China Ranch Date Farm

Along the way on Hwy 160.


Lots of cacti were for sale at the date farm.




I don't know the story behind the bottles but there were a lot of them.


Trail through the woods along the creek that's nearby.


Alligator warning, we never spotted it.




Nicky's checking out the fish in the creek.


Rows and rows of dates, there are several varieties grown.






Toyed with an effect on this one










Grammy doesn't like her picture taken, but Nicky asked her so she couldn't refuse.






Table and chair, outside the giftshop, made from horseshoes.


Date shake, yummy!


Hummingbird





We had a great time at the China Ranch Date Farm. It's a unique little oasis in the middle of nowhere. After our visit, we drove along offroad trails and saw old talc mines. We'd like to return and do some hiking and check out the hot springs nearby. We brought home a package of dates. I plan to make date bread. I have my grandma's recipe, I've been itching to give it a try. We also bought chocolate oat date cookies. They were so moist and delicious. I might take a stab at replicating them.

Silliness, Bowling and Pinball

Next round of adventures from the weekend...

Pillow Fight!!


Riding the train.


I'm on the train, but the conductor took time out for baseball? yeah, that's what we'll call it.


Nicky didn't like that I was free. He had to lock me in jail.




Then tickling ensued.




Climbing the web like spiderman.


Nicky's first time bowling.








Fun continues at the Pinball Museum.






Next up, a trip to the date farm.

Grammy's farm

The first batch of weekend photos are from my mom's house on Saturday...

I brought over old asparagus to feed the animals. Cha Cha made a similar face as my mom did when I made her try it.


These are Nicky's photos. After he took these, he turned the camera around to show the horses their picture. It was very funny.




Nicky loves collecting the eggs from the chicken coop.


Looking for eggs.




The only thing he loves more than collecting the eggs is cracking them.


Wilbur likes eggs, can you tell?




More critters.














Nicky's pet rock.


Views from the front yard, looking toward Mt. Charleston.




Nicky filled his pant pockets with rocks to toss in the water.


The weight nearly caused his pants to fall down.


It was pretty funny to see.

A Complaint

I would like to file a complaint. It's March. I saw flurries this morning. This is the desert. Did April Fool's come early? Meanwhile, folks back east are enjoying our spring temperatures. This is some kind of cruel joke.

Not fair. I want our warmth and sunshine back.

Thank you.

I have hundreds of photos to sort through and I have much to share. We tried a couple new restaurants this weekend. Stayed out late. Collected chicken eggs. Visited the Pinball Museum. Bowled with a 3 year old. Went to the Date Farm. And laughed a lot.

Hell and back

Felt like I've been to hell and back, but it's nice to return to the land of the living. I lost 4 lbs since Monday. Not the way I'd like, but I suppose it makes for a silver lining.

I rarely get the flu, this bug was a gift from Amy. It hit early Tuesday morning, it was absolutely brutal. I've never seen so much bile. Absolutely disgusting. The stomach cramps, back aches and joint pain were so intense. The hip pain was so bizarre and unrelenting. Finally, yesterday I was able to move about and keep toast down. Pains have eased up, today, I have some cramping, stiff shoulders and neck, headache and I'm pretty tired. That's a long list, but believe it or not I feel a hundred times better.

My mom got it, too. Vomiting wasn't as bad for her. Amy feels bad. Between her and Nicky they've knocked out the whole family, only Frank has made it unscathed (I suppose working in a casino builds a strong immune system). Even traveling from IL to NV didn't stop these germs. My constant cleaning with disinfectant wipes and hand washing wasn't enough to combat them either.

Two missed days of work has me playing catch up. Tomorrow is Friday already, too. I'm taking Monday off with intentions of visiting Death Valley with the family. This might mean a brief hiatus, but regular posts will resume next week.

They're here

Friday night it was looking pretty bleak that Amy and Nicky were coming. Amy came down with the flu on Thursday and just felt miserable on Friday. My mom looked into flights to reschedule their trip, but I suggested holding off until Saturday to see if she felt any better. I hoped they'd make it, but I tried not to get my hopes up.

Mid-morning Saturday, my mom called to say they were coming. The worst was behind her, she was just wore out. She felt she'd have a better chance at getting rest out here, so the trip was on as scheduled. They arrived just before 6 o'clock Saturday evening.

Nicky was so excited on their way out here. We have tickets, today, mommy? Yay! I love Las Vegas!!!

At the airport he was facinated by the slots in baggage claim. I told him that adults put money in them and try to get more money out of it. A passerby overheard me, and asked "how well does that work out"? I said, well that is why they try, it's certainly not a sure thing.

We played all night, with new toys and old. I made a fort with a card table and sheets. Frank showed him how to putt with disc golf, since we have a basket at the house.

Sunday, Frank and I took Nicky to the park. We met our friends there. Jake's boy, Gavyn is 5 months older than Nicky they were fast friends. I took the boys to playground while the guys played disc golf.





The boys loved the volleyball pit even better than the playground. They were able to let their imaginations run wild there. They drew pictures, tossed pinecones, buried treasure, tested their balance and jumping abilities. They really had the best time there.







After the fun at the park. We went back to the house for lunch. Played inside the rest of the day. Lots of laughs, lots of fun. We had dinner at BJ's then the family left for my mom's in Pahrump. Frank and I returned home to quiet. And we quickly fell fast asleep. Keeping up with a 3 year old certainly wears one out.

Goodies for the Home

In yesterday's LLV article, I shared tips for finding deals on home accents, linens and other household odds and ends. Check it out, Vegas Values: Bargains for the Home.

WTF, I'm Purring!

Something is effed up with my sinuses. When I breathe, I make a purring noise. It's been this way nearly an hour. I'm annoying myself. It's got to stop.

In less random announcements, Amy and Nicky arrive tomorrow!! I can hardly contain my excitement. I've missed them bunches.

The other day Nicky called me wanting to talk to his uncle Frank. I told Nicky I was on my way home, he could talk to him shortly. "I hang up, now" was his reply. No love for me.

When I got home I had Frank call him. Amy answered. She told Nicky he had a phone call. "Hold on", he says, "I'm reading a magazine". Who is this kid?

He finally talks to his uncle Frank and he's quiet as can be. Frank did most of the talking. The poor kid has heard that "tickets cost money" "money we don't have" so many times, he doesn't think he's coming on an airplane to visit us.

Frank: You're coming for a visit, you are going to take the airplane.
Nicky: No.
Frank: Yes, you are.
Nicky: No. It costs money. We have no tickets.
Frank: You do have tickets. You are coming on Saturday.
Nicky: Where's grandma?
Frank: Her house.
Nicky: Ok. I call you back soon.

It's so funny he always wants to talk to whoever isn't available at that particular moment. It never fails.

Amy called me back. We chatted a bit and then Nicky distracted her and she had to go, but this is their conversation... Nicky was playing in the sink, washing dishes.

Amy: Nicky, get out of the sink.
Nicky: I'm washing dishes.
Amy: GET OUT OF THERE!
Nicky: NO! It's my job. I need to wash dishes.
Amy: It's not your job. You are THREE, you don't have chores.

Amy: I gotta go, Kel.

She says he's been driving her nuts. He's been cooped up all winter. Visiting us will do him good. He can play outside. We'll swim and visit the park. There is a bouncy playhouse I'm thinking of taking him, too. I plan to take off a couple days while they are here to get extra time with them. I was working to coordinate with Frank so we could all do something together, but his schedule is up in the air. We'll see how it goes. We plan to at least get out to Death Valley with them. They're here until March 16. It should be doable.

Why make plans?

When plans are always changing, why bother making them? I'd much rather play things by ear than set actual plans. Too bad I'm not able to do that with all facets of life. Much to my dismay some things actually require advanced booking or reservations.

Anyway, today, I cancelled our March reservation for Bellagio. This was after rescheduling it from January. I tried to get the same rate for any Sunday for the rest of the year, but it would cost $40 more. Eh, it wasn't worth it. I'll wait for new offers to roll out. There should be deals over summer. I cancelled because it ends up falling while Amy and Nicky are here. Plus, who knows how long Frank will be swamped with work. I felt it was for the best.

We've also have a trip to Phoenix planned in March. That trip is in jeopardy, too. Again, Frank's work schedule might interfere. He assured me yesterday that the trip is still green lit, but I won't get my hopes up.

This is the week we thought we'd run off to Mexico. Those plans got scrapped early this year, but it worked out for the best. Frank definitely couldn't swing a trip right now. It's been nice weather-wise here, too. I prefer to escape the cold. Although, we had a couple cool days and rain this week; I'd rather run away from the wintry weather in December.

I looked at airfare for Vancouver. The Olympics must be inflating prices fares are $70 more than the last time I looked. Now, Seattle flights are cheaper. The opposite was true before. I'd like to nail down dates for that trip, but I'm afraid that'll curse those plans and we'll be stuck nixing them, too. So I'm playing it by ear as long as I can.