A Daily Diary - "September 2010"

Entries for September 2010

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City Center

WEDNESDAY - 09/29/2010 - I went to the pool to try and finish my book, but a neighbor friend came out and as a result I wasn't able to get in much reading. Because we had $60 in "free" slot play coupons that needed to be used before the end of the month, we decided to make this a "casino hopping" day. Our first stop was at Ellis Island where we enjoyed a wonderful 2-1 lunch. Connie had the veal parmesan with spaghetti and I had a pennae pasta dish with a sun dried tomato cream sauce and Jumbo Shrimp. Both were so large that we had to get to-go boxes. By the time we had finished five casinos later we were up nearly $50. Not a bad day! We came home, watched a couple of TV shows over popcorn and then headed off to bed.



Bird Pictures by the Pool

 TUESDAY - 09/28/2010 - We didn't do much yesterday. Stayed home, hit the pool, read, watched a couple movies and a few TV shows and played on the computer. I took my camera to the pool both yesterday and this morning to try and get some pictures of birds. It is so hard to creep up on birds trying to get a picture. I created the collage on the left from various visits to the pool this year with my camera [double-click image to view full-size].  After hitting the pool we headed over to the South Point casino to see the movie, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, starring Michael Douglas. Though we both thght it was OK, it did not meet our high expectations; click the title to read our review. Enjoyed a very good 2-1 buffet lunch before the movie. The apple glazed roast pork w/stuffing, mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy was excellent, not to mention the fried haddock with French fries and tarter sauce. It was the first time we have ever seen haddock on a buffet. When we got home I worked on creating the bird collage above from some of my pictures by the pool before having an ice cream sundae for dinner.  Watched some TV shows we had recorded on the DVR and then headed to bed.

SUNDAY - 09/26/2010 - Spent the morning at the pool reading and watching and listening to the birds. In addition to the ever present crackles and the now daily honking of the Canada Geese, we were able to observe two to three catbirds, two gold finches, several sparrows, a group of six morning doves, one robin, two gold-throated hummingbirds and three beautiful monarch butterflies. It was too bad that I forgot to bring out the camera, or I could have gotten some good pictures. It seems like the cooler Fall weather may be attracting more birds. I spent some time on the computer adding a slide show of  Roy Purcell's Murals in Chloride Arizona to the posting on my Travel Blog site. After showering, we headed to Green Valley Ranch for their All-you-can-Eat Crablegs Champagne Buffet Brunch. After playing for a couple of hours, we came home and watched a couple of movies we had on the DVR and then retired for the evening.

View of Canada Geese Shot From Our Pool

FRIDAY - 09/24/2010 - Just like clockwork, every year around this time the Canada Geese return for their winter stay at the golf course opposite our apartment and pool. I don't know where they go at night, but every morning they fly in at around 5:30 am 'honking' like crazy; loud enough to wake you. This morning I took my camera to the pool and took a few pictures. Click here to view more pictures ... Canada Geese Slide Show. We decided to stay home today and watch some TV shows and a Netflix movie, "Lies and Deception". I made chicken salad sandwiches for lunch to eat over the movie which turned out to be pretty good; we give it a strong 3-Stars. I played on the computer the remainder of the afternoon while Connie read. Watched some new fall shows in the evening and then called it a day and headed to bed.

THURSDAY - 09/23/2010 - It's been a rather slow week. Went to the "M" on Tuesday an picked up some free wine. On Wednesday we had to go to the library to pick up some more reading materials for Connie; and then to Smith's for some grocery shopping. Our Pool finally opened today after being shut down for the past three days due to a broken filter pipe. It was good to get back out and enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having all week. After popping a pizza in the oven for lunch I went up the street to the The District at Green Valley Ranch which was hosting the Show & Shine Kick-Off of the 11th annual Super Run Car Show being held in downtown Henderson this coming weekend. This popular yearly event, open to the public, draws more than 1,000 classic cars, trucks, motorcycles and special-interest vehicles vying for more than $15,000 in cash prizes. After the car show we went over the "M" where Connie had $20 in free slot play and coupons for two free bottles of wine. For dinner, Connie had snicker doodles and I had blueberry pie while we watch some new fall shows that we had recorded, and then headed off to bed.

Spa at South Point Casino

MONDAY - 09/20/2010 - We actually slept in until 8:15, a rarity for us. We donned our bathing suits, picked up some coffee and some 'huge' blueberry muffins at the deli and headed to the outside spa and pool where we ate, soaked, and read until checkout time. The pool area at the South Point is very nice and they have a lovely whirlpool/spa area for adults. There was a lively breeze that made it a very relaxing and enjoyable couple of hours. After checking out we packed the car and headed to the "M" where Connie had some free slot play. We then enjoyed two free lunch buffets and headed back to the South Point to see the move, The Town with Ben Affleck. We both thought this was one of the best movies we had seen this year - click the title for our review. Got home around 6:30 and had a fruit salad for dinner and watched some new Fall season TV shows that we recorded while we were gone.

South Point

SUNDAY - 09/19/2010 - After we finished packing, we drove over to the South Point and picked up the keys for our free night's stay. We then went down to the Coronado Cafe for some of the best Chinese food in town. We each had an order of the Tempura Shrimp and shared an order of Pork Egg Foo Yong, one of Connie's favorites. The Chinese food here is so fresh and good that every two hours they make the crispy fried noodles that they serve as a pre-appitizer with two dipping sauces and hot mustard, right on the premises. We then spent the next two hours enjoying several free drinks while watched the Patriots get trounced by the Jets. Not a great football afternoon. We spent the remainder of the afternoon doing some gambling before heading to the room to change for our dinner reservations at the Silverado Steakhouse. We both had the Lobster Bisque, which was just as outstanding as it was the last time we ate here. Next we had their delicious house salad. For our main entree, Connie had the Tri-Filet Medallions of Beef and I had the Sea Bass special, lightly fried in lemon butter and then baked. Both were outstanding.

John Heffron

We then headed over to their showroom to see the comedy show of John Heffron. Even though we both since forgeten the name of the warm-up comedian, he was very good. John was even better than we had remembered him when he won year two of Last Comic Standing - we were both in stitches for his entire 50 minute set. An absolutely great show. Between the free drinks, free room, 2-1 dinner entree and 2-1 show tickets, it was a great day, except for the Patriots loss!

SATURDAY - 09/18/2010 - I went to the pool alone this morning while Connie did some laundry, read and packed some items for tomorrow's free stay at the South Point Casino. We have a 2-1 entree coupon for the Silverado Steakhouse restaurant and will be seeing John Heffron, one of the winners of Last Comic Standing. We used another 2-1 coupon at BK for lunch and headed to the "M" for some play. Again, no luck for today. Had a pear, apple, and cheese and cracker plate for dinner and chocolate cake for dessert. Watched 2-hour premiere of  The Apprentice and the 2-hour season finale of Dark Blue and went to bed. Just another day of retirement.

The Henderson Pavalion

FRIDAY - 09/16/2010 - Yesterday we had a typical reading by the pool morning, went to Burger King for a 2-1 meal deal and then over to the "M" for some slot and poker play.  Neither of us had much luck. Picked up a rotisserie chicken at Smith's for dinner and came home and watched some TV and headed to bed.  Today was once again a typical pool morning. I made turkey wraps for lunch which we ate over the Netflix movie "Harry Brown". After the movie I played on the computer while Connie did a couple loads of wash and read. For dinner we went up the street to the District and to eat at a new restaurant called Rachael's Kitchen. Didn't like the menu or the prices so we ended at at our old favorite, The Elephant Bar.  After dinner we headed over to the Henderson Pavilion for a free concert by the Henderson Symphony.  Tonight's entertainment was entitled Master Series I, Mozart Madness, featuring two guest violin soloists. The music was good and there was a nice breeze to help cool down the day's temperatures, but the hard seats always get to us after a hour or so.

AGT Winner - Michael Grimm

WEDNESDAY - 09/15/2010 - The weather today was just perfect, so we headed to the pool early. After returning we decided to make a trip to Food-4-Less and Walmart for some much needed grocery shopping. We were just about out of everything. It took me six trips to bring everything in from the car and about 30 minutes to put everything away. It was nearly dinner time by the time I made us some turkey "wraps" with a plate of sliced beefsteak tomato and cucumber and chips. We watched a couple of prerecorded TV shows and then took a break before the two hours finale of America's Got Talent. Except for the revisiting of some of the more ridiculous acts seen during the auditions, we both felt it was an extremely entertaining show and thoroughly enjoyed it even though our favorite act, Fighting Gravity, didn't win. However, we thought it fitting that our second choice, singer Michael Grimm, ended up being the winner of the million dollars and a show in Vegas.

Fighting Gravity

TUESDAY - 09/14/2010 - After no call yesterday from the garage, I called this morning to see what was happening. The parts that they ordered still hadn't arrived yet. They are supposed to call tomorrow after they arrive. Even though it was quite windy this morning, we still headed out to the pool to sit in the spa and get some reading in. After coming back in I spent a couple of hours doing some much needed backups of my photos and various files on the computer while Connie did a load of wash and some ironing. We then showered, dressed and headed to the "M" for two free buffet lunches. After our late lunch Connie played slots while I played poker. Connie broke even and I won a $115.

When we got home we watched a couple of TV shows and the final of America's Got Talent. At least three of the final four acts are deserving of winning and were so good that neither of us are sure who will be the winner, though we think it will come down to Fighting Gravity or 10-year old Jackie Evancho who sang "Ave Maria" in a  mellow, but not too exciting performance. To make the competition even tougher, Michael Grimm, singing a soulful "when A Man Loves A Woman" turned in his best performance yet. We have wanted to see Fighting Gravity win right from the beginning. Here's hoping.

 

Rafael Nadal - The 2010 U.S. Open Champion

MONDAY - 09/13/2010 - I spent most of the morning doing windows; moving furniture, taking out windows and screens and cleaning them. Turned out to be a bigger job than I expected. At 1:00 we sat down to watch the men's finals of the U.S. Open with Novak Djokovic, now ranked number two in the world after beating Roger Federer, and the number one player in the world, Rafael Nadal. Well, we couldn't find it on TV and had to watch it on my computer in the den. Then after a little more than an hour, the match was delayed for nearly two hours due to heavy rain. After it finally picked up again, it went on for another two and one-half hours in a very hard fought match. Nadal blasted his way to his first U.S. Open championship, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, to claim the one major title to elude him. And with it, he became just the seventh man in history to complete a career Grand Slam (winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open), achieving at 24 what it took Roger Federer until 27 and Andre Agassi until 29. We then had a late dinner, watched a show and headed to bed exhausted after what seemed like an entire day of tennis.

74 million $ Man?SUNDAY - 09/12/2010 - Didn't do much yesterday. Went to the pool in the morning. Had tuna sandwiches for lunch over the U.S. Opens' men's semi-finals. Rafael Nadal easily defeated Mikhail Youzhny, however the surprise upset was Novak Djokovic beating the number two ranked player in the world, Roger Federer, in what was probably the best five set match of the entire tournament.


Today we started out with some cereal and strawberries for breakfast over the first half of the Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals football game. At lunchtime I cooked up some light snacks for us to eat over the 2nd half. What a game it was! the Patriots came out strong and continued that way through most of the game, beating the Bengals 38 to 24. After the football game we tried to watched the men's finals of the U.S. Open with Djokovic and Nadal, but there was a rain delay that eventually got so bad that the match was cancelled and rescheduled for Monday. If the rest of the season goes like today, maybe Brady is worth $74 million dollars. I worked on the computer finishing up a picture project on our recent visit to Connie's brother in Bayfield, Colorado while she read. You can check out the pictures by going here ... Visit To Rick & Family In Bayfield, CO.  Cooked up a Bertolli frozen dinner and watched a movie we had prerecorded on DirectTV.

Greater Roadrunner

FRIDAY - 09/10/2010 - Car day! Not a good day! After spending the entire day at the garage, they were still unable to fix either of the problems I went in with. They did a transmission flush and replaced a filter and checked on some of the transmission wiring and still didn't resolve the problem - still won't shift into 1st gear. Checked the freon and some AC wiring and still didn't resolve the AC problem of blowing hot air. Have to go back Monday as they had to special order a new wiring harness plug for the transmission. Don't know what they will do next.  When I got home I learned from two of my neighbors that while I was at the garage all day they had observed a large roadrunner traipsing around the grounds. This is the second or third time this year that this large, nearly two-foot, bird has been seen. Came home, made dinner and watched a Netflix movie (Streets of Blood) with Connie. Kind of a "B" movie; only so-so.

Bayfield Barn

THURSDAY - 09/09/2010 - Took the car to my mechanic this morning and he confirmed what I had suspected, some problem with the transmission not shifting into first gear. I have to take it back tomorrow and he is going to do a transmission flush and filter change to see if that will resolve the problem. Here's hoping. Came home and waxed the car for tomorrow mornings appointment. Worked on a couple of my favorite pictures from our trip to Bayfield Colorado and posted them to my Photo Gallery Blog. Click here to see them all. Trifecta of a By-gone Era . Had lunch, watched a movie and then headed to the "M" Casino for dinner and a little play.

WEDNESDAY - 09/08/2010 - Called the garage and couldn't get an appointment for the car till tomorrow morning. I spent most of the morning making changes to this blog while Connie watched the U.S. Open. Went to Smith's around noon to get some groceries. Made chicken salad sandwiches for lunch and watched some tennis with Connie. Came back to the computer and continued working on site changes to my blogs. Wrote a review for the movie we went to see yesterday. Click here to read the review ... Machete. I posted a picture of Rick and Belen's cat (Patti) that we took while we were there visiting in August in August and sent a copy to Connie's sister Patti. Click here to view the picture ... Picture of Patti. Made nachos for dinner and had blueberry pie for dessert over the semi-finals of America's Got Talent. We were only surprised by one of the final four, Prince Poppycock over magician Michael Grasso.  We have been rooting for Fighting Gravity from the very beginning, however, latecomer Jackie Evancho and Michael Grimm could provide some stiff competition.

'57 Chevy Station Wagon

TUESDAY - 09/07/2010 - We stayed home yesterday and I spent several hours working on this blog, reorganizing, cleaning up and deleting outdated entries. Had lunch and watched some U.S. Open tennis with Connie, then headed back to the computer for more cleanup. Today was forecast to be cooler. We even had a little rain early this morning. I spent most of the morning working on creating a three-page PDF collage from pictures of the Super Run Classic Car Show that we attended up the street at the District back in 2009. Click the title to view the pictures. Next I started a PDF collage of our visit to Connie's brother's family in Bayfield, Colorado back in August.  In the afternoon we headed over to the South Point Casino to see the movie, "Machette." We bought some soft-serve ice cream after the movie and came home and had chocolate cake and ice cream for dinner.  On the way home the car started acting a little funny; loosing acceleration and "heat" coming out of the AC vents. May need to take it to the garage in the morning. We then watched a tennis match and America's Got Talent before retiring for the evening.

Picture from our trip to Bayfield, CO in August

SUNDAY - 09/05/2010 - Called my brother and wished him a Happy 55th birthday. It was nice and breezy this morning, so Connie and I headed to the pool early as, again, it was suppose to get up to 105 by the day's end. The good news is that starting tomorrow, it is suppose to be under 100 for the entire upcoming week. I started a new audio book, Daemon by Daniel Suarez. I cooked up a Kielbasa and baked beans for lunch which we ate while watching the U.S. Open. Rafael Nadal won his third round and advanced to the Semi-finals. After lunch and tennis we headed to the "M" for a free bottle of wine; neither of us had any luck. Came home and had chocolate cake and pecan ice cream for dinner over a Netflix movie, "Push". A little too far out, didn't really enjoy it. Yesterday afternoon I went out with my neighbor Jim and played live poker at the "M" and then headed over to the Silverton for a $65 buy-in Hold'em tournament in the evening.  No luck at the "M" and I ended up coming in 7th in the tournament, 2 seats off the bubble. Not a very fruitful day.

FRIDAY - 09/03/2010 - Temperatures went back up today with a high of 107. We went to the pool early to avoid the head. I finished my audio book, Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci. Click the title for a review. We went to Fiesta for a 2-1 sub sandwich and soda at Subway, then stopped at GVR for some free slot play and then on to the "M" where we got two free chocolate cakes. After some play, we came home and had chocolate cake and ice cream for dinner and watched another great tennis match with Rafael Nadel beating out Denis Isotomin in three sets.

THURSDAY - 09/02/2010 - After a breakfast of cornflakes with fresh strawberries we headed to the spa and pool to get in some reading. The temperature was in the upper 70's and the spa felt really good. We headed over to the "M" Casino for a couple of free lunch buffets. Connie lost $5 on slots and I won $15 playing poker. Mid-afternoon we left and traveled to the South Point Casino to see the movie, The American, with George Clooney. A real disappointment! Both we, and the rest of the audience, thought it was terrible. The American is George Clooney’s Eat Pray Love. We couldn’t swallow Julia’s self-indulgent spree and the same goes for Clooney’s. Click the title for our review. Came home and had banana splits for dinner, watched a couple of nature shows on the discovery and travel channels and retired for the evening.

Pencil Sketch of Patti's house in Van Buren, Arkansas

WEDNESDAY - 09/01/2010 - Connie made breakfast; eggs, bacon, and English muffins. The weather was just perfect this morning, so I headed to the pool while Connie watched some more of the U.S. Open play. I didn't get too much reading in - too many neighbors talking. We did some grocery shopping and I came home and made hard salami and cheese sandwiches for lunch that we ate over a couple of TV shows. I played on the computer and performed some end of the month backups while Connie continued to watch tennis. I went to Radio Shack to buy a bluetooth Adapter for my computer and to the "Art" Supply" store to pick up some watercolor paper and a sketching pad.  Stuff I needed for a project I've been working on. Went to three stores and no luck on the bluetooth adapters.Watched a Netflix movie, "Angel of Death", and a couple of TV shows and retired for the evening.

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