As I write this, I am looking out over the Pacific at sunset from the Family Reunion Beach House!! We've had an eventful day and a half (I wasn't willing to pay $15 for Internet c
onnection at the Hard Rock Hotel for the sake of the blog, though...sorry!!)
Let's just say some drops of rain fall on every epic journey, and we've had a few...It started out yesterday morning at about 4 when the Skipper woke up with a horrible headache and nausea. Assuming that he was suffering dehydration from being in the desert climate and and the activities we've done, we admonished him to make sure he was drinking plenty of water. He did get sick, but in the
morning he felt better...
So we drove the not-quite 3 hours to Las Vegas. Before we went into the city, though, we stopped through Nellis AFB, where the Professor had worked for 1.5 years before we were married, and the assignment in which we spent the first year of our married life. We were excited to see that the Thunderbirds were in town, so we got some pics of the kids with the planes, and meandered through the museum, and watched to movie (which was decidedly more exciting for the kids to watch than, say, the History of Zion or the Painted Desert...). So then we stopped for lunch at one of our favorite fast food places, In and Out Burger. YUM!!
Even Ginger, who is not a big burger fan, seemed to enjoy it. After lunch, we drove by our old house, and marveled at how much things had changed in the past 16 years since I'd seen it last.
But then...we drove down to one of the places we used to take folks who visited us, Ethel M's Chocolates (it's a division of M & M Mars),
where the Skipper said his belly was feeling a bit queasy again. We quickly finished up there and decided it was best to get to the hotel, post haste, so that he could have bathroom access.
I have to say, at this point in my monologue, that I'd forgotten what noisy, smoky, confusing places casinos are. In order to get the the registration desk, we all had to walk through the casino. Being The Hard Rock, it was playing music at a million decibels. By the time we actually got to registration, I was feeling a bit nauseous!! We finally were able to make our way to our room, but an alarm went off, closing off access to the elevators for a time.
So, by the time we finally got to our room, poor Skipper proceeded to the bathroom and was sick again. So much for the dehydration theory! The poor guy spent the entire time in bed. Not much fun for him!
The Professor had some work to do, anyway, so he stayed with the sickie while I took the other two to the pool. The pools were beautiful, and there was a slide that entertained them for a while. I had totally forgotten that pavement in 110 degree heat really burns feet!! AND that when you get out of a pool in 110 degree heat but no humidity, you feel cold!
After our pool time, we decided to leave the poor Skipper in the room to rest as he could while the rest of us went in search of dinner. We drove up the strip a bit, which really has changed exponentially as well (I also forgot about the men standing on the street corners passing out sheets on how to get "Women Express." Although prostitution is illegal in Clark County, which is the county Las Vegas sits in, it is not illegal in the rest of the state. It really wasn't something I wanted to explain to my kids!). We decided to try the buffet at the Rio, which is off the strip, and where as newlyweds we used to go for dinner. It's not $8.95 like it used to be--$30 nowadays!! Plus, Ginger was not hot on being in the casino atmosphere. We ended up at the Hofbrauhaus, which was authentically German, almost equally as loud as the casino (oompah band), and more expensive than Germany!! It was very good, though.
The real highlight of the evening, though, happened on the way back to the room, when our friend (I'd call her Mrs. Predator, but that's so far from her I just can't do it) and yet another neighbor from our DC assignment, called me. I was so thrilled, because although I wanted to see them, I had really not wanted to make them feel obligated to see us. Four weeks ago, their son was born 7 weeks prematurely, and has already had a heart surgery. I know they have been incredibly busy, and let's face it, very stressed. There was no way I was going to add to their stress!! After talking to her, though, I decided they would be OK with Ginger and I going for a visit for a little bit. I'm so glad we did!! It was wonderful to see them all (was only able to see Mr. Predator in passing, as he spends his evenings until midnight or 1 in the morning with the baby at the hospital), and it was just so good to catch up. Our prayers continue for their whole family,
but especially to that sweet little boy for his continued improvement, and that he's able to go home as soon as possible!!!
We did have a rough night last night; although the vomiting had stopped, Skipper was feeling achy and icky. He still didn't feel great this morning, but he (and in fact, no one else) wanted to stay any longer in Sin City. We stopped for bagels and coffee, and were on our way by 8 this morning. I do think the Skipper was able to rest, if not truly sleep, and by the time we drove on to Camp Pendleton, he was looking a bit less pale. We got some chicken in him, after which we could then give him some Motrin, and went across the street for a game of bowling (gotta love being on a base!!). By the time we were done with the game, we headed to the commissary for a few grocery items, and Grandma and Grandpa were waiting for us at the beach house.
It is a beautiful place--right on the ocean!! I think the Wessel Vessel is really glad to be unloaded for a while, and the kids are
happily hanging with Gma and Gpa. The laundry toll is great--thank goodness there are 2 sets of washer/dryers! I think we'll have done 8 loads by the end of the evening.
The rest of the family arrives pretty much tomorrow. Tomorrow is my eve to cook; I'm making a taste of the south: Shrimp and Grits, and Beaufort Stew. For right
now, though, it's just nice to relax in a place bigger than a hotel room, and to have everyone healthy again. We are fervently praying that everyone stays that way!!
onnection at the Hard Rock Hotel for the sake of the blog, though...sorry!!)Let's just say some drops of rain fall on every epic journey, and we've had a few...It started out yesterday morning at about 4 when the Skipper woke up with a horrible headache and nausea. Assuming that he was suffering dehydration from being in the desert climate and and the activities we've done, we admonished him to make sure he was drinking plenty of water. He did get sick, but in the
morning he felt better...So we drove the not-quite 3 hours to Las Vegas. Before we went into the city, though, we stopped through Nellis AFB, where the Professor had worked for 1.5 years before we were married, and the assignment in which we spent the first year of our married life. We were excited to see that the Thunderbirds were in town, so we got some pics of the kids with the planes, and meandered through the museum, and watched to movie (which was decidedly more exciting for the kids to watch than, say, the History of Zion or the Painted Desert...). So then we stopped for lunch at one of our favorite fast food places, In and Out Burger. YUM!!
Even Ginger, who is not a big burger fan, seemed to enjoy it. After lunch, we drove by our old house, and marveled at how much things had changed in the past 16 years since I'd seen it last.But then...we drove down to one of the places we used to take folks who visited us, Ethel M's Chocolates (it's a division of M & M Mars),
where the Skipper said his belly was feeling a bit queasy again. We quickly finished up there and decided it was best to get to the hotel, post haste, so that he could have bathroom access.I have to say, at this point in my monologue, that I'd forgotten what noisy, smoky, confusing places casinos are. In order to get the the registration desk, we all had to walk through the casino. Being The Hard Rock, it was playing music at a million decibels. By the time we actually got to registration, I was feeling a bit nauseous!! We finally were able to make our way to our room, but an alarm went off, closing off access to the elevators for a time.
So, by the time we finally got to our room, poor Skipper proceeded to the bathroom and was sick again. So much for the dehydration theory! The poor guy spent the entire time in bed. Not much fun for him!
The Professor had some work to do, anyway, so he stayed with the sickie while I took the other two to the pool. The pools were beautiful, and there was a slide that entertained them for a while. I had totally forgotten that pavement in 110 degree heat really burns feet!! AND that when you get out of a pool in 110 degree heat but no humidity, you feel cold!
After our pool time, we decided to leave the poor Skipper in the room to rest as he could while the rest of us went in search of dinner. We drove up the strip a bit, which really has changed exponentially as well (I also forgot about the men standing on the street corners passing out sheets on how to get "Women Express." Although prostitution is illegal in Clark County, which is the county Las Vegas sits in, it is not illegal in the rest of the state. It really wasn't something I wanted to explain to my kids!). We decided to try the buffet at the Rio, which is off the strip, and where as newlyweds we used to go for dinner. It's not $8.95 like it used to be--$30 nowadays!! Plus, Ginger was not hot on being in the casino atmosphere. We ended up at the Hofbrauhaus, which was authentically German, almost equally as loud as the casino (oompah band), and more expensive than Germany!! It was very good, though.
The real highlight of the evening, though, happened on the way back to the room, when our friend (I'd call her Mrs. Predator, but that's so far from her I just can't do it) and yet another neighbor from our DC assignment, called me. I was so thrilled, because although I wanted to see them, I had really not wanted to make them feel obligated to see us. Four weeks ago, their son was born 7 weeks prematurely, and has already had a heart surgery. I know they have been incredibly busy, and let's face it, very stressed. There was no way I was going to add to their stress!! After talking to her, though, I decided they would be OK with Ginger and I going for a visit for a little bit. I'm so glad we did!! It was wonderful to see them all (was only able to see Mr. Predator in passing, as he spends his evenings until midnight or 1 in the morning with the baby at the hospital), and it was just so good to catch up. Our prayers continue for their whole family,
but especially to that sweet little boy for his continued improvement, and that he's able to go home as soon as possible!!!We did have a rough night last night; although the vomiting had stopped, Skipper was feeling achy and icky. He still didn't feel great this morning, but he (and in fact, no one else) wanted to stay any longer in Sin City. We stopped for bagels and coffee, and were on our way by 8 this morning. I do think the Skipper was able to rest, if not truly sleep, and by the time we drove on to Camp Pendleton, he was looking a bit less pale. We got some chicken in him, after which we could then give him some Motrin, and went across the street for a game of bowling (gotta love being on a base!!). By the time we were done with the game, we headed to the commissary for a few grocery items, and Grandma and Grandpa were waiting for us at the beach house.
It is a beautiful place--right on the ocean!! I think the Wessel Vessel is really glad to be unloaded for a while, and the kids are
happily hanging with Gma and Gpa. The laundry toll is great--thank goodness there are 2 sets of washer/dryers! I think we'll have done 8 loads by the end of the evening.The rest of the family arrives pretty much tomorrow. Tomorrow is my eve to cook; I'm making a taste of the south: Shrimp and Grits, and Beaufort Stew. For right
now, though, it's just nice to relax in a place bigger than a hotel room, and to have everyone healthy again. We are fervently praying that everyone stays that way!! Funny thing is, the only pics we took in Vegas were of the Thunderbirds, and of our old house. I should be happy that none of my kids liked Vegas! I have put some photos of the surfers we were watching this morning (thinking of a certain Maxwell House who might be following the blog), as well as the awesome quilt that Grandma and Cousin KT made. For the past reunions, we've had a t-shirt made; the quilt has every shirt from past reunions represented in it. Very, very cool!! Kudos to the crafters!
Glad you got to see the Predators (??????). Is the Hofbrauhaus the place with the little cable car that goes back and forth in the dining room? If so, we used to call it "the sausage place" and we'd eat there if we were in Vegas during dinner time while passing through on our way to a ski vacation. I'll have to ask my dad if that's its real name.
ReplyDeleteWill you be passing through Santa Barbara on your way north? Stop at Longboards on the Wharf for fish tacos. Or at Sambo's across from the wading pool, just because its an icon.
So glad to hear skipper's feeling better and glad you like thee place we picked out. I'm impatiently waiting for my ride to the airport so I can see you all later tonight :)
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