Thanks for the memories, Jimmy.

Recently, we sold our '85 GMC Jimmy. It was a beast. It was amazing what that thing could do. It was an awesome rock crawler. But once we bought the RZR we had the need for speed and the Jimmy never saw the desert. It was time to part with it. It was no easy decision, since Frank's blood, sweat and tears went into it. Thankfully, we found it a good home. A young kid that was born in one, bought it, and has plans to turn it into a zombie apocalypse response vehicle or something of the sort. We're happy to see it get love, rather than it become scrap. It's one helluva vehicle.

President's Day II

After we packed it in, we headed off to do some light four-wheeling with the Jimmy. Sadly, that idea didn't pan out. As we went on, the steering only got worse and worse. It was to point we couldn't turn right. We had a to drive in reverse to get back to the main trail. We left and headed straight for the repair shop. We dropped it off, then piled into the Suburban. We opted to make the most of what was left of the day and we did a couple trails near the mines. They offer beautiful views of the city.






After taking in the views, we went to check out the old mine caves.











It wasn't the day we anticipated, but it was a good time. It was nice to get back out to the desert. I missed it.

The Jimmy's latest issue is the gear box. It's less than two years old and we already wore it out. That's being replaced along with the pittman arm. After these repairs we should be in good shape for another run. A successful one, I hope.

Done until September

Now that football is over Frank is back to his Tues-Sat schedule. This means we now have time to play. I feel like a kid that’s been cooped up all winter and finally gets to play outside.

Sunday we have plans to play a round of disc golf. We also talked of taking a hike afterwards. Sunday evening is “O”. Then, Monday it’s time to take the beast out. It’s been hibernating long enough. Frank ordered the tie rod last week and brought it to the shop yesterday to have it replaced. The Jimmy should be in good order now, only he discovered yesterday that it’s not holding a charge for whatever reason, we’ve replaced the battery and alternator recently. He’ll just need to take the time to rule one out. It was a rainy day no sense in fussing with it. As long as it gets done before Monday, we’re good to go.

Back to the pigskin, despite suffering a number of losses it was a profitable football season, little thanks to me.

Frank was the big winner; he finished in second place in both of his Fantasy Football Leagues. We parlayed a bit of those winning into bets on the Super Bowl. As noted before we won our Saints and under bet. We also won the following prop bets:

1st score of the game, other score +180
1st offensive play, run play +120
Field goal in the 1st quarter Even
Special teams or Defense TD +155
D Clark Receptions, over 6.5 +105

My confident prop bet was the total on the game would be between 51-55. If it weren’t for the missed field goal, I would’ve cashed. I get screwed like that often.

We didn’t place in the money in any other pay leagues or cash any tickets all season – but we only bet on a few games early in the season. Then, we recognized we were only taking beating after beating.

I placed 2nd in Pro Pick’em, but got my ass kicked in other just for fun leagues.

As much fun as the football season is I enjoy the hiatus. It leaves time for baseball, road trips and fun in the sun.

Weekends are never long enough

We had fabulous weather this weekend. It’s just a shame it was over in a flash.

Saturday was a full day of shopping; no, not for shoes or purses, but guns and ammo. First, I did get my groceries out of the way. Then, I met Frank at work, and we headed over to Tropicana for the Crossroads Gun Show. We’re looking to get another gun; this one will be suited for me. The grip on the Glock is great for Frank, but I have much smaller hands so it’s not perfectly comfortable to handle. Last year, while in Phoenix, I really liked the Ruger .45. We know we’re in the market for a .45, but the Ruger’s I’ve handled in stores haven’t been a good fit. A while back, I found a Taurus .45 I liked a lot at Bass Pro-Shops, but I found that early on and I wanted to be sure we buy exactly what I want. We’ve kept looking, but I seem to keep falling back to the Taurus.



The Gun Show was a madhouse. We drove around for a good 10-15 minutes looking for a parking spot. Admission was $14; we thought that was a bit steep. We’ve never been to show before so maybe that’s the norm? We stopped by the few tables selling fire arms. I tried every .45 they had available and wouldn’t you know it, it was the Taurus I liked best. Prices for the guns weren’t great deals so I wasn’t pressed to buy on the spot. There’s no doubt I know what I want, but I want to hit the range and try out a couple models because I’m undecided on the barrel length. The only way to make that decision is to fire off a few rounds and get a feel for each type. So, there’s more research to be done.

After checking out the guns, we hit the two ammo vendors. They had more varieties than I ever knew existed. We knew we wanted to stock up on 9mm. It’s been hard to find in stores lately. Wal-Mart has the best prices around and they can’t keep a supply. I was told I have to call at 7am when they receive shipments and come down ASAP because they sell out so fast. I want ammo damn it, not a Wii. It shouldn’t be that complicated. Anyway, I spotted one 1000 round box, I hurried up and grabbed it. Good thing I did, it was the last box. Since we know we’re going to pick up a .45 in the near future we went ahead and bought rounds for that, as well. We were a few hundred dollars lighter, but it was a good price and it’ll be nice not having to track down ammo; we’re stocked for quite awhile.

We went around to the other tables, we bought a Glock holster for $20, but we didn’t find anything else we were in the market for. I was surprised by the number of tables selling food – jerky, nuts, candy, trinkets, and whatnot. I didn’t expect that, I thought there would be more vendors selling weapons and ammo, but the majority was accessories and junk, in my opinion, anyway.

Sunday, we never went off-roading. Instead, Frank worked on the Jimmy and I tackled another landscaping project in the backyard. I filled another six garbage bags of leaves and trimmings. There’s still much more to do. The work is endless, I tell ya. Unfortunately, Frank had no luck with the Jimmy, he decided to rewire the entire electrical system, but he ran into troubles and the truck won’t even start at this point. Our friend, Shane, is a mechanic whiz; luckily he’ll be visiting in April. He and Frank should be able to get it in tip-top shape in a few weeks. It’s just a shame it’s not operational, the weather is just perfect for a day in the desert – rock climbing and running trails. In the meantime, we can do stock trails with the Suburban. So, all is not lost. I’m just hoping Frank isn’t stuck working all weekend, because of March Madness. We’ll see how that pans out.

Rain, Rain Go Away...

After work on Friday I made my way over the hump to Pahrump. It started raining at Tecopa and it’s rained off and on since then, I think it finally stopped drizzling mid-morning today. It sure put a wrench in our plans, we intended to hang by my mom’s this weekend so Nicky can drive his viper, ride his horse, chase chickens and play in dirt. But when it rains, my mom’s land turns into muddy quick sand; it’s no fun at all. Keeping him inside with all the animals in sight out the window would be pure torture – for everyone. So, they decided they’d come to Vegas on Saturday. We had the local Chinese buffet for dinner, and visited for a bit. Then Mike and I set off for our night of gambling.

We drove back to Vegas; we got to the Hard Rock around 11:30. It’s been Mike’s favorite property since his first trip nearly nine years ago. Now he’s 21, he was in heaven, it could have only been better if he had a bankroll to throw around Nick Pappageorgio style. The bars and clubs were hopping, the table games were pretty busy, but the slots were pretty dead. It worked in our favor because the cocktail waitress came by regularly. We played a few penny slots and I showed him how video keno works. He wanted to play the numbers from his fortune that he got from his fortune cookie earlier. We had a slow burn going with our money. We hung around for a couple hours then he wanted to hit the strip.

We parked at Harrah’s, he wasn’t feeling the vibe so we went to check out Carnaval Court the rain curtailed any fun there, they were packing it in for the night. We went on to IP. Good crowds in there, a little too crowded so we kept on heading south. Next stop was Flamingo, it was pretty busy in there, too. Nothing caught Mike’s eye, so we went to Bally’s. It was a ghost-town. We were able to get drinks playing slots real quick so that was nice. All players’ clubs seemed to be closed so he wanted to go somewhere he already had a card for so we decided Bellagio would be the next stop. We walked right past the penny slots near the shops entrance and wasted a lot of time looking for them. Bellagio’s clubs were pretty busy but the rest of the place was eerily calm. I’ve never seen it like that. I wanted to play VP I found a decent bank of games, we sat and got comfy. I showed Mike how to play, instructed him on what to keep and what to toss. He picked it up quickly. We played for an hour roughly and not a single cocktail waitress walked by. So, when my buy-in was gone, we booked it. We went to Bill’s. Crazy busy in there at 3:30. We made our way back to Harrah’s. Mike played a little to get another drink. Along the way we ran into all kinds’ characters, drunks that could barely stand, hookers looking for date, hookers being questioned by police, a drug bust, a few drug dealers, a couple pukers and these three girls that wanted to walk to Fremont. Around 4:15 we headed home. I haven’t been out that late in ages. It was interesting.

Saturday, the rest of family came by. We hung around the house; never got into the hot tub it was too chilly from the rain and wind. Nicky had a blast in my big master bathtub, though. He thought it was the best tubby ever. Amy, Nicky and I stayed home while everyone else when downtown. My mom was able to get three comped nights at the Plaza. They gambled and drank – good times were had. No wins to speak of, but Frank said the Plaza is back to the basics and he enjoyed playing there again. I'll have to check it out sometime soon.

Sunday we were able to swim in between storms. Frank took Mike and Amy off-roading. Around 6:15 he called asking for me to come pick them up. The Jimmy wouldn’t start. I dashed off in my mom’s Blazer. They were in a retention basin off Blue Diamond west of Hualapai. I’ve never been there before and it was dark. I had some trouble finding it, only the wall is seen from Blue Diamond, I never knew it opened up on the other side. Luckily, I was able to find them. We hooked a tow rope between the vehicles. I towed Frank across the basin. I did fine until we had to climb the side. At that point I kept slipping and the tires were spinning. We switched. Steering the Jimmy anytime is a pain, this was especially challenging, but I managed. We got the Jimmy all the way up to Blue Diamond. We left it on the side of the road. Frank bought a part that he thought would fix the issue and we went back after dinner. By then, my mom, Blaine, Amy and Nicky headed back to Pahrump. Mike stayed at our house to watch the Grammy’s; he’d later be staying the night at the Plaza.

The part wasn’t right. Plus, it was really cold it was rainy and started to snow. So, we decided it was best to call a tow truck rather than fuss with it anymore. An hour later, the tow truck followed us to our repair shop. Thankfully, it was only a seven mile tow so it wasn’t too costly. $71 said and done, had we not recovered the Jimmy ourselves it would’ve run around $400. Once that was taken care of we went back to the house. I packed Frank a bag; he decided he was going to stay at the Plaza with Mike. Shortly after, they headed out for a night of gambling and drinking. And I headed straight to bed. Six hours later, I was awakened by my alarm. Back to work. Weekends are too damn short.

I was surprised to see it was still raining. The mountains are covered in snow, at least, it was a pretty drive on my way into work. I hope the sun comes out tomorrow. I’ve had enough of the rain and cloudy skies. It’d be nice if Nicky could run around outside before it’s time for him to head back to Chicago and be cooped up for another couple months.

If it's not one thing, it's another

Last Friday Frank made it to Phoenix in the Jimmy without incident. We were both amazed considering its track record (caught fire on the way to Laughlin, leaked anti-freeze on the way to Calico, etc). Although, it was a long 6+ hour ride for Frank, the A/C wasn’t working, the truck doesn’t go over 65mph and it gets about 10mpg.

Frank and Shane got started on the modifications Saturday morning. They worked on the truck from 5am to midnight each day through Tuesday. When I talked to Frank on Monday he said as long as the rims they had special order arrived on Tuesday he’d make it back home late Tuesday evening as planned, and wouldn’t need the flight I booked for him a few weeks back (thinking they might not finish before he had to be back to work).

Tuesday all the parts they needed arrived. They got everything installed and took the truck to a repair shop because it started leaking trans fluid shortly after Frank arrived on Friday. The transmission itself looked good, only a seal needed to be repaired. That was done and they went back to Shane’s. There was one last alteration that needed, since they had time, they decided to go ahead and get it done. It turned into a bigger project than they originally thought. Frank decided that he’d stay Tuesday night get a goodnight’s rest and hit the road at 5am and head into work late.

He left before sun up as planned, all was going well until he was about 5 miles outside Wikieup, AZ. The Jimmy was leaking trans fluid again. He pulled over and called me while I was in the hospital waiting to get my blood taken. I told him to try to get to Wikieup and find a repair shop there, and that I’d come get him if needed. He called me when he got to town, but there was no place open to help him. He was able to get the number for a tow at the Shell. It cost $250 for the ride to Kingman. Luckily, there was a transmission shop there that could get the truck fixed that day. Again, the transmission looked fine, they determined that the trans was overheating. They believed that the combination of the modifications, heat, and mountains were putting to much strain on it. They put an external cooler on the trans, an hour and $200 later, Frank was back on the road. I was relieved. By this time Frank called off work, and he planned to spend the rest of the day in the pool, resting his sore and tired body.

He was about 45 miles from the Hoover Dam when the trans began to overheat once again. He called to update me, I suggested he go slow and try to get as close to home as possible, because the tow would surely cost less. He proceeded slowly, getting about 8mpg now, at least the air works. I didn’t hear from him for a couple hours so I thought he finally made it.

He came close, he called again from the side of the 215 just shy of the Tropicana exit, a couple short miles from home, and less than a mile from our repair shop. Figures, right? He was a bit shaken up, he was cruising along, until he smelled gas, and his gauge dropped from half a tank to empty. He pulled over, jumped out and ran away, anticipating it to blow. Fortunately, it did not. We assessed the situation, while letting the truck cool down. I asked if any fluids were leaking or if he still smelled gas, both were negative. So, we felt circumstances were safe enough for him to push it the last mile to the repair shop.

Luckily, he made it in one piece. And so did the Jimmy. The shop owner gave Frank a ride home. He was beat and disgusted. After the long hours, hard work, blood and sweat that went into fixing the Jimmy, it found itself back into the repair shop. I felt for him I really did. I came home from work to find him sleeping in the pool. It was nice to have him back home, I missed him. I can’t wait to see all the work they did, once the Jimmy makes it back home. We’re also stoked to get the beast out to the desert to see all that it can do.

Alternate plans

This past weekend we had planned to stay in Barstow and meet Vegas Valley 4-Wheelers for a run on Saturday in Calico, CA. Needless to say, we didn't make it, we hit the road around 5:30 on Friday, all was good until we got outside Vegas, then the Jimmy's engine got real hot. We pulled over, smoke flooded out from under the hood. The water pump went out and we were leaking coolant like a sieve. I called the hotel to cancel our reservation, and then called lodging.com to get a refund. They gave us a terrible time, but eventually they agreed to refund us. It took us almost 4 hours to get home. We had to stop every couple miles and flood the radiator with water. Good thing I brought a lot along with us.

It was 9:30 when we got back to the house I was starved and craving Mexican. We tried a new place that's been open for a year or two. It's called Frank and Fina's Cocina. I'm glad we finally tried it, it was delicious. Frank had a carne asada burrito and I had cochinita pibil. We agreed that we liked it better than Lindo/Bonito's and Viva Mercado's, which were among the best we've had here. I wish we could find something like what we get in San Diego, because Los Panchos is some damn good stuff.

Moving on to Saturday, we dropped off the Jimmy at the shop first thing. Very soon everything under the hood will be new, and we've replaced the exhaust system and got new tires, so repairs have got to be coming to an end soon. I suppose that's what you get with a 23 year old vehicle.

Then, we had breakfast at Hash House a Go Go. I tried the blackberry granola pancake, but it was much too dry. Not my favorite, the other varieties are far better. Frank had the pork tenderloin benedict. That was yummy like usual.

After that, we went to the Las Vegas Springs Preserve We opted to do the trails and gardens for free rather than paying the $20 admission to the exhibits since we were looking to enjoy the weather outside.

It's planted to look like the desert that surrounds us. It's really kind of ironic. Years ago, they had small garden set up for free, I really enjoyed that. This was enjoyable, but luster was lost because everything was fake. I'd rather see the natural desert then the planted desert. Anyway, a few photos of the grounds and gardens are coming up.

Fake wetlands



Beautiful yellow flowers on this tree



flowering penis cacti (of course, that's not the proper name, but it's looks like it, doesn't it?)



I've seen lots of these off-roading



a variety of desert plants



vibrant desert flowers



I love to see cacti flower



And this bloom totally made my day. It was gorgeous!!



Afterwards we returned home and went for a swim. It was the first swim of the year, I cannot express how much I love living here. Although, I will add that it was 38 in Chicago and 77 here on Saturday... Yeah, that helps sum it up.

One down... One to go...

Our Laughlin condo sold! We closed today and it'll record on Monday. We moved our stuff out on Wednesday. It wasn't an easy feat, especially since our first attempt was made on Tuesday.

We rented a trailer and we head down in the Jimmy. We got as far as Henderson (Wagon Wheel Rd.), when I thought I saw dust blowing in the back seat, after a double take I realized it's smoke not dust. Frank pulls over, we get out and notice that the carpet is on fire!

Frank rips the carpet out with a tire iron. We try to determine where it originated from, we think it's the passenger side muffler. As we're pouring water on the floor board and muffler NDOT pulls up. He gives it a look and he thinks oil had leaked on to the mufflers on it started to burn from the heat of the exhaust. Frank mentions that we're on our way to Laughlin and asks if he thinks we'll make it. NDOT says sure I'd try. I'll give you water; douse it if it catches fire. He gives us like 8 bottles of water and we continue on (against my better judgement).

We get outside of Henderson where the turn off for 93/95 is and I tell Frank, I'm going to check on it before we get too far. I throw water on the floor board and it sizzles and smokes like it's ready to fry eggs. We sat and let it cool down. I told Frank I didn't want to try to go any further, even if we got to Laughlin, the truck wasn't going to make it back. Frank called his buddy Shane to see what he thought the issue was, they narrowed it down to the catalytic converter. Shane said, we could go on if Frank poked a hole in it. He tried with the tire iron, but didn't get it. He didn't want to force it and make the repairs even more costly than they'd already be. Then, finally, Frank agreed to turn back.

Every so often, I poured water on the floor board to cool the smolder. It got really really hot so we stopped for dinner at the District at Green Valley Ranch. We tried Lucille's BBQ.

We started with biscuits and apple butter. Mmmm... they were the best biscuits I ever tasted. We ordered the spinach and artichoke cheese dip for our appetizer. It was delicious, too. We both had to restrain ourselves from licking the bowl clean. Next up was our entrees, BBQ tri-tip sandwich with sweet potatoes for me, and Frank had full slab of ribs with sweet corn and baked beans. Lucille's sauces were great, my sandwich was tasty, Frank ribs were the only weak link of the meal. They were decent, but not as good as those served up at Ellis Island (And these were near 3x the cost). Service was great, too. All in all, it was an enjoyable meal. We'll return, but we'll skip the ribs next time.

Luckily, the truck didn't blow up while we ate. It had time to cool, so we headed toward home. I kept an eye on it the whole way, dousing it with water when it got too hot. Fortunately, we made it home safe.

We borrowed my mom's blazer to try again Wednesday, and luckily, our second attempt was a success. We unpacked, yesterday, and set up all the new furniture in our Las Vegas condo. We reduced the condo's asking price when we accepted the Laughlin offer so we're hopeful that it'll sell soon.

Good times!

I had a fun-filled time while the family was in town, of course with family (especially mine), drama is a given. And we sure had our fair share, but that’s a story for another day. I got to say I simply adore my nephew. Yep, that's him above. He thought my french doors were the greatest thing ever (Ahh, the things that amuse kids). You can see more of him here. Nicky is Mr. Independent, a complete clown, and he certainly keeps you on your toes. It was nice to have quality time with Mike and Amy, too.

Since Frank had such fun off-roading in Phoenix, he sought after a new toy, he ended up buying an ’85 GMC Jimmy. It is lifted to the point I can barely get into it, but the beast should provide us with many off-road adventures. It’s been in the shop since we bought it, but we’re looking forward to taking it out when it is in tip-top shape.

We got an offer on our Laughlin condo; we’re in final negotiations and we’re hopeful that the deal will close March 15, 2008. It’ll be wonderful when we’re completely done with that chapter in our lives. We’re anxious to move forward and get into a house.

Last weekend, I went to Fremont Street to take photos and enjoy the warm temperatures before a cold front came through. It’s too bad the sky didn’t provide a better back drop and I never realized how many obstructions the properties have, it really makes it challenging to capture a clear shot.

Fremont Street Photo Tour

This weekend we’re going to Peoria, AZ to catch a White Sox spring training game. We’ll be staying a couple nights with Frank’s friend. Plans are in the works for a day of off-roading, shooting guns, followed by a night of racing (the Trans Am) at the racetrack. Sunday we’ll attend the game and then head out to Sedona for the night. We’ll see the sights on Monday and then return home. It should be a fun trip.