The winds blew it to the road alongside the park very close to some of the Mobil Homes.. People were out with hoses saving their trees, grass, and homes. Some even loaded up their cars with valuables.








Fire on one side of road , our park on the other side.






The smoke and smell was so strong it burnt your nose and throat.









The fire Department lined up their equipment along the road to protect us.







The Police shut down the road and had people from our Park going North on the southbound Frontage road to get out of the park. Connie and Mary went for pictures after the all clear was given.
GOD BLESS THE FIREFIGHTERS.
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After the Zoo

It was a busy day , besides shopping and the zoo we stopped at Johnny Carinos in Brownsville for a late lunch. Our nice waiter informed us that in 15 minutes it would be happy hour and many items would have special prices. So we study the menu and make our choices.


Pannini Sandwiches and Salad were delicious.
We sit and chat and had a great leisurely lunch and decide that a return trip will be soon.

Five PM finds Connie and Mary at the pool , the first time in many days due to the colder weather. The water was a good temperature and the Hot Tub was nice and cozy. We had the pool all to ourselfs due to the supper hour . Talk and talk and never stay still. Back and forth ,back and forth we go.

OH yes, Connie's hair is starting to grow..A very good sign..

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Great day for the zoo

Connie, Bob and Mary made a long overdue trip to the zoo and were greeted by Noel a baby camel born December 6, 2007. She is very sweet and we got to feed her a bottle.

On the way to the zoo we stopped at the SaS Shoe Factory Store and there was a crowd of seniors on a bus trip from Tip Of Texas RV park in the Valley. Most of the men drank coffee and sat in the rocking chairs munching popcorn while the women shopped.

While we were wandering around the Zoo we noticed the Entrance Gate had a line waiting to get in. Checking further we discover it is the same group we left at SaS Shoes. They were on a Day Bus Trip doing fun things in the Valley. We had some nice conversations with many of them. Connie and Mary told all they knew about the Gorilla family. They felt a bit like tour guides.



Every one sing now::: Getting to know you , getting to know all about you..


Hummmm I think I want this hat.



What is back here? Can I get this shirt too?



DO NOT FEED>>


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-Tired of being harassed because I have not blogged in so long, I will say right now DO NOT PAY THE RANSOM and call off the dogs because I have escaped and am alive and well..

Getting that off my chest I will back up to Christmas and show a picture of our table and how nice the hall looked for our Christmas dinner.[our table].


Next comes News Years Eve , There were about 30 of us at the game room for our "Elite" social gathering..

Gathering around the tables and deciding what the game for each table will be. I am guessing Bud and Evelyn are hosting because in a couple of pictures they are standing and talking to everyone.



Connie and Bud and "their" group are playing Texas hold Em.

Here in Texas there a lots and lots of fireworks all evening long and at midnight the sky lights up like fourth of July...The weather was mild and everyone stood outside and watched. Hugs and kisses then clean up and home by 12:30 AM..

At 1 AM Connie and Mary are in the Hot Tub and making phone calls to unsuspecting relitivies that are in the western US. Happy New Year to All.


Connie even got silly and posed for this photo without her hat. She looks so cute.