Check this section for updated comments, personal opinion, web pictures, and recent family events.
Come back often, I update it frequently...scroll down to see the log entries back to the first of the year
(to see previous years' comments, click HERE).
August, 2023
August is a very important month for us, especially this year. We were married in August (back in 1973) and this year we celebrate our 50th anniversary.
For that reason we reserved a cruise out of Long Beach to Catalina Island and Ensenada MX (one that we have been on many times and really enjoy the itinerary).
The cruise was very fun, relaxing, and full of celebration. We had a great balcony cabin on the aft part of the ship and it's the best location we've enjoyed.
I took lots of photos and video with my GoPro and put a compilation video up on YouTube, find HERE.
We also had the time to visit Las Vegas twice, first we stayed at the Flamingo and had a great dinner at Bugsey and Meyer's Steak House - which is an incredible restaurant. We also hit Tommy Rockers for Happy Hour the 2nd night and had a great meal there as well.
Believe it or not, we stayed at the Flamingo again (right at the end of August) and had dinner at Ramsey's Kitchen (a newer venue at Harrah's Las Vegas) and really enjoyed the meal. The ambiance and service was a good as it gets, and the food was excellent as expected. We also hit Firefly on the 2nd night for Happy Hour and I don't know why we never hit this place before, the fries are to die for and the empenadas were excellent.
July, 2023
July was (and always is) a hot month. We tend to stay inside during this month, so we ended up enjoying 3 stays at the casinos in Laughlin and 1 stay at The Horseshoe in Las Vegas.
While in Las Vegas, we tried the new Jack Binion's Steak House at the Horseshoe, it was pretty good but I can't say it was worth the price. The Smoked Manhattan at the bar after dinner was quite good!
The next night we tried the Golden Tiki for Happy Hour, man is that place a hoot. It's a little pricey but I think the personality alone is worth the price of admission. There are a lot of items to explore in this place and the staff is friendly and very entertaining. We were at a table in the Pirate Room, which was an interesting room. If you want something different, give the Golden Tiki a try during Happy Hour.
During July we also spent a couple of nights in Phoenix to visit Mike and his family. We were able to have Madelyn visit us here in Kingman for a week and she had a great time.
Mary and I have been doing quite well at the casinos this month and are probably up this year as far as wins and comps goes, I hope it keeps up.
June, 2023
June started out nice, just another part of a great Spring season with incredibly mild weather. But at the end of the month summer arrived. Although we get a lot of heat during the summer months, this year we were spared the entire month of June so the summer won't seem as brutal as normal.
We stayed at the Flamingo in Las Vegas (more comps for Mary) and had a great dinner at the Top of the World restaurant, at the Strat. This restaurant revolves very slowly (takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes for a full revolution) and the views are spectacular. You have to pay extra for a window seat but the views are worth it, especially around sunset. The next night we had dinner at Battista's Hole in the Wall, one of our favorite local restaurants that serves a great Italian family style dinner.
We also stayed in Laughlin a few nights during the month, Caesar's is very kind to us by comp'ing our stays so we can take advantage of special gambling offers. We've been doing quite well with our gambling this year (so far) and I even won a $3000 tournament at the Tropicana Laughlin, which is paid out in comps (that I can use at any Caesar's property). Mary's free play has been bumped up a bit, making it more worthwhile to spend time in the casino (especially if we are winning).
We are now heading into the heart of summer so we will limit outdoor activity for 3 or 4 weeks, but hopefully the monsoon season will start and we'll get a number of storms to cool us off.
May, 2023
It was a sad ending to this month for us. On May 28 Jim's mother passed away, she was 88 years old. She had not been doing well for the last year and was placed in a full time health management facility. I'm really going to miss her.
We completed a number of trips in May, got to see the grandkids in Phoenix (celebrating Jaylynn's birthday) and made our way to Sedona for a wine pickup and a fantastic dinner at Dahl and Deluca. We also stayed at the Paris in Las Vegas and dined at Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, one of the best restaurants we've dined at. I tried the smoked Manhattan drink and it was absolutely wonderful. The entire experience was great and it's highly recommended. We've been hitting Laughlin more often lately, since both of us have been doing much better in the casinos. As long as they keep comp'ing our stay and our winnings keep up, we'll accommodate them.
April, 2023
The weather is getting much better now, we are definitely in our spring season with great temperatures.
I celebrated the anniversary of my retirement on April 1 (2011), can't believe it's been 12 years since I walked away from DCPP (and so happy that I did).
We ended up selling our Kia Soul because once the RV sold there really wasn't much reason to keep it around. A nice couple from Lake Havasu bought it (they are RV'ers also) and now we'll order a new car to replace it...more on that later.
April saw us travel to Las Vegas TWICE, with great meals at Bavette's and Piero's restaurants. They were both excellent experiences and I highly recommend either for a great meal.
We stayed at the Paris Hotel and Harrah's and we really like Paris better, rooms are nicer and the casino experience is much better (but Harrah's is still a good place for a jackpot, just ask Mary).
We tried something a little different this month, instead of only enjoying the Happy Hour at Maggiano's we tried Happy Hour at Morton's and the Yard House (I think the Yard House was a much better value).
Mary enjoyed the Nationals Bowling Tournament in Tucson the middle of April, even bringing back some $$$ from the tournament and her play at the local casino.
Yep, one night in Laughlin at Harrah's to take advantage of a special Tier Multiplier (it's always a fun time there).
Stay tuned for more of our adventures next month.
March, 2023
We've been a bit busy this year so far, traveling a lot and it seems like we've been visiting places more than staying at home.
February was an abnormal winter-like month here, lots of rough weather (including quite a few inches of snow).
We've had at least 2 trips per month to Las Vegas and a trip to Sedona/Cottonwood for our winery pickups.
Of course, while in Las Vegas we treat ourselves to a great dinner at a high end steak house once each trip and are usually quite pleased.
In February we enjoyed our stay at the Cromwell and Paris Casino/Hotels and in March enjoyed Planet Hollywood.
We had a great dinner at Giada's and Oscar's Steak houses and a not so great meal at Butcher-Cleaver (our 2nd try, for some reason they can't get a medium-well steak cooked correctly).
In March we stayed at the Beaver Creek Inn, near Sedona, but I wouldn't recommend it (property is old and falling apart - we were without hot water for a day and a half).
Of course we stayed in Laughlin a number of nights, mostly to take advantage of special tier credit multipliers but we also stayed at the Avi because they offered us a comp'ed room (we had a great meal as well).
Here's to new adventures in the month's to come!
January, 2023
Here's to a New Year and better times ahead...
We really enjoyed the New Year's Eve party at Red's Cellar Door and Bistro, I even stayed up past midnight to ring in the new year!
January was a bit quiet for us, but we will turn it up in the next month.
Mary & I took a short trip to Cottonwood for a wine pickup at Page Springs Winery. We drove through quite a lot of snow, since we went over the mountain and through Jerome.
I also passed my FCC General Ham Radio License exam this month, upgrading me from Technician level. I plan on volunteering for the county as an emergency HF radio operator during emergencies.
We also enjoyed our monthly trip to Las Vegas by staying at the Flamingo and having an awesome dinner at Flemming's Steak House, I highly recommend it - the service and food was awesome.
